Lesson date: 08/02/5858AA

Last week we began to see the uneasy relationship that was building between Leah and Rahel. Leah felt unloved and prayed to YHVH to have children in the hope that her husband, Ya’aqob, would love her more. She was given 4 sons before she stopped bearing.

Gen 29:31 And יהוה saw that Lě’ah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Raḥěl was barren.

H8130 – שָׂנֵא – śânê’ – saw-nay‘ – A primitive root; to hate (personally): – enemy, foe, (be) hate (-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.

Mal 1:2 “I have loved you,” said יהוה. “But you asked, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ “Was not Ěsaw Ya‛aqoḇ’s brother?” declares יהוה. “And I love Ya‛aqoḇ,

Mal 1:3 but I have hated Ěsaw, and have laid waste his mountains and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

Let me point out that in Scripture we never see it said that Abraham loved Sarah and we only see it said one time that Yitzak loved Ribqah once: Gen 24:67 And Yitsḥaq brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. And he took Riḇqah and she became his wife, and he loved her. Thus Yitsḥaq was comforted after his mother’s death.

But what do we see in the very next chapter? Gen_25:28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

We know that this resulted in a rivalrous situation between Esau and Ya’aqob.

I am saying all of this to show you what has evolved between the sisters, Leah and Rahel, a relationship of rivalry built upon envy, all because of love or the lack of love in a relationship: Lev 18:18 ‘And do not take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

Verses 1-2 – In Verses 1-2 we see that Rahel is envious of her sisters ability to have children and her inability to conceive bringing about envy but we miss the huge clue that we are given in Verse 2: “Am I in the place of Elohim, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

Pro 14:30 A healthy heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.

Gal 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, wild parties, and the like – of which I forewarn you, even as I also said before, that those who practise such as these shall not inherit the reign of Elohim.

Leah felt unloved by her husband but Rahel felt unloved by her husband’s God. Rahel knew that she had her husband’s love and affection but she did feel that she was loved, or favored, by YHVH. Once again we see the rightful wife of a man using the womb of another woman, her handmaiden Bilhah, to bear children in her name, just as Ya’aqob’s grandmother did with Hagar.

Verses 3-6 – Rahel feels as though she has been justified in her actions in that YHVH gave Bilhah a son and she names him Dan, Judge.

Verses 7-8 – Once again Bilhah bears a son and this time Rahel admits her struggle or wrestling against her sister and names Bilhah’s son Naphtali, my wrestling.

Verses 9-11 – The tone has been set and we see that Leah realizes she is not having anymore children so she gives her female servant, Zilpah, to Ya’aqob so that she may bear children in her name. Zilpah has a son and names him Gad as a sign of her good fortune in her struggle with her sister.

Verses 12-13 – Zilpah bears a second son for Leah and she names him Asher – Happy.

Verses 14-17 – Here we see Re’uben finding a rare herbal root vegetable, mandrake, that is touted as a cure for infertility and now battle for Ya’aqob’s affection is in full swing. Flashback to Ya’aqob and Esau struggling over their father’s blessing and birthright. Even after Esau has sold his birthright to his brother we see him trying to regain it through the blessing.

In this struggle between sisters Leah bargains for Ya’aqob’s attention with love in exchange for the mandrake. In so doing, Leah once again conceives again and bears a son, Yissaskar – he will bring a reward.

Verses 19-20 – Leah conceives again and bears Zebulun – habitation.

Verse 21 – Leah conceives and this time bears a daughter – Dinah – justice. This is the only daughter of Ya’aqob that we are told about in Scripture but we can assume that he had others but that they were not important to the tale of Ya’aqob.

Verses 22-24 – Rahel is finally given a son and he is named Yoseph – let him add.

Verses 25-26 – Ya’aqob asks for his wives and his children that he has served Laban for all these years so that he can return to his home in Cana’an.

Verse 27-28 – Laban recognizes the fact that YHVH has blessed him because of Ya’aqob’s service and is trying to once again trick into his service.

Verses 29-42 – Without reading any farther into the story I am at a loss as to why Ya’aqob preposed the deal that he did with Laban. It would appear that he was employing a form of selective breeding but we will see the answer in the next chapter. Let it suffice to say that the “Supplanter” has supplanted Laban in this deal.

Verse 43 – We need to look at the Hebrew being employed in this verse and I want to focus on the phrase “increased exceedingly”. In Texas there is an expression, “He got rich quick because he swung a wide loop.” The implication is that maybe your cattle got caught in his rope while he was roping his own cattle. This is not for from the Hebrew meaning: H6555 – פָּרַץ – pârats – paw-rats‘ – A primitive root; to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literally and figuratively): – X abroad, (make a) breach, break (away, down, -er, forth, in, up), burst out come (spread) abroad, compel, disperse, grow, increase, open, press, scatter, urge. ((See also Bere. 28:14 & Shem. 1:12)).

Exceedingly is expressed “me’od me’od” and is used to show a superior or superlative state. It would be similar to saying: “he is not only rich or very rich but, he is very, very rich.” So, Ya’aqob is dead so, what is the big deal. Time, nor the death of Ya’aqob, will affect the “richness” of Ya’aqob, thereby leaving room for Ya’aqob to be “increased” in the future. Do you see why this is an important phrase? Ya’aqob will be blessed even after his bones have turned to dust.x

Ahavah vberakhot