Chapter 2 The Women Of Genesis
The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible, written by the prophet Moses under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. It is one of the oldest books of the Bible with many interesting and inspiring stories, such as the story of creation, Noah and the ark, the story of Abraham, Joseph and his coat of many colors, Isaac and his well, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob, and his multi-colored flock, and many more.
In this chapter, you will study the lives of a few Biblical characters. It focuses on the women of Genesis – Adam’s wife, Eve, in the story of creation; Abraham’s wife, Sarah; Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar; Isaac’s wife, Rebekah; and Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel.
These women experienced specific challenges that tested their faith and trust in God. Each responded uniquely. This chapter explores how they handled their situations and came out victorious. You can learn many lessons from the women of Genesis. So, grab your pen and notebook.
Read and Learn More Bible Study Acts Chapter wise
Eve | The First Woman Of Creation
Often referred to as the mother of all living, Eve was Adam’s missing rib. She was created as a help-meet for Adam, as his companion so that they could carry out God’s purpose for their lives.
During their time in the Garden of Eden, they had everything they needed. They were at peace, and their days were filled with joy and laughter, without pain or fear, and in God’s presence. They had dominion over all things created by God.
God gave the couple one command: not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It stood in the middle of the garden like a shiny toy, and like every forbidden thing, it had fruits more beautiful and enticing than the rest. Eve never questioned the command, trusting in God’s wisdom.
Unfortunately, the serpent used his subtle and deceptive nature to take advantage of her innocence and naivety. It convinced her they would not die as God told them, but their eyes would be open, and they would become like gods (Genesis 3:5). If only she knew that the serpent’s agenda was to make them lose their place in God’s kingdom. Eve ate the fruit and quickly shared her newest discovery with her husband.
They indeed became gods. However, God sent them out of the garden before they would eat of the Tree of Life and become immortals, and they rebelled against God as the angel Lucifer (the serpent) had done.
In His anger at their disobedience, he humbled them by allowing them to work for their food, but He never took away their godly nature. In Psalm 82:6-7 God said:
Eve was an open-minded woman, an optimist, and an excellent communicator. She had faith in God and was intrigued to see and hear a serpent talk. However, Eve’s curiosity got the best of her, and she took the fruit. Her life became a testimony to the consequences of disobedience and the unending grace of God.
Sarah | The Mother Of Nations
Being told you would be a mother of nations yet remaining barren for over 80 years is not something many women could handle. Sarah married Abraham when he was known as Abram and lived in his father’s house. Their journey together was difficult, but she had faith in God and loved her husband dearly.
When God called Abraham to leave his father’s house in Ur, it surprised Sarah because she had never known life outside her family and friends. However, instead of bombarding her husband with questions, she trusted him and believed in God, who spoke to him. They packed their belongings and began their long journey to a land they had never seen before.
After many years of trying to conceive, Sarah offered her handmaid to her husband so he could at least have an heir. However, it did not end well. Hagar, her handmaid, looked down on Sarah when she bore Abraham a son. Sarah became bitter and cried out to God.
Even in her moments of doubt, Sarah never stopped believing in God. She was almost 90 years old when God kept His promise. He sent angels, and when they visited the small family, they told Abraham that Sarah would soon give birth to a son. Sarah laughed when she heard it. She thought, ‘How can I carry a child at this age,’ to which the angels replied, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
True to His word, God gave her Isaac less than a year after the angels’ visit. God, in His sense of humor, asked them to name the child Isaac in Genesis 17:19:
“Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” Isaac means ‘laughter/ and Sarah laughed when the angels visited.
When Isaac was born, Sarah told the people the Lord had made her laugh after so many years in Genesis 21:6, “Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” He is indeed faithful.
The almighty test of faith came after many years of his birth: the sacrifice of their promised child. Sarah looked at her husband and saw his unwavering faith, so she let the child go. Sarah understood that faith is not always easy, and faith is trusting God, especially when you do not understand His ways.
The Bible says in Isaiah 55:8-9:
In Jeremiah 29:11, believers are assured of what to expect from God and why they should stand firm in faith. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
This is why Sarah stood firm in her faith. Hebrews 11:11 testifies of Sarah: “And by faith, even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise”
As a wife, Sarah did her best to support Abraham. She cared for her household, cooked meals, and ensured their servants were well-fed and cared for. She was the queen of Abraham’s kingdom. Sarah’s story inspires others to trust God, no matter how impossible things seem, because nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Hagar | Mother Of The Ishmaelites
Hagar was Sarah’s servant and Ishmael’s mother. Her story begins when she becomes a servant in the house of Abraham and Sarah. She had to learn to adapt to their ways, to serve her master and his wife faithfully.
Hagar’s life was without drama until Sarah approached her with a strange proposal. Sarah asked her to lie with her husband, Abraham, so that she could bear him a child. Hagar was surprised at the request but had no choice as a servant. She became pregnant with Abraham’s first child.
