Genesis 28-31
We resume Jacob's story as he is sent off to find a wife by his parents, although Rebekah's reason to send Jacob away is to save his life from his brother, Esau. Jacob is sent back to Laban, his uncle, to find a wife from his daughters. Of course Jacob winds up with two of Laban's daughters, but that comes later. Even Esau buys the story of looking for a "family" wife, as he takes another -- this one from the family of his relative Ishmael. On the tip to Paddan Aram, Jacob stops for the night and is given a vision of a staircase or ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Then above it was the Lord, who affirmed the covenant with Abraham and designated it to Jacob, promising him to watch over him and bring him back to the land he is to inherit. Jacob thinks this is the gate of heaven itself and calls it Bethel -- house of God. He vows to make God his God since he has been promised safety and care. He also promises a tithe, although I have no idea how he is planning to offer this tithe to God.
When Jacob finally arrives in chapter 29, he is immediately taken with Rachel. Laban comes out to greet Jacob and welcomes him. After a month, Laban tells Jacob to stop working for free and to name his wages. Jacob then asks for Rachel in exchange for seven years' work. It seems like Laban is taking advantage of Jacob at this point, and probably is. He gets seven years worth of labor for his daughter. Meanwhile at the wedding feast, Daddy Laban pulls the old switcheroo and instead sneaks in the daughter with the "weak eyes" without Jacob's knowledge. How it was that Jacob didn't figure out it was the wrong sister until after a honeymoon night with her is mysterious. However there was some poetic justice in that Jacob was deceived just as Jacob had deceived his own father. Jacob could only be partly outraged. He had reaped as he had sown.
Leah was put in a no-win situation. She was immediately the unwanted wife. She was likely put up to it by her father. Had she not done so, she would have been shamed in Paddan Aram and wound up an old maid. But she was now married to a man who would take good care of her. And she had children -- six boys and a girl. However in the naming of the boys, Leah reveals that she is still seeking her husband's favor, which she never really gets.
A week after the first wedding comes the second and Jacob finally has his Rachel. The first seven years worked to get her seemed like only a few days. In 29:30 we are explicitly told that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. From his actions throughout his lifetime, it is obvious that Rachel is the ONE for him.
The fight over the children in chapter 30 seems so bizarre to a monogamous man like myself. Bartering for who gets to sleep with the husband is strange. So is the practice of giving a woman's maidservant to be her husband's concubine. In today's culture, that's almost instant divorce! But this is a blended family. Four birth mothers, two wives who are sisters to one another, two servants who have slept with the master, and children everywhere. Only Dinah is mentioned, but it seems that there are some unmentioned daughters in the household as well.
Eleven of the sons are there with only Benjamin yet to come as Rachel dies in childbirth in chapter 35.
After Jacob's fourteen years of service to Laban are up, Laban manipulates him into staying in Paddan Aram, as Laban has gotten richer with God blessing Jacob's efforts. So Jacob outfoxes the fox and through some mystery of animal breeding, builds his own flocks while Laban's power is diminished. Jacob found (or is told) a way to insure that flocks would have streaked, speckled or spotted offspring by using tree branches cut in a certain way. The stronger animals he would
breed to produce offspring for himself and the weaker animals would be bred to produce offspring for Laban. Jacob became rich and powerful and Laban and his servants were resentful.
In 31:3, God tells Jacob to get back home, so Jacob calls the wives to the fields and explains the situation. Here we see that Laban has been trying to get the best of the deal for years, but only Jacob knows the secrets. This is payback for Laban's dirty dealing. The more he tries to manipulate, the more he fails.
Jacob and family and their entourage while Laban is off shearing sheep. Rachel also, for some unknown reason, steals a "household idol" from her father. By the time Laban gets back home, Jacob and company have been gone for three days. Laban goes off in pursuit for seven days until he catches up to Jacob. But on the night before he met with the family, Laban was given a dream telling him to behave himself, essentially.
At the meeting, Laban pleaded for the folks to return. He complained that they sneaked off without notice and didn't allow him to kiss the kids or have a big sendoff party. Certainly Laban was lying about his intentions, as he would have never willingly let anybody get away. He had tried hard to get his sister, Rebekah, to not go with Isaac. In 31:29, Laban says that he has the power to harm Jacob but is only holding off because of his dream from God. But there is one thing Laban thinks he can be indignant about -- his missing "god". Jacob is sure no one stole it, not knowing that his beloved had done it -- and swears to kill anyone who took it.
Laban searches everywhere. Everywhere except the camel's saddle which Rachel was sitting on. Rachel had hidden the idol there and claimed not to be able to get up to let Laban search because she was on her period! It actually worked!
