Real Housewives of Paddan Aram - Season Two

Genesis 30


When Rachel realized that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister.  She told Jacob, “Give me sons or I’ll die!”  

Drama queen!  (Maybe they need some anger and tears for the second season).

Jacob got angry with Rachel and said, “Am I God? Am I the one who refused you babies?”

Contrast this answer with his father's in a similar situation:  Isaac prayed to God for his wife to conceive.  Jacob gets mad.  

That means Jacob has surrendered his leadership of the family, and that means Rachel has to step-up to fill that void.

Rachel said, “Here’s my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family.” So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.

In translation, Bilhah means "troubled".  And to me, that means "crazy chick".  And that means stay away.

Rachel said, “God took my side and vindicated me. He listened to me and gave me a son.” She named him Dan (Vindication). Rachel’s maid Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel said, “I've been in an all-out fight with my sister—and I've won.” So she named him Naphtali (Fight).

I think I can safely say that men have NO idea of the dynamics among women in a family.  Not only no idea, but no conception that there needs to be this competitive animosity between family members.  

Now, back to the other side of the family.  It seems Leah has stopped conceiving children after the first four; so she thinks it's time to step up her game.  So -- Wife #4 for Jacob - coming up.

When Leah saw that she wasn't having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob for a wife. Zilpah had a son for Jacob. Leah said, “How fortunate!” and she named him Gad (Lucky). When Leah’s maid Zilpah had a second son for Jacob, Leah said, “A happy day! The women will congratulate me in my happiness.” So she named him Asher (Happy).

Jacob has no part in naming his children.  Is that a middle eastern tradition, or is he really that withdrawn from his responsibilities?

One day during the wheat harvest Reuben found some mandrakes in the field and brought them home to his mother Leah. Rachel asked Leah, “Could I please have some of your son’s mandrakes?”

Leah said, “Wasn't it enough that you got my husband away from me? And now you also want my son’s mandrakes?”

Rachel said, “All right. I’ll let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s love-apples.”

"... let him sleep with you ..."  Wow!  Who is really running things in this family?

When Jacob came home that evening from the fields, Leah was there to meet him: “Sleep with me tonight; I've bartered my son’s mandrakes for a night with you.” So he slept with her that night. 

Not, "How was your day, honey?"  Instead, the direct approach.

God listened to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son. 

I didn't see a reference to it in the chapter, but I'll assume Leah has been praying for another child.

She said, “God rewarded me for giving my maid to my husband.” She named him Issachar (Bartered). Leah became pregnant yet again and gave Jacob a sixth son, saying, “God has given me a great gift. This time my husband will honor me with gifts—I've given him six sons!” She named him Zebulun (Honor). Last of all she had a daughter and named her Dinah.

Even if Jacob didn't pray for her - Rachel has also been calling on the Lord.

And then God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and had a son. She said, “God has taken away my humiliation.” She named him Joseph (Add), praying, “May God add yet another son to me.”

Now, on the female side of the family, there is a blessing for the younger sister.  Even though Jacob had first married Leah, the family line of Jesus will come from Rachel.  And just so we all know this blessing is from God - Rachel is the last to become pregnant by Jacob, and the pregnancy comes in answer to prayer.

I'm guessing it's been about 14 years from the initial wedding to the birth of Joseph.

After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, “Let me go back home. Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. You know how hard I've worked for you.”

Laban said, “If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that God has blessed me because of you.” He went on, “So name your wages. I’ll pay you.”

Divine Inquiry.  Laban should try turning to God in direct prayer instead. Then he could receive blessings instead of indirect blessings through Jacob.

And lucky for Jacob that Laban doesn't have any more daughters to offer.

Jacob replied, “You know well what my work has meant to you and how your livestock has flourished under my care. The little you had when I arrived has increased greatly; everything I did resulted in blessings for you. Isn't it about time that I do something for my own family?”

“So, what should I pay you?”

Jacob said, “You don’t have to pay me a thing. But how about this? 

The name Jacob means "heel grasper" -- and that means sneaky. There may be some payback coming up for Laban. In any case, Jacob has been working hard for Laban for all these years. He doesn't want Laban to think he's "given" him anything.

I will go back to pasture and care for your flocks. Go through your entire flock today and take out every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. That way you can check on my honesty when you assess my wages. If you find any goat that’s not speckled or spotted or a sheep that’s not black, you will know that I stole it.”

“Fair enough,” said Laban. “It’s a deal.”

This time, Jacob's efforts will go to build the dowry that Laban should have already offered.  Also, Laban thinks he's been given a deal in which he can't lose.

But that very day Laban removed all the mottled and spotted billy goats and all the speckled and spotted nanny goats, every animal that had even a touch of white on it plus all the black sheep and placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Meanwhile Jacob went on tending what was left of Laban’s flock.

Laban didn't just fall off the turnip chariot.  He has culled all the non-white sheep from the herd and moved them a good distance away under the care of his sons.  

No sneaky interbreeding.  White sheep + white goats = white lambs.  

There should be no way for Jacob to have any spotted sheep to claim.

But Jacob got fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled the bark, leaving white stripes on them. He stuck the peeled branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. When the flocks were in heat, they came to drink and mated in front of the streaked branches. Then they gave birth to young that were streaked or spotted or speckled. 

I don't think mating near streaked branches has any influence on progeny, but God does have influence.  Any sheep born that are not pure white become Jacob's flock.  However, if this describing the technique of penning selected animals together, while excluding others, then the recessive genes have a chance to combine - giving spotted offspring.  This also assume that Jacob knew the ancestry of particular animals, since he has been tending the flock for over 20 years.

Jacob placed the ewes before the dark-colored animals of Laban. That way he got distinctive flocks for himself which he didn't mix with Laban’s flocks. 

Now there is some selective breeding going on.  Putting Laban's white ewes near the goats with any dark spots or stripes means another generation of speckled sheep to go into Jacob's flock.

And when the sturdier animals were mating, Jacob placed branches at the troughs in view of the animals so that they mated in front of the branches. But he wouldn't set up the branches before the feebler animals. That way the feeble animals went to Laban and the sturdy ones to Jacob.

I'm not certain what this tactic accomplishes. There are two lambing times for flocks - in the fall and in the spring.  The lambs born in fall were regarded as sturdier, since they had to survive the upcoming winter.

If this is again a penning technique, then Jacob is selecting the healthier stock for himself.

The man got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys.

These are interesting schemes on Jacob's part.  But the coloring and patterns of baby sheep are not determined by looking at sticks. And God does not spiritually bless carnal manipulations.

Jacob's blessing comes from God, and is not dependent on Jacob's wheeling-and-dealing scams.   This might even be blessing "in spite of..."