A reflection from my sermon today at NRN

A reflections from my sermon today at NRN:








Summary of Genesis Chapter 30:  A whole lot of babies...

Rachel gets jealous, because Leah is bearing children and she isn’t. She tells Jacob to give her children or she will die, and he responds, quite reasonably I think, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” So Rachel gives Jacob her maidservant, she he can bear children through her; children born through the maidservant would be counted as Rachel’s. A child is born, and Rachel feels vindicated, so she names the boy Dan, which means “he has vindicated”.

The servant bears another son, and Rachel feels she has won the struggle against her sister, so she names the boy Naphtali, which means “my struggle”.

Leah steps up the battle, and gives Jacob her maidservant. She bears him a son, and Leah thinks this is good fortune, so she names him Gad, which means “good fortune” (or “a troop”).

Then Leah’s maidservant bears another son; Leah is so happy that she names him Asher, which means “happy”.

Later on, Reuben goes out to pick some mandrakes, and Rachel wants some, but Leah won’t give her any. “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” So Rachel sells Leah her night with Jacob, for some of the mandrakes. Leah became pregnant again, and had a son; she felt that God was rewarding her for giving Jacob her maidservant, so she named the boy Issachar, which sounds like the Hebrew for “reward”.

Leah became pregnant again, and bore a son. She felt that Jacob would treat her with honour, because she had bore him so many sons, so she named the boy Zebulun, which probably means “honour”.

She became pregnant yet again, and this time bore a daughter, whom she named Dinah. My Bible’s footnotes don’t tell me what “Dinah” means in Hebrew.

Finally, Rachel became pregnant, and bore a son. She named him Joseph, which means “may he add”, and said “May the LORD add to me another son.”

Phew. That’s a lot of babies!