Genesis Women: Tough Choices

Let's take a brief glimpse at some of the women in Genesis.

We can learn lessons from the choices each of them made.

Eve

The mother of all living - Genesis 3:20

Ate of the forbidden fruit - Genesis 3:6

Consequences – sin and death entered the world

Immediately – Lost her home (the Garden of Eden)

Later – Her son was murdered by his brother – guilt, shame, regret

Our sin doesn’t affect only us.

It affects those around us.

Noah’s Wife

Genesis 8:18 Chose to follow her husband when all the world thought he was talking foolishness

Reward – Salvation

Physical salvation – a picture of our spiritual salvation

She was one of the eight people saved from the flood by getting into the ark.

Sarah

Genesis 12:1-5 God told her husband to leave their home

and go to a land that He would show him.

Sarah followed her husband

Reward – She entered the promised land

Genesis 16:2 Sarah gave her maid to her husband so he could have a son.

Decided if God wanted Abraham to have a son, she was going to have to make it happen.

(Have to look at Hagar to see end result)

Genesis 18, Hebrews 11:11 Sarah laughs in her heart

when she hears God's plan for her to conceive a child in her old age (and her barren)

Personal moment with God

Faith-booster moment.

God knew Sarah laughed in her heart even though she did not laugh out loud.

Life is our good and bad choices.

Our blessings and consequences are intermingled.

Can we still have joy? Yes.

Can God still use us? Absolutely.

Sarah is in the Hall of Faith - Hebrews11:11-12

Hagar

Genesis 16:4,9 When she saw that she had conceived, she despised Sarah.

Sarah goes to Abraham with her problem.

Abraham said Do with her as you please.

Sarah dealt “hardly” with her and Hagar fled.

An angel comes to Hagar and said Return and Submit

Change YOUR attitude and it will change the situation.

Future of Ishmael – a generation of enemies of God - Philistines, Iran/Iraq, Pakistan

Lot’s Wife

Genesis 19:26 Looked back

Instant consequences – turned to stone

We can’t move forward if we’re looking back.

Lot’s Daughters

Genesis 19:30-38 Got their father drunk so they could sleep with him and have children

Results: They raised up enemies of God – Moabites and Ammonites

Rebekah

Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for his son

Genesis 24:58 Rebekah, will you go with this man? Yes

Entered the promised land

Genesis 27 Deceived her husband.

God had said the older son would serve the younger.

If God wanted this to happen, she was going to have to make it happen.

Never saw her son again

Surely must have damaged her relationship with her husband

Leah and Rachel - sisters - Both were married to Jacob

Genesis 29:18

Leah – Tender eyes

Rachel – Beautiful

Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah

Jacob loved Rachel

Rachel stole her father’s gods.

Sold her husband’s “services” for mandrakes. (Hers to sell. She controlled where he slept. He slept with her.)

Leah entered the promised land and is buried with the family

Rachel died en route and was not buried with the ancestors

Dinah - Jacob's daughter

Genesis 34 Hedge of protection – Sometimes we crawl through that hedge

Raped when she sneaked away from her home to go see the nearby city

Results: Two of her brothers killed every man in the city for revenge

Tamar

Genesis 38 Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law. Her husband died.

Gave her to second son, he died.

Judah said he would give Tamar to his younger son when he came of age.

(Complex story, please read for more details.)

Judah didn’t do this.

Tamar dressed as a harlot and became pregnant with twins by Judah.

Judah said her actions were more righteous than his.

She is one of four women named in the genealogy of Christ.

Potiphar’s Wife

Genesis 39 Falsely accused Joseph of trying to rape her.

He was sent to prison.

We aren’t told the end results but Joseph was exalted to a position of power.

No one ate unless they came to Joseph.

She was probably (like Joseph’s brothers) fearful that he might seek revenge