Bunbury
Wed pm
29/06/2011
“Living in the shadow of another star”
Intro: One of the hardest things to do in all of life is to live in the shadow of another person.
Each & every one of us want to feel as though we are seen / recognised for the merit of our own abilities / talents & achievements.
But sometimes it just seems as though who / what we really are always seems to be overshadowed by a brighter shinning star than ours.
And it’s not even that we are living to be seen but ……. a bit of encouragement / recognition puts a lot of steam in our boiler!
In those times when everything we say / do / accomplish seems to be outshined by brighter lights we need to learn the virtue there is in living an effective life in the shadow of another star!
I want to preach tonight about how we can succeed while ‘Living in the shadow of a brighter star’.
Text: (Gen 29:15-25 NKJV) Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?" {16} Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. {17} Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. {18} Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." 19And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” 20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. 21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.” 22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”
# 1. Brighter stars.
A. Brighter stars are such a fact of life.
a. Let’s be honest about it they are everywhere!
i. Every one of us w/o exception has known what its like to live in the glow of someone who just seems to be able to do everything better than we can.
ii. We work w/ some of them, we go to school w/ some, we compete in sport against them, they often outshine us in academic fields or just plain common sense.
iii. They exist in our family / church / community / sometimes we live next door to them.
iv. They often outshine us intellectually / in personality / friendships / career / relationships / wealth / car / house etc.
v. But the bottom line is that they seem to shine so brightly & seem to get so much attention & favour.
vi. Brighter stars are everywhere in life which means that we are going to have to come to grips w/ the idea of living w/ them & amongst them.
b. The real problem w/ a brighter star is that they seem to get all the attention.
*** The brightest star in the Milky Way galaxy is Sirius …… its 8.6 light years from Earth & it outshines every other star in the Milky Way. It is located in the Canis Major constellation. Out of all the stars we see either w/ the naked eye or through a telescope Sirius is brighter. When you look up into the sky in the northern hemisphere Sirius is going to be the first star to grab your attention.
The name Sirius comes from the Greek word ‘Scorching’.
But an interesting fact about Sirius is that in 1844, F.W. Bessel used analysis of its motion to determine that it had a companion. This companion was confirmed by observations in 1862 and is now known to be a white dwarf. Sirius B, the companion, has received considerable attention itself, since it is the first white dwarf.
But …. Sirius B is always outshined & in essence lives in the shadow of the main Sirius star!
i. The fact is that there are people like that too! They just seem to shine brighter than everyone around them, they seem to always be getting the attention.
ii. We see some of these brighter stars throughout the pages of Scripture ….
1 Samuel 9:2 (NKJV) 2And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
*** I read somewhere of a study that was done that proved that men working in sales that are taller sell more than their shorter counterparts! Why? Simply b/c of the advantage of appearances. Being taller apparently makes you larger than life to the people you are trying to sell your product to ….. its a selling advantage!!!
2 Samuel 14:25 (NKJV) 25Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
iii. And right here in our text we have another situation of one of those glossy / larger than life / knock out type people that have everything going for them.
Vs 16-18. (TMSG) 16Now Laban had two daughters; Leah was the older and Rachel the younger. 17Leah had nice eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful. 18And it was Rachel that Jacob loved. So Jacob answered, “I will work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
iv. It’s almost like an auction going on here for Jacob’s bride & Leah has just been passed in w/o a bid while Rachel has been sold for 7 yrs hard labour!
v. That’s wonderful if you are Rachel but its hard to handle if you’re Leah.
B. The other problem w/ brighter stars is that they don’t always shine gracefully.
a. Sometimes the advantage of natural appearances / abilities is made worse by a determination to make sure you know they are there outshining you.
i. Brighter stars can sometimes be very painful …… b/c not only do we have to live in their glow but they want us to be reminded of it.
ii. Hannah had to live in the shadow of a brighter star but to make it worse this brighter star reminded her that she was living in her shadow.
(1 Sam 1:6 NKJV) And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.
iii. Not only does Hannah have to be reminded daily of the fact that she is being outshined but her rival delights in reminding her.
b. If you’re a bright star practice shining gracefully.
i. Learn to be gracious to people who don’t have what you have & can’t do what you can lest God take away your brightness!
# 2. Living in shadows.
A. The real challenge here is how well we live in the shadow of other people.
a. As a Christian you are going to have to learn to handle well the pain of your own shortcomings & other people’s successes.
