September 7 - Israel's Tribes

September 7 - Israel's Tribes
Genesis 29:31-30:24

It seems as if the Lord was pretty interested in keeping the momentum going when it came to Abraham’s descendants becoming as numerous as the sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky.  When women weren’t able to have children … he helped things along.

You know the story of Jacob and Leah and Rachel.  Jacob fell head over heels in love with Rachel, so he promised to work for her father for seven years in order to be able to marry her.  Well, Rachel had an older sister who wasn’t married yet and had no prospects.  If Rachel got seven years older, so did Leah and in all that time, there was no hope for Leah.  So, Laban (the father), did what any good dad would do and tricked Jacob.  When the veiled bride came out and the wedding ceremony was completed, voila! Jacob was married to Leah.  He was rather unhappy to discover what had happened, but Laban made him promise to last out the bridal week and then he could also have Rachel as his wife, as long as he promised to work another seven years.  Jacob was obedient and spent the week with Leah only in order to be able to spend his life with Rachel.

Well, Leah was sad again. First no one wanted to marry her, then her father had to trick Rachel’s soulmate into marrying her first, then her new husband loved Rachel even more and … well … her life was just miserable.  So … the Lord listened and opened her womb.  She had four sons, all the time hoping that Jacob would fall in love with her because of those sons.  Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah were her sons. Then, she stopped having children.

Now Rachel was jealous.  She had her husband’s love, but children were the important thing.  She couldn’t have them.  So, she handed over her maidservant, Bilhah to Jacob, who proceeded to give her two sons – Dan and Naphtali.  Rachel was a little happier, but Leah … furious.  It was her turn. She gave Zilpah to Jacob and from her, two more sons were born – Gad and Asher.

Further along in time, Rachel had some type of need for mandrakes, which Reuben had harvested, so she traded away time with Jacob to Leah for the mandrakes.  He slept with her, and had three more children – Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah.

Finally, Genesis tells us that God remembered Rachel.  She gave birth to Joseph.  We are at eleven sons (and a daughter).  Jacob has been busy.  But, twelve is the magic number and we’re not there yet.

Jacob’s years working for Laban had come to an end. It was time for him to leave and return to his homeland and renew his relationship with his brother Esau.  God gave him a new name … Israel and promised that a nation would come from him.  Just after this, Rachel was pregnant one last time and died giving birth to Benjamin.

These twelve sons reflect the birth of a great nation and through them the world would be changed.