Study the Word

Guest (Male): Today on Study the Word, "The Battle of the Bulge."

Pastor Thom Keller: As we open up chapter 30, the score is 4-0. Leah has four children; Rachel, zero. By the end of chapter 29, Leah has given Jacob four sons and Rachel none. Rachel is green with envy about her losing the "Battle of the Bulge."

Guest (Male): Throughout our lives, we'll encounter difficult situations. It's then we have a choice to make. Will we remain satisfied in the Lord and trust Him, or will we grow dissatisfied and try to take matters into our own hands?

Today on Study the Word, Pastor Thom Keller shares a story from Genesis chapter 30 that communicates some valuable life lessons to us regarding envy and jealousy. As you'll hear in a moment, Rachel's response to barrenness resembles many in our world today when things don't go their way.

Pastor Thom Keller: Genesis 30, verse 1 says, "When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, her husband, 'Give me children or I'll die!'" Now, a little background would be helpful here. In chapter 29, we saw that Jacob was head over heels in love with Rachel. But on Jacob's wedding night, Rachel's trickster father, Laban, pulled the ultimate switcheroo of all times.

After the wedding feast, when Jacob, on his honeymoon night, went into his tent to sleep with Rachel for the first time, when he woke up in the morning, he realized he had honeymooned with the wrong girl. Instead of waking up next to Rachel, he woke up staring into the eyes of her sister, Leah. Then Jacob, the Bible says, in a rage, confronted Laban, her father. But Laban coolly responded with this in verse 26: "It's not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied. "But wait until the bridal week is over, then we'll give you Rachel too, provided you promise to work another seven years for me."

Because of all this, would you think that Jacob resented Leah? Yes, I think so. In verse 31, it says something even stronger. It says that he did not love Leah. But was that enough to cause Jacob not to sleep with Leah in the future? Apparently not. Because according to verse 31, it says, "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive."

So, as we open up chapter 30, the score is 4-0. Leah has four children; Rachel, zero. By the end of chapter 29, Leah has given Jacob four sons and Rachel none. Rachel is green with envy about her losing the "Battle of the Bulge." Again, verse 1: "When Rachel saw she wasn't having children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, 'Give me children or I'll die!'" In this chapter, we see that Rachel is, at the very least, selfish and self-absorbed, and at the worst, possibly even bordering on narcissistic.

One commentator penned this: "It's likely that Rachel was vain and conceited. She knew that Jacob worked 14 years with no pay out of love for her, but she also knew that Jacob would not have worked one day for Leah." Ever present in Rachel's mind was the fact that for a woman, barrenness was considered worse than death itself.

One commentator says Rachel envied her sister. Hebrew women considered barrenness as one of the greatest misfortunes that could befall a woman. Not only from a natural desire to have children but from their eager wishes to be the means of fulfilling the promise to Abraham of bringing forth that seed in which all the families of the earth were to be blessed. But here, Rachel is not motivated by this nationalistic, noble cause, but simply out of pure jealousy related to her sister.

Jealousy. Proverbs 27:4 says, "Jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger." As an analogy, I've said to people, "What do you think it is that takes snow down faster than anything else? What is it that makes snow go away faster than anything else?" People will say sunshine. I say no. They'll say rain. I say no. They say warm temperatures. I say no.

The thing that makes snow go away faster than anything else is a cloud bank or a fog bank. Because a fog just lays there and eats at it and eats at it and eats at it. Just test this. When you wake up in the morning sometime after a big snowfall and there's a big fog bank, look how fast the snow goes away. It goes away fast. That's how jealousy is. Anger, jealousy is more dangerous and cruel than anger. Anger comes in flashes. It comes and goes. But jealousy just lays there and it eats at you and it eats at you and it eats at you.

That's what's going on between these sisters. Notice the difference between Rachel's reaction to her barrenness as compared to Hannah's reaction to her barrenness in 1st Samuel. In 1st Samuel, it says once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah, who was barren, got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.

Notice the stark difference here between these two barren women. Hannah wept, but she looked to God for a solution. Rachel got envious and looked to her husband for a solution. Always look to God, not humans. Genesis 30, verses 1 and 2: "When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, 'Give me children or I'll die!'" Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. "Am I God?" he asked. "He is the one who has kept you from having children."

