Sharing a Spouse

    For some people it may sound evolved to have an open marriage or share a spouse.  However, it is nothing new.  It has proven to only lead to the destruction of the heart, soul, and family.  Marriage and family is a precious gift from God.  That is why He has established such strict boundaries to protect us.  Marriage is a Holy union between 1 man and 1 woman.  He is in the center to keep that marriage stronger than gorilla glue.  When we allow anyone else into that union, it chips away at it and eventually it will break.  If we see the error of our ways, then God can help us put it back together, no matter how shattered it may be.  However, we have to put in the work.

     Sisters have a special bond.  However, that bond cannot endure sharing the same guy.  It breaks the heart in a whole different way because you never truly have the man and you lose the person that should be your lifelong friend.  We do not know much about the relationship between Leah and Rachel before they married Jacob, but we do know it was not a good one once they were sharing the same man.  There was jealousy, bitterness, and manipulation.  I do not understand why any man would ever want this.  One woman is enough to deal with for the rest of his life.  Why would he want more?  He could never win an argument.

     Rachel became so jealous of Leah having children that she gave her maid to Jacob to give her children.  Again, I can't see how this would fix anything.  It only opens the door for more suspicion and jealousy.  The maid, Bilhah, gave Jacob two sons.  This made Leah feel insecure, so she too gave her maid to Jacob for more children.  Her maid was named Zilpah.  Zilpah gave Jacob two more sons.  The sisters did not seem to be learning from their mistakes because they used mandrake to barter over Jacob.  Leah did give him two more sons and a daughter.  

    Children should never be a competition.  They should only be a byproduct of love.  This gave Jacob 10 sons and one daughter.  This is when Rachel finally had her son, Joseph.  Joseph was the favorite because he was born from Rachel, the one Jacob actually loved.  Jacob had been serving his father in law for years.  he was ready to have something for his own family.  He went to Laban to tell him he was going home.  He said that he would take all the spotted sheep and goats as his wages for the years of service.  The spotted were worth less than the solid colored.  However, Jacob was manipulative, so he did a little breeding on the side to guarantee more spotted sheet and goats.  He was going to get his payday no matter what.  

Genesis 30