Written by: Nik Hookey – Boy’s Brigade

Genesis 29 v 21-25
After seven years Jacob said to Laban, “Give me Rachel so that I may marry her. The time I promised to work for you is over.”
So Laban gave a feast for all the people there. That evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and they had sexual relations. (Laban gave his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter to be her servant.) In the morning when Jacob saw that he had had sexual relations with Leah, he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? I worked hard for you so that I could marry Rachel! Why did you trick me?”

Notes
Jacob the twister was out-twisted! Jacob had been a wily fellow since the moment of his birth, when he was born clutching the heel of his brother Esau. He even tricked his own father so that he could get the birthright of his elder brother. But here Jacob got his comeuppance. Somebody else tricked him!

There’s a large part of me that thinks, “Serves him right!” at this point in the story. Verse 17 earlier in the chapter said, “Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was very beautiful.” So Jacob decided he fancied Rachel because she was better looking than Leah. Poor old Leah was dismissed for having weak eyes!

Jacob worked seven years to “earn” Rachel. They had a wedding feast, followed by Jacob and Leah making love in the bedroom. Jacob did not even notice that he had been duped until the morning! My respect for Jacob falls even lower.

Jacob seemed to judge women solely on what they looked like, and then on his wedding night was far more concerned with sexual conquest than truly interacting with his wife. Perhaps if he had shown a bit more concern for the woman he had married, he may have discovered the trick earlier.

Many of the great characters of the Bible had huge character flaws: Moses was a murderer, David an adulterer, and so on. Jacob’s main flaw was that he was a trickster, but God still used him as part of his purposes for Israel. Jacob was one of the ancestors of Jesus, but Jesus’ attitude to women was a much better model to follow than Jacob’s!

Prayer
Lord, will you show me today if I have any character flaws? Whatever they are, please help me in your strength to overcome them.
Amen

Genesis 29 v 26-30
Laban said, “In our country we do not allow the younger daughter to marry before the older daughter. But complete the full week of the marriage ceremony with Leah, and I will give you Rachel to marry also. But you must serve me another seven years.”
So Jacob did this, and when he had completed the week with Leah, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. (Laban gave his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) So Jacob had sexual relations with Rachel also, and Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Jacob worked for Laban for another seven years.

Notes
In today’s reading we see that Laban explained to Jacob the local custom of the elder daughter being married before the younger. It seems extraordinary that Jacob had worked in Haran in Mesopotamia for seven years and was still unaware of the local customs! We read much about being culturally relevant, both in this country and overseas, and this is one story which shows how an understanding of Mesopotamian culture could have helped Jacob. 

For us to understand this passage we need to be aware of the culture of the time. Before the law was given in Exodus 20 there did not seem to be a strong requirement on God’s people for high moral conduct. It was only after the law was given that people were shown God’s standard for their lives. Polygamy was a widespread practise in Old Testament times, but it was warned against (for example, in Deuteronomy 17 v 17), and God’s ideal of one man marrying one woman and becoming a new unit was offered as the best place for raising a family.

So, after Jacob “completed” a week with Leah, he married again, this time to Rachel. Unsurprisingly, Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. After all, she was better looking! What is far more worrying is that this factor was apparent to Leah. This rivalry between the two women would continue to develop, and Jacob’s favouritism would add fuel to the fire.

Favouritism is never something that brings blessing. In the New Testament, favouritism is forbidden amongst believers. Do you show favouritism? It may be in very subtle ways. Perhaps there is someone in your group that you will always treat better than the others, for no other reason than you like them better.

Prayer
Dear God, please help me not to have favourites and to treat all people equally.
Amen

Genesis 29 v 31-35
When the LORD saw that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, he made it possible for Leah to have children, but not Rachel. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, because she said, “The LORD has seen my troubles. Surely now my husband will love me.”
Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon and said, “The LORD has heard that I am not loved, so he has given me this son.”
Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi and said, “Now, surely my husband will be close to me, because I have given him three sons.”
Then Leah gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, because she said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Then Leah stopped having children.

