INTRODUCTION
- The great thing about sports is that it’s always easy to know who won
- Take last Sunday’s Super Bowl
- Colts- 29
- Bears- 17
- The.../ And the...
- Indianapolis Colts are the world champs
- Chicago Bears are wondering if they need a new quarterback
- If only it were that simple in the rest of the world
- But it’s not
- In real life things are never that cut and dried
- Take the contest that developed between Jacob’s wives- Leah and Rachel
- The story is found in the 30th chapter of Genesis
- And it was as intense and bitter as any ‘rivalry game’ you'll see on ESPN
- It was also sad and shocking and tragic
- And yet God used this family feud to bring about His Will and Purpose for the world
- It’s a fascinating story- one we want to examine this morning as we continue our sermon series on Jacob’s life
THE ROOTS OF THE RIVALRY
- Now before we get started let me summarize what we've learned so far
- As a young man Jacob...
- Had taken his older brother Esau’s birthright in a manipulative business transaction
- Then, with the help of his mother, conned his father into...
- Giving him the blessing
- Isaac intended to give to Esau
- When Esau discovered what Jacob had done he was so enraged he resolved to kill his brother
- But before that could happen- their mother Rebekah caught wind of Esau’s plans
- And told Jacob to get out of town- and stay there- until Esau cooled off
- A day into his journey
- Jacob has a dream in which God makes a covenant with him
- A covenant that makes Jacob the heir to all the promises God had made
- First to his grandfather Abraham
- And then to his father Isaac
- With the assurance of God’s love and presence, Jacob sets out for the land of Paddan Aram- or Haran
- When he gets there the very first people he met knew his mother’s brother- Laban
- Who proceeded to welcome Jacob with loving arms
- It turns out Laban had two daughters:
- An attractive older daughter named Leah- and a sexy younger daughter named Rachel
- Whom Jacob falls for hook, line and sinker
- He wanted Rachel so bad he makes his uncle a ridiculous offer:
- I’ll work seven years for her hand in marriage
- That was a GREAT deal for Laban and he quickly accepts
- But after the seven years are up he doesn't keep his end of the bargain
- Instead of giving Jacob Rachel as promised- Laban substitutes Leah instead
- When Jacob realized what had happened- he was furious
- You promised to give me Rachel and you tricked me into marrying Leah instead!
- Laban comes up with some flimsy excuse that Leah had to be married first- and then makes Jacob another offer:
- Let Leah finish her honeymoon then I'll let you marry Rachel
- IF you'll work for me for seven more years
- And that’s where we pick up today’s story in Genesis 29:30-31
LEAH’S MISERY
- I guess you could say Leah was a humble person
- She had simple dreams
- The only thing she wanted out of life was to be genuinely loved by her husband
- Unfortunately she was married to Jacob
- Now it wasn't like Jacob hated- or abused her
- She just knew she wasn't his first choice: Look- the only reason I married you is because your father deceived me. I'll always support and protect you- but my heart will ALWAYS belong to Rachel
- That had to be a miserable existence
- Leah must have cried herself to sleep on many nights
- And God noticed her misery
- And God did something
- He begins to bless Leah with children
- The names Leah gave her sons reflect the sadness of her life
- Reuben- It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.
- Simeon- Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too
- And then Levi- Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons
- By the time her fourth child is born- Leah realizes that having children has not caused Jacob to love her
- So she names the baby Judah: This time I will praise the LORD
- In other words: Thank You God for giving me this child; but he won't change the fact that I'm unwanted and unloved
- Like I said earlier: A miserable existence- but here’s the thing Leah didn't understand
- Even though she wasn't Jacob’s choice
- She WAS the one God had chosen!
- Historically- the two most important tribes of Israel were HER direct descendents
- The tribe founded by her son Levi...
- Produced Moses-
- The Lawgiver
- The greatest prophet Israel ever had
- And the Levitical priesthood established by Moses’ brother, Aaron
- The tribe of her son Judah...
- Produced David- the greatest king Israel ever had
- And ultimately- Jesus the Christ- God’s only begotten Son- would be counted as one of Leah’s descendents!
- Read how Jesus is described in Revelation 5:2-5
- Jesus-
- The Lion of the tribe of Judah
- The Root of David
- ...LEAH’S family
RACHEL’S LAMENT
- Now let’s pick up the story in chapter 30- verse 1
- Now THERE’S a switch: Rachel had become jealous of Leah
- Growing up...
