Day 35 – Jacob & Leah/Rachel

Yup, we’re reading Genesis 29 again, but we’re going to be focusing on it more than the last time. There’s quite a bit of reading today, mostly about Jacob’s sex life, but it’s an absorbing read and worth spending time on to understand properly.

• I hope you enjoyed today’s readings – they’re pretty surprising at times! Make sure you work through today’s notes to make sure you didn’t miss anything, because the story moves at quite a pace.
• As Genesis 29 opens, Jacob has arrived in Haran and is near to the area where his uncle Laban lives. There he spots Rachel and helps her out with feeding and watering her animals; Jacob shows astonishing strength by rolling the stone away at the well. Rachel is clearly pleased to meet a relative, as is her father Laban.
• In verse 15, Laban asks Jacob what he would like as wages if he were to work for him. What is Jacob’s reply? Which of his cousins does Jacob fancy?
• You might find it very weird to think that cousins would marry, but this was much more the norm than it is nowadays. Laban even gives his reasons in Genesis 29:19 for saying why it’s preferable.
• After the seven years are up, Jacob’s wedding takes place as agreed. What pretty mean trick does Laban play on him? Who is Jacob tricked into marrying? Do you think Laban’s deceitful actions were somewhat ironic, based on what you know about Jacob’s previous scheming? This isn’t just payback though. Jacob’s learning some valuable lessons about humility.
• In order to marry Rachel, Jacob has to agree to work for another seven years for Laban. You might spot, however, in verses 27-30 that Jacob is allowed to marry her after just a week, so he’s married to both women for the seven extra years.
• Towards the end of Genesis 29, and through the first half of the following chapter, we read all about the children that Jacob has with Leah, his first wife, and Rachel, his second wife, as well as their two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. It opens with Leah, who’s probably feeling pretty miffed at being the “ugly sister” as the one able to provide Jacob with children – something that Rachel very much resents. Throughout the passage, we hear how God is in control of who can and cannot have children, and when.
• What were the names of Leah’s sons (and those of her servant Zilpah)? What about Rachel’s (and those of her servant Bilhah)? Do you recognise any of the names?
• The women are both seemingly finding their identities and approval from the number of kids they can bear. Do you think this is right? Why or why not? Think about the upper story and lower story.
• Each son’s name meant something special. Your study bible might give you some information about them. What does your name mean? Why did your parents give you that name?

The story of the sheep at the end of Genesis 30 is something you can explore for yourself, but these notes will get a little long if I dig into it too much here. Put briefly, Laban tries to trick Jacob out of his entitlement to the sheep herds by hiding some of them, but Jacob, that cunning trickster, manages to find a way to breed many more sheep that he’s entitled to keep for himself. By the end, Jacob is a very wealthy man, and Laban is a little grumpy.

All these children would go on to form the twelve tribes of Israel. Before today, did you know that these tribes were started because two women had this contest with each other? Are you enjoying finding out new things in this reading plan and being surprised by the bible? I hope so!

We heard a lot of names today – and we’ve heard a lot in the previous 28 chapters of Genesis too. So I thought I’d attach this very helpful family tree image so that you can get a handle on where we’re up to, and how all the names fit together. You might want to print this out and stick it in your journal – it would be a very helpful addition! Spend a moment or so looking for the names we’ve heard about. You can see Jacob’s children highlighted in yellow.