Lesson 8 – Jacob’s Family
What is different?
What do the similarities and the differences tell you about the characters in the story?
Much of the material we are skipping will be picked up in later lessons.
Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, (Dinah),
Bilhah (for Rachel): Dan, Naphtali
Zilpah (for Leah): Gad, Asher,
Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin
Memory verse: Psalm 105:5-6
Remember the wonderful works God has done, the miracles, and the judgments God uttered, O offspring of God's servant Abraham, children of Jacob, and the chosen ones.
O God, mother and father of us all, help us to be honest and loving in our family relations. Forgive us for the times we have sinned against another, and redeem those times of error that such love as you desire may be brought to be. Amen.
(taken from Journey through the Bible, Christian Board of Publications, 1995, p. 30)
1Jacob's long journey from Bethel to northwest Mesopotamia is passed over without any detail; the same, we remember, was the case with the long journey taken by the servant of Abraham (Genesis 24). Our storyteller concentrates on specific scenes, where the action takes place that is to prove decisive. In Jacob's case, the setting for the first important event is a well, just as it was for the servant of Abraham. Jacob arrived at a well near Haran, where the shepherds gathered to water their flocks. He struck up a conversation with the shepherds at the well, asking them if they knew Laban, the son (actually the grandson) of Nahor. (Laban is the son of Bethuel according to several references; see Genesis 28:5.) The shepherds did indeed know Laban, and they pointed out Laban's daughter Rachel, who at that very moment was coming to the well with her flock.
2We are told by the narrator that the well was kept covered by a large stone slab, so heavy that it was customary to wait until a number of shepherds had gathered in order to remove the slab from the well. This arrangement also assured that the different shepherds could draw water in turn, so that the distribution would be fair and the well would be protected from misuse or pollution.
3As Rachel arrived, however, Jacob lost no time in removing this slab by himself! Then he watered the flock of Rachel, identified himself, embraced his cousin, and wept with joy. It is a wonderful picture of youthful exuberance and bravado, and indeed of love at first sight.
4The next scene shows Laban receiving Jacob, welcoming him into the home and entertaining him. A month passes and Laban sees that Jacob is willing to stay on with him and his family in Haran. Arrangements must be made for Jacob to receive proper pay. Jacob makes clear that he will gladly work without pay for a seven-year period if Laban will give permission for Jacob and Rachel to marry. Though Rachel is the younger daughter and her older sister, Leah, is also a beautiful woman, Laban agrees to the arrangement.
5At the end of seven years, Jacob's Uncle Laban has other ideas. The custom was for the eldest daughter to be married first, and Laban substituted Leah for Rachel on the wedding night. When Jacob awoke, he discovered what Laban had done, and he complained that Laban had deceived him. We can imagine how Jacob must have felt when he thought of how he and his mother had deceived his brother Esau and now his mother's brother had tricked him out of the woman he loved.
6But the situation was not hopeless, Laban assured him. Jacob could indeed have Rachel as his wife, but he must first spend the wedding week with Leah, and then both of Laban's daughters would be his brides. Jacob would, of course, have to work another seven years! Laban was clearly a match for clever and wily Jacob. Jacob completed the wedding week with Leah, and then both Rachel and Leah were his wives. The household also included Leah's personal maid, Zilpah, and Rachel's personal maid, Bilhah.
7We should note in regard to Abraham and Jacob having more than a single wife, as did David and Solomon and other leaders in Israel, multiple marriages were intended to assure large families for these prominent persons. Since deaths at childbirth or during the early years of a child were all too frequent, the custom of having more than one wife was widespread in early biblical times. Political and economic considerations also were involved. But we clearly see that in almost all of these in-stances, one of the wives was the special one, the influential one within the household, and the one most beloved. Still, it was a world of patriarchy, though women did indeed often exercise great leadership and were of critical importance to the fulfilling of God's promises to Abraham and his descendants. Equal rights between men and women - that we cannot find in this early biblical world.
8The struggle between Leah and Rachel, and between Jacob and his beloved but barren Rachel, went on for years. Finally, Leah's large family of six sons and one daughter was complete, and Rachel had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. The two maids given to his two daughters by Laban also bore two sons each, and these four sons were counted among the twelve sons of Jacob. Jacob will later get a new name, Israel. But the term Israel refers basically to these twelve sons of four women-Leah and Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah-and to all of the descendants of these four women and the one man Jacob. That is worth our thinking about. The people Israel have a family name, not the name of a land, not the name of a king, not the name of some linguistic group. God's people Israel, on whom the divine promise lies, came into the world through the ordinary struggles and triumphs, the acts of nobility and deceit, that characterize human life in times past, today, and always. Yet, they are charged, as we are charged, to be a blessing in the world, a blessing that must spread to touch and transform all the families of earth.
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. As he looked, he saw a well in the field and three flocks of sheep lying there beside it; for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large, and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.
Jacob said to them, "My brothers, where do you come from?" They said, "We are from Haran."
He said to them, "Do you know Laban son of Nahor?" They said, "We do."
He said to them, "Is it well with him?" "Yes," they replied, "and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep."
He said, "Look, it is still broad daylight; it is not time for the animals to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them."
But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep."
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she kept them.
Now when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother's brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of his mother's brother Laban.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father.
When Laban heard the news about his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him; he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, and Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh!" And he stayed with him a month.
Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?"
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me."
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed."
So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid. )
When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"
Laban said, "This is not done in our country--giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years."
Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. (Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.)
So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
Genesis 24:1-67
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had,
"Put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but will go to my country and to my kindred and get a wife for my son Isaac."
The servant said to him,
"Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?"
Abraham said to him,
"See to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there."
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all kinds of choice gifts from his master; and he set out and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water; it was toward evening, the time when women go out to draw water. And he said,
"O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. Let the girl to whom I shall say, 'Please offer your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels'-- let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master."
Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, coming out with her water jar on her shoulder.
The girl was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.
Then the servant ran to meet her and said,
"Please let me sip a little water from your jar."
"Drink, my lord,"
she said, and quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said,
"I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking."
So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.
When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, and said,
"Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"
She said to him,
"I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."
She added,
"We have plenty of straw and fodder and a place to spend the night."
The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD and said,
"Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the house of my master's kin."
Then the girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. As soon as he had seen the nose-ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah,
"Thus the man spoke to me,"
he went to the man; and there he was, standing by the camels at the spring.
He said,
"Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you stand outside when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?"
So the man came into the house; and Laban unloaded the camels, and gave him straw and fodder for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Then food was set before him to eat; but he said,
"I will not eat until I have told my errand."
He said,
"Speak on."
So he said,
"I am Abraham's servant. The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.' I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.' But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your way successful. You shall get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father's house. Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my kindred; even if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.' "I came today to the spring, and said, 'O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"--let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.'
"Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms.
Then I bowed my head and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.
Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
Then Laban and Bethuel answered,
"The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you anything bad or good. Look, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken."
When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the LORD. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they rose in the morning, he said, "Send me back to my master."
Her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go."
But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey successful; let me go that I may go to my master."
They said, "We will call the girl, and ask her."
And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will."
So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes."
Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.