wages and family

Good morning sisters and brothers,
As he now has a large family, Jacob becomes more concerned about providing for himself and his family. For this reason he goes to Laban to renegotiate the terms of his employment. They agree to give Jacob the spotted and speckled animals as his wages, but Laban takes them away at night and sends them off with his sons. We’ll see that Jacob isn’t that easy to put one over on, but has craft of his own. May God protect us from the dishonesty of others and our own willingness to take advantage of others.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 30:25-36
25When Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know very well the service I have given you.” 27But Laban said to him, “If you will allow me to say so, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you; 28name your wages, and I will give it.”

29Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. 30For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it: 32let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.”

35But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge of his sons; 36and he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was pasturing the rest of Laban’s flock.

of sex and botany

Good afternoon friends,
I'm sorry to send this out so late; my home internet is having issues. This story has always struck me as funny because the sisters, who compete for their husband's attention now trade his sexual favors. It's also funny because the Bible is often guilty (like most older writing) of objectifying women and here a man is the traded object. I hadn't ever known much about mandrakes, the plant for which Rachel trades a night with Jacob, but today I looked them up. Many strange legends exist about mandrakes, including one used in Harry Potter that the mandrake root screams when uprooted and the scream can be fatal. The root is hallucinogenic and toxic and is associated with various other properties including sexuality.

There were Jewish traditions that the mandrake was a useful remedy for infertility. Since Rachel hadn't been able to have children at this point in her marriage it makes more sense that she would really want the mandrakes. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this snippet of the story and I hope you stay safe and hydrated today.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 30:14-24

14In 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.” 15But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” 16When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”



So he lay with her that night. 17And God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18Leah said, “God has given me my hire because I gave my maid to my husband”; so she named him Issachar. 19And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons”; so she named him Zebulun. 21Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah. 22Then God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her and opened her womb. 23She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach”; 24and she named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”

more sibling rivalry

Good morning or evening friends,
Today's reading continues our rivalry between Jacob's two wives, Leah and Rachel. Rachel is the favorite wife, but she hasn't been able to have any children. That puts her at a disadvantage and leaves her upset. She takes her maid servant, Bilhah, and encourages Jacob to sleep with her so that she can have children in that way. Jacob's grandmother, Sarah, tried a similar strategy but found herself weakened in comparison to her servant. That doesn't seem to be the case in this story. Rachel has children (Dan and Naphtali) through Bilhah and the competition continues.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 30:1-13

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees and that I too may have children through her.”



4So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife; and Jacob went in to her. 5And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son”; therefore she named him Dan. 7Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed”; so she named him Naphtali. 9When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10Then Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11And Leah said, “Good fortune!” so she named him Gad. 12Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13And Leah said, “Happy am I! For the women will call me happy”; so she named him Asher.

family drama

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Jacob is now married to both Leah and Rachel, but he prefers Rachel. God sees that preference and blesses Leah with kids. There's a fascinating and sad rivalry between Rachel and Leah for Jacob's attention.Difficulty having children continues to be an important theme in the story of our faith ancestors. Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel all have trouble conceiving children. These sons eventually become the 12 tribes of Israel.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Genesis 29:31-35

31When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, “Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also”; and she named him Simeon. 34Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons”; therefore he was named Levi. 35She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord”; therefore she named him Judah; then she ceased bearing.

Jacob's new family

Good morning friends,
Jacob's arrival at Laban's house was happy, but not everything with that relationship is going to prove easy. After a month Laban suggests paying Jacob and Jacob wants to marry Laban's daughter Rachel in exchange for his work. The irony in this story is that Laban deceives Jacob, since Jacob is used to deceiving other people. The passage as a whole is tragically funny; it's not hard to imagine the scene as a bit from a goofy comedic play. At the same time we sense that there may be trouble in the future for this family. Even in the twists and turns of our lives, God is with us.

Blessings on your week,
Sam

Genesis 29:15-30

15Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 21Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24(Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25When 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?” 26Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29(Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.) 30So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. He served Laban for another seven years.

family reunion

Good morning brothers and sisters,
When Jacob gets near Haran he finds the well where all the shepherds come to water their flock. He asks if his relative Laban is doing well and has questions about the way they manage the flocks. One of the moments in the story that seems funniest to me is that the narrator tells us Jacob loves his cousin Rachel when he sees her "and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban." Then Jacob and Laban have a joyful meeting. We'll see how the story develops from there.

Blessings on your weekend,
Sam

Genesis 29:1-14

Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the people of the east. 2As 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, 3and 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.



4Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” 5He said to them, “Do you know Laban son of Nahor?” They said, “We do.” 6He said to them, “Is it well with him?” “Yes,” they replied, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with the sheep.” 7He 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.” 8But 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.”



9While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep; for she kept them. 10Now 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. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept aloud. 12And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. 13When 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, 14and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.