Notes
Verse 31 is far more blunt in the original language than in our English translation. The text says literally that Jacob hated Leah. Presumably Jacob’s resentment of his first wife arose from the fact that he had been tricked into marrying her by his father-in-law. However, Jacob had no right to treat Leah in this way. God is revealed in this section as the God who has compassion on those who are hated. It is he who blessed and comforted the neglected wife. He made it possible for Leah to have children, and we learn much about Leah from the names that she gave her children. Hebrew names and their meanings were very important.

Reuben simply means: “See, a son”. The birth of a son was very important in those times, as it was the son that continued the family line and was the heir. Leah thought that Jacob’s opinion of her must change once she had given him an heir. Simeon means: “God has heard”. God heard the cry of Leah in her distress that she was unloved by the man who had the responsibility for her care. Levi means: “Attached”. Surely her husband would become more attached to her now? Judah means: “Praise”. Leah was still full of praise to God for his goodness to her.

Of course, it takes two to make a baby, and we see from this story that even though Jacob hated Leah and had another wife, he was still happy enough to use Leah for his own pleasure. God today is on the side of the beaten-up wife, girlfriend or refugee - anyone who is downtrodden. Perhaps you know someone who needs to be shown and told how much God loves them. 

Prayer
God, please show me today if there is someone in need, how I can help them and tell them of your love.
Amen

Genesis 30 v 1-8
When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she envied her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
Jacob became angry with her and said, “Can I do what only God can do? He is the one who has kept you from having children.”
Then Rachel said, “Here is my slave girl Bilhah. Have sexual relations with her so she can give birth to a child for me. Then I can have my own family through her.”
So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a wife, and he had sexual relations with her. She became pregnant and gave Jacob a son. Rachel said, “God has judged me innocent. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son,” so she named him Dan.
Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won.” So she named that son Naphtali.

Notes
Although Rachel enjoyed her husband’s affection and attention, she had not been able to bear him a son. Rachel was now childless, just as Jacob’s mother and grandmother, Sarah and Rebekah, had been before. Rachel longed to give Jacob what he wanted, and became jealous that Leah had succeeded where she had failed. Rachel’s faith was not quite as mature as Jacob’s forebears, however, and she could not accept her childlessness as part of God’s wider purpose. 

It is sometimes difficult for us to see someone else being blessed when we believe we should be blessed. Why should that other person at church be so talented musically or in sports, when I am not? God has a purpose for every one of us, and a place for all of us in the family of God. When circumstances are against us, God waits to see how we will respond. He does not want us to respond in a selfish way but in a Christ-like way.

Rachel blamed Jacob, and he blamed God. It is the oldest response in the world to attempt to cast the blame upon others. Christ’s way is not to blame, but to praise.

Rachel resorted to a legal practise of the time that a slave girl could bear children on behalf of a childless mother, and the children be counted as true heirs

The first child was called Dan: “He judged”. Rachel believed that God had vindicated her. The second was called Napthtali: “Wrestler”. Rachel said that she had struggled with her sister and won.

The naming of the children does not suggest that this was a peaceful household. This is the family group that God chose to begin the nation of Israel. God can take imperfect human beings and use them for his glory.

Prayer
Dear God, thank you that you can use imperfect people, even me. Will you use me for your glory today?
Amen

Genesis 30 v 9-13
Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. When Zilpah had a son, Leah said, “I am lucky,” so she named him Gad. Zilpah gave birth to another son, and Leah said, “I am very happy! Now women will call me happy,” so she named him Asher.

Notes
Leah got wise to Rachel’s plan of using a maid to increase the number of her offspring. She also noticed that she had stopped having children. Bright girl! It is probable from later details in this story that the main reason was that Jacob had lost interest in her now he had a third “wife”. Leah decided to beat Rachel at her own game and gave Jacob her own maid as a wife. Whereas Rachel’s maid was called Bilhah, which means “timid”, Leah’s maid was called Zilpah, which means “fragrant dropping”, as in perfume. It is probable that the “Rivals” game was being played out then in who could supply the best “wife” for Jacob.

Gad, the first son born in this way, had a name which means “good luck”, and the second son was called Asher, which means “happy”. Leah was obviously pleased with her work. She was pleased that women would think a lot of her now that she had two additional sons.

