Day 16: Wanting and Weakness

Today we read Genesis 29 and 30, Job 19 and 20, and Proverbs 3:5-8. This is another story about a marriage that starts at a well, but there are some rough patches. In this marriage, there is less calling out to God and there continues to be a pattern of deception. Jacob wants Rachel. Laban wants Leah married first. Jacob doesn’t want Leah. Jacob still wants Rachel. Leah bears 6 of the sons which leads to 6 of the 12 tribes of Judah. Rachel wants to conceive, Leah wants to be loved by Jacob. Jacob, Leah, and Rachel double down on the sins of Abraham and Sarah taking two of their slaves as handmaids - Bilhah and Zilpah. They each had two sons, Bilhah had two for Leah and Zilpah had two for Rachel. The mothers didn’t even get to name their children. God gives Rachel a son, Joseph. When the wanting becomes weakness; when we want an outcome and profit more than we want to be a blessing and trust the Lord, dark and hurtful decisions are made. Soft hearts become hard and we hurt people. Jacob and these four women are the parents of the twelve tribes of Israel, but before that happens, there is more to this story.

Resources:

John Parsons, Vaytezei - Leah's Weak Eyes. Accessed from: https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Vayetzei/Leah_s_Eyes/leah_s_eyes.html

Credits:

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.