Hh – Jacob’s Children 29:31 to 30:24

Jacob’s Children
29:31 to 30:24

Whether Jacob realized it or not, marrying Leah was another lesson on the sovereignty of YHVH. It may not have been Jacob’s will to marry Leah, but it sure was God’s. He so designed the whole situation that His eternal plans would unfold. We can see this in two ways. First, the Bible mentions that upon his marriage to Leah, Laban ( in accordance with local customs) gave Leah her own maidservant, Zilpah, who would eventually become the mother of several tribes of Isra’el. Second, it was from Leah that two of the most important tribes of Isra’el came from: Judah and Levi. Judah was to be the seat of the political leadership in Isra’el and Levi was to provide the spiritual leadership.

The twelve sons of Jacob will become the twelve tribes of Isra’el. Each tribe has a translation of its name, and each name is associated with a quote from the mother. These twelve sons are listed in the Scriptures over a dozen times. Most of the time they are listed in a different order. As we have here, one way they are listed is the order of their birth. Another order is to put all of Leah’s son’s first, then Rachel’s son’s, and then the sons of the maidservants. But in addition to that, Joseph later will have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, both of whom are adopted by Jacob. Because of the twins, Joseph will end up getting the double portion of the firstborn. Reuben was actually the firstborn, but like Esau, lost his position due to sin. When the tribes are listed there are fourteen to choose from, but twelve are always numbered. There is always a reason for the omission of one or more of the tribes in each list because the Holy Spirit teaches us a lesson each time.

To the nation of Isra’el these narratives were more than interesting stories. The rivalry that appears here explains much of the tribal rivalry that followed down through their history. But Genesis is clear: the LORD chose the despised mother, Leah, and exalted her to be the mother of the Seed son. Isaac preferred Esau, but ADONAI chose Jacob as the son of promise. Jacob preferred Rachel and her son Joseph, but the LORD chose Leah to bear Judah, through which the Messiah would come.⁴⁷²

From a human perspective we are amazed at the rancor and bitterness that divides this family. Yet it is through this dysfunctional family ADONAI used them to become the channel of His blessing to the world. From a divine perspective, God’s grace is working in the lives of some very improbable subjects. We should be grateful that our salvation rests on the grace of the LORD rather than on any human merit.⁴⁷³