Continuing my chronological Bible study:
(Genesis 29:1) Then Jacob went on his journey and came into the land of the people of the east. (2) And he looked and beheld a well in the field; and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a large stone was on the well's mouth. (3) And there were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again in its place on the well's mouth.
Jacob continued on his way to Laban, his mother Rebekah's brother, as she and Isaac had directed him, to marry a woman from among his mother's people, and to flee from his brother Esau who wanted to kill him. He came to the land east of Canaan and saw a well in the field where flocks of sheep lay. He observed that there was a large stone at the well's mouth that the shepherds rolled away to water their flocks, and then rolled it back in place after watering.
(4) And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?"; and they said, "We are from Haran." (5) And he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?"; and they said, "We know him." (6) And he said to them, "Is he well?"; And they said, "He is well; and look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep".
Jacob spoke to the shepherds to ask where they were from. They were from Haran which is where he was headed, so he asked if they knew Laban, his mother's brother. They said they knew him and that he was well, and just look who happened to be coming to water her sheep, but Rachel, Laban's daughter. Divine providence had brought Jacob to the very field and well where he would meet Laban's daughter; God was indeed with him as He had said He would be.
(7) And he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them".
Is Jacob trying to get rid of the shepherds so that he may meet Rachel alone? Here he is a stranger telling the local shepherds to go ahead and water the sheep and go feed them.
(8) And they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep".
Apparently, Jacob did not actually observe the shepherds rolling the stone from the well's mouth as described in verse 3. That was just an explanation of the large stone in front of the well and why it was there. The shepherds told Jacob they could not yet leave until all the flocks had come, at which time they would roll the stone one time and all the sheep would be watered.
(9) And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.
While Jacob was still talking to the shepherds, Rachel came to the well with her father's sheep, as she took care of them. Interestingly, the name Rachel literally means "ewe", a female sheep.
(10) And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
Maybe Jacob's intention all along was to get the stone moved so that Rachel might water her sheep as soon as she got there. The shepherds waited and were too slow, so Jacob apparently moved the stone himself, and watered Rachel's flock. It may have been a chivalrous act directed toward Rachel, but the way the scripture keeps repeating "Laban his mother's brother", I'm sure it was out of respect to his mother's family, as well.
(11) And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.
My first impulse was, wow, Jacob moves fast! But then I remembered that in Biblical times, people often kissed on the cheek as a way of greeting a friend. Jacob must be overcome by emotion at the realization that God has brought him directly to his mother's brother's daughter.
(12) And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father.
Jacob explained to Rachel who he was, probably in explanation of his demonstration of love and emotion, and she ran to tell her father.
(13) And it came to pass, when Laban heard the report of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
Laban happily met and greeted his sister's son and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all the things leading to his being there, probably about Esau and his vision that God would be with him, which surely brought him right to Rachel.
(14) And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month. (15) And Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"
Laban happily let his relative, his sister's son, live with him. Apparently, after a month, and evidently, all the while with Jacob helping him out about his house and land, he told Jacob that he should be paid for all he did to help him. He asked Jacob what he would like for his wages to be.
(16) And Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. (17) Leah was tender eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. (18) And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."
Laban had two daughters, the younger of whom Jacob loved, so he told Laban he would work seven years for him in exchange for the hand of his daughter, Rachel. Much has been speculated about the meaning of Leah's tender eyes that made her less desirable than Rachel. The original word is "rak" meaning "tender, soft, delicate, weak". The NIV translators and other of the newer Bible version translators translated the word as "weak", but it is most often used in scripture to mean "tender" and paired with "young" and "delicate". At this point, I don't see any reason to believe her eyesight was weak, and besides it appears to be a more visual thing that is being compared here. I think Leah's eyes may have been light-colored or small and delicate looking, while Rachel had more strong and striking features.
(19) And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man; stay with me." (20) And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. (21) And Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
I believe Jacob's desire was honorable. He had wanted no other pay from Laban but that he have Rachel as his wife. Perhaps he had offered to work so long for her because he had no other money to give as a dowry, as was customary in those times. He offered servitude for seven years which would have been worth a fair amount. Perhaps Laban did just mean it was better that Rachel become his relative Jacob's wife rather than any other man's wife, but his words that he "give her" may indicate more. Whatever his meaning, he appears to have agreed to have Jacob stay with him and work seven years for the hand of Rachel. Because he loved Rachel so, those seven years seemed only a few days to Jacob. Wow, I think of how impatient we are in this day and age; we require instant gratification. Anyway, the end of seven years came, and Jacob asked for his wife.
(22) And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. (23) And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob; and he went in unto her.
So Laban made a feast, it would seem a celebratory marriage feast because Jacob was about to marry his daughter, Rachel. In the evening, Laban brought Leah to Jacob, instead of Rachel, and it appears that Jacob did not realize that. The custom was to keep the bride veiled up until and including the time she was brought into her husband's bed chamber as a sign of her purity. It would have been dark when her veil was lifted and as Jacob had never been intimate with Rachel, it is conceivable that he could have been deceived in this manner.
(24) And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.
Slaves or maid servants were customarily given to daughters upon their marriages, and were to be their personal property and not subject to their husbands. Zilpah is Laban's marriage gift to his daughter, Leah.
(25) And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" (26) And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. (27) Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me yet another seven years."
