Genesis 30:14-24
Relax, Read and Reflect
Prayer-Lord, Open my heart and open my mind and help me learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. [a]
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. [b]
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph, [c] and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."
Footnotes:
Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward .
Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor .
Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add .
Can you say "petty squabbles?" Sure, I thought you could. First, Rachel is under some pressure here. Jacob, her husband, was much older than she, and would probably die before she did. She had no children to take care of her in her old age. No "social security" to rely on. Making it worse, she and her sister were very competitive, and she knew Leah would not be nice to her if Jacob died.
Leah was really starting to win the baby war. Do you know what a mandrake is, and what it is used for? It is a poisonous plant from the nightshade family,(tomatoes and potatos are also nightshades, as is wolfbane,) used for making potions and drugs. Yes, the sisters wanted to get stoned that night. Does it ever stop? Rachel let Leah sleep with Jacob in exchange for drugs! Guess what, not only did Leah get pregnant, but so did Rachel, eventually. Once again, God is trying to teach patients.
Prayer- Lord, help us stop our petty fighting within our families, and our church families. Remind us we are all on the same team-Yours. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
Things to do- Read Genesis 30:25-36
Prayer-Lord, Open my heart and open my mind and help me learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."
15 But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes."
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. [a]
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. [b]
21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph, [c] and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."
Footnotes:
Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward .
Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor .
Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add .
Can you say "petty squabbles?" Sure, I thought you could. First, Rachel is under some pressure here. Jacob, her husband, was much older than she, and would probably die before she did. She had no children to take care of her in her old age. No "social security" to rely on. Making it worse, she and her sister were very competitive, and she knew Leah would not be nice to her if Jacob died.
Leah was really starting to win the baby war. Do you know what a mandrake is, and what it is used for? It is a poisonous plant from the nightshade family,(tomatoes and potatos are also nightshades, as is wolfbane,) used for making potions and drugs. Yes, the sisters wanted to get stoned that night. Does it ever stop? Rachel let Leah sleep with Jacob in exchange for drugs! Guess what, not only did Leah get pregnant, but so did Rachel, eventually. Once again, God is trying to teach patients.
Prayer- Lord, help us stop our petty fighting within our families, and our church families. Remind us we are all on the same team-Yours. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.
Things to do- Read Genesis 30:25-36
posted by Steve Killam TMTL | 6:40 AM
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