- Leah had always been the sweet little girl sitting in the corner by herself
- While Rachel was the golden child who dominated every room she entered
- But in this particular contest Rachel...
- Knew she couldn't win by wowing people with her looks and charm
- Had to be able to give Jacob children
- So she goes to Jacob and says: Give me children, or I'll die!
- Makes Rachel sound like a bit of a drama queen- don't you think? Give me children, or I'll die!
- But back then- there was a lot of truth in what she said
- In those days a woman’s worth was ultimately judged by her ability to have children
- If a woman had kids- especially sons- she was considered blessed by God
- If she couldn't have any children-
- She was considered cursed by God
- And as good as dead
- Which explains Jacob’s harsh response to Rachel’s plea
- Evidently- Jacob had no understanding of his own family history
- His grandfather had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac
- Abraham loved Ishmael- his firstborn son- and begged God to let him be the child of the promise
- But God said No. I'll bless Ishmael- but Isaac will be the child of the promise
- Jacob’s father Isaac...
- Wanted Esau to be the recipient of God’s special grace and blessing
- But God said: No. Esau will be blessed- but Jacob is the chosen one
- And now Jacob...
- Wanted God to carry out His promises through his chosen wife- Rachel
- But God seemed to be saying: No. Leah- the wife you didn't want- is the one I have chosen- and will bless.
- Now I don't claim to be smart enough to know why God does things the way He does them
- But I see a pattern here: In EVERY case God’s blessing was matter of grace- not of works
- People thought-
- They knew how it SHOULD work out
- But God’s grace always surprised them
- And that’s the way it is with God’s grace
- It’s never determined by who you are- or what you've done
- Instead- it’s ALWAYS based on God’s love and His sovereign choice
- Please read Ephesians 2:8-9
- If you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord- if you are saved
- Don’t assume it’s because of anything you've done
- Instead- be sure to praise God for His love and grace and sovereign choice!
THE CONTEST
- Well- let’s get back to Rachel. Read what it says in verse 3
- What we're talking about here is surrogate parenting.
- Rachel can't have a baby
- So she tells Jacob to take Bilhah- and have a child with her
- I wonder how Bilhah felt about all this
- Given the circumstances- she must have felt like she'd been raped
- And then- once she gives birth- the baby was taken from her and given to Rachel
- I’m not sure I understand Rachel’s reasoning- and her math doesn't add up
- But in her mind- she’s won a great victory over her sister
- Through Bilhah- Rachel has given Jacob two sons
- This must have been one of the most difficult decisions Leah ever made
- She was already depressed about having to share Jacob with her sister
- But by this point-
- She’s so desperate to win her husband’s love and approval
- She’s ready to bring ANOTHER woman into this bizarre, dysfunctional marriage
- Even though Leah says she’s happy- I suspect she wasn't telling the truth- the whole truth- and nothing but the truth
- On the one hand-
- She recognized her babies were gifts from God
- And she was genuinely thankful for each child
- On the other hand-
- She still doesn't have what she really wants
- Jacob’s love and affection
- The mandrake is a flowering plant found in the Middle East
- In ancient times the mandrake was considered to be something of a fertility drug
- In other words: Rachel thought she might get pregnant if she ate some of Reuben’s mandrakes
- Did you notice the language the Bible uses here? It says Leah hired Jacob for the night
- This shows how strange and destructive the relationship between Jacob and his wives had become
- Essentially- Leah had paid Rachel for a night of sex with Jacob
- And here’s the thing:
- Jacob accepts this as a perfectly normal state of affairs in his family.
- And the tragedy is- it was!
- Earlier Rachel had told him to make babies with her servant Bilhah- and he did it
- Then Leah told him to take her servant Zilpah and have a few more kids- and he did that
- And now Leah is telling him: you're obligated to sleep with me tonight because I purchased your stud services from my sister
- ...Tell me something: Was that as uncomfortable for you to hear as it was for me to say?
- Let’s face it-
- This isn't the kind of story you're going to tell preschoolers in Sunday School
- It’s a little bit more than they need to know
- But here’s the thing: The Word of God has never been in the business of censoring or sugarcoating its content
- Think about it this way: The 30th chapter of Genesis is the story of where the 12 Tribes of Israel came from
- And it’s not a very pretty picture
- For instance- let’s say you belonged to the tribe of Issachar
- Someone asks you: Where did your people come from? How did your family get started?