Obviously Jacob was upset when he discovered it was Leah he had gone to bed with rather than his Rachel. He asked Laban why he had done such a thing. Laban's true character is revealed when he told Jacob that it wasn't right that a younger daughter should be married before the firstborn. If he had had good and sincere intentions, he could have told Jacob that upfront, but as it is, he held Rachel as a prize just out of reach, and told Jacob he could have her if he worked another seven years. This treatment of his daughters as property that can be bought and sold and given at his will was not proper and is later described in scripture in his daughters' complaint against him, in Genesis 31:15. Fulfilling her week referred to the week of Leah's marriage feast. After the first night, when Jacob discovered he had been deceived, he might have refused to keep Leah as his wife, but Laban encouraged him to go ahead with the marriage, by enticing him with the real desire of his heart, Rachel. Ironically, Jacob the deceiver, the one who deceived his brother to get what he wanted, was now deceived by Laban who would now get 14 years of service to marry off both his daughters.
(28) And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter as wife also. (29) And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid. (30) And he went in also unto Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served with Laban yet another seven years.
Jacob did fulfill the marriage feast week for Leah, and Laban gave him Rachel as his wife, also. Laban also gave Rachel her own maid, Bilhah. Jacob consummated his marriage to Rachel, and loved his Rachel more than Leah. After all, he only wanted Rachel, but was tricked into taking Leah as his wife, as well. Jacob served Laban another seven years as he had said he would.
(31) And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
It always bothered me a little that Leah was hated. It is true, she was less loved than Rachel, and that is no one's fault. Jacob loved Rachel; she was the one he wanted all along, so to have Leah forced upon him, as well, didn't make him instantly love her. John Wesley pointed out something in scripture that explains this choice of words. "Hate" was used in Luke 14:26, when Jesus said if any man came to Him and did not hate his mother, father, etc., he could not be a disciple of Jesus. Obviously, I know that Jesus never taught us to hate anyone. By studying another scripture where Jesus taught the same lesson, Matthew 10:37, we read about Jesus talking about one who loves his parents or his children more than Him, and was not worthy of Him. It is the same case with Rachel and Leah; in the verse directly before this one, it simply stated that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and in the next verse God saw Leah was hated. I believe Jesus summed it up well in Matthew 6:24 when He talked about how no one could serve two masters, as he would naturally love one and hate the other. Although "hate" seems like a strong word to the reader, I believe it was meant to show a comparison to the love shown. In all these cases, there is a comparison made between the one loved and the one "hated". Adam Clarke's notes on Luke 14:26 added more examples of love and hate being used in other scriptures, with Deuteronomy 21:15-17 offering a unique example not yet touched upon in these study notes. His conclusion was that it was no arbitrary interpretation of the word "hate" to determine that it simply meant to not love or like as much, and it didn't mean there was any burning hatred.
Back to verse 31, even though I am sure there was no open hatred of Leah, it was obvious she was not preferred by Jacob, and even her father had to devise a trick to get her married, so she had every reason to feel unloved. Therefore, the Lord loved and blessed her and opened her womb.
(32) And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Surely the LORD has looked on my affliction; now therefore, my husband will love me."
Leah conceived and bore a son, and called him Reuben, which literally meant "behold a son". As the mother of his firstborn son, Leah felt that now her husband would love her. She obviously felt terribly unloved, calling it an affliction, and felt that surely the Lord had blessed her by giving her this son.
(33) And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I was hated, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.
Leah bore Jacob a second son and called his name Simeon, which literally meant "heard". Proving once again that she considered her affliction being the fact she was unloved, Leah declared that the Lord had heard that she was hated and gave her another son.
(34) And 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 his name was called Levi.
Leah called her third son Levi, which literally meant "joined to" or "attached". She supposed her husband would form a strong loving bond with her now that she was the mother of his three sons.
(35) And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah, and stopped bearing.
Leah bore a fourth son and called his name "Judah", which meant "praised" or "celebrated". Leah had surely thanked and praised the Lord when she was given sons before this, when she felt the Lord had seen she was unloved and had blessed her with sons. But with four sons, she must have praised Him more than ever now. Little did Leah know that from the line of this celebrated son would come the Messiah. After bearing four sons, Leah stopped bearing children, at least for the time being.
Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament offers a beautiful insight into the story of Leah's first sons. God blessed Leah with the first four sons while Rachel, the object of Jacob's love and desire, remained barren, at least for a time. "By this it was made apparent once more, that the origin of Israel was to be a work not of nature, but of grace." We have already seen that it was not a work of nature with regard to it being brought through the firstborn. When I think about Leah, I can see a humble woman, lowly in spirit, but obviously a loving wife. It seems that her husband's love was very important to her. It doesn't appear that she was angry or resentful and nagged her husband about it. She just did what she was called to do as a wife, and God blessed her. Jesus later taught that the poor in spirit and those that mourn would be blessed and comforted. The Apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25:
"For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another."
Rachel was the beautiful one who had the love of her husband and for that time had no other need, but God gave honor to Leah who lacked her husband's love. What a beautiful demonstration of God's love and tender mercy for His children!
John Nelson Darby took this a step further and likened it to Israel and the Gentiles. Rachel was the one first loved, as Israel was God's chosen people, but Leah was given grace as are the Gentiles who actively seek after God. I love this analogy! I love seeing God's plan for our salvation in Jesus from the very beginning!
No comments:
Post a Comment