Or, A Race of Envy
Scripture: Genesis 29:31-30:24
Date: October 30, 2016
Speaker: Sean Higgins
It’s hard to imagine that a family would have problems if that family started out with a business arrangement to work for a bride who was then switched for the older sister on the wedding night when the groom was probably drunk who realized what happened the morning after and then married the younger sister eight days later and gave her all his attention. No, that would cause no problems at all.
It’s a true story, and it’s also just and introduction. Jacob fled from home and came to Laban, Laban (and Leah) deceived Jacob, Leah and Rachel became Jacob’s wives. Jacob already worked seven years and he’s about to begin his second seven year tour.
Jacob left his home when he was around 77 years old. He met the younger of Laban’s daughters, Rachel, at the well outside Haran and the 2555 days he worked for her “seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her” (Genesis 29:20). Rachel was “beautiful in form and appearance” (verse 17) and he offered to work for her because he loved her (verse 18). It’s why he was upset at the switch, and the final thing we saw last week was that Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah” (verse 30).
As offspring are born to Jacob in Genesis 29:31-30:24 (note that the first and last paragraphs in the section begin with God opening wombs) we’ll see that each sister wanted what the other sister had. Neither of them were content, and Jacob did nothing to help. Leah and Rachel were in a race of envy, and the fruit of their wombs struggled with the consequences of that envy for generations. Jacob could have written his own soap opera script, “These Are the Days of My Wives.”
Five stages of the race:
Leah deceived Jacob to become his wife. It may not have been her idea, but she was complicit. Regardless of her looks, we understand why Jacob wouldn’t feel attached to her.
But she was his wife and he did not treat her appropriately. The one who noticed was God. When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren . As we’ve already learned in Genesis, the womb is the LORD’s to open or close as He wills. He does not always close it as discipline, but He always controls it.
Here the LORD disciplined Jacob for his favoritism. Obviously Jacob shared a bed with Leah but apparently not much else.
And Leah conceived and bore a son and called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has looked on my affliction; for now my husband will love me. Leah seems both sad and hopeful. She’s sad because she’s unloved and she knows it. Yet she’s hopeful that this child, this son, will turn Jacob’s heart toward her. She believed this was the LORD’s doing; it’s interesting that she never gives credit to her father’s household gods (see Genesis 31:19). Reuben sounds like a thankful exclamation: “See, a son!” Reuben was a gift from God.
Did Reuben unite Jacob’s heart to Leah? Leah keeps having sons in quick succession but does not start having more connection with Jacob.
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. 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. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. (Genesis 29:33–35)
Simeon sounds like “heard”; God saw and God heard her struggle. Levi sounds like “attached” which she still hoped Jacob would become. Judah sounds like “praise.” Maybe Leah has given up and is worshipping God regardless of how Jacob treated her but, based on what’s yet to happen, I think this is just a crescendo of her expectation. All these boys from the LORD would have to make her husband more affectionate toward her. Leah names each son, and each time she talks by herself, Jacob appears not to be around. That said, every time he called a son by name he would have to think about why.
When the LORD saw (29:31), now When Rachel saw (30:1).
Rachel had Jacob’s love but no babies. At some point certainly before Leah’s fourth son was born, she envied her sister. Leah wanted what she didn’t have and visa sister. Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children or I shall die.” Of course this is dramatic. She might feel useless, she might be teased by her friends at parties, but she wouldn’t die from barrenness. Things could be worse. Yet she vents her envy-anger onto Jacob, although it’s not as if he was impotent; he had already fathered four sons.
Jacob out-angered her back. Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” His theology is right, but his bedside manner was not tender. The anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. He’s not leading, he’s leaving her to deal with it. He loved her, but he wasn’t looking to God in prayer (like his dad had done for his wife) for her or helping her to trust God and be patient.
“To think that after the beautiful, gentle love story of 29:1-20 this angry exchange is our first and only experience of their marriage!” (Westermann quoted in Wenham).
Her response is impulsive. If she can’t bear a child then she will get one through her servant Bilhah and count that child as her own; on my behalf translates “on my knees,” a reference to parental rights. Jacob’s uncle on his dad’s side (Ishmael) was born in a similar manner when his grandmother Sarah was in a barren state.
