A STRUGGLE IN JACOB’S LIFE If Jacob struggled with his twin brother Esau while still in their mother’s womb (Gen. 25:22), all his life has been a continuous series of struggles. He struggled with Esau, and supplanted him of his birthright and blessing. And now, in that land far from home, he lives in a family atmosphere, filled with struggle in between his two wives, Leah and Rachel, besides, struggling with their father concerning his wages. 1- A struggle between Leah and Rachel 1-24. 2- Jacob demands his wages 25-43. 1- A STRUGGLE BETWEEN LEAH AND RACHEL Leah, having been with weak eyes, older than Rachel, and of less beauty, God granted her children to bring her the love of her husband Jacob (Gen. 29:31). This made Rachel jealous of her sister, who said to Jacob: “Give me children, or else I die” (Gen. 30:1). Jacob’s soul was very bitter, as he longed to satisfy Rachel whom he loved; and now, she is asking for something he cannot provide. So, angrily he said to her: “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Gen. 30:2) And when she gave Jacob her maid Bilhah to have children by her, he got himself into more continuous struggles, between Leah and Rachel. Each of them wanted to have more children than her sister. The causes of that struggle were: (1) The two wives probably heard from Jacob, much about God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and about what their descendants would enjoy, of the inheritance of the land of promise, and of the blessing of the coming of the Messiah of their descendants; The struggle was based on the longing of each of them, for the divine promises to be fulfilled by her children. (2) As far as Leah is concerned, Lea felt that she was unloved, believed that Jacob, her man, was her right alone, and that Rachel supplanted her of his heart; She assumed that bearing him many children would probably open up his heart. That was apparent when Rachel asked Leah to give her of the (mandrakes), brought from the field by her son Reuben (Gen. 30:14); Lea answered her: “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also? (Gen. 30:15) This shows that Leah felt that Rachel had supplanted her of her husband; beside the probability that Jacob temporarily deserted her, which is why she accepted to give away her son’s mandrakes to Rachel, for the price of spending one night with Jacob (Gen. 30:15). As to this mandrakes that Reuben found in the field, and brought to his mother, (Gen. 30:14); it is a plant called ‘apple of the genie’ or ‘apple of love;’ also called ‘Jerboa;’ apple-like in shape, and believed by the common people at that time, to bring about a husband’s love to his wife. (3) Rachel, on her part, has been jealous of her sister, who bore four sons to Jacob, while she was barren. God allowed for the barrenness of Rachel, to open Jacob’s heart to Leah; and to be a symbol of the Church of the New Testament, coming from the Gentiles, who were previously with no spiritual fruit; then was granted children; the Holy Bible says: “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’ So she called his name Joseph, and said, ‘The Lord shall add to me another son’” (Gen. 30:22-24). She became a symbol of the Church of the New Testament, that gave birth to 4 ‘Joseph,’ meaning ‘growth’ or ‘addition;’ as it continuously seeks a life of growth, and longs for persistent fruition. Amid that bitter struggle between Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s soul had been surely bitter, trying to satisfy both of them. By that, he realized the bitterness previously felt by his brother Esau, amid their struggle for the birthright and blessing. Here, we cannot disregard the faults committed by Rachel during her struggle, until she bore Joseph; these were: a- Rachel fell into despair, instead of placing her hope on God; and demanded from her man what is solely the right of God, saying to him: “Give me children, or else I die” (Gen. 30:1), as though she is telling him: Give me children, or else I would be counted as dead.. Of what use is your love for me, when I am childless, without a heir? b- Rachel went so far to compel her husband to get her children by her maid, opening to herself a new range of struggle with her sister Leah, as well as with her own maid. c- She restored faulty common beliefs, assuming that eating these mandrakes would let her keep her husband’s love, probably because she feared that he would desert her if she grew old without bearing children! Finally, it seems that she eventually placed her hope on God, as the human ways she resorted to, outside faith, have all come to no avail. Then, God opened up her womb, and granted her a son she called “Joseph,” meaning ‘growth’ or ‘addition,’ in belief of God, who continuously gives. In the following table we find the names of Jacob’s sons, and the meanings of their names: Mother Son Meaning Reason of giving him this name Leah Reuben Son of vision. The Lord looked on my affliction (29:32) Leah Simeon Listener The Lord heard that I am unloved (29:33) Leah