Genesis 30
Rachel and Leah’s Child Competition
Genesis 30
Chapter 29 ended with Leah, the unloved sister giving children to Jacob while Rachel, the loved and favored wife, unable to provide Jacob with children. In chapter 30, Rachel complains to Jacob about him not giving her children. Jacob tells her that he is not in place of God, and so it is not up to him. Rachel follows Sarah’s example and gives Jacob her servant Bilhah to have children for her. Bilhah bears two children. The first is names Dan which mean indicated. The other one was named Naphtali, which means Struggle.
Leah, not to be outdone, gives Jacob her servant Zilpah to have children with Jacob. Zilpah bears Jacob's two children. One is Gad which means good fortune. The other was Ashur which means happiness.
Leah’s older son Reuben picked some mandrakes, which were thought to be a fertility plant. Rachel wanted some, so Leah exchanged some of the plants in exchange for Rachel, allowing Jacob to sleep with her. Leah from this bore two more children. Issachar, which means reward. The other was Zebulum which means honor.
God finally hears Rachel’s prayer, and she gives birth to Joseph. Joseph will become one of the prominent patriarchs.
This sister's jealousy and competition to have children don’t appear very spiritual. Yet, it would be the descendants of these children to fulfill the promise God made to Abraham. These are the fathers of those who will claim the promised land. I once heard a preacher say, “God hits straight licks with crooked sticks.” This is true in this account.
Laban Gets Paid Back
Jacob has his wives and family. He is ready to go back and face Esau and reclaim his rightful inheritance from his father, Isaac’s estate. Laban doesn’t want to let him go. After all, God is blessing Jacob, and Laban is becoming a rich man because of Jacob. Laban asked him to stay, but this time he can earn wages. Jacob asks for a part of the flocks, specifically the speckled and spotted sheep. God blesses the speckled and spotted sheep, and so Jacob becomes wealthy with flocks from his father-in-law's herds.
Genesis 31
Jacob leaves Laban’s household
God’s blessing Jacob through the agreement made for Laban's wages even though Laban changed the wages ten times. Jacob and Laban’s sons’ attitude changes toward Jacob since becoming a wealthy man off Laban’s herds. God appears to Jacob and tells him to go back to Canaan.
Jacob talks with Leah and Rachel about leaving for his homeland, and surprisingly they finally agree upon something. They feel that their father has been unfair to them and treated them like servants and not family. So they are good to go.
Jacob takes his family out in secret, hoping to get out and away before Laban can catch on. Interestingly, Rachel steals her father's household idols. This shows that Laban did not serve the one true God but had adopted idol worship. Why Rachel stole the idols is a mystery. Maybe she, too, worshiped idols. It is also thought that the idols would go to the child to gain the most inheritance, or perhaps she just wanted to make her dad mad. I am confident if Jacob would have known that, he would not have allowed her to steal them.
Laban finds out about Jacob’s escape and chases him down in Gilead. God appeared to him and smoothed the way some, but Laban was not happy. He wanted his idols back. He searched Jacob, Leah’s, and Rachel’s tents for them. Jacob unknowingly said that if he found them that he could kill the one that stole them. Of course, he didn’t know Rachel had stolen them. Rachel hid them under her saddlebags and asked not to get up because she was having her period. Laban did not require her to get up.
Later that night, Jacob and Laban make a contract that they will not hurt each other. They set up a pillar, and both vow not to cross that pillar with any intention of doing each other harm. The Laban saga is over. It has been a difficult 20 years for Jacob. Laban has deceived, manipulated him, used him, and treated him like a slave. Yet, God blessed Jacob through it, and he has a family that will become the promised descendants of Abraham. He has been made rich with God’s blessing him with his greedy father-in-law’s flocks and herds. It is time for Jacob to live in his destiny in Canaan.
Genesis 32
Jacob prepares to meet Esau
Jacob’s past business with Laban is finished. Now it is time to face Esau. Jacob is uncertain how Esau will greet him because Esau was vowing to kill him when he left. The angels lead Jacob to a place to camp. The first thing Jacob does is send messengers to tell Esau that he is coming to greet him. Esau’s reaction scares Jacob. Esau is coming to meet Jacob, and he is bringing 400 men with him.