Now Jacob is tired of Laban's excuses and recounts all the injustices he has suffered at the hands of Laban. Laban still doesn't get it, calling the wives, the children and the flocks belonging to Jacob as "mine" in 31:43. However, he does get the fact that he is without any power and offers to draw up a covenant to keep the two families from hostilities. Jacob's oath is in the name of the
Fear (capitalized) of his father Isaac. Back in 31:42, Jacob referred to "the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac" as well. I need to do a word study on the Fear of Isaac.
The two families depart in peace concluding chapter 31.
When Jacob finally arrives in chapter 29, he is immediately taken with Rachel. Laban comes out to greet Jacob and welcomes him. After a month, Laban tells Jacob to stop working for free and to name his wages. Jacob then asks for Rachel in exchange for seven years' work. It seems like Laban is taking advantage of Jacob at this point, and probably is. He gets seven years worth of labor for his daughter. Meanwhile at the wedding feast, Daddy Laban pulls the old switcheroo and instead sneaks in the daughter with the "weak eyes" without Jacob's knowledge. How it was that Jacob didn't figure out it was the wrong sister until after a honeymoon night with her is mysterious. However there was some poetic justice in that Jacob was deceived just as Jacob had deceived his own father. Jacob could only be partly outraged. He had reaped as he had sown.
Leah was put in a no-win situation. She was immediately the unwanted wife. She was likely put up to it by her father. Had she not done so, she would have been shamed in Paddan Aram and wound up an old maid. But she was now married to a man who would take good care of her. And she had children -- six boys and a girl. However in the naming of the boys, Leah reveals that she is still seeking her husband's favor, which she never really gets.
A week after the first wedding comes the second and Jacob finally has his Rachel. The first seven years worked to get her seemed like only a few days. In 29:30 we are explicitly told that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. From his actions throughout his lifetime, it is obvious that Rachel is the ONE for him.
The fight over the children in chapter 30 seems so bizarre to a monogamous man like myself. Bartering for who gets to sleep with the husband is strange. So is the practice of giving a woman's maidservant to be her husband's concubine. In today's culture, that's almost instant divorce! But this is a blended family. Four birth mothers, two wives who are sisters to one another, two servants who have slept with the master, and children everywhere. Only Dinah is mentioned, but it seems that there are some unmentioned daughters in the household as well.
Eleven of the sons are there with only Benjamin yet to come as Rachel dies in childbirth in chapter 35.
After Jacob's fourteen years of service to Laban are up, Laban manipulates him into staying in Paddan Aram, as Laban has gotten richer with God blessing Jacob's efforts. So Jacob outfoxes the fox and through some mystery of animal breeding, builds his own flocks while Laban's power is diminished. Jacob found (or is told) a way to insure that flocks would have streaked, speckled or spotted offspring by using tree branches cut in a certain way. The stronger animals he would
breed to produce offspring for himself and the weaker animals would be bred to produce offspring for Laban. Jacob became rich and powerful and Laban and his servants were resentful.
In 31:3, God tells Jacob to get back home, so Jacob calls the wives to the fields and explains the situation. Here we see that Laban has been trying to get the best of the deal for years, but only Jacob knows the secrets. This is payback for Laban's dirty dealing. The more he tries to manipulate, the more he fails.
Jacob and family and their entourage while Laban is off shearing sheep. Rachel also, for some unknown reason, steals a "household idol" from her father. By the time Laban gets back home, Jacob and company have been gone for three days. Laban goes off in pursuit for seven days until he catches up to Jacob. But on the night before he met with the family, Laban was given a dream telling him to behave himself, essentially.
At the meeting, Laban pleaded for the folks to return. He complained that they sneaked off without notice and didn't allow him to kiss the kids or have a big sendoff party. Certainly Laban was lying about his intentions, as he would have never willingly let anybody get away. He had tried hard to get his sister, Rebekah, to not go with Isaac. In 31:29, Laban says that he has the power to harm Jacob but is only holding off because of his dream from God. But there is one thing Laban thinks he can be indignant about -- his missing "god". Jacob is sure no one stole it, not knowing that his beloved had done it -- and swears to kill anyone who took it.
Laban searches everywhere. Everywhere except the camel's saddle which Rachel was sitting on. Rachel had hidden the idol there and claimed not to be able to get up to let Laban search because she was on her period! It actually worked!
Now Jacob is tired of Laban's excuses and recounts all the injustices he has suffered at the hands of Laban. Laban still doesn't get it, calling the wives, the children and the flocks belonging to Jacob as "mine" in 31:43. However, he does get the fact that he is without any power and offers to draw up a covenant to keep the two families from hostilities. Jacob's oath is in the name of the
Fear (capitalized) of his father Isaac. Back in 31:42, Jacob referred to "the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac" as well. I need to do a word study on the Fear of Isaac.
The two families depart in peace concluding chapter 31.
posted by rev-ed @ 3:52 PM
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