Week 4: Session 1 Genesis 29:1-30:24 We find Jacob this week at the end of his journey, providentially near the same well where Rachel brings her father’s sheep to be watered. As Jacob makes himself known to his relatives, he’s evidently welcomed warmly. I wonder, how much of his story he was willing to share in those early days? How much did he tell Laban about his falling-out with Esau or the bride-seeking mission of his visit? Jacob lacks the lavish credentials of the steward who came for Rebekah, so he’s eager to ingratiate himself to Rachel’s father. And Jacob’s desires aren’t lost on Laban who plots a plan to prosper from the situation. Notice the subtle way he changes Jacob’s status from beloved family to hired help in vs 15. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel. And even at the end of the agreed time, it seems that he had to prod Laban to fulfill his part of the bargain. When Jacob wakes up to find he’s married to Leah, we realize that the deceiver has been deceived himself. So Laban gets another seven years of labor from his son-in-law. I can’t begin to explain the custom of multiple wives, but I can see some of the relationship-wrecking results in the next verses. Rachel may have had her husband’s heart, but Leah had children. And both wanted what the other sister had. I propose that all parties were disappointed: Jacob didn’t request two wives and the sisters probably didn’t expect their marriages to look quite like they turned out. What can we learn about Jacob, Rachel, and Leah by looking at their reactions to unmet expectations? The children begin to arrive, but at first only to Leah. Rachel and Jacob's relationship begins to show wear and tear. Contrasted to the tenderness of their first meeting, the jealousy and disappointment heard in “Give me children or I die,” hangs dangerously in the air. Rachel blames her husband; angrily he blames God. But I also see the Lord’s tender care of all parties. Note the progression and meaning of the names of Leah's sons. In her loneliness, she is aware of God's presence. And in His time, in chapter 30, we're told that God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers. Before Joseph is born though, both women have offered up their maids to birth children. And there's a curious little episode in 30: 14-16, the story of the mandrakes. In ancient times, mandrakes were famed for arousing sexual desire and helping barren women to conceive. That explains why they were sought after by Rachel and why she was willing to trade a night with Jacob for them. The harsh, angry accusations of Leah met with Rachel's business offer. Instead of love and tenderness, the sisters' spousal relationship with Jacob is reduced to a business transaction. And at the height of the noise, vs. 17 reminds us that with or without mandrakes, God answers prayers and children are a gift. Into this bitterly divided family were born the forefathers of the Jewish nation. Arguably, they were born of a man who had deceived and been deceived and sharp-tongued, jealous women. List the children of Jacob and their respective mothers. Even through the unhappy home life—God’s purposes advanced. Jacob was promised a multitude of descendants and eight of them came through the unloved sister and her maid. Divine grace, not human merit has triumphed in this story. Journal Prompt: We may not have expected a pandemic, or the circumstances that we now find ourselves in. What ways would you like God to use your situation for His kingdom? How can you begin to pray for the future He intends for you and your family?
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May 2020
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