After Jacob married Leah and Rachel a week apart, it was time to get on with creating descendants for the covenant line. This devotional reading looks at how the dysfunctional family handled that challenge.
Nuggets
- Leah was compensated for being unloved.
- Rachel was upset that she wasn’t having children.
- History repeated itself.
- Because she gave her servant to Jacob as a surrogate, Rachel felt like she was winning the baby war.
- Since Rachel gave her servant to Jacob as a concubine, Leah had to, also.
- One afternoon, neither sister looked like they were relying on God.
- Finally, finally, finally, Jehovah gave Rachel a son.
The first recorded words that Jehovah said to humans was, “Go forth and multiply.” He wanted babies.
I am fairly confident in saying that Jehovah did not really want a baby war. But that is just what He got with Jacob, Leah, and Rachel.
We’re going to read all the verses together and then discuss.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Jacob the Patriarch series
Jacob’s Sons
“When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, ‘The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.’ She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, ‘The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.’ Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, ‘Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!’ Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, ‘Now I will praise the Lord!’ And then she stopped having children” (Gen. 29: 31-35 NLT)
“When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’ Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. ‘Am I God?’ he asked. ‘He’s the one who has kept you from having children!’ Then Rachel told him, ‘Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.’ So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. Rachel named him Dan, for she said, ‘God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.’ Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, ‘I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!’” (Gen. 30: 1-8 NLT)
“Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. Leah named him Gad, for she said, ‘How fortunate I am!’ Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. And Leah named him Asher, for she said, ‘What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me’” (Gen. 30: 9-13 NLT)
“One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, ‘Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.’ But Leah angrily replied, ‘Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?’ Rachel answered, ‘I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.’ So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. ‘You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.’ So that night he slept with Leah. And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. She named him Issachar, for she said, ‘God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.’ Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. She named him Zebulun, for she said, ‘God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.’ Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah” (Gen. 30: 14-21 NLT)
“Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. ‘God has removed my disgrace,’ she said. And she named him Joseph, for she said, ‘May the Lord add yet another son to my family’” (Gen. 30: 22-24 NLT)
Jehovah Enabled Leah to Have Children
Leah was compensated for being unloved.
We aren’t told how long after the marriage that Leah started having children, but we can probably be safe in saying that she did not suffer from barrenness.
Remember, it was 20 years before Rebekah gave birth to Jacob and Esau, and Isaac had asked Jehovah for children (Gen. 25: 21). Sarah, also, was barren.
It sounds like Leah started having her children right away — and for a very good reason. Leah was not loved by Jacob.
God felt compassion for her.
Still, Jacob treated her as a wife.
Let’s do some math using our timeline. Jacob and his wives had 11 kids in 7 years. Now, these dates may or may not be right, but it is going to help me to visualize it.
1716 BC – Jacob, 84, was tricked into marrying Leah. He agrees to work seven more years for Rachel
1715 BC — Reuben born (Leah)
1714 BC — Simeon born (Leah)
1713 BC — Levi born (Leah)
1712 BC — Judah born (Leah)
1712 BC — Dan born (Bilhah)
1711 BC — Naphtali born (Bilhah)
1711 BC — Gad born (Zilpah)
1710 BC — Asher born (Zilpah)
1710 BC — Issachar born (Leah)
1709 BC — Zebulun born (Leah)
1709 BC – Joseph was born (Rachel)
Based on Timeline from
Maybe Jacob and Leah were able to conceive during the year they got married. That would have eased the number being born together in the end,
My point is — somewhere along the line, at least two boys had to be born in the same year.
But let’s look at the names Leah picked for her children. They all gave praise to Jehovah. They acknowledged the children came from Him.
Bradford pointed out that, with each name, Leah was revealing her character. She. Trusted in Jehovah.
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True, with Levi, Leah talked about winning Jacob’s affection since she had given him sons.
Each of the four oldest sons were very important to Jacob’s story — either in a good way or bad way. Reuben lost his right to be called Jacob’s firstborn. Simeon and Levi made a bad decision.
But all of the priests came from Levi’s great-great-grandson, Aaron. Judah’s descendant was the Messiah.
Look what the Croswalk said about Leah. It says, “Naming her sons tells the spiritual journey of contentment in the Lord’s provision. Jacob did not see, hear, or attach himself to Leah, but the Lord filled the void Jacob created Leah’s life.”
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If we are unloved by our spouse, are we content? NO!!! We are very vocal about our discontentment.
Leah found contentment in her difficult situation.
We aren’t told why Leah lost her ability to have kids. We just know that she did for a while.
Rachel Pleaded with Jacob
Rachel was upset that she wasn’t having children.
Poor Rachel. It sounded like she was in denial. It was obvious the problem wasn’t with Jacob, but it was easier to make him the bad guy.