- Well...my great-great grandmother Leah hired my great-great grandfather Jacob to have sex with her so she could have another baby. That child turned out to be the founder of my tribe
- Folks-
- People don't like airing their dirty laundry
- BUT the ugly story of Leah hiring Jacob for the night proves the absolute truth of the Word of God!
- See- the Bible ALWAYS tells it like it is
- It’s not only holy-
- It is infallible
- And it is inerrant!
- In other words:
- When the Bible says something- you can believe it!
- Whether it’s the ‘E- True Hollywood’ story of Issachar’s birth
- Or the proclamation of the Good News of salvation in the name of Jesus!
- The Bible always tells the TRUTH!
- I want you to understand what Leah’s thinking here.
- She believes Issachar’s birth is God’s stamp of approval on her decision to let Jacob have children with her maidservant Zilpah
- Notice what she says: God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband
- So- does that mean God endorsed all the shenanigans that went on in Jacob’s household?
- Given what the Bible says about sexual morality- the sanctity of marriage- and the family that could hardly be the case
- But given with she'd experienced- that’s what Leah thought
- Did you notice the subtle change in Leah’s attitude?
- Before she had always wanted Jacob’s love- she was willing to do almost anything to have it
- Now she’s saying she'd be happy just to have Jacob honor the contributions she’s made to his family
- It’s a sad state of affairs
- And it shows how miserable Leah’s life was
- The irony is that in death Leah was able to achieve what she was never able to have in life
- Ultimately Jacob would bury Rachel- who died first- by herself in a tomb near Bethlehem
- While he would specifically instruct his sons to bury him next to Leah in a cave he had purchased at Machpelah
- ...I admit that what I'm about to say is a generalization- but here goes:
- Dysfunctional families who practice conditional love tend to buy fancy, more expensive caskets
- Than families who have always loved one another openly and unconditionally
- The point I'm trying to make is:
- Don't be like Jacob who waited until after Leah’s death to demonstrate his love for her
- Make sure your family knows how much you love them right here- right now
- I know this sounds harsh-
- But Dinah’s birth wouldn't have been considered very important in Jacob’s family
- That doesn't mean Dinah wouldn't have been loved and treasured
- But in that culture the emphasis was on having male children
- In fact- given the times it’s amazing Dinah’s birth was noted at all
- When Rachel sold Jacob’s services to Leah in exchange for Reuben’s mandrakes
- She believed they would act as a fertility drug enabling her to become pregnant and have a child
- That didn't work out very well- did it?
- Leah gave birth to three more children between the time Rachel bartered for the mandrakes
- And the time she finally got pregnant
- The Bible makes it clear Rachel became pregnant for one reason- and one reason alone:
- It wasn't superstition
- God caused it to happen
- This says something important about the nature of God’s grace
- Remember- Rachel was the wife Jacob wanted
- But Leah was the wife God chose to bless
- Her sons would become the founders of the two most important tribes in Israel
- The only begotten Son of God would be one of HER descendents
- But that didn't mean God had abandoned Rachel
- Instead- His love for her was so great
- That He allowed her to have children too
- Eventually God answered this prayer as well
- Rachel became pregnant again- and gave birth- to Jacob’s 12th- -and final- son
- Read Genesis 35:16-18
CONCLUSION
- The name Ben-Oni means son of my sorrow
- And this is from Rachel- the wife who knew she had Jacob’s undying love and affection
- The fact she died with words of grief on her lips shows how incredibly sad and dysfunctional Jacob’s family was
- And yet-
- Through the unfolding of this tragic family drama
- God was at work fulfilling His plan of salvation for the world
- See- that’s the way God is
- He can take the biggest train wrecks life has to offer
- And work to bring glory and honor to His name
- Romans 8:28 puts it this way: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- In working with Jacob’s family God’s purpose was-
- To establish a special relationship with his descendents
- In order to send His only begotten Son into this world to die on a Cross to save you from your sins
- Just think about it:
- If God can bring something beautiful and good out of a terrible, self-destructive contest between two sisters
- What can He do with your life? What can He do for your family?
- Let us pray
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