Genesis study & commentary

Genesis 30:1

Rachel must have been losing her mind in desire to be a mother.  The green monster of Jealousy was growing and becoming vicious.  This great monster would cause problems.   "Give me children, or I'll die" seemed like a drastic statement.  But in that time, a woman who couldn't give birth was an embarrassment.  She was likely treated, and felt, as though she might as well be dead.  The envy Rachel felt fueled this rivalry between the sisters.

Jacob said it was all in God's hand, there was no reason for her to hold it against him.  However, we can see her point.  After all, Jacob was fathering these kids.  This sounds like such an awkward situation, but it gets worse.  Rachel wanted a child so bad she is willing to offer her maiden to her husband.  This was an acceptable practice.  In fact, the maiden gave birth while sitting on the knees of wife.  This symbolized the wife giving a child to her husband.  A few verses back Jacob declared God was in charge of the womb but he saw no problem in laying with Bilhah.  She conceived and gave Jacob a son.  Rachel felt that God had judged the case and declared her the victor in this rivalry. 

Bilhah, on behalf of Rachel; (Bilhah means confused):

• Dan; means judgment.  She felt God had vindicated her.
• Naphtali; a struggle or twisting, Rachel saw this as a struggle or competition with her sister, one in which she has risen as victor.

The rivalry continues between the sisters and this bigamy will bring nothing but pain and heartbreak.  However, Leah sees no reason to be outdone by her sister, she had a maid also.  Imagine Jacob every night having his wives shove these women in his tent.  The envy and rivalry that leads to bigamy will bring years of problems for this family.

Zilpah, on behalf of Leah

• Gad; good fortune.  The score was 5 to 2 as far as Leah was concerned.  What good fortune!
• Asher; fortunate & happy.  Leah's source of joy was suspect.  Hopefully her joy was found in motherhood.  But in context, you have to wonder if the basis of her joy putting her sister down or finding favor with other women?  Did that somehow make her more loved by Jacob?

Genesis 30:14-16

It apparently didn't strike Leah or Jacob as odd when their son brought home an aphrodisiac to mom to aid in the competition.  That might have been useful as a clue that things were out of hand.  There is no way of knowing the value of mandrakes back in those days, but Jacob had to be feeling a little cheap about now.  Mandrakes were considered fertility inducing but were really just a superstition. 

¹³ The mandrakes send out their fragrance,

and at our door is every delicacy,

both new and old,

that I have stored up for you, my beloved. (Song of Solomon 7:13)

Rachel gave up on a night with Jacob to get the mandrakes so she could get pregnant.  It was definitely a strange strategy, especially when we can be sure Leah kept just as many Mandrakes for herself.  Rachel still hadn't learned that God was in control of the opening or closing of the womb.

Jacob comes across as thoughtless and unloving to allow this to go on.  As he jumped from tent to tent with these four women, one has to wonder if he was just having a good time giving no thought to others and the damage being done. 

Genesis 30:17-21
Leah feels redeemed as she bore another son.

Leah:

• Issachar; means reward or wages.  Leah felt that Issachar was her reward for the sacrifice of giving her servant Zilpah to her husband.  The irony is this seemed to have happened on the one night traded by Rachel for some mandrakes.
• Zebulun: means 'a wished-for life' or honor.  How sad that Leah is still hoping for a life with her husband where she is honored.
• Dinah: means vindicated or justice.  She is barely mentioned.  The birth of daughters is rarely mentioned in the bible.  Dinah is introduced as a precursor to the larger event to come.

Genesis 30:22-24
Then God opened the womb of Rachel.  This is portrayed as God remembering and listening to Rachel. 

Rachel:

• Joseph: God's addition.  The name reflects her desire for another son.  There is also a wordplay on the name; a similar word to Joseph means 'taken away'.  God had taken away her disgrace.

Genesis 30:25-28
Jacob had paid the bride-price for Leah and for Rachel.  He's probably about sixty years old by now and time to go home.  Jacob asked that Laban acknowledge that the seven years had been served. but Laban asked him to stay.  Laban had learned firsthand about the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants.  He was being blessed by having Jacob in his presence.  The NIV uses the word 'divination' as the means for this understanding.  It is more likely that the word was used more as understanding this blessing as an omen.  Because of this, Laban told Jacob to name his wages.  The wage was an investment returning great wealth and blessing.

Laban had been moved to a place to be manipulated.  Yet, he was also attempting to manipulate Jacob.  It was two conniving deceivers working each other; like some kind of weird game they played.   

Genesis 30:29-33

Jacob came up with this plan so as not to be in service to Laban but to be able to build up his own wealth and provide for his house.  Laban liked the plan because it didn't involve him giving anything to Jacob.  The speckled and spotted sheep, brown lambs, spotted or speckled goats were all looked at as inferior.  The vast majority of sheep were white.  The animals with these markings Jacob described would be very minimal.  Laban jumped on this good deal.  He got the services and expertise of Jacob along with the blessing that came through him.  In return he gave Jacob the inferior animals. 

Since the animals were so easily identifiable there would be no accusation of thievery among them.  Jacob, who had no reputation of honesty claimed his honesty would testify on his behalf in the future.  I doubt this meant anything to Laban.

Genesis 30:34-43

Jacob has spent many years among the flocks and he knew how to manage and raise these animals as Laban had also done.  Laban removed all the mail goats that were marked in some way so they wouldn't be used to breed more of the same. 

The rods of green poplar trick sounds like an 'old wives tale' or maybe even superstitious.  It's been called sympathetic magic.  It was the belief that the outcome of procreation could be influenced by what was before their eyes during the process.  The idea of magic is a likely a stretch.  One thought is that Jacob stood these branches in the watering troughs, the sight of which created fear in the animals.  Fear does strange things to living creatures.  When then the procreated in fear and uneasiness, the process brought on marked offspring. 

Regardless of the reason, Jacob believed that if he put these rods in the drink they would breed and increase the flock.  His flocks grew larger while Laban's grew smaller.  This process went on for 6 years.

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⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:7-9)

There is hope for Jacob, because there is a promise over his life.  For you, or for those you love, there is also hope.   For Jacob it will be over 20 years.  Time does its work.  Don't give up; where there is breathe, there is hope.  Jacob looked up and saw the stairway and work started in his life.  From that we know we can look up and pray and long for the work in our life and the lives of those we love.  Hope in the Lord alone.

©2019 Doug Ford