(6/24/15) When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

Transcription

1 Genesis 30:1-43 (6/24/15) Genesis 29:31-35 (NKJV) 31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 So 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." 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." And she called his name Simeon. 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 his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. Genesis 30:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!" 2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" Rachel had always been the cutest, the prettiest sister and as such she was used to getting all the attention and, it seems, anything she wanted. Her pride had been further inflated when Jacob had agreed to work seven years for her hand in marriage which wound up being fourteen years after Laban tricked him into marrying Leah. Rachel seems to have been shallow and self-focused again, used to getting everything she wanted and all the attention. But now Leah was getting the attention for having four sons right in a row and Rachel couldn t deal with it. 1

2 To make matters worse, in that culture, a woman that was barren was, at very least thought to be defective, and at worst was considered to be under the judgment of God. And while it was true that God had closed Rachel s womb I believe He was using her childlessness to humble her and to help her grow deeper as a person. The sad reality was that both Leah and Rachel were looking for something that would make them happy. Leah thought, If I only had my sister s beauty and the love of my husband, I would be happy. Rachel, despite her great beauty and the fact that her husband adored her thought, If I only had sons like my sister then I would be happy. Whenever we tie our happiness to our circumstances we will never find happiness but only continual unhappiness instead we must find our joy in God and in our relationship with Him. Genesis 30:3 (NKJV) 3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her." There are those that believe this is a reference to the custom back then where the husband impregnated the surrogate while the surrogate reclined on the lap of the wife and how she might even recline on the wife as she gave birth. The idea was that the surrogate (in this case Bilhah the concubine Gen. 35:22) was taking the place of the wife in both conception and birth and as such the child would be considered to be the legal child of the barren wife and not the surrogate. 2

3 Genesis 30:4-6 (NKJV) 4 Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. Dan means vindication or judgment. In other words Rachel is saying, God has judged me innocent of wrong doing because of my barrenness by giving me a son through whom I have been vindicated. Genesis 30:7-8 (NKJV) 7 And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali. Naphtali means my struggle or to wrestle. This seems like a strange statement since how did two sons prevail over four? Maybe Rachel meant it in the sense that now Leah seemed to have stopped having children. We have here a picture of a very dysfunctional family rooted in jealously, bitterness, competition and fighting. This was one of the reasons why polygamy was never sanctioned by God permitted under the Old Covenant but never God s perfect will for marriage because of this very thing it results in competition between the wives for the love their husband which no wife should have to compete for. 3

4 This confirms the wisdom of God s original plan, as expressed in Genesis 2:24: one man to be joined to one woman in a two becoming one-flesh relationship Later, Leviticus 18:18 forbade the marrying of sisters, and this shows why. Genesis 30:9-11 (NKJV) 9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad. Gad means good fortune or a troop. Either Leah is saying, Finally good fortune has come back to me for God has given me another son or I ve given my husband a whole troop of sons surely now he ll prefer me over Rachel. Genesis 30:12-13 (NKJV) 12 And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher. Asher means happy. When Leah had stopped focusing on Jacob to make her happy and got her eyes on God she had peace and praise in her heart which caused her to name her fourth son Judah (praise). But now it seems she has gotten her eyes on herself and all she is focused on is her own happiness which seems to be rooted in winning this competition with her sister for who s going to have the most sons and win Jacob s approval! 4

5 Through all of this Jacob seems oddly compliant he doesn t seem to mind being passed around as some kind of boy toy in this competition between Leah and Rachel. I think this shows where Jacob was as a man of God and leader of his family why should he mind he seems to be having all the fun here. Genesis 30:14 (NKJV) 14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah Reuben was probably about 7 or 8 years old at this time. Genesis 30:14-15 (NKJV) 14 Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." 15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" What in the world is going on here and what are these mandrakes? The mandrake was a rare, small Middle Eastern plant that grew close to the ground much like a strawberry vine. From its white blossoms would come round, red fruit which looked like small apples which is why they were often referred to as love apples. For thousands of years mandrakes were famed for arousing sexual desire (Song of Solomon 7:13) and for helping barren women to conceive and because of it they were considered very valuable. 5

6 The Bible seems to say that their belief in mandrakes was more superstition than anything else Leah, who gives up the mandrakes, has two more children! And Rachel, who has the mandrakes, remains childless for three more years so much for the love apples! One author The power of mandrakes was and is superstitious and not scientific. But what is clear here is that Rachel and Leah believed the mandrake myth and thus the mandrakes became coins for a desperate bargain. Rachel wanted the mandrakes because she thought they would help her to conceive. And Leah wanted them because she though that Jacob would be more inclined to have sexual relations with her if there was a greater likelihood she would become pregnant. Genesis 30:15 (NKJV) 15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes." It seems that Jacob and Rachel slept in the same tent whereas Leah had her own tent where she slept alone. Leah was made to feel the pain of her husband s indifference toward her every night and Rachel knew it and used it. Therefore she told Leah that if she gave her the mandrakes she would tell Jacob he d have to have sexual relations with her (Leah) that night yikes what a family! 6

7 Genesis 30:16 (NKJV) 16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, 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." And he lay with her that night. How sad that Leah feels the only way she can have any intimacy with her husband is to buy it. I wonder if our husband Jesus feels the same way at times about having intimate time with us that He almost has to buy it with blessings or else we would be totally indifferent towards Him. Genesis 30:17-18 (NKJV) 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar. Issachar means my hire or wages a name that Leah no doubt picked to denigrate Rachel s making her hire Jacob with the mandrakes. Genesis 30:19-20 (NKJV) 19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun. Zebulun means gift as well as honor. Leah is saying, God has honored me with the gift of another son six altogether and now my husband will honor me and dwell with (live with) me instead of with Rachel. 7

