Genesis 29, 30

Headlines

Prayer

Good to be back with you again as we continue our journey into the book of beginnings, Genesis. You might remember that last time we saw Jacob, now about 77 years old, begin his journey to Haran, some 400 miles away to escape his brother and to find a wife from the daughters of his uncle Laban.

We learned that less than 50 miles into his journey he laid down to sleep and the LORD met him in a dream. There he envisioned a ladder leading to heaven with the Angels moving up and down on it. We discussed how this was Jacobs first real encounter with God and that God had given the Abrahamic blessing to him directly as He had to his father and grandfather.

With that background let’s stand as we read from Genesis 29;

Genesis 29:1–6 NASB95

1 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. 2 He looked, and saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” 6 And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep.”

I wonder how many times Jacob asked that question of shepherds along the way. You see there were no road signs. Its kind of like your children asking “are we there yet?.” Certainly there we other interesting events along the 400 mile journey but the Holy Spirit has seen fit to leave those details out; leaving only those details pertinent to the story.

But finally now God has led him to his destination. How happy he must have been to hear that the shepherds were from Haran. Then to learn that his cousin Rachel was approaching at that very moment.

I have noticed that this is how God works in our lives. Sometimes we can go extended periods of time without anything happening. At least nothing we are aware of and then all of a sudden things begin to happen. This is the life of faith, trusting God to accomplish His plan in our life. This is what it means to wait on the Lord. David prayed;

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

14 Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

The word used in Hebrew is qava, meaning intensely cause yourself to wait. Its not easy and takes effort, but is worth it.

we move on;

Genesis 29:7–10 NASB95

7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” 9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

It seems here that Jacob sees the local shepherds as lazy. He being an experienced shepherd himself. They used the excuse that their custom was to wait for all to arrive first before removing the stone. Jacob may also have been anxious about getting them to go away so he could talk to Rachel alone.

Jacob proves that the stone was not too much to handle as he moves it himself and then waters Rachel's flock. Maybe he was showing off a bit before his potential wife.

Keep in mind Rachel did not know who Jacob was. Look at verse 11;

Genesis 29:11 NASB95

11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept.

What might she have been thinking. Some man kisses me and then starts crying wow.

Genesis 29:12–14 (NASB95)

12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.

Remember, Rebecca had left home about 100 years earlier!

13 So when Laban heard the news of Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he related to Laban all these things.

14 Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

So apparently, Jacob has been helping with the flocking and spending time with Rachel and then Laban came to Jacob.

Genesis 29:15–19 (NASB95)

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Jacob had revealed how valuable of an asset he could be for Laban s household.

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.

It is unclear what “eyes were weak” means. Some see it as she has lighter eyes whereas darker eyes were seen as more to be desired. In any case it seems to indicate by the contrast to Rachel’s description, that Leah was more plain and Rachel the more beautiful in appearance.

18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.”

So you might ask why is Jacob offering to buy Rachel? Well he is not but he has come to Laban empty handed and it was customary to offer a dowry to the wife's family in an engagement negotiation.

A dowry has been described as “alimony in advance.” The idea being that the dowry would be used for care of the wife in case of a divorce.

So here Jacob has no physical assets to offer so he offers himself, almost as an indentured servant.

So Jacob offers his services for 7 years to get Rachel. Laban likes the deal and accepts. As we will see the relationship between Laban and Jacob is very transactional. Everything is done as a deal or for a price and in many ways Jacob has met his match in Laban.

Genesis 29:20–22 (NASB95)

20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.”

22 Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.

Jacob really loved Rachel and it would seem that she loved him as well.

Now it get interesting!

Genesis 29:23–27 (NASB95)

23 Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her.

24 Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

One would think how could this have been possible? Wouldn’t Jacob have known the difference between Leah and Rachel. Yet in that day with the wedding feast and all the drinking and excitement, not to mention the bridal vails that two sister were not that different in form. Undoubtedly they didn’t talk much that first night.

25 So it came about 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 with you? Why then have you deceived me?”

26 But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn.

27 “Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.”

