God’s Response and Jacob’s Offspring | Delving into His Story
God is with Jacob like He Promised | Genesis 29:31–35 KJV
Fourteen years of hard labor for his uncle was not enough to keep Jacob from being with Rachel. It had originally been seven, but he was tricked. Now Jacob was around his 50’s (Genesis 26:34) and had two wives. Leah, Rachel’s older sister, and Rachel.
When we left off it was said that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. But God doesn’t like when promises are made before Him and not honored.
Let’s look at the text.
And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. — Genesis 29:31 KJV
A child is a gift from God. In that culture a barren wife was seen as lesser than. Remember Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16). However to get married was a solemn promise before God.
Vows were made in front of God. And in God’s name. He would not sit idly by and watch as Leah got her conjugal visits and nothing more from her husband. Because God is a God who cares.
Leah and Rachel probably lived in separate tents. Jacob would spend different nights with each wife. However since Leah was hated, she probably only got the minimum from Jacob. I imagine the cold shoulder, one word answers, and no foreplay. Leah was miserable.
God saw how Leah was treated and decided to intervene. After all He had promised to be with Jacob everywhere he went. That included the bedroom and bathroom.
God gave Leah the honor of being a mother. And the honor of having Jacob’s firstborn. The heir to the Abrahamic legacy.
And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.
And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. — Genesis 29:32–34 KJV
Reuben means behold a son, in Hebrew. Leah believed that Jacob would notice her now. That’s all she wanted. She wanted to be noticed by her husband. The bare minimum in a marriage.
Simeon means He has heard, in Hebrew. Leah knew of God, because of family traditions, and must have prayed many times that Jacob would notice her or that God would make her valuable in Jacob’s eyes. She knew that God heard her prayers since she was the only one conceiving children.
But it it didn’t change Jacob’s attitude towards her.
Levi means joined, in Hebrew. After three sons, surely Jacob would want to be with her. He would have to right? Since all his children were in Leah’s tent.
But that was not the case.
There was no divorce in their culture, unless the husband gave up his wife to another man. Like Abraham with Sarah, several times to protect himself. I’m not excusing his behavior. It wasn’t a sin, but it also wasn’t smiled upon by God. Remember this is before the commandments. The only sin committed was the eating of the forbidden fruit. For a sin to have been committed there had to be a law forbidding it.
Jacob wasn’t committing a sin by ignoring Leah or treating her as lesser than. However, God would not stand for it.
And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. — Genesis 29:35 KJV
Judah means praise, in Hebrew. Not once did Leah thank God for her sons until she had Judah. Her fourth son. It’s the Adam problem all over again. He didn’t thank God. And neither did she, until her fourth son.
I wonder if at Judah’s birth, did Jacob finally started to notice her and she praised God for that reason. He had four boys. Not a single daughter. Leah had to been seen by then.
Hear me out.
Jacob not treating Leah right, is undeniably wrong. However, Jacob was tricked into marrying a woman that he did not want. He saw Rachel first, and wanted Rachel. He worked seven years for Rachel. So for him to get married and be deceived the night of his wedding, with another woman, had to be rough for him.
He agreed yes. But it wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want two wives. Jacob only wanted Rachel. Now the wife he didn’t want is bearing children, because God saw fit to allow her. Jacob has to give in. It’s not the best of the world but it’s what Jacob has.
What’s interesting to me are the parallels between Isaac and Rebekah. They had favorites, so does Jacob with his wives. Esau had two wives, so does Jacob. Jacob tricked Esau and Isaac, and Laban tricked Jacob. Not the greatest family dynamic, but we have yet to see one.
The old saying what goes around, comes around is proving to be true.
Next time we’ll look at the sister’s war.