*** In 1858 the Illinois legislature—using an obscure statute—sent Stephen A. Douglas to the U.S. Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, although Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.”
i. The fact that there are brighter stars is not the real problem, the problem is that we have to live in their shadows w/ a good attitude!!!
ii. The problem is that our lives so often seem to be obscured by the brightness of these stars that everyone else seems to notice.
iii. The problem is that our lives often seem so insignificant by comparison which is why the Bible tells us ….
2 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV) 12For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
b. In Gen 37 we read about the dawning of another one of these brighter stars.
i. He is actually the son of Rachel in our text & we read these words …..
Genesis 37:3 (NKJV) 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, …..
*** Ross & Karen Barcham lived in China for 11 years as missionaries. The Chinese people would often ask them which one of their children was the favourite. To begin w/ this shocked them but they soon discovered that in Chinese families there is always a favourite child in a family of more than one child.
That of course is a recipe for disaster & parents who have favourites are making a huge mistake!
ii. And its also the way in which Jacob ran his family affairs.
iii. The problem w/ this is that it b/ca the breeding ground for all kinds of problems & ill feeling amongst his brothers.
iv. It eventually b/ca the motive for a plot to kill Joseph.
v. We pick up the story again in …..
Genesis 37:9 (NKJV) 9Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
vi. There’s that star shining brightly again & eclipsing everyone else in the family.
Genesis 37:11 ( NKJV ) 11And his brothers envied him, ……
c. The real challenge is not that there will be people who will outshine you – that’s going to happen – the real issue is how it will affect you.
i. How is it going to affect your heart, what is it going to do to your character when you have to live in the shadow of Sirius?
ii. Is it going to be something that will inspire you, goad you to do better or will it be something that will fill you w/ bitterness & envy?
B. We don’t want to downplay the difficulty of living in other people’s shadows.
a. We’ve all heard about Jacob’s shock when he woke up the next morning next to Leah – but think about what it was like for Leah!
i. Can you imagine the pain & rejection Leah must have felt on the first morning of married life as she awoke to the gasps & protests of Jacob?
ii. Imagine the feelings of humiliation knowing that the night b/4 Jacob made love to her thinking it was really Rachel.
iii. Think about her grief knowing that her own father used her as a pawn to scam another 7 years labour out of Jacob.
iv. Think about the pain she endured only a week later when Rachel was also given to Jacob as she began married life w/ a man who didn’t love her, permanently in her sister’s shadow.
v. Sirius B – always in the shadow of her brighter, favoured, younger sister!
vi. Living in shadows can be a bitter experience to have to deal w/ in life, it can be a cold unrewarding place.
*** On the moon the temperatures can vary greatly. B/c there’s no air temperature the temperature in the sunlight is an average of 107oC but in the shadows it drops down to -153oC. Just by being in the shadow you would freeze to death in a matter of minutes.
vii. But the question is if you are living in the shadows what are you going to do about it, how are you going to respond?
b. Here’s the real issue, if you’re living in the shadow of a brighter star – God knows it!
i. God has allowed it to be this way, God is aware of what you are going through & God says it’s OK!
ii. And here’s the truth we need to allow to get into our hearts …. Its God’s design!!!
Genesis 1:16 (NKJV) 16Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
iii. God made both the bright stars & the lesser lights & He has a purpose for them all!
# 3. Created to shine.
A. What we really need to u/s here is that every one of us has been created by God to shine.
a. The truth is that there is someone who outshines us all!
i. Here’s what the Bible has to say about the only real star there is ……..
(Rev 22:16 NKJV) "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
ii. We all live in the shadow of this magnificent shining star & we are all dull when compared to him.
iii. This life isn’t a competition for the most attention / accolades / recognition / praise ….
iv. We’re created not to shine for our own glory & applause from men but every gift that we have is meant to shine through our lives for God’s glory.
Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
v. As Jesus says the purpose of our shining isn’t so that other people might notice us but that other people might notice God!
B. Here’s the real encouragement in this story if you’ll just shine like you were created to – God will see you.
a. There’s no doubt about the fact that Rachel was the one who got the most attention / favour / praise.
i. But God saw Leah! Listen to how the story progresses from here ….
Genesis 29:31-35 (NKJV) 31When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” 33Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. …
ii. You can’t do anything about brighter stars & sometimes its painful living in their shadow.
iii. But you can shine as brightly as possible by doing right / obeying God / being a godly person.
Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV) 14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
b. One final truth here ….. no matter how much you are outshone – Jesus sees you!
i. As the disciples were gathering to Jesus in the beginning of His earthly ministry we have the story of Philip finding Nathanael.
John 1:45 (NKJV) 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:47-48 (NKJV) 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
ii. Jesus said to Nathanael …… Before Philip called you, …. I saw you.” And here’s the truth, if you are one of those lesser lights He sees you!
