October 1997
Genesis Chapters 29-30
From the last chapter we are reminded that after Jacob deceives his father, Isaac, in place of his brother, Esau, he receives the inheritance of the family. Jacob then is told to flee home.
Jacob leaves home, at the suggestion of his father and mother, for two reasons. First, to escape the wrath of Esau who was mad the inheritance went to Jacob. Secondly, Jacob is sent by his father to find a wife out of the same house and family as his mother Rebekah. Both Isaac and Rebekah had been very displeased that Esau had taken a wife from the "daughters of Heth" and they did not want Jacob to do the same.
When Esau finds out Jacob has left, and also learns of his parents displeasure with his choice of a wife, Esau goes to the house of Ishmael (Abraham’s illegitimate son) and takes another wife. Gen. 27:41-46; 28:1-9.
"Jacob’s Ladder"
On his journey Jacob communes with God in his sleep in a dream we now know results in "Jacob’s Ladder." Jacob names the spot where he slept as "Bethel" or "God’s House." In the dream God renews the covenant made with his grandfather Abraham that God will give Jacob "the land whereon thou liest...and to thy seed. . . . And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 28:14.
Beginning in the 29th Chapter of Genesis, we learn Jacob journeys "into the land of the people of the east," apparently near the town of Haran. He encounters a well used to water livestock and watches workmen roll a great stone from the mouth of the well so that gathering sheep can drink. He inquires of the sheep’s caretakers of his mother’s relatives and is informed that one of the daughters will arrive soon — Rachel — to water her flock.
Jacob falls in love with Rachel
When Jacob sees Rachel, he helps her with the stone to water her sheep and he falls in love with her. When Rachel’s father, Laban, hears of Jacob’s tale, and that he is a son of Laban’s sister Rebekah, he welcomes Jacob into his home. Laban learns of Jacob’s love for Rachel and strikes an agreement with Jacob: if Jacob works seven years for Laban, then Jacob will be free to marry Laban’s daughter Rachel, even though Laban has an older daughter, Leah, that by custokm is supposed to marry first. We are told Leah is apparently pretty and is "tender-eyed", but that Rachel "was beautiful and well-favored."
Genesis Chapter 29, verse 20 tells us that the seven years passed quickly for Jacob until the time came when he had been promised he could marry Rachel.
Jacob deceived with Leah
Jacob approached Laban to fulfill the promise of Rachel. Laban gave a feast and apparently late at night sent his daughter in to sleep with Jacob. However, Laban sent in his older daughter Leah, instead of Rachel.
In the morning Jacob awoke to discover it was Leah in his bed instead of Rachel. He had been deceived — much in similar fashion as he had deceived his own father to obtain the family inheritance over Esau. Upon approaching Laban about the deception, Laban explained that as a father he was required by custom to give the older daughter before the younger.
Laban insisted Jacob live with Leah as a wife for the apparently traditional first week and then he promised Jacob could also marry Rachel in exchange for another seven years of labor for him. Gen. 29:26-27. Jacob accepted and lived with Leah one week before also marrying Rachel, whom he loved more, and then began his second seven-year labor for Laban.
Beginning of the 12 Tribes of Israel
When the Lord witnessed Jacob’s love for Rachel and hatred for Leah, he made Leah fertile for children, and Rachel barren. The birth of children to Jacob becomes another important mark in the history of the Old Testament because it is after Jacob’s 12 children that are named the "Twelve Tribes of Israel."
In the last five verses of the 29th chapter, and the first half of the 30th chapter of Genesis we learn of the first 11 sons and a daughter of Jacob. We later learn of a 12th son in the 35th chapter. These births are significant in that it is from the sons of Jacob that are later named the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the promised land divided into these twelve tribes of people.
Jacob has his sons from four women. He has the most children (six) from his wife Leah, and two by her maiden Zilpah. He later has two children from the maiden of Rachel, Bilhah, and finally has two children, and two significant grandchildren, by Rachel.
Leah’s six sons by Jacob eventually become heads of five of the 12 tribes. These sons are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. Also by Leah is born Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah.
Of the six sons by Leah, all later a heads of tribes except for Levi. Levi became patriarch of the Levites and whose family and descendants became the priests and "keepers" of the temple. Out of the family later would be born a man named Moses along with Aaron and Miriam. From the family of Judah would later be born David, slayer of Goliath and eventual king. One of David’s descendants would later be Joseph who married Mary, mother of Jesus.
For the seven other sons, two were by Rachel’s handmaiden Bilhah — Dan and Naphtali. When Rachel saw that Jacob was having sons by her sister Leah and that she was barren, she became envious and eventually offered Jacob her handmaiden Bilhah, with whom he had the two sons. Gen. 30:1-8.
When Leah witnessed that Rachel had allowed her handmaiden to bare children for Jacob, Leah took her handmaiden to Jacob for a wife and the maiden bare Jacob two sons — Gad and Asher.
We learn in the 22 verse that "God remembered Rachel" and opened her womb. To Rachel was born the 11th son — Joseph — and Rachel is showing confidence that she will have another son. We learn at Gen. 35:18 that Rachel had a hard labor, died during birth, but that a 12 son of Jacob was born — Benjamin.
As we will learn later in the Old Testament, that of the 12 sons, Levi was not the head of a tribe, but the head of the keepers of the temple. That would leave 11 sons. However, Joseph, was not to become the "head" of a tribe, leaving 10 sons. We know Joseph later was to be Jacob’s favorite son and to become the patriarch of God’s children, and that he had two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
It is Jacob’s remaining 10 sons and two grandsons from Joseph, that become heads of the 12 tribes of Israel:
By Leah (5): Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
By Bilhah (2): Dan and Naphtali.
By Zilpah (2) : Gad and Asher.
By Rachel (3) : Joseph (by his sons Ephraim and Manasseh), and Benjamin.
Jacob leaves Laban’s service after an initial falling out with Laban, the start of which is told in the last few verses of the 30th chapter of Genesis. We learn Jacob carefully selected his flock of sheep and livestock. Jacob became a wealthy man with substantial holdings of camels, asses, livestock, servants, and maids.