Out of his fear, Jacob does two things. First, he devises a plan to try to appease Esau. He will shower him with gifts of livestock on his way to try to soften his anger. Also, he will divide his camp into two groups hoping that if Esau does attack the first group, then the second may getaway.
The other thing Jacob does is pray. Genesis 32:9-12 records this prayer, “Then Jacob prayed, ‘O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” Through prayer, Jacob is asking for help, and he is also reminding God that he is there in His direction.
Genesis 32:22-32
Jacob’s Wrestling
Later that evening, Jacob sends his family across the Jabbok stream, and he stays alone. The Bible records that a man came, and Jacob began to wrestle with him. It was getting close to daybreak, and the man asked Jacob to let him go. Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him. The man touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, which made him limp the rest of his life. Jacob continued until he got his blessing. The man asked, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob,” which we know means “heel clutcher” or “deceiver.” The man changes his name to Israel, which means “God rules.” Jacob no longer will be known as a deceiver, manipulator but as someone that God rules and protects. It was at this point Jacob realizes that he was wrestling with God. Jacob would have been no match for God, but Jacob needed to wrestle with some things to receive his blessing.
Jacob refused to let go until he received his blessing. This is a good lesson for us. Sometimes, when I struggle with understanding a passage of Scripture, I just hang on to it until it blesses me. Same with circumstances in life that I don’t understand. I find if I keep hanging on that the blessing will come. Hang on to things until they bless you!
Genesis 33
Jacob and Esau Meet
Twenty years earlier, Jacob fled from Esau, fearing for his life. Jacob still isn’t sure of Esau’s intention. He just knows that Esau and 400 of his men are on their way to meet him. Jacob puts the gifts of the flocks and herds out front, and the messengers are to tell him about the gifts. Esau ignores their messages. Jacob’s camp is divided in two, possibly so one of the camps might escape if attacked. Jacob rushes to meet his fate with his brother. When they meet, Jacob bows before Esau seven times to show him honor and respect. Esau hugs Jacob, and the brothers reconcile.
Esau wants Jacob to accompany him to where he is living in Seir. Jacob asks not to because of the flocks and small children. Jacob never goes to Seir, probably for a couple of reasons. One, Seir sets outside of the Promised Land. Jacob has been called back to Canaan. The other is that there was not be enough water and pasture between Esau and Jacob's herds.
God is for reconciliation. Esau and Jacob reconciling was a great way to please God. God desires for us to reconcile with others as well. Living in shalom means being right with God and being right with others.
Genesis 34
Trouble in the Promised Land
Jacob chooses to settle around a Canaanite camp rather than go back to Bethel as God commanded. This will prove to be costly. Dinah, one of Leah’s daughters, visits friends from a nearby Canaanite village, and the prince of that village takes her and rapes her. He likes her, so Shechem and his father, Hamor, come to Jacob to strike a marriage contract. Unfortunately, Jacob’s sons and servants are working, so Jacob is unsure what to do. When the sons get there and find out what has gone on, they deal with the Canaanites. They will give and take their daughters and vice versa and trade with them if their men agree to circumcision. Hamor and Shechem sell this deal to their village because of the idea that they will take all their women and their livestock.
After the men of that village had submitted to circumcision when they were in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Leah’s sons, took their swords and slaughtered all the men of that village and took their women, children, and livestock. Jacob was distraught at what they had done, but the text's writer seems to agree with their decisions to destroy them. Who knows but that if they would have kept the agreement if Jacob's descendants would have been the fathers of the twelve tribes.
This will be one of many difficult passages in the Old Testament to understand. Why would God allow his people to slaughter innocent people? My Old Testament professor, Dr. David Garland, often cautioned us of reading our values back into the Old Testament. In matters like this, we have to trust in the goodness of God rather than try to explain away everything we find distasteful. In this woke and cancel culture, it is easy to see someone act in a way in the past that is inconsistent with our present values and try to disavow that person could do any good. Yet, the Christian gospel message is that we all are sinners, and we all deal with a dark side of our lives. Living in the Kingdom is learning to live by Kingdom values and continuing dying to sin.