Laban had planned this all along. The heal catcher himself has been deceived. Notice the reason, it was a matter of the firstborn. Wow! How this must have struck like a lightning bolt. The word firstborn. Jacob undoubtedly remembering his deceit in stealing his brothers firstborn blessing.

Galatians 6:7 NASB95

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

We say in our time “what goes around comes around.” be careful what you do and how you act for you shall see the same again.

Notice also that it customary to give a helper with daughter so Zilpah is given with Leah. She will become an important player later in the story.

Now had this tradition of the firstborn been true Laban should have certainly shared this with Jacob.

So now Laban unilaterally amends the deal to say that Jacob will get Rachel as well only if he serves another 7 years.

The order of things here can be confusing so suffice it to say that Jacob was to fulfill Leah’s wedding week, the seven day celebration, after which, he would be given Rachel as a wife, complete her week, and then serve Laban for another 7 years.

Genesis 29:28–30 NASB95

28 Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

So in our study here it brings up some questions like, where was Rachel during the wedding ceremony? and how would Leah have felt knowing she was not the one to be married impersonating her sister? This narrative also brings up the idea of polygamy. What does God think about it? what does the bible say? Certainly culturally in the OT times multiple wives was common and the bible deals with it as a matter of fact. The bible does not seek to hide the difficulties that plural marriages bring as in our text here. But by the first century Christian overseers are commanded to be the husband of one wife.

1 Timothy 3:1–2 NASB95

1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

However, culturally polygamy was practiced in the Grecian and Roman cultures. It was the introduction of the gospel that changed this practice.

Verse 30 shares the very uncomfortable reality that Jacob loved Rachel more the Leah. It is interesting that the bible is so honest and favoritism is just part of life. We have all felt what that feels like.

Now the fun really gets started;

Genesis 29:31–35 (NASB95)

31 Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved (Hebrew saneh or hated- by comparison to Jacobs love for Rachel, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

Behold a son

33 Then 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.” So she named him Simeon.

Heard - the LORD has heard my prayer

34 She 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 he was named Levi.

Attached - my husband will now be attached to me

35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Praise

Now it cannot be understated just how culturally important it was in the ancient world for a women to have children, the old word used was issue. Not just a child but a male child. It is said that when a child was to be born a big feast was arranged and that if it was a male the all partied and celebrated. But if it was a girl they just closed down the party and went home.

So culturally, the blessings are really being poured on to Leah.

The fun continues in chapter 30.

Genesis 30:1–8 (NASB95)

1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”

2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.”

4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.

5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.

Judge

7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

Wrestle

We first saw this custom in Sarah giving Hagar to Abraham to have children and Ishmael was born.

So we have “nuclear arms race” between the sisters. a competition if you will. Interesting that we don’t read of Jacob complaining at all!

Genesis 30:9–13 (NASB95)

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

Gad was always understood as meaning a troop however scholars now understand it to mean fortunate.

12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.

13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

Happy

Now keep in mind the births between the tree wives, Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah, may have been happening concurrently so we could be looking at a period of 7 or 8 years with 8 little children. No doubt Rachel is feeling some desperation.

Genesis 30:14–21 (NASB95)

14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

Mandrakes were known as love apples and had aphrodisiac and fertility qualities.

Image - Mandrakes

15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.

17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.

18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

Wages

19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

Exalted or Will Honor

21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

Dinah becomes pivotal later in the story. There were certainly more daughters born that are not mentioned.

We continue;

Genesis 30:22–24 NASB95

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”

Will add - another son.

So we know that Rachel will have another son, Benjamin. Additionally, we know that Jacob adopted as his own children Josephs sons who were born in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh. So How many tribes are there? We were always told there were 12 tribes. Yet there are 14 names some are deleted in certain lists and some are included.

It seems that the number 12 carries meaning in scripture.

Handout- The 12 tribes of Israel

Handout- The meaning of the number 12

Next time we look at Jacobs incredible knowledge of animal breeding.

Pray