#48: Unconditional Love

Genesis 30:19-24

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

Sometime later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

Comments

Jacob’s family was now almost complete with four mothers, eleven sons and a daughter. And what a family it was!

• Leah, the wife given to Jacob by her father’s deception, knew the pain of being unwanted and unloved. Every son to whom she gave birth renewed her hope of earning her husband’s love and respect.
• Bilhah and Zilpah, servants of Rachel and Leah, knew the pain of living as unloved slaves who lacked even the right to name the children born to them.
• Rachel, the wife whom Jacob loved, knew the pain of being childless for years and the agony of watching other women give her husband the children he wanted. Even as she finally gave birth, she was praying for yet another son, not knowing that the birth of Benjamin would come at the cost of her life.

How ironic that a family whose love and happiness were in such short supply should become the people through whom God’s unconditional love and blessing should ultimately be revealed.

Reflections

It is not unusual for people to spend their entire lives seeking the love and approval of others. Does such a description fit you or have you been fortunate to have known the joy of being loved unconditionally?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, whose love is beyond anything we could ever earn or deserve.

#47: Superstition

Genesis 30:14-18

During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

Comments

Mandrakes were a plant commonly understood to have magical properties enhancing fertility. Rachel, who was still childless, didn’t think it fair that Leah, who had already given birth to four sons, should have mandrakes as well. Rachel wanted them because she was desperate enough to try anything to get pregnant.

Leah, who had been neglected by Jacob even though she gave him four sons, bought a night with Jacob and became pregnant again. She considered this a blessing from God for having let Jacob sleep with her servant. It is unlikely God looked at this situation in the same way.

Both sisters displayed magical thinking, not only in their belief a plant could make them fertile, but also in thinking pregnancy was a reward for good behavior and barrenness a punishment for bad behavior. The Bible may be our authority, but not everything Bible characters say and do is a good model for us to follow.

Reflections

Rachel bought the mandrakes, but it was Leah who became pregnant. Have your plans ever turned out the opposite of what you wanted?

Rachel thought mandrakes could help her get pregnant. Are you superstitious about anything? Do you think superstitions are compatible with faith in God?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who holds the world in your hands and delights in giving good gifts to your children.

#46: Competition

Genesis 30:7-13

Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

Comments

The beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel continues here with the birth of more sons to Jacob. The first four sons were born to Leah, the “unloved” wife. The next four came from Rachel’s servant, Bilhah, and Leah’s servant, Zilpah.

These servants had no say in whether or not they should sleep with Jacob, and when their children were born, they had no part in naming them. Leah and Rachel thought of the children as their own and named them accordingly.

Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this story is the level of competition between these two sisters. After the birth of Naphtali, Rachel pronounced herself the winner even though the count now stood at four sons for Leah and only two for Rachel (and none except through her servant).

This rivalry was certainly an unusual means of fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of countless descendants who would be a blessing to all nations.

Reflections

Competition, rivalry, envy and jealousy are central features of human sinfulness. How competitive are you? What do you think defines someone as a winner or loser in life?

The servants of Rachel and Leah were little more than pawns in the competition between sisters. Have you ever used others to gain an advantage for yourself? How did it turn out?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us a life in which everyone can win and no one has to lose.