Sometimes we think that we need to be successful so that people will like us. We set a lot of value on achieving that success, whether with exams, or money, or in sports, or with girlfriends or boyfriends. God wants us to know that we have tremendous value for who we are. We are valued because Jesus died for us. We are valued because God calls us “treasure”. We are valued because God puts new, royal clothes upon us. We do not need to achieve to earn God’s favour because he already thinks we are so special to him.

Prayer
Lord, thank you that you see me as special. Thank you that I don’t have to achieve anything or be successful to change the way you see me.
Amen

Genesis 30 v 14-16
During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandrake plants and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
Leah answered, “You have already taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son’s mandrakes.”
But Rachel answered, “If you will give me your son’s mandrakes, you may sleep with Jacob tonight.”
When Jacob came in from the field that night, Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You will have sexual relations with me tonight because I have paid for you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

Notes
Mandrakes are a leafy plant with a carrot-shaped root and a fruit like a small apple. They were widely regarded in the ancient world as having special properties, both as an aphrodisiac and a fertility enhancer. When Rachel saw the plants, she desired them as another chance to produce the longed-for son for Jacob. For this fruit, which she thought might give her an increased chance of getting pregnant, she exchanged a night with Jacob.

Leah greeted Jacob as he came home from the field with the news that she had hired a night with him by paying with a love potion! Jacob did not seem to mind that he had been paid for, rather like a male prostitute, and slept with her that night.

God appears to have been totally forgotten in this section of the story. Leah “hired” her husband, and Rachel sought to use herbal remedies in her attempt to get pregnant.

Often we can do something similar. We feel that God is not answering our prayers, so we take action to bring about what we want by our own means. Now, there is a right place for us to seek to be the answer to our own prayers. When we pray for debt relief for the poorest nations of the world we can also work to bring about debt relief. When we ask God to show love to someone we can try to be good, kind and generous towards them.

However, it is not appropriate to seek honour for ourselves, then put our energies into bringing that about. It is not the way of Jesus, who “humbled himself”, and considered the needs of others as more important than his own (Philippians 2 v 5-8). Let’s ask God to give us the same attitude as Jesus today.

Prayer
God, help me not to seek glory and praise for myself, but to learn to be humble like Jesus.
Amen

Genesis 30 v 17-24
Then God answered Leah’s prayer, and she became pregnant again. She gave birth to a fifth son and said, “God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband.” So Leah named her son Issachar.
Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son. She said, “God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honour me, because I have given him six sons,” so she named him Zebulun.
Later Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Then God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer, making it possible for her to have children. When she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, she said, “God has taken away my shame,” and she named him Joseph. Rachel said, “I wish the LORD would give me another son.”

Notes
Issachar means: “Paid for”. Leah believed that her son was paid for by the mandrakes, and that God had vindicated her for giving her maid to Jacob. It seems that Jacob’s interest in her was restored, for she had a sixth son, Zebulun, whose name means: “Honoured”, and the only daughter in the family, the often forgotten Dinah. Dinah’s name means: “Justice”.

Earlier in this chapter Rachel had coveted the mandrake fruit as both a love potion and a fertility remedy. However, it did not produce results. Rachel did bear a son, but it was not because of what she had done to bring this about – it was because “God remembered Rachel and answered her prayer”.

Rachel’s son was Joseph, who had an important role later in the story of Genesis. Joseph’s name means: “Let him add”, which was presumably in anticipation of further sons to be born to her. Rachel had to wait until the family’s return to Canaan before the prayer in Joseph’s name was answered.

God fulfilled his promise to Jacob, Isaac and Abraham through this dysfunctional family. It was through this dysfunctional family that Jesus traced his ancestry. Even though Jacob was a character who sought all sorts of very human ways to bring about the fulfilment of God’s promises, God was patient. God was gracious with Jacob, Leah and Rachel. In the same way, God is gracious and merciful with us. All he requires from us is that our hearts are set on living God’s way, and as soon as we become aware of our sin we confess it to God so that we might receive his forgiveness.

We don’t need to gather mandrakes or anything to pay for our forgiveness. Jesus has paid the price on the cross with his death for us all.

Prayer
Dear God, thank you that I can be forgiven. Help me to understand that you love me so much that you paid the price for me on the cross.
Amen


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes