Jacob part 7 Leah and Rachel bore children to Jacob by Victor Torres Last time, we saw that Jacob married two wives, Leah and Rachel. This is not what Jacob wanted, but he was deceived by his uncle Laban. He worked for seven years so that he can marry Rachel but got Leah instead. Jacob then worked seven more years after Laban gave her Rachel to be his wife also. Last time, we learned that Leah is the symbol of Babylon or the false churches of this world while Rachel is the symbol of God's true church, the body of Christ. Babylon is where we think our efforts will save us. It is the place where we listen to the rules of men instead of the teachings of God. Gen 29:26 (KJV) And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. The word translated country there is from a Hebrew word mostly translated as place. Gen 29:26 (LITV) And Laban said, It is not done this way in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. You might have heard of the phrase When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This means it is easy for us to behave like the people around us. This is what Jacob was forced to do, to follow the tradition of Laban's place. Gen 29:26 (MKJV) And Laban said, It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the first-born. Gen 29:27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you shall serve with me still another seven years. Gen 29:28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. When we grow up, it is just natural for us to go along with the traditions that we grow up with. If we grow up celebrating Christmas or birthdays, we don't even question where these traditions come from. And it is this way with the people who belong to these false churches. And all of God's people came out of Babylon. All of them fulfilled their week or fulfilled their duties for false churches before they are called to come out of it and be a part of the true church.
Rev 18:4 (CEV) Then I heard another voice from heaven shout, "My people, you must escape from Babylon. Don't take part in her sins and share her punishment. Rev 18:5 Her sins are piled as high as heaven. God has remembered the evil she has done. So kids, I want you to notice in the verses that we just read how the words her and she are used in connection to Babylon. Her sins.her punishment.the evil she has done. That's how we know that when the Bible is talking about women, it is talking about churches. The true church of God however don't follow the traditions of this world although they are still in the world. Joh 17:14 (MKJV) I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Joh 17:15 I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but for You to keep them from the evil. Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. That is the same message our Lord taught through the apostle Paul: Rom 12:2 (KJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God. Rom 12:2 (CEV) Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. What would be the result if you don't follow the ways of this world? The world will hate you. They may not show that they hate you, but deep inside they think you're crazy for not joining them in their traditions. That's why there's only a few elect in every generation. Not a lot of people can bear that burden of being hated by the whole world. Most of us just want to blend in. Most of us just want to be accepted. If Leah is the symbol of Babylon, Rachel on the other hand is the symbol of the Lord's true church. The house of God or the church of the living God is the only place where you can learn the truth. 1Ti 3:15 (MKJV) But if I should delay, that you may know how you ought to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Let's continue the story of Jacob: Gen 29:29 (ESV) (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) Gen 29:30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. Gen 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. We should connect verse 30 and 31 here. Leah was hated means Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. It doesn't really mean Jacob hated Leah, as the Lord is really not telling us to hate our father and mother in this verse: Luk 14:26 (KJV) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. What He is telling us is that we should love Him more than we love our father and our mother. Mat 10:37 (ESV) Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Also in verse 31, we should see who is the one controlling everything. The Lord is the one who opened Leah's womb, meaning He enabled her to have children. Rachel on the other hand remained barren, this is the Lord's doing also. Gen 29:32 (ESV) And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me." God allows us to be fruitful under the false churches first. There we give as much money as we can because we are taught that the more money we give, the more reward we will get in heaven. But those who do their giving and service under the false church will be sorely disappointed when the Lord returns. Mat 7:22 (ESV) On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' Mat 7:23 (ERV) Then I will tell those people clearly, 'Get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you.'
