A Mom Looks Back 以为母亲的回顾
Dexu Xia
“This time I will praise the Lord.” So [Leah] named him Judah. Genesis 29:35
Today's Scripture Genesis 29:31-35
Today's Insights The story of Leah is one of the saddest in Scripture (see Genesis 29:15-36). In ancient times, women had virtually no voice in what happened to them. When Leah’s father, Laban, deceived Jacob into sleeping with her instead of her sister Rachel, she was a helpless pawn in that scheme. When Jacob later married Rachel as well, Leah was moved to secondary status in the home. When she began to have sons, she thought she’d been justified by God, but that feeling seemed to carry with it some resentment and bitterness, which we discover in the names she gave her boys (vv. 32-34). That changed, however, with the birth of her fourth son, from whose line Jesus would come. She named him Judah saying, “This time I will praise the Lord” (v. 35). This name revealed a heart of trust in God. We too can learn to trust Him through difficult times.
Today's Devotional “I really didn’t like Mother’s Day,” said Donna, a mom of three. “It brought back to me all the inadequacies and failures I felt and feel as a mother.” Donna started her parenting life with high expectations. Reality lowered the bar. “Being a mother was really the hardest thing I ever did,” she said. And one particular child “pushed every button I had.”
When God chose Leah to be a matriarch of Israel, no doubt she had high expectations for each of her children. She gave her first four sons names with relevance to her difficult situation (Genesis 29:32-35). Yet when it comes to dark stories in the Bible, these sons have starring roles as the bad guys. Some were guilty as murderers (34:24-30) and slavers (37:17-28). Leah’s son Judah is the villain in one of the uglier accounts in Scripture (ch. 38).
How like God to bring the Messiah through Leah’s descendants—including Judah. In the most difficult circumstances and through the most unexpected people, God works out redemption.
Donna learned this too. As she faced all her parenting challenges, she never found an answer “except to keep going and keep praying.” And that kid who pushed all her buttons? He’s grown now, and he loves and respects his mom. Looking back, Donna says, “Perhaps he was sent to me to teach me something about myself and something about my God.”
Reflect & Pray
Where have you sensed the keenest disappointments in your life? What do you find you’re learning about God through this?
Heavenly Father, please help me to trust You in everything.
By Tim Gustafson.
“这一次我要赞美耶和华。”于是[利亚]给他起名叫犹大。创世记 29:35
今日经文 创世记 29:31-35
今日心得 利亚的故事是圣经中最悲伤的故事之一（参见创世记 29:15-36）。在古代，女性几乎没有发言权。当利亚的父亲拉班欺骗雅各，让他与利亚同房而不是与她姐姐拉结同房时，利亚在这个阴谋中成了无助的棋子。后来雅各也娶了拉结，利亚在家中的地位就降到次要。当她开始有儿子，她以为上帝为自己声张公义了，但这种感觉似乎带着一些怨恨和苦毒，我们从她给儿子们起的名字中可以看出这一点（32-34节）。然而，随着她第四个儿子的出生，情况发生了改变，耶稣就是从这个儿子的家族而来的。她给他起名叫犹大，说：“这次我要赞美耶和华”（35节）。这个名字展现了她对上帝的信靠之心。我们也可以在困境中学习信靠祂。
今日灵修 “我真的不喜欢母亲节，”三个孩子的母亲唐娜说道。“它让我回想起过去和现在作为母亲所感受到的所有不足和失败。”唐娜最初对养育子女抱有很高的期望。但现实却降低了标准。“为人母是我做过的最艰难的事，”她说。而一个特别的孩子“触动了我所有的神经。”
当上帝选择利亚成为以色列族长的母系时，她无疑对每个孩子都寄予厚望。她给前四个儿子起的名字都与她当时的困境息息相关（创世记 29:32-35）。然而，在圣经的黑暗故事中，这些儿子却扮演着反派的主角。有些人犯了杀人罪（34:24-30），有些人犯了奴役罪（37:17-28）。利亚的儿子犹大是圣经中记述的一个很丑陋的故事中的反派（38章）。 然而藉着利亚的后代，包括犹大，带来了弥赛亚，这多么像上帝的作为。在最艰难的境遇中，藉着最意想不到的人，上帝完成了救赎。 唐娜也学到了这一点。在她面对所有育儿的挑战时，她从未找到答案，“除了坚持下去，不断祷告”。那个惹她生气的孩子呢？他现在已经长大了，他爱妈妈，也尊重妈妈。回首往事，唐娜说：“也许他是上帝派来教我认识自己，认识我的上帝的。”
反思与祷告 你生命中哪些方面使你感受过最强烈的失望？你从中学到什么关于上帝的知识？
天父，请帮助我在凡事上信靠你。
作者：蒂姆·古斯塔夫森