seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.
12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
14 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.”
15 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.”
16 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.
17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 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.
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
Here's the link to the commentary i read.So, when we left Jacob, Rachel, and Leah yesterday. Leah had four sons.... Rachel had none.
Leah's pregnancies slowed down... So, she gave Jacob her "servant" Bilhah "as a wife" and Bilhah gave him two sons.
Rachel was still unable to get pregnant... So, she gave Jacob her "servant" Zilpah "as a wife" and Zilpah gave him two sons as well.
Then Leah got pregnant again, not once but twice.... and gave Jacob two more sons and a daughter named Dinah.
Finally, Rachel got pregnant and gave Jacob a son... that's Joseph... Coat of Many Colors... Joseph.
And looking forward, Rachel prayed that the Lord give her another son.
Here's the tally....
- Leah... six sons and a daughter
- Bilhah... two sons
- Zilpah... two sons
- Rachel... one son
I wanted to make a comment, slapping Jacob on the back for keeping up with four wives. I wanted to giggle at how tired his swimmers had to be with four wives. But I feel a little put off by verse 16. Reuben found mandrakes. According to "got questions" mandrakes were fertility drugs. So, Rachel got the drugs in a trade... but Leah got Jacob and two more sons.
Eventually... Rachel got her son, Joseph. I wanted to comment on Jacob's swimmers... and how happy he must have been having four wives.... but he's not the story here.
Not one of these women have asked God to help them conceive.
Rachel asked Jacob to give her a son... but she went to Jacob, she didn't go to God. Even Rebekah, Jacob's mom, didn't ask God for help. God gave her twins and she went to God asking about the possibility of a popped belly.... since Jacob and Esau started fighting in the womb.
Not one of these women have asked God to help them conceive.
They used surrogates.... they used drugs... but not one of them asked God for a child.
This was a baby making competition. Not one of the women asked God for a child. God is excellent at making babies, with cute little cheeks, and kissable belly buttons, but not one of the women asked God to help them!
Poor Jacob! He's the only man in the baby making competition. And yes... complete with drug enhancement... it was....
A baby making competition!