Or was it worse than that? We know she was jealous and envious. Leale said she didn’t have a good outlook on life.
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Rachel obviously didn’t have the relationship that Leah had with Jehovah.
I may be reading into it, but it seems to me that Rachel didn’t have the rough life that Leah did. Things came easier to her because of her beauty.
Rachel may have even thought she was better than Leah. Sometime — no, not always — but sometimes — arrogance comes along with beauty.
This may have been the first time Leah had “bested” Rachel. And Rachel didn’t like that one bit!
Rachel did get what she wanted. She did marry Jacob.
But Rachel didn’t get what she wanted. Legally, Leah was first wife, and Rachel was second wife. Even though they were on equal footing, Rachel wasn’t top wife.
Then to add insult to injury, Rachel’s rival was winning the baby war.
Only Jehovah can bring true joy to our lives.
Take My Maid
History repeated itself.
Ooo, baby. Didn’t Rachel learn anything from Sarah?
Remember, it was culturally acceptable for servants/slaves to be taken as concubines when fertility issues were encountered.
Now, let’s look at the names Rachel gave the children and what she said.
- “… ‘God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son’” (Gen. 30: 6 NLT).
- “… ‘I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!’” (Gen. 30: 8 NLT).
No, Rachel didn’t acknowledge God. She focused on the baby war.
Struggled and Won
Because she gave her servant to Jacob as a surrogate, Rachel felt like she was winning the baby war.
Was that because Bilhah had more children than Leah? No.
Let’s dig in a little and think through why Rachel thought she was winning the baby war when she had used a surrogate and only had half the number of children Leah did.
Remember, fertility was directly tied to honor, stability, and covenantal significance in the world in which Leah and Rachel lived. A wife who bore sons gained status within the household and security for the future — i.e., social power.
Rachel was struggling for status through motherhood. She was trying to participate in the race, regain social footing, and prove she is not cursed.
If we go back to the Hebrew, the phrase naphtulei Elohim indicates an intense struggle — twisting, grappling, even combat-like effort. It is describing an agonizing contest rather than mild rivalry.
If we look back over the verses in Chapters 29 and 30, we see some very encouraging phrases: God saw, God heard, and God remembered. Children come from Sovereign God, not through anything we can concoct.
Rachel was wrestling for a blessing. She said she won because she was no longer losing.
What Rachel may or may not have realized was that she was wrestling with Sovereign God about her faith. He always grows our faith through the wrestling, not the calm seas of life.
Statham explained why this happens. He wrote,
“To him that [overcomes] the glorious promise of victory is vouchsafed. But the struggle will be severe; we shall have not only ordinary sorrows, superficial anxieties, but great wrestlings; and this is the victory that [overcomes] the world, even our faith.”
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It is about endurance.
No, Take My Maid
Since Rachel gave her servant to Jacob as a concubine, Leah had to, also.
Two more sons were added to the list by Leah’s servant. The last one, Asher, was given a name that meant joy.
The Hebrew word for that is B’ashri. The root of this word conveys happiness, blessedness, or fortunate status. So, Genesis 30: 13 reads, “‘In my happiness! For the daughters will call me blessed.’ So she called his name Asher.”
Yes, it does talk about public recognition. That would have been important to Leah as the position but not the love. Remember, in Leah’s culture, fertility elevated the woman’s standing.
But we know being blessed has to do with our salvation. It is what happens when our relationship is right with God.
Mandrakes
One afternoon, neither sister looked like they were relying on God.
I had no idea what mandrakes are. To me, they look like a sweet potato.
More important than looks is what it was supposed to do. In the ancient Near East, mandrakes were widely believed to enhance fertility and stimulate sexual desire. They were associated with love, conception, and marital potency.
Mandrakes contain alkaloids such as atropine and scopolamine. That is fine in small doses as sedatives, analgesics, and mild hallucinogens. Larger quantities prove the plant is toxic. While most of it is folklore, the plant does possess physiological properties that may have contributed to its perceived potency.
So, here came Reuben bringing some to Leah. When Rachel saw them, her struggle with barrenness and social vulnerability made here desperate for some of that.
Unloved Leah, on the other hand, has the upper hand. She has what Rachel wants. I have to ask – did she really want to give it to Rachel?
This is the one interaction between the sisters that the rivalry is evident. Leah snaps back, “You stole my husband?”
Well, no. Jacob was to be Rachel’s husband and never Leah’s husband, so she didn’t steal anything.
Rachel barters Jacob for mandrakes. She wanted to the folklore to be true, so she “allowed” her husband to receive what would help her have kids.
By this point, we have to look at both women at that time. They both were wounded and desperate for security. That made both of them competitive. It doesn’t help that Jacob drifted between the two.
But look how Leah told Jacob. “… ‘I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found’ …” (Gen. 30: 16 NLT). The English Standard Version used the word hired. I probably would have said bought.
