Despite Depravity

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Main Thought:

This passage shows us how God keeps His promises to all generations, amidst taking up the causes of the underdog when injustices need correction, and He does so with impartiality.

You can trust the broader scope of God’s promises, while resting assured of His individual care for you.

Body:

Sub-intro:

Conclusion:

Jacob meets Rachel at a well in . The scene reminds us of the arrival of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, in . Notice God’s providence in that Jacob is at the right place, at the right well, at the right time. Jacob then marries Leah and Rachel in . He agrees with Laban to work for him for seven years in return for his younger daughter, Rachel. When the time for the wedding came, Laban gave him Leah instead. Note the irony in that before, the younger who had pretended to be the older, is now deceived by the older pretending to be the younger (see ). As the Bible Knowledge Commentary mentions, Jacob learned that “If social convention were to be set aside, it should be by God, not by deception.” After a week, Jacob also marries Rachel (two wives in one week!) and agrees with Laban to work seven more years for her. As a wedding present, each daughter is given a servant girl (Leah receives Zilpah; Rachel receives Bilhah).

Exegetical Outline:

I. Jehovah’s Response: Bless Leah; Withhold Blessing from Rachel ()

A. The LORD’s Heart toward the Hated ()

Genesis 29:31 KJV 1900

And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

Deuteronomy 21:15–17 KJV 1900

If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

Matthew 6:24 KJV 1900

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

It’s paradoxical that while Jacob was working fourteen years to pay for two wives, only one of those wives was bearing children. Jacob knew that children were a blessing from the Lord (), for it was God who gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah and who also gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac and Rebekah (see ). [Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Authentic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1997), 42.]

B. Responding to the LORD’s Blessing in Faith ()

1. Reuben - The LORD Sees ()

Genesis 29:32 KJV 1900

And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.

2. Simeon - The LORD Hears ()

Genesis 29:33 KJV 1900

And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.

3. Levi - Joined Together ()

Genesis 29:34 KJV 1900

And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.

4. Judah - Praise the LORD! ()

Genesis 29:35 KJV 1900

And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

II. Rachel’s Resentment: The Blame Game & Jealous Competition ()

A. Rachel Complaining ()

1. Blaming Jacob ()

Genesis 30:1 KJV 1900

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

How the Philistines felt about Isaac’s possessions (qānāʾ, 26:14) and how Joseph’s brothers felt about his dreams (qānāʾ, 37:11) parallels how barren Rachel felt about fruitful Leah: she became envious (qānāʾ). No mention had been made earlier that Leah envied Rachel’s lovely and shapely body, which attracted Jacob. Now, however, Rachel envies Leah’s womb. Her inability to bear children she cannot attribute to Jacob, for he has already fathered four children. [Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 270.]

Her outburst, as could be expected, angered him. He struck back at her with a strong suggestion that there was something wrong in her own life, since God had not judged her worthy of being blessed with children. This interchange of angry words, between a husband and wife who really loved each other very much, possibly points up the dangers to believers’ fellowship with the Lord and with each other which may appear when too many worldly considerations come into their relationship. It certainly is a commentary on the frictions that necessarily appear when God’s ideal of monogamous marriage is not followed. [Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1976), 465.]

2. The REAL Source of Barrenness ()

Genesis 30:2 KJV 1900

And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

B. Rachel’s Competing ()

1. Bilhah as Surrogate ()

Genesis 30:3–4 KJV 1900

And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.

2. Dan - Boastful Vindication ()

Genesis 30:5–6 KJV 1900

And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

3. Naphtali - Victorious in the Bout ()

Genesis 30:7–8 KJV 1900

And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

III. Leah’s Rebound: Continuing the Strife ()

A. Zilpah as Surrogate ()

Genesis 30:9 KJV 1900

When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.

B. Gad & Asher - Prosperity & Happiness ()

Genesis 30:10–13 KJV 1900

And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

IV. Jehovah’s Resolve: His Blessing Amidst Contentious Discontent ()

A. Bartering Brides ()

1. Rachel Trading Her Man for Mandrakes ()

Genesis 30:14 KJV 1900

And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.

2. Inflammatory Accusations ()

Genesis 30:15 KJV 1900

And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.

B. God’s Unmerited Blessings ()

1. Issachar - Paid Wages ()

Genesis 30:16–18 KJV 1900

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.

2. Zebulun - Endowed Honor ()

Genesis 30:19–20 KJV 1900

And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.

3. Dinah - Judgment ()

Genesis 30:21 KJV 1900

And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

V. Jehovah’s Remembrance: God Remembers Rachel ()

A. Joseph - Adding ()

Genesis 30:22–24 KJV 1900

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.

B. Praying for Another ()

Conclusion:

Certainly the passage shows how God prospered Jacob and started to form his great nation. But it was sad that they could not adjust to unfavorable situations and avoid the hatred and the conflict, for that pressure only further split the family and the nation. All Israel could look back to this tradition and see their ancestry in Jacob—and in the conflict between the women. They were brothers, sons of Israel, and should not, like their mothers, waiver in their faith and bitterly compete for God’s blessing. Prosperity is dispensed to people by the sovereign will.

We thus have the rivalry between the two women. Leah, a woman of strong faith, was earnestly longing for the affection of her husband but was being blessed by God in childbirth. Rachel does not appear so strong in the faith; she possessed the affection of her husband but anxiously desired the blessing of God in childbirth. In it all, the message was clear to Israel. God chose the despised mother, Leah, and exalted her to be the first mother. The kingly tribe of Judah and the priestly tribe of Levi were traced back to her, in spite of Jacob’s love for Rachel and his later favoritism toward Rachel’s son Joseph.

We can learn many lessons from this struggle in Jacob’s family. Although having two wives was not immediately Jacob’s fault (the law only later prohibited such a marriage []), through it God taught the nation about his wisdom and justice and compassion. We can learn the danger of favoritism in family relationships, a recurring theme in the patriarchal narratives. We can also learn about the danger of thwarting human affection. The tragedy comes when we, striving for love and recognition, either within the family or not, live our lives on such an earthly level that only temporal things mean much to us. To sacrifice things spiritual for things physical—to trade things that are above trade value—is tragic in the long run. This loss may happen when we are filled with anxiety and envy over the apparent inequity of God’s dealings with his people. God’s people must put away envy and strife, which lead to bitter conflicts, and accept the truth that God dispenses his blessings in sovereign wisdom, justice, and compassion.

We learn that God’s choice to bless is not made by human standards. In fact, God characteristically works for things or people that humans reject—the downcast, the afflicted, the troubled, the oppressed, and the rejected. Those who find themselves in such predicaments can by faith rely on God, who in his sovereign plan will bless them. His blessing, however, cannot be gained by bargaining or striving.

Whatever our lot in life—whether we are hated or ignored, oppressed or challenged, troubled or anxious—our attitude should not be one of jealousy, nor our efforts those of bitter rivalry. Rather, we must cultivate a wholehearted trust in God, waiting patiently for his blessing on us. Paul, in , says, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” [Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 514–515.]

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