This new status got into her head, and she became proud. She forgot her place and was soon displaced. Sarah complained about her attitude, and Abraham told Sarah to deal with her as she pleased.
When Hagar couldn’t take the punishment anymore, she ran away. She encountered an angel in the wilderness who advised her to return to her mistress, Sarah (Genesis 16:6- 16).
The angel told her to submit to Sarah and that God would multiply her seed. He assured her that God had seen her secret tears and would help her and her son. Her encounter with God in the wilderness caused her to have faith in Him. She obeyed His voice and went back to Sarah. Hagar acknowledged that God sees all. She called Him “El Roi,” the God who sees me.
Not long after she returned to her mistress, she bore Abraham a son and called him Ishmael as the Lord commanded. Fast forward to Isaac’s birth, and everything changed again. During the great feast, Abraham organized for his newborn son, Sarah caught Hagar’s son mocking the child, and her anger flared.
Sarah demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away, but he hesitated until God asked him to listen to Sarah and assured him that He would watch over the child. After all, the child of the promise was Isaac and not Ishmael. Abraham packed food and water for Hagar and sent them away like he was told (Genesis 21:12-14).
As the duo wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, they ran out of water, and Hagar left the boy under a tree, saying in her heart, ‘I don’t want to see him die.’ While she wept, the boy also wept. God heard the child’s cry and spoke to Hagar: Genesis 21:17-20:
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.”
Hagar raised her boy in the wilderness, trusting that God would be with them all their lives. He had promised that Ishmael would become a great nation, and she held onto that promise. She learned to trust in God and believe in His promises and was not put to shame.
Rebekah | The Mother Of Israel
Abraham didn’t want his son, Isaac, to marry anyone from the Canaanites where they were living because they didn’t follow God’s ways. So, he called his trusted servant and made him swear to go back to his homeland, to Abraham’s relatives, to find a wife for Isaac.
Rebekah was an answered prayer for Isaac. The servant sent to find him a wife prayed to God to guide him and show him the right woman for his master’s son by a sign. In his prayer, he told God that the right woman should be willing to give him some water and be kind enough to draw water for his camels.
While the servant was praying, God sent Rebekah his way. She did everything he asked God for with a smile on her face. The servant was shocked at how fast God answered his prayer. The servant asked to meet with her family, and Rebekah, led by the Spirit, didn’t hesitate to take him to her family. She had heard stories of how God led His people and knew this was God’s work.
When Abraham’s servant told her family about the purpose of his visit and how God had led him to her, Rebekah didn’t hesitate. Her family wanted her to stay a few more days, but when they asked her if she would go with the servant, she said, “I will go.” This was a big step of faith, leaving everything she knew and trusting God’s plan for her life.
Rebekah heard a call from God and did not question or delay. She immediately acted, trusting that God knew best.
Rebekkah’s faith was tested when she became Isaac’s wife. She was barren for many years. Childlessness was seen as a curse in those days and could bring great shame to a woman. However, Rebekah continued to trust in God.
After twenty years of waiting, God answered their prayers, and she conceived twins. While pregnant, she made a prayer of inquiry about the children. God told her two nations were in her womb – the older would serve the younger. When the time came for the blessing of her sons, Jacob and Esau, Rebekah knew she had a role to play.
She remembered God’s promise that the older son, Esau, would serve the younger son, Jacob. So, she took a bold step to ensure Jacob received the blessing. Some might say she was deceptive, but in her heart, she aligned with God’s Word about Jacob being the chosen one. Her actions ensured God’s will was fulfilled. Genesis 27:6-30
Her faith was proactive. She was willing to take risks for what she believed to be God’s plan. Rebekah trusted God wholeheartedly. She was willing to step out in faith, leave her comfort zone, and make hard decisions to stay aligned with God’s plan and purpose.
Leah | The First-Born Daughter
Leah was the elder daughter of Laban, Jacob’s uncle. Upon reaching his mother’s homeland, Jacob met Leah’s younger sister, Rachel, and agreed to work for Laban for seven years to marry her. However, Laban deceives Jacob on the wedding night. He was given Leah instead of Rachel.
Laban’s people had a custom where the younger daughter could not be married before the elder ones. So, Jacob had a wife he did not love. When he discovered he had married Leah, he was sad Laban didn’t tell him about their custom. However, Leah was now his wife, and he couldn’t change that.
Laban saw his zeal to marry his second daughter, Rachel, and asked for another seven years of service from Jacob. He gladly agreed. Leah always knew that Jacob didn’t love her, but instead of giving up on her marriage, she held on and trusted in God to keep her in her husband’s house. She refused to be bitter. God saw her heart and that she was unloved and opened her womb.
While Rachel was still barren, Leah had given Jacob six sons and a daughter, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah (Genesis 29 and Genesis 30). After her fourth son, she prayed to God for more children. God answered her prayer (Genesis 30:17). Jacob’s heart was still with Rachel, and she had not yet given him a child.
God made Leah so fruitful because He saw she had so much faith in Him. She sought His intervention in her marriage, and He blessed her with many children. Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
By the time Leah gave birth to her fourth child, Judah, she was no longer feeling rejected. Instead, she said, “This time I will praise the Lord” (Genesis 29:35). She decided to focus on God and praise Him for establishing her place in her husband’s house. Leah displayed her faith in God by seeking and praising Him despite facing rejection from her husband. She continued to fulfill her role as a wife and mother.
Leah was not the preferred wife, but God honored her in many ways. Leah was the mother of six of Jacob’s twelve sons (the twelve tribes of Israel), and her son, whom she named Judah (praise), was the ancestor of King David, the lineage of Jesus Christ. She found her value and purpose in Him. Her faithfulness to God led to a legacy far greater than she could have imagined.
Rachel| Jacob’s Love At First Sight
Jacob served Laban for fourteen years so that he could marry Rachel. She was highly favored (Genesis 29:17). When Jacob arrived at the well where she came to draw water, he rolled away the stone from the well’s mouth and helped her water her father’s sheep. She enamored him. Seeing a woman tend to sheep was new to him. Jacob immediately fell in love with her – it was evident in how he spoke and looked at her.
Laban had given him a condition: Jacob must serve him for seven years in exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Seven long years! However, it didn’t deter the young man. In what felt like a month, the seven years were over. Jacob was excited to receive the love of his life. Genesis 29:20 says:
However, when the time came for their marriage, Rachel was told to step back and allow her sister Leah to marry Jacob because of their custom. Imagine how Rachel felt, watching the man she loved marry another because of customs, unable to warn him beforehand. Rachel’s heart broke, but she had to listen to her father. Neither she nor her sister, Leah, had any choice.
Jacob was relentless. He agreed to work another seven years for her, and Rachel couldn’t have been happier. She felt bad for her sister, but Jacob’s love was strong. She had to share him with Leah when she finally became his wife. Leah bore Jacob many sons, one after another, and Rachel became pained.
She turned to God and cried day and night, pleading with Him to open her womb, to bless her as He had blessed her sister. God remembered her. Genesis 30:22 says: “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.
“She gave birth to her first son and named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son” (Genesis 30:24) God granted her heart’s desire in Genesis 35:16-17! She bore another son for Jacob and named him Benoni because he was born with hard labor, but Jacob changed his name to Benjamin.
Rachel’s faith in God was evident in her waiting on Him for a child for over 20 years. She believed God would give her children, so she never stopped praying and crying to Him. Even when God blessed her with her first son, she named Joseph, which means ‘God will give.’ She was blessed with another before tragedy struck.
Parallels Between These Women’s Struggles And Modern-Day Challenges Women Face Today.
The stories of the women of Genesis resonate with many challenges women face today. Here are parallels between these women’s struggles and modern-day challenges:
Rachel and Sarah’s deep longing for children mirrors the emotional and psychological challenges many women face today when dealing with infertility or delays in starting a family. Their struggle with jealousy was real. Many women today experience the pain of infertility or delays in conceiving, especially when they feel pressured by society to start a family.
Like Eve, many women today face choices that might have nasty consequences, such as career changes, relationships, and parenting decisions. The burden of these decisions can lead to guilt, regret, or loss. After making life-altering decisions, many women desire redemption, forgiveness, and a fresh start, striving to rebuild and renew their lives through growth, faith, or support systems.
Hagar became a single mother. Many women are familiar with this these days. Her story reflects the struggles of many single mothers today who face social stigma and the challenges of raising children without a partner. However, she was resilient, and as a true survivor, she raised her son to be strong and mighty in the wilderness.
Like the story of the two sisters, Rachel and Leah, many modern women get caught in a cycle of comparison and competition. Whether in careers, relationships, motherhood, or physical appearance, women today are often pressured to measure up to others. Social media doesn’t help matters. Most women feel inadequate and envious of others when they see the love others get from their fans and followers. This competition is why there are not many genuine relationships between women.
Lessons To Learn From The Women Of Genesis
These biblical stories offer timeless lessons that are relevant today. Here are lessons drawn from these Bible stories:
- Like Rachel and Sarah, continue to pray and trust God’s timing, even when life doesn’t unfold as expected. Hold onto God’s promises and remain faithful, even when faced with doubt and delays.
- Learn from Eve that while mistakes have consequences, God’s forgiveness and redemption are always available to those who seek it.
- Like Leah, instead of being bitter, she focused on God. He can turn you into wonder and give you a legacy that lasts for generations. Isaiah 60:22 says, “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly
- As Hagar acknowledged, remember that God sees you in your struggles and will provide for your needs, even when you feel unseen. He is faithful.
Journaling Prompt
Create a personal faith journal entry reflecting on a time when your faith got tested. Write about how you can draw inspiration from the women of Genesis to strengthen your faith in similar situations.