Jacob had not learned from history, so he repeated it. God opened Bilhah’s womb and she bore Jacob a son. Rachel acted as if she’d been vindicated as a victim. The first son for Rachel through Bilhah was Dan which sounds like “judged.” She meant that God heard how awful her situation was and now He proved her right. The second son’s name makes it even more clear that the criminal—from Rachel’s perspective—was Leah. Naphtali sounds like “wrestling.” Rachel claims that she’s been wrestling with her sister before God to be blessed. This is a competition, a race, and she wants to win.
The LORD saw (29:31), Rachel saw (30:1), now, Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children (30:9). Pregnancy came early and often for her; her first four came one right after the other. She was more aware of not being pregnant because she had been for almost four years in a row.
It must not be that Jacob stopped being with her altogether, since that would provide the explanation for why she wasn’t getting pregnant, even though in the next paragraph we see that Jacob didn’t spend much time with her. Leah is still unloved and, if she didn’t before, she realizes the competition. She’s still in the lead, but she could get further heads.
She took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. . Jacob came to Haran for one wife and now he’s got four. Zilpah gave him two sons. Gad which sounds like “fortune,” as in, this is good fortune to have another son. And Asher which sounds like “happy.” Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” She’s given her husband five sons and this must be when he will see how good she’s made it for him.
For the first time we overhear the sisters interact directly. Moses includes this part of the story to show how low things had gotten in Jacob’s household.
Reuben was probably five or six years old by now. He wasn’t working, he was playing or just out with the men in the fields while they worked. He found mandrakes which is a tomato-looking fruit, and fruit thought by some (old wives’ tales) to have fertility powers. They were also called “love fruits” or “love apples.”
The news of his find spread throughout the house so Rachel came to Leah and made a request. Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes . Mandrakes were hard to come by, and Rachel was desperate enough to ask her sister, her competition, for help.
But Leah exploded. ”Is it a small matter than you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Leah is still bitter and can’t imagine giving to the one she felt had already taken from her.
Rachel counters with an offer. ”Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” Jacob hadn’t been spending much, if any, time with Leah, either because she wasn’t producing more children or just because he didn’t care for her. Rachel acts as if she has the power to decide whose bed Jacob slept in. Leah must have said, “Fine.”
When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” She’s eager and not going to depend on her sister to tell Jacob. He doesn’t argue. His relationship with Laban became one based on payment, and now his relationship with his wives turns into something similar.
And God listened to Leah . She must have been praying, and without the mandrakes she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son . Issachar sounds like “wages.” She hired her husband for a night and she got paid with a son.
And Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob a sixth son” whom she named Zebulun which sounds like “honor.” Jacob would have to honor her now, right? And afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah . Daughters aren’t always named, but Dinah is mentioned now because of what happens to her in chapter 34.
When God “remembers” it isn’t that something’s been out of His mind, it’s that He’s committed to act. From our perspective it seems that He’s remembered. God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb . Mandrakes didn’t open her womb. Her own strategies didn’t enable her to become pregnant. As God did for Leah in 29:31, God enables Rachel to conceive. Rachel has been humbled, at least to some extent, and has been crying out to the LORD.
She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” She called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!” Let’s say that this is out of faith not out of immediate discontentment and desire for another son. Joseph sounds like “add.”
In the next scene Jacob starts talking about going home (Genesis 30:25).
Does there need to be an explicit statement against polygamy? If Sarah and Hagar didn’t convince, isn’t this story enough? This house is a mess.
Leah was unloved and envious of Rachel. Rachel was barren and envious of Leah. Jacob was in the middle and, at least in this part of the story, not much of a husband or father. He doesn’t name any of his children. He doesn’t help his wives. He’s worked 14 years for his brides and, at least in this episode, doesn’t offer much more to them than breeding services.
The envy in Jacob’s household was transferred to the next generation. The brothers, with one more to be named later, got along when they were allied against another one. For later generations of Israelites to be proud of their origins is ignorance and arrogance. The only good they had was by grace. Such is true for us.