Jealous Sisters - Genesis 30

 

Genesis 30 – Jealous Sisters

 

Probably no situation on earth could bring out the worst sibling rivalry between sisters than to be married to the same man.  Both Rachel and Leah were Jacob’s wives.  They battled for his attention and affection.  No weapon was considered off limits. Overnight Jacob’s home became a place of conflict. 

Although Rachel had Jacob’s heart, she was at first unable to have his children.  Leah gave Jacob four sons.  Rachel became so upset that she insisted Jacob have children with her servant Bilhah.  The two sons Jacob had with Bilhah were a costly and bitter victory for Rachel. (Note that Abraham and Sarah did the same thing).  The sisters bickered constantly. 

Monogamy certainly would have been a better option for the family, but it probably would not have kept Rachel and Leah from jealous battles.  Jacob could have practiced greater wisdom and compassion with his wives, but his love for Rachel blinded him to many mistakes.  Leah never got over being the second-place wife. When she saw that she was not having any more children, she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob to conceive more children.  Rachel allowed her insecurities and envy toward her sister to disrupt the special place she had with Jacob.  In the end, Leah had given him six sons before Rachel had Joseph.

Having grown up his mother’s favored son, Jacob was accustomed to a woman telling him what to do. But now he had four different women involved in his life! When he came home from the fields, he never knew which one he would be living with.

Going back to Uncle Laban, he is trying to make Jacob poor, but God overruled and made Jacob a very wealthy man.  In fact, God even blessed Laban because of Jacob (King Abimelech had been blessed because of Isaac).  This old trickster knew it and admitted it. It was God’s blessings and not Jacob’s scheming that increased the flocks. God was keeping the promise He had made at Bethel.  When we are in difficult situations, we can trust in God to take care of us.

 

 

 

 

Nelson’s Quick Reference Bible Commentary.