Let's continue the story: Gen 29:33 (ESV) She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon. Gen 29:34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi. Leah has the wrong attitude here. She thinks because her prayers has been answered three times now, that Jacob would be attached to her now. This is the same attitude of those who are in false churches. They think God is with them because they have many members or because they are blessed physically. They may show off their beautiful church buildings or that they have members all over the world. But when our requests are always granted, there will be no trials. Trials are needed to strengthen our faith. It is the same for a child whose wishes are always granted. The child becomes spoiled and his or her spiritual growth is stunted. So kids, when you grow up, I hope you don't get convinced by these churches by showing you how many members they have or by showing you their grand temples and churches. The main proof that God is with a church is if they are following the teachings in the Bible. Gen 29:35 (ESV) And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing. Judah means praise, but as we have learned from past lessons, when we praise God but at the same time we disobey His commandments, then our praises are useless to Him. Isa 29:13 (KJV) Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Isa 29:13 (ERV) The Lord says, "These people come to honor me with words, but I am not really important to them. The worship they give me is nothing but human rules they have memorized. Leah has been blessed with four sons before she temporarily stopped having any more children. By this time, Rachel got jealous of her sister Leah and vented her frustrations on Jacob.
Gen 30:1 (ERV) Rachel saw that she was not giving Jacob any children. She became jealous of her sister Leah. So Rachel said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!" Gen 30:2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, "I am not God. He is the one who has caused you to not have children." Jacob is telling Rachel a lesson that we should always remember. We are not the one who is in control of our situation. Contrary to a very popular poem, we are not the master of our fate, and we are not the captains of our soul. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, it is God who has worked that out. God is in control of everything, both good and evil. This is not telling us to continue sinning, but it is telling us that God humbles us by sending evil spirits that causes us to sin. Rachel is now in the same position as Rebekah and Sarah. Sarah was impatient and gave Hagar to Abraham as a concubine (a secondary wife), but Rebekah was given the faith to wait for 20 years, until she and Isaac had the twins Esau and Jacob. But now it looks like Rachel and Jacob is not given the same faith, so Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine (secondary wife). Gen 30:3 (MKJV) And she said, Behold my slave woman Bilhah; go in to her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and yea, let me be built up from her, me also. Gen 30:4 And she gave him her slave woman Bilhah to wife. And Jacob went in to her. The phrase shall bear upon my knees means Rachel would treat Bilhah's children as her own. Gen 30:5 (ESV) And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Gen 30:6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. You would notice that it is Leah who named all her children and it is now Rachel who named Dan. We learned that name is the symbol of our character and it is the church that we are in and the beliefs that the church teaches us that indeed molds our character. Rachel named her first son through Bilhah, Dan meaning judge. It is the house of God that is judged first in this life to prepare them to judge other people and even angels in the lake of fire. 1Pe 4:17 (ESV) For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
1Co 6:2 (ERV) Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? So if you will judge the world, then surely you can judge small arguments like this. 1Co 6:3 You know that in the future we will judge angels. So surely we can judge life's ordinary problems. God's judgment is good for us and no one can escape it. Ecc 3:17 (ESV) I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. God's judgment will teach us righteousness, not burn us forever in a place called hell. Gen 30:7 (ESV) Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Gen 30:8 Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali. Rachel named her second son through Bilhah, Naphtali meaning my wrestling or my struggle. This tells us that we will struggle against the desires of the flesh until we die. This also tells us of the struggle or wrestling match between the true church and the false churches of this world. We should witness against the sins of Babylon through our words and actions, but we shouldn't debate them or force our faith on them. 2Ti 2:14 (ESV) Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 2Co 1:24 (KJV) Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. 2Co 1:24 (GNB) We are not trying to dictate to you what you must believe; we know that you stand firm in the faith. Instead, we are working with you for your own happiness. Let's read some more of the story of Jacob, and Lord willing next time, we will learn more spiritual lessons from it. Gen 30:9 (KJV) When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. Gen 30:10 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son.
Gen 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. Gen 30:12 And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. Gen 30:13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher. Gen 30:14 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. Gen 30:15 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. Gen 30:16 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. Gen 30:17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. Gen 30:18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. Gen 30:19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. Gen 30:20 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. Gen 30:21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. Gen 30:22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. Gen 30:23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: