Genesis 8/19/2017

GENESIS

August 19, 2017

By Pastor Kim Hickcox

(All Scripture taken from One New Man Bible unless otherwise noted)

Today we will finish chapter 29 of Genesis and start chapter 30, which will cover the literal birth of the Hebrew nation. We start with Leah’s disappointment of knowing that she was not loved by her husband like her sister Rachel was.

I mean, can you even imagine not only growing up and thinking that you were not as pretty or as favored as your younger sister; but then not even being able to get away from it your entire life because you have the same husband? WHO by the way, didn’t want you in the first place but was forced to marry you by the deceit of your own father?! Talk about Sister Wives, that could be an HBO special all on its own!!

But the Lord had a plan and despite Laban’s treachery, Romans 8:28 kicked in. (Because Truth is Truth and is not nonexistent simply because it wasn’t written down yet.) “And when the LORD saw that Leah was loved less, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³²And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben for she said, ‘Surely the LORD has looked upon my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me.’ ³³And she conceived again and bore a son and said, ‘Because the LORD heard that I am hated, He has therefore given me this son also and she called his name Simeon (Shimon).’ ³⁴And she conceived again and bore a son and said, ‘Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.’ ³⁵And she conceived again and bore a son and she said, ‘Now I shall praise the LORD.’ Therefore she called his name Judah (Y’hudah) and she left off bearing.” (Genesis 29:31-35)

Boy have times changed! I don’t think I could really get that excited about have babies every year or so, especially au naturale! But, God bless her, Leah was ecstatic! It was quite the status symbol for both husband and wife to have a lot of children in ancient times.

But the Lord was building His nation, as promised to His friend Abraham. Rachel was not having any children these four years or so, and we can assume that Jacob was visiting her also, considering she was his one true love. So this is where it gets even more hinky than sister wives: “And Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I am dead.’” (Genesis 30:1) This was probably the first time she was ever jealous of her sister, and I dare say, she didn’t handle it well.  But after four years or so, I imagine she was quite frustrated. Nonetheless, envy is a sin, so let’s see how Jacob handled it.

“And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel and he said, ‘Am I in God’s stead? Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?’” (Genesis 30:2) Now I do not believe that Jacob was as mad at her as he was grieved about her reaction, for it is not becoming to anyone to be eaten up with envy and she was. She was the beloved of the two, but still coveted over what she did not have as opposed to being grateful for what she did have. “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy?” Proverb 27:4. Therefore I believe Jacob responded in love to her because of Proverbs 27:5-6, “Open rebuke is better than secret love. ⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are abundant.” Or; better to be corrected by a friend in love, than be flattered by enemies who could care less how your mistake (or sin) could turn out.

However, following the customs of the day, as Jacob’s grandmother Sarah did, Rachel then said, “‘Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her and she will bear upon my knees, so I may also have children by her.’ ⁴And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid for a wife and Jacob went in to her. ⁵And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. ⁶And Rachel said, ‘God has judged me and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.’ Therefore she called his name Dan. ⁷And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. ⁸And Rachel said, ‘With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed.’ And she called his name Naphtali. ⁹When Leah saw that she had left off bearing she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob for a wife. ¹⁰And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a son. ¹¹And Leah said, ‘A troop comes.’ And she called his name Gad. ¹²And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a second son. ¹³And Leah said, ‘Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.’ And she called his name Asher.” (Genesis 30:3-13)

Now Jacob has eight children, eight sons, (and four wives) and the next thing we read of is a conflict over an herb called mandrake. Mandrakes are found in the Mediterranean area, which fits, and was thought, at that time, to assist fertility. But actually it can be quite toxic if you eat too much of them and they do have numbing and hallucinogenic qualities also. As we finish this portion of 
Scripture, which will end with verse 26, you will note how Rachel’s desire of becoming a mother was fulfilled – and it was not with mandrakes and probably some time later, so as not to confuse the issue.

“And Jacob came out of the field in the evening and Leah went out to meet him and said, ‘You must come in to me, for surely I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ And he lay with her that night. ¹⁷And God harkened to Leah and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸And Leah said, ‘God has given me my reward, because I have given my maiden to my husband.’ And she called name Issachar. ¹⁹And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob the sixth son. ²⁰And Leah said, ‘God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will stay with me, because I have borne him six sons.’ So she called his name Zebulun. ²¹And afterwards she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

“²²And God remembered Rachel and God harkened to her, and opened her womb.²³And she conceived and bore a son. Then she said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’²⁴And she called his name Joseph (Yosef) and said, ‘The LORD will add another son to me.’ ²⁵And it was, when Rachel had borne Joseph that Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me away, so I can go to my own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you and let me go, for you know my service, what I have done for you.’” (Genesis 30:16-26)

But the Lord was completing His work and building Jacob’s family into a mighty nation one baby at a time. We can also note that, although Laban did not follow the One True God, Jacob had a good influence on his wives, because each of them praised the Lord for their children, as opposed to the idol/idols their father prayed to, so he was evangelizing!

The following list gives the early particulars of the 12 Patriarchs of the Hebrew Nation: their names in both English and Hebrew, what their names mean, who their mother was, and in which order and where their births can be found. Please note that only Leah and Rachel named all the children and they all, in some way, addressed the Lord. [Except Benjamin. Jacob renamed him, as Rachel died right after he was born.]

Have you looked up the meaning of your name lately? It’s fascinating, and can give you some insight as to whether or not you feel the Lord was speaking to your parents at the time. BUT whether you like your temporal name or not, just know that not only do you have His name on you too, but the Lord has His new name for you when you get to heaven, and it will fit you perfectly! “And the one who has ears must now listen to what the Spirit is saying to the congregations. To the one who conquers, I shall give the manna which has been concealed and I shall give him a white amulet, and a new name written upon the amulet which no one knows except the one who takes it.” Revelation 2:17

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

REUBEN           1^st born – Mother:  Leah, name means: “See! A son.” (Re’uven)                     Gen 29:32

SIMEON           2^nd born – Mother: Leah  “Because the Lord heard that I am hated” (Shimon) Gen 29:33

LEVI                 3^rd born – Mother:  Leah “my husband will be joined with me”       (L’vi)           Gen 29:34

JUDAH             4^th born – Mother   Leah “Now I will praise the Lord” (Y’hudah)                        Gen 29:35

DAN                 5^th born – Mother: Bilhah (Rachels’ maid) “God has heard my voice”               Gen 30:5-6

NAPHTALI        6^th born – Mother: Bilhah (Rachels’ maid) “I have wrestled and prevailed”      Gen 30:8

GAD                 7^th born – Mother: Zilpah (Leahs’ maid) “A troop comes”                                  Gen 30:10-11

ASHER             8^th born – Mother: Zilpah (Leahs’ maid) “the daughters will call me happy”     Gen 30:12-13

ISSACHAR       9^th born – Mother:   Leah            “God has given me my reward”                     Gen 30:17-18

 (Yissass’khar)

ZEBULUN         10^th born – Mother: Leah            “endowed with a good dowry” (Z’vulun)        Gen 30:19-20

*DINAH             11^th born – Mother: Leah            *only girl, only mention is: her birth                Gen 30:21

                & rape                  Gen 34:1-29

                        (Sadly there isn’t even a definition of her name except: the daughter of Jacob)     

JOSEPH           12^th born – Mother: Rachel     means: to increase (Yosef)                            Gen 30:22-24

BENJAMIN       13^th born – Mother: Rachel     means: Son of my Right Hand/Strength (Binyamin)                                                                                                                                                                     Gen 35:16-18

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of Bible trivia as much as I enjoyed compiling it for you! “Now to the One Who is able to keep you without stumbling and to stand before His glory blameless in extreme joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior through our Lord Y’shua Messiah, be glory, majesty, strength and power before every age, both now and forever, amen.” (Jude 24-25)

SHALOM!