She says, "Give me children or I'll die." It sounds to me like she's kind of a drama queen. I'm not sure about you; it kind of sounds that way. And then also, Jacob's abrupt and angry response says to me that there may have already been some tension in this marriage. But Jacob's response is accurate. Only God can do this. And there's an application for all of us. I'd like to encourage us to try to be the one who always directs others to God alone to be the answer to their problems in life.

Your spouse says, "We don't have enough money for rent this month." Let's pray about it. Your friend says, "How will I ever find a wife or a husband?" Let's ask God. Your sister asks, "Which doctor should I choose for my upcoming surgery?" Let's ask God. Proverbs says, "Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed." I've said this before; it isn't in my notes, but if you think about it, "Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed."

What that leads me to think is that then means that the most dangerous decisions we're going to make are the decisions that we're sure of, because we don't pray about it. The outcome of the decision isn't based upon how smart I was. It's committing to the Lord. Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed. So the tough decisions we commit to Him and He's in it, but the ones that are slam dunks, we never pray about it and it doesn't work out because we never committed it to the Lord because we were so sure of what to do that we didn't pray about it. Isn't that interesting? Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed. Be one of those people.

But Rachel never goes to God. She schemes and connives and comes up with her own plan, totally driven by envy. Verses 3 and 4: "Then Rachel told him, 'Take my maid Bilhah and sleep with her. This is her plan. She will bear children for me and through her I can have a family too.' So Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob as a wife and he slept with her." Like father, like grandson.

If you remember, Sarah, Abraham's wife, schemed to have a son through her handmaiden, Hagar. And here Rachel schemes to have a son through her handmaiden, Bilhah. Just for a little context, it's estimated that Rachel is in her mid-30s here. The New King James adds a little detail to this surrogate mother: "So she said, Rachel said, 'Here's my maid Bilhah. Go into her and she will bear a child on my knees that I also may have children by her.'"

I found in studying multiple commentators that make the point that this "bear upon my knees" refers to a strange custom where the servant would sit on the lap of her mistress while giving birth. By that way, the baby would pass through the legs of both her and the mistress, acknowledging her as the rightful mother. And that's what happened and it worked. In fact, it worked twice.

Verse 5: "Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. Rachel named him Dan, for she said, 'God has vindicated me. He has heard my request and given me a son.' Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, 'I have struggled hard with my sisters and I am winning.'" Talk about what that's all about.

Notice Rachel's motive here is really not to give Jacob a son, but to beat her sister. This is really about envy and jealousy. And now, in verse 9, the "Battle of the Bulge" heats up. As I read this, notice how all of the boys' names in some way reflect what's going on with these women. Verse 9: "Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. Leah named him Gad, for she said, 'How fortunate I am.' Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son and Leah named him Asher, for she said, 'What a joy is mine. Now the other women will celebrate with me.'"

Now Leah is way ahead in the scorecard, 6-2. But next, an odd event takes place involving mandrakes. Verse 14: "One day, during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes." Reuben is the oldest son. "He found them growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.' But Leah angrily replied, 'Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrakes too?' Rachel answered, 'I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.'"

Now here, Reuben, Leah's oldest son, finds some mandrakes. A commentator said that he might have been in the age of 15-20 years old. Our word mandrake in Hebrew means love apples. It's a fruit the size of a small plum, round and yellow. Its Hebrew name, love apples, arose from the popular belief that it was a cure for barrenness, an aphrodisiac of sorts.

So Rachel, who has become barren again, purchases the mandrakes from Leah. And the price that Leah wants in exchange, what does she want? Leah demands that Rachel let Jacob sleep with Leah, and Rachel agrees. So Rachel gets the love apples in an attempt to cure her barrenness and Leah gets to sleep with Jacob once again.

Apparently, it worked again more than one time. Genesis 30, verse 16: "So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. 'You must come sleep with me tonight,' she said. 'I paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.' So that night he slept with Leah and God answered Leah's prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. She named him Issachar, for she said, 'God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.' Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. She named him Zebulun, for she said, 'God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect.'"

Isn't that sad? The disfavored wife looking for love. "Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons." Later, she, Leah, gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. He named her Dinah. Because Leah gives Jacob two more sons and a daughter, Dinah, the score is now 8-2. She's winning big.

Because verses 16-21 would take almost three years for Leah to deliver these three children, and while the Bible says that Rachel was barren during these three years, it would also be apparent that Rachel's mandrake plan did not work. But God. But God, but God remembered in verse 22.

"Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 'God has removed my disgrace,' she said. And she named him Joseph, for she said, 'May the Lord add yet another son to my family.'" Now it's Leah's turn to be envious. Note that Joseph is the first child Rachel herself gives birth to. The score is now 8-3.

But now, in verse 25, the story shifts from the "Battle of the Bulge" to a battle between Jacob and his father-in-law, of sorts, Laban. Verse 25: "Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, his father-in-law, 'Please release me so I can go home to my own country. Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.' 'Please listen to me,' Laban replied. 'I've become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you.'"

Verse 27 by itself says this: "But Laban said to him, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.'" Laban says, "I've learned by divination." The verb here, divine, means to speak between the teeth. It means to utter a magic formula.

Some commentators try to soften this, saying that Laban said, "I have a feeling." But in chapter 31, we find Rachel stealing Laban's household gods, his idols. So if these kind of occultic practices were in Laban's home, divinations would have been expected as well. Highly probable.

So Jacob wants to leave, but stingy Laban doesn't want to let go of his golden goose. So he begins the negotiations. Verse 27: "'Please listen to me,' Laban replied. 'I've become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you. Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I'll pay it.' Jacob replied, 'You know how hard I've worked for you and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. You had little indeed before I came. Listen, you had little indeed before I came. But your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I've done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?'"

Don't miss verse 30. Before Jacob arrives on the scene, greedy Laban was poor. This is really important. It is a key understanding of Laban's very first encounter with this very wealthy family. He was poor. In Genesis 24:29, we read this: "Now Rebecca had a brother named Laban. He ran out to meet the man at the spring." This is Abraham's servant who was sent to find a wife. He had seen the nose ring and the bracelets—bling, bling. He had seen the nose ring bling and the bracelets bling on his sister's wrist, and he had heard Rebecca tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring. I bet he did. Greedy, poor Laban. "Where the man was still standing beside his camels. Laban said to him, 'Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room already for you and a place prepared for your camels?'"

Imagine this financially challenged, greedy Laban's mind racing as he saw Jacob now, the son of wealth, desiring to have his daughter in marriage. His ship has come home. And it did. And now, 14 years later, Laban is wealthy and it's on account of Jacob. Laban doesn't want to let loose of his golden goose.

Verse 31: "'What wages do you want?' Laban asked again. Jacob replied, 'Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing and I'll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all of the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future, when you check on the animals you have given to me as my wages, you'll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.'"

Please hang in here with me on this. Jacob at this point has no sheep or goats, none of his own. Laban has them all. Also note that there are four different varieties of colors among Laban's flocks: speckled, spotted, solid black, solid white. Spotted, speckled, solid black, solid white.

The deal that Jacob offers is this: he says, "Laban, give me all the speckled and spotted and dark sheep from your flock. They become mine and I tend them. And Laban, you keep all of the white sheep, all of the white goats, and your sons tend them. You got it?" Yes. Laban gets all the white sheep and goats. Jacob gets all the others: speckled, spotted, dark black goats and sheep. And Laban agrees.

Genesis 30, verse 34: "'All right,' Laban replied, 'it'll be as you say.' But, but tricky Laban. But that very day, Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, who took them a three-day journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban's flocks."

Did you see what deceiver Laban just did to deceive Jacob? Laban did exactly the opposite of what he agreed to do. Laban had Jacob care for his sheep, and Laban then took all of Jacob's sheep and cared for his sons—by his sons—three days' journey away. Jacob's speckled, spotted, and dark sheep. Why? Why did he do this switch?

We don't know for sure, but I suspect in all probability, as we know Laban knew that God had blessed him through Jacob's work, and now he has him caring for his sheep once again. He knows God's going to bless the flock because he has his sheep. And the other one is, and I don't like this, this is pretty mean, but the more Laban neglects the sheep that he's caring for, he is actually adding to the loss of Jacob. If he doesn't care for the sheep that his sons are tending, those are Jacob's sheep. And if he lets them die or get sick, why do they care? They're not Laban's, they're Jacob's.

But Jacob, ever the schemer, comes up with a strategy, a plan to stack the deck in his favor. Interesting section of Scripture. Verse 37: "Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted."

Jacob separated those lambs from Laban's flock, and at mating time, he turned the flock to face Laban's animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban's. Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of those branches, but he didn't do this with the weaker ones. So the weaker lambs belonged to Laban and the stronger ones were Jacob's. As a result, Jacob became very wealthy with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.