Genesis 30
Pastor Mark Hudson
Rachel speaks for the first time and while her eyes are pretty, her speech is not. She is the second person who wanted something or would die (Esau in 25:32). It does not appear she is quiet nor subtle. Jacob’s response comes from one who feels attacked. He points Rachel to God by saying, “Am I in the place of God?” I doubt he spoke in a calm, measured voice. But Rachel is not waiting around for God. In fact, these characters talk often about God but they certainly prefer to do things their own way, yet with devastating consequences. This entire chapter is a testimony to self-rule apart from God. How does that turn out for them . . . and you?
It is somewhat shocking to see how extremely desperate Rachel is. The rivalry between the two may have been stewing for years. But while Leah just wants to be loved by her husband, Rachel wants sons. She practically throws her servant Bilhah at Jacob and claims the child, Dan as her own. Again Jacob and Bilhah produce another son named Naphtali. Rachel, in naming ‘her’ son does not attempt to hide the tension she feels toward Leah. In v. 8, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” In Rachel’s mind, she is not wrestling with God but against her sister. The dynamics in this family must have been awful.
Compare Leah’s words in 29:32, where Leah says, in effect, the Lord has looked on me and now my husband will love me. So the son is named Reuben. Does this imply she knows Jacob does not love her? Then in 29:33, the birth of Simeon, “the Lord has heard . . . He has given me this son . . . .” Then in v. 34, “Now this time (the birth of Levi ) my husband will be attached to me.” Then in Judah she is recorded as saying in v. 35 , “This time I will praise the Lord.” Leah, although she is happy with her sons, sounds much more spiritual than beautiful Rachel. Yet, the one thing she wants, she never seemed to achieve.
Leah, though, falls into the same trap as Rachel since she offers her servant Zilpah to Jacob when she “ceased bearing children” in 30:9. Zilpah bore Jacob Gad and Asher. In vs. 14ff, Reuben comes in with mandrakes. Rachel views the fruit or possibly the fragrance as an aphrodisiac. Rachel wants them so badly, she offers to let Jacob sleep with Leah (did he normally sleep with Rachel?). So Issachar (wages) is born to Leah. Next comes Zebulun (endowment). Dinah is the only daughter mentioned. She is mentioned now because of the incident in chapter 34. This section ends with Rachel giving birth to Joseph.
Now begins the long saga of Jacob’s departure from Laban and return to the promised land. Jacob wants to leave in v. 25, but Laban does not want him to leave. Laban actually says to Jacob in v. 28, “Name your wages, and I will give it” (see also v. 31). But Jacob wants to leave. Laban ‘knows’ Jacob has a price (v. 31). So Jacob does have a way that he suggests. ‘I will take the goats that are spotted or black and the spotted or speckled goats’ Jacob suggests. This was sure to win Laban’s approval since most of the sheep and goats were one color. Only a small percentage would be multicolored. Laban (his name means ‘white’) loves the idea.
Laban prefers to help his own odds by removing all the “striped and spotted (male goats), and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted” . . . and removed them from Jacob’s care (vs. 35-36). Jacob uses what information he has about mating animals. “His plan is based on the ancient and wide-spread belief in the magical effect of certain visual impressions which in the case of human and animal mothers are transferred to their offspring and can decisively influence them” (Von Rad. Genesis pp. 301-2.). So Jacob hopes at the moment of conception, the ewe is looking at these striped sticks and that will produce a stipped or spotted offspring.
Jacob’s second trick is to do this only for “the stronger of the flock . . . but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob” (vs. 41-2). The narrator does not feel the need to help the reader understand this. Moses describes this in a way that the reader gets the impression that Jacob’s manipulations are the reason for his wealth. If we wrote this chapter we would be falling all over ourselves to explain away what Jacob resorts to his crazy ideas rather than trusting in God. All the narrator concludes with is v. 43, “Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.”
I’m like Jacob. I talk about God and know He is in my life but I prefer to do things my way. I feel like if I do it, things will get done. If I wait for God, well, it may get done but it sure can take a long time. I prefer to go ahead, look over my shoulder asking for His blessing, and then pray about the consquences. Sort of like “ready, fire, aim.”
Dear heavenly Father, please forgive us for going our own way time and time again. We find it difficult to wait for You. Yet we claim to trust You. We talk a good game but living by faith, trusting You, living in obedience to Your Word is rather difficult for us. But we make it difficult by our own rebellion. Turn our hearts to rest in Your love and trust in Your holiness. You are all we need. You are all we could ever hope for. You are our everything. In Christ’s name, Amen.