8 Genesis 30:21-24 (NKJV) 21 Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son." At this point, Jacob s first daughter was born to Leah. Later Jacob had other daughters (Genesis 37:35; 46:7, 15), but the only one whose name and whose mother s name is given is Dinah, meaning Judgment. The name Joseph means may He add ( to me another son v.24) it seems that Rachel is already looking for the blessing of another son instead of fully enjoying the blessing of this son. One author How reflective of human nature I want this job. I want that car. I want that home. I want that position, we say. And when we get them, like Rachel, we find we only want more. Her prayer May the Lord add to me another son (v. 24) was answered in the birth of Ben-Oni ( the son of my sorrow ) which she named him because she died shortly after she delivered him. Jacob renamed him Benjamin ( son of my right hand ). Genesis 30:25-27 (NKJV) 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you." 27 And Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake." 8

9 The idea of God blessing an unbeliever for the sake of the believer applies to an unsaved spouse, to an unsaved boss, or even to an unsaved world. The people of this world are going to realize, after the rapture, what a blessing it was to have had those Christians living among them I say that tongue in cheek. (Comment) When Laban said, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake the Hebrew literally means learned by divination. Henry Morris Laban had been somewhat perplexed by the fact that Jacob s care of his flocks had resulted in such a great increase in his own wealth. Accordingly, he had in some way either carried out certain divination practices of his own, or else consulted some kind of soothsayer or oracle, seeking the secret. Laban, it becomes clear, though related to Abraham and knowing about Jehovah, had become to some degree a pagan mystic. At any rate, God so overruled his enchantments that, even through them, he had gotten the message that Jacob was under the special care of Jehovah and that it was because of this that God had blessed his service. Genesis 30:28-36 (NKJV) 28 Then he said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it." 29 So Jacob said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?" 31 So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me." 34 And Laban said, "Oh, that it were according to your word!" 35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. 9

10 So Jacob tells Laban he wants to go through his flocks and remove all of the speckled and spotted sheep, the brown ewe lambs, and the speckled and spotted goats these, Jacob says, will be his wage for staying and working for Laban. Furthermore, in the future any sheep or goats that are born speckled or spotted and any ewe lambs that are brown will belong to Jacob but the rest will be Laban s. Now you need to understand that what Jacob is proposing is a good deal for Laban because most of the sheep and ewe lambs were white and the goats were most often black in that part of the world. And that seems to have been the dominant color traits in Laban s flocks and herds as well. Speckled and spotted sheep and goats and brown lambs were very uncommon. Also Jacob further sweetens the deal by telling Laban he can go through his flocks and remove the sheep and goats that were speckled and spotted and any brown ewe lambs (all the animals that now belong to Jacob) and let Laban s sons take them away and watch them for Jacob while he stays and takes care of the rest which belong to Laban. This would serve two purposes 1. It would keep Jacob from using them to breed with Laban s flocks thus increasing the possibility of more speckled and spotted sheep and goats and brown lambs being born; 2. It would keep Jacob in charge of Laban s flocks instead of his own since Laban has admitted that God blesses his flocks when Jacob is taking care of them. Laban can t believe his ears! I m sure he thought to himself This guy has lost his mind! What a bad deal for him and what a great deal for me! 10

11 In fact Laban is so overjoyed by the terms of this deal that he blurts out Oh, that it were according to your word!" (v.34) The Hebrew is more along the lines of Great! Let it be just as you said! Laban then wastes no time in separating Jacob s few measly sheep, lambs and goats and has his sons take them 3 days away just to make sure that Jacob can t cheat and use them to breed with Laban s flocks. Genesis 30:37-43 (NKJV) 37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban's flock. 41 And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. 43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. Most commentators criticize Jacob for this ridiculous display of superstition in using this technique to increase the size of his flocks what nonsense they say! Also many others criticize Jacob for using unethical tactics by which to cheat Laban out of his flocks and herds. First of all if this was a method that did work why would it be unethical for Jacob to use it? Jacob was just using his skill to his advantage besides it wasn t a sure thing. 11

12 And secondly what Jacob did with these rods might have had some science behind it we re not sure. Look, I m not saying that Jacob wasn t superstitious at all when he did this but let s give him a little credit. He s about a hundred years old at this time and as such he has been tending sheep and goats for many years. Who s to say he hasn t observed a tendency among them to reproduce in greater numbers of speckled and spotted when this technique is used. Dr. Henry Morris The mere sight of the striped rods may have served simply as an aphrodisiac to the cattle when they came to drink. This in fact seems indicated by verse 38, in which the word translated conceive in the King James Version is actually the Hebrew yacham, meaning to be hot. That is, the verse may be read: And he set the rods which he peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should become hot [or in heat ] when they came to drink. In some way not understood (but apparently confirmed by many practical animal raisers since), the sight of white-streaked rods seems to stimulate these animals to sexual activity. Many others say, That s ridiculous to even think this technique had any bearing on what kind of sheep and goats were produced this was nothing more than rank superstition. Look, I ultimately believe it was God Who was in control and made Jacob s flocks expand thus greatly increasing his wealth even as He had promised Jacob at Bethel back in chapter 28. Later in chapter 31 Jacob indicates that God showed him this in a dream and that Jacob was only acting by faith in what God was going to do the stripped rods weren t the issue it was God who increased Jacob s flocks. 12

13 Genesis 31:10-13a (NKJV) 10 And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and grayspotted. 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.' 12 And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me...' " Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous The ancient Hebrew says, The man burst out exceedingly exceedingly God blessed Jacob, but it was not because Jacob was especially good. It was because of the promises God made to Jacob (Genesis 28:13 15) and the covenant made to Abraham. In the same way, blessing comes from the LORD to us not because we are great or good, but because of the covenant God has made with us through Jesus, and promises He has given us in His word. 13