Leah Levi Judah Attached to me. confess My husband will become attached to me (29:34) I will praise the Lord (29:35) Belhah Dan To judge God has judged Rachel’s case (30:6) Belhah Naphtali Spacious The Lord let Lea prevail (30:8) Zilpah Gad Consistent Lea wrestled with her sister (30:11) Zilpah Asher Happy Lea became happy (30:13) Leah Issachar Reward God has given me my hire (30:18) Leah Zebulun Dwelling Now my husband will dwell with me(30:20) Rachel Joseph To add The Lord shall add to me another son (30:24) Rachel Benjamin the right hand of the Lord His mother called him Ben-Oni (son of my pain) and his father called him Benjamin(30:18) 5 The descendants of Jacob began with ‘Reuben,’ the firstborn according to the flesh, in whom it was proclaimed that God saw our affliction, so He granted us fruit; and would keep granting us until we enjoy ‘Benjamin;’ namely, through pain, we should reach up to God’s right hand, in fellowship of eternal glory. The following are comments of some Fathers on that issue: (1) The succession here came according to age seniority; starting with the firstborn according to the flesh, and ended with Benjamin, the youngest. But in the Book of Revelation, it came in the following order: The sons of Leah, followed by those of Rachel; then the sons of the two maids, without reference to their seniority. It is as though God intended to confirm that the divine glories are not given according to seniority of age, but according to spiritual growth, and to actual union with God1. (2) Some Fathers noticed that the twelve sons had only one sister ‘Dinah,’ by Leah (Gen. 30:21); or, at least, there is no reference in the Scripture to any other. If male sons refer to the fruit of the spirit, the daughter refers to that of the flesh. Because of Dinah, the only daughter, Jacob and his sons got into a conflict with the people of Shechem (Gen. 34); as though the flesh, if not controlled and sanctified, would corrupt the peace of the spirit, and would let it lose its increasing fruit. 2- JACOB DEMANDS HIS WAGES As soon as Rachel gave birth to her son Joseph, a kind of family stability began to appear in between the two sisters; Lea felt secure because of her many sons, and Rachel began to feel less jealous. Then, Jacob started to think of going back to the land of Canaan, saying to his uncle Laban: “Send me away, that I may 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 which I have done to you” (Gen. 30:25- 26). These words came to carry, firm but tender admonishment at the same time. He spent 14 years serving for marrying his two wives; then 6 years of service, for nothing more than his mere sustenance and that of his wives and children. And now, as he is coming out, with his two wives, sons, and a daughter, he possesses no flocks of sheep. Laban realizing how God blessed his household because of Jacob, said to him: “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake... Name me your wages, and I will give you” (Gen. 30:27-28). Here, Jacob asked Laban to give him every speckled sheep (the white spots on their skin are about equal to the black), every spotted sheep (black, with some white spots), and every black one; beside all the speckled and spotted among the goats...These kinds of sheep and goats were rare in the East. So he chose the few and left for his uncle the many. After executing that agreement, Laban gave his flocks into the hands of his sons; and put three days journey (about 40 miles) between his flocks and those of Jacob (Gen. 30:36). This reveals the extent of wealth that Laban reached, to have to isolate the two flocks by such a distance. He, who did not possess more than a small flock, that his daughter Rachel used to shepherd, in the day Jacob came to their land. In order for Jacob to get rich, he had to put three days journey between himself and his uncle. As we said before, the three days refer to the fellowship of resurrection .١٦- 1 سفر العدد، ١٩٨١ ، ص 15 6 of our Lord Christ, raised from the dead after three days1; For God to grant him the blessing, he should practice the life of resurrection, namely the new life in Jesus Christ, of which Laban is deprived. Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods; the rods he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters. But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; So the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. Although he used such shrewdness, yet his true richness had been the blessing of the Lord. Let us get away from the love of the world, attach ourselves to the Lord, risen from the dead, to be like Jacob, who set forth, a three days journey, to be aid of him: “Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys” (Gen. 30: 43) By the new life for us in Jesus Christ, we will have spiritual prosperity and abundance, through the sanctification of our senses, emotions, capacities, and all our energies, for the sake of His kingdom. 1 Cf. our Commentary on Gen. 22:4.
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