Daily Scripture Reading Genesis 30:1-28
Modern science is able to give biological reasons why couples are unable to have children; thus, today we tend to pursue biological solutions to barrenness. The biological explanations for barrenness are mostly legitimate, and some modern medical solutions work. However, the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel reminds us who ultimately decides whether or not a women is able to conceive. Thus, this passage guides us on which solution we should pursue first.
Jacob married both Leah and Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, but not Leah, so Yahweh opened Leah’s womb, but not Rachel’s womb. Leah gave birth to four sons.
Gen. 30:1 ¶ Then Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, so she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.”
Look at the word “jealous”. Jacob grew up in a dysfunctional family, and now he had jealousy within his household.
Notice Rachel’s demand that Jacob give her children. She blamed Jacob for her barrenness.
Gen. 30:2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
Take note of the words “Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel.” Rachel was the one he loved, but when she blamed him for her barrenness, he got angry.
Look at Jacob’s question: “Am I in the place of God?” Jacob correctly understood that God was the One who was preventing Rachel from having children.
Modern science is able to give biological reasons why couples are unable to conceive; thus, we tend to look for human solutions to barrenness, just as Rachel did. There are things doctors can do to overcome barrenness, but at the same time Christians need to understand, as Jacob did, that God is the One who distributes the fruit of the womb.
Gen. 30:3 And she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may obtain children.”
This was surrogate motherhood.
Rachel’s concern was that if she didn’t bear any children, then there would be no one to provide for her in her old age, if Jacob died before her. She would not have been confident that Leah’s sons would care about her. On the other hand, if her maidservant bore children, she would have hope they would protect and provide.
Gen. 30:4 So she gave him her servant-woman Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her.
Gen. 30:5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
Gen. 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has rendered justice to me and has indeed listened to my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan.
The Hebrew word “dan” is the word for justice. Rachel believed having a son was just; therefore, she believed God had rendered justice to her.
Gen. 30:7 And Rachel’s servant-woman Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
Gen. 30:8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.
The Hebrew word “naphtali” means “wrestlings”.
At first glance it appears that Rachel thought she had won the wrestling match with her sister. However, the word “prevailed” could also mean she didn’t lose. She survived the contest and came out equal.
Gen. 30:9 ¶ Then Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, so she took her servant-woman Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Gen. 30:10 And Leah’s servant-woman Zilpah bore Jacob a son.
Gen. 30:11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
The Hebrew word “gad” means “fortunate”.
Gen. 30:12 And Leah’s servant-woman Zilpah bore Jacob a second son.
Gen. 30:13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
The Hebrew word “asher” means “happy”.
Gen. 30:14 ¶ And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
Gen. 30:15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”
Gen. 30:16 Then Jacob came in from the field in the evening. And Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night.
Gen. 30:17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
Gen. 30:18 And Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant-woman to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.
The Hebrew word “issachar” means “wages”.
Gen. 30:19 Then Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob.
Gen. 30:20 And Leah said, “God has gifted me a good gift; this time my husband will honor me because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
The Hebrew word “zebulun” means “honor”.
Think about the concept of honor. Leah had borne six sons to her husband, and wanted Jacob to recognize her success. It is obvious that up to this point she felt unappreciated.
Gen. 30:21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
The Hebrew word “dinah” is the feminine version of “dan” which means “justice”.
Gen. 30:22 ¶ Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
Take note of the word “listened”. This indicates Rachel properly asked Yahweh to give her children. Look at the words “opened her womb”. This is proof that Yahweh is the One who decides who is able to conceive.
Gen. 30:23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
Take note that Rachel gave God His due credit.
Rachel was able to conceive and bear a son because God opened her womb. When a couple is unable to have children, there is nothing wrong with visiting a doctor to understand the biological impediment and see if there is a biological solution. However, at the same time, Christians need to remember that modern medicine cannot overcome God. If God refuses to open a womb, then nothing a doctor does will overcome that. Therefore, Christians who want to conceive need to start with prayer, and have the mentality that modern medicine is a tool Yahweh may decide to use to answer their prayers.
Gen. 30:24 And she named him Joseph, saying, “May Yahweh give me another son.”
The Hebrew word “joseph” means “give”.
Gen. 30:25 ¶ Now it happened when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own land.
Gen. 30:26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.”
Gen. 30:27 But Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, stay with me; I have interpreted an omen that Yahweh has blessed me on your account.”
Gen. 30:28 And he continued to say, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”
Modern science is able to give biological reasons why couples are unable to have children; thus, today we tend to pursue biological solutions to barrenness. There is nothing wrong with visiting a doctor to understand the biological impediment and see if there is a biological solution. However, modern medicine cannot overcome God. If God refuses to open a womb, then nothing a doctor does will overcome that. Christians who want to conceive need to imitate Rachel and start with prayer, remembering that modern medicine is a tool Yahweh may decide to use to answer their prayers.
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.
“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”