Genesis 29:31-30:24 What matters ultimately is not approval of men but approval of God

Genesis 29:31-30:24  What matters ultimately is not approval of men but approval of God

31 Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” 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?” 3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through her I too may have children.” 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him Dan. 7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. 12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

14 Now in the days of 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.” 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 may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then 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. 17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with (honour) me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”

Background

As seen in the previous article, God’s intent for opening the womb was not to reverse Leah’s circumstances, but for the purpose of vindicating her on account of her virtuous composure amidst her suffering. As for Rachel, she did not give thanks for her husband’s affection but became bitter when she could not bear children.

The children’s names employed by both sisters shed light on their varying states of mind, their relationship with their husband and their peculiar struggles. For Leah, the series of names revealed a spiritual journey of dependence on God for personal security and vindication. Rachel’s naming pattern revealed only bitterness and discontent.

The two women revealed their peculiar attitudes during times of frustration which led to their very different legacies. And Leah’s legacy is undoubtedly higher than Rachel’s. Today’s devotion teaches us that what matters in the end is not the approval of men, but God’s glory through the legacies we leave behind.

Observation

Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben

Leah named her first three children as follows:

Reuben, literally reads “see a son”. The name expressed her longing for her husband’s love which she hoped would be remedied by the arrival of her first born son: “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

Simeon, reads “to hear” which means “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved. He has therefore given me this son also.” This too expressed her state of sorrow and rejection by her husband. Apparently, her firstborn did not change the way her husband treated her.

Levi, reads “to attached, joined”. Again, by her choice of name, she expressed her forlorn hope that her husband will be attached to her.

Judah, reads “to praise” which infers “This time God shall be praised.” There seemed to be a shift in her mind-set and focus as there is no mention of her relationship with her husband here. There is good reason to believe that Leah has arrived at some breakthrough in her perception of her circumstances. Her praise is not related to her husband but stems purely from contentment in God because of her children.

Then she stopped bearing. The text does not explain why that happened. Infertility is ruled out as there is no mention of God closing her womb. However, it is quite likely given Rachel’s bitter jealousy, she may have compelled Jacob to stop his conjugal relations with Leah. And Leah had to later barter for mandrakes to have her conjugal rights with her husband restored.

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister

Rachel’s bitterness and jealousy is rooted in perceived social disgrace as a barren woman. Every time a child was born to her sister, she felt herself becoming smaller. So much so that she became unreasoning: she hindered her husband from having conjugal relations with her sister and threatened to end her life if her barrenness is not removed. Jacob was infuriated when she blamed him for her barrenness and demanded something from him which only God could do. Ironically, Rachel died during childbirth (see Genesis 35:16-19).

In a desperate move, Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob as concubine so that she might have a son through her to lift her stigma. Bilhah bore a son, which Rachel supposed was a vindication and she named him Dan. Dan reads “he has vindicated”. Then, Bilhah bored another son and Rachel named him Naphtali, which reads “to wrestle”. Here again, Rachel appeared to be competing with her sister (With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed) when no such posture was detected from Leah. 

Nevertheless for Leah, having her conjugate rights suspended did not stop her from giving her maid Zilpah to Jacob as concubine so that more offsprings might be added to Jacob. Zilpah bore a son and Leah named him Gad, which reads “Good fortune”. Zilpah bore another son and Leah named him Asher, which reads “in my happiness” or in extended meaning: “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” Both names express her fortune and blessedness among women because she added more offsprings to her husband. The names did not carry resentment towards her circumstances, her husband, or sister, but it reflects her state of blessedness.

Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

Mandrakes reads “love fruits” in Hebrew. They were famed in ancient times for arousing sexual desire and for inducing barren women to conceive. It is clear that Rachel valued the plant as a fertility drug and Leah traded it for access to her husband thus breaking the suspension of conjugal relations. As a fifth son was added, the name Leah employed, Issachar, reads “May God be gracious”. This sheds light to her unselfishness in offering her maid to bear more offsprings for her husband during the time when her conjugal relations with him was suspended. When Leah’s sixth son came along, she named him Zebulun, whose root word reads “endowment”. Leah gives an extended meaning: God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will honour me, because I have borne him six sons. Here, Leah, believes that she has received honour from husband as opposed to marital affection. The honour that stems from faith and virtuosity despite unjust treatment by her sister and husband.

Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

Leah named her last child Dinah, which simply reads “vindication”. Why does Leah believe that she was vindicated? It is because her source of vindication is not rooted in her husband’s approval but in God’s. It is by divine vindication that she found dignity to lift her head high regardless of how people had treated her.

Truth

The two women revealed their peculiar attitudes during times of frustration which led to their very different legacies. And Leah’s legacy is undoubtedly higher than Rachel’s. The below lists their contrasting attitudes:

• Rachel longed for men’s approval whereas Leah looked to God for approval. Rachel did not give thanks for what she already had (which is her husband’s affection) but became bitter when she could not bear children. But Leah praises God at the time she gave birth to her fourth son and despite not getting her husband’s affection.
• Rachel became bitter towards her sister when she could not bear children. But Leah did not become bitter towards her sister when Rachel stopped her conjugal relations with Jacob. But instead Leah bartered with her for mandrakes, a fertility drug that could remove Rachel’s barrenness.
• When Rachel bore her first child, she credited God for taking away her reproach but remained grotesquely discontented while she blatantly asked for another: “May the Lord give me another son.” But Leah merely gave thanks for God’s fortune, happiness, graciousness and honour for all her children. When Dinah came, she gave thanks to God for honouring her, being contented with what she had despite not having her husband’s affection.

As a result, Leah’s camp left behind a better legacy (eight sons and one daughter) as compared to Rachel’s camp (4 sons). In addition, Leah bore Judah; the most powerful of the 12 sons, who eventually become the only surviving tribe, the seed of the Messianic line of Jesus Christ.

What matters in the end is not the approval of man, but God’s approval through the legacy we bear. Therefore, we must constantly remind ourselves of who we are serving: is it ourselves or is it God? Do we constantly put the goals of God above ours? Or the interests of others before our own? Do we yield to people’s opinions as opposed to God’s? Many were mistaken, thinking that they must put self enrichment as their primary goal until they (in their perception) are sufficiently enriched. Only then, they are ready to enrich the world. As a result, many who subscribe to this view are trapped in the endeavour of self love, never being able to transcend it. The bible has always emphasised that the goal of our service is to do God’s work. The apostle Paul said,

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

Believers work for the Lord by…

• adopting the Lord’s motives: to love God and to love others in all that they do.
• And to adopt His goals: to establish peace and righteousness in every place they go.

In so doing, we will receive the reward of eternal inheritance not just on earth but more so in heaven. However, many are distracted because they were bound by men’s approval and by their rewards. As a result, many have also become disheartened because they are not in their opinion fairly treated. Nevertheless, God is our ultimate vindicator who will reward us when He returns. The unjust treatment that we face daily are but test of where our true motives and goals lie.

Application

Do you truly believe that God is your true and ultimate vindicator? If you believe that He is. Then you must work wholeheartedly on what is entrusted to you through which you serve God. Do not just focus on your scope of responsibility, but go beyond it to enable success to the whole project. Be creative and always think of different ways to make the process more effective. Put in your best and achieve excellence so that people may glorify God when they see your works.

Dear Lord, I believe that you will reward me according to the quality of my work. Through my work, I display my love for you and for the people around me. I align my life goals with the goals of the kingdom. I am determined to do my best and to achieve excellence because my ultimate reward comes from you. Sustain me and energise me in all my endeavours with your goodness and truth. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.