Why would this be included – beyond setting Leah up for more kids? It is about taking matters into our own hands, isn’t it? Neither really depended on Sovereign God to do His Will.
The interesting thing – the way it reads – is Jehovah opened Leah’s womb for that encounter. Then He gifted her with another son and a daughter.
Rachel’s Prayers Are Answered
Finally, finally, finally, Jehovah gave Rachel a son.
Why did Jehovah have Rachel wait? Leale told us. She had to learn dependence, patience, faith, and hope.
Resource
Yep, this is how it goes. God grows us and rewards us.
We will be talking about Joseph in many more devotions to come.
Making the Connections #1
Why would Jehovah had allowed four women to have given Jacob children? One wife couldn’t have done it — not if the timeline we use is correct.
This has to be fairly close. Look at Joseph’s timeline.
1692 BC — Joseph receives his coat of many colors from his father Jacob. Soon after receiving the gift, at the age of 17, he is sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen. 37).
1679 BC — Joseph, at the age of 30 (Gen. 41: 46), interprets a dream experienced by Pharaoh to mean Egypt will have seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of famine. The Egyptian ruler rewards Joseph’s insight, given by God, by making him the second most powerful person in Egypt (Genesis 41).
1679 – 1672 BC — Egypt experiences seven years of bountiful harvests. It is during this period that Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are born (Gen. 41: 47 – 53).
1672 – 1665 BC — Egypt, including Canaan and the rest of the world (Gen. 41: 56), endures seven years of drought conditions and famine (Gen. 41: 53 – 57).
1670 BC — Jacob and his family, after two years of famine in the land (Gen. 45: 6), migrate to the land of Egypt (Gen. 46 – 47: 9).
1653 BC — Jacob (Israel) blesses Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim and well as his own twelve sons (Gen. 48). He then dies at the age of 147 and is buried in Hebron (Gen. 49: 29 – 50: 13).
1599 — Joseph dies at the age of 110 in Egypt (Gen. 50: 22 – 26).
Based on Timeline from
Sovereign God knew Laban was going to deceive Jacob and used it for His glory.
Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life. Kalisch believed — and so do I — that he only intended to marry her. When he found he had been deceived, he didn’t renounce Leah, but he also did give up Rachel.
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And in doing this, Jacob was able to lay the foundation that built the nation of Israel.
Making the Connections #2
Was Leah’s fate to be married to someone who didn’t love her and Rachel’s barrenness because of both of their parts in Laban’s deception? Maybe. Maybe not.
We like to say, “If A happens, B will happen.” That is especially true when we put it in past tense. We want to know why something bad has happened.
But then, when we do that, aren’t we trying to play god?
Making the Connections #3
Our first thought may be, “Isn’t it sad that the sisters have a rivalry?” It gets even sadder when we consider it continued to their sons — specifically Judah and Joseph.
We talked about birthright and blessing being two different things. The birthright is family leadership. The blessing is worldly possessions. We think it usually goes to the firstborn.
Jacob’s firstborn, we’ll find out, staged a coup. The second and third born sons avenged their sister by killing all the men in one town. They were all passed over as being declared the firstborn.
The next in line was Judah. He got the birthright.
But Judah didn’t get the blessing. Joseph did. How did that play out?
Judah’s descendant was David — King David to be exact. When the nation split, David’s descendants populated the northern kingdom.
The southern kingdom was dominated by the descendants of Joseph — Ephraim and Manasseh.
Yeah, what started out as a rivalry between sisters escalated to geography of the nation.
The rivalry between Leah and Rachel shows that Jehovah will provide covenant purposes though earthly tension, not apart from. He will use the hood and the bad to advance His purposes.
Making the Connections #4
This wasn’t the only co-wife rivalry we hear about in God’s Word — and the other has barrenness, also. Hannah (the prophet Samuel’s mother) also experienced barrenness and was Elkanah’s co-wife with Peninnah (I Sam. 1).
Making the Connections #5
Starting with Jacob’s children, there was a change. Each of them were declared to be a Hebrew. None of his children were excluded.
Remember, we said Isaac was a Hebrew, but Ishmael wasn’t. Jacob was a Hebrew, but Esau wasn’t.
Why did this change? It changed because the descendants of each son (including Benjamin, who hadn’t been born yet) formed the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Bradford said that didn’t preclude Gentiles from becoming a Hebrew. He wrote, “… if that gentile wanted to become part of the Hebrew people, it was allowed by means of some rules, some laws, that had been set down by Yahweh.”
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Even then, Jehovah made a way for all people to have a way into His family.
How Do We Apply This?
- Rely on God to work His Will in our lives.
Father God. Your Will is best for us. Help us to wait on Your timing. Amen.
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