JACOB'S CHILDEN (GEN 30)
LEAH‘S CHILDREN
So Jacob was around 80 years old and he stayed and worked another seven years for his Uncle Laban and had both Leah and Rachel as his wives. But he loved Rachel much more than Leah, so when YAHUAH saw how upset and unloved Leah was, He had compassion on her and allowed her to fall pregnant. But Rachel, He did not let fall pregnant.
And Leah gave birth to a son and named him REUBEN (‘look a son’) for she thought to herself “Yahuah has seen my misery, and now maybe my husband will love me”.
(NAMES REFLECTED THE NATURE OR EVENT SURROUNDING THE CHILD)
Not long after she fell pregnant again and gave birth to another son, calling him SIMEON (‘one who hears’) for she thought, “Yahuah has heard that I am unloved and has given me another son”.
Then a third time she fell pregnant and had a son, calling him LEVI (‘joined or feeling affection’) thinking, “Surely my husband will feel affection for me now since I have given him three wonderful sons”.
Then she fell pregnant one last time, giving birth to JUDAH (‘praise’) and said “Now I praise Yahuah”.
BILHAH‘S CHILDREN
While Leah was having child after child, Rachel became very jealous of her sister because she could not give Jacob any children.
REMEMBER THAT THE ONLY SOURCE OF A WOMAN’S SELF ESTEEM WAS CONNECTED TO HER ABILITY TO BEAR CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY A SON.
“I’m so upset I just want to die, will you please just give me a child?” Rachel begged Jacob, but he got angry at her behaviour...
“Am I Yahuah? Do I have the power to let you fall pregnant? You need to look at yourself here!”
But Rachel screamed at him, “JUST TAKE MY SERVANT BILHAH AND HAVE CHILDREN WITH HER SO I CAN AT LEAST HAVE A FAMILY THROUGH HER”. So he did!
Bilhah became Jacob’s servant-wife and after she fell pregnant and had a son, Rachel named him DAN (‘He judged’) for she thought “Yahuah has let me `off the hook’ and freed me”.
Then Bilhah gave Jacob another son and Rachel called him NAPHTALI (‘my struggle’) for she thought “I have wrestled and struggled with my sister and I’m winning”.
ZILPAH‘S CHILDREN
And when Leah realised that she was unable to fall pregnant anymore she gave her maid-servant Zilpah to Jacob for him to marry also. And Zilpah fell pregnant and presented him with a son as well, and Leah laughed, “How fortunate am I?” And she called him GAD (‘good fortune’).
Then she fell pregnant again and the child was called ASHER (‘happy’) for Leah thought “How blessed am I and all the other women will celebrate with me”.
One day while the wheat-harvest was happening, Reuben gathered some dudaim melons that were growing out in the field and he brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel saw this and didn’t want her sister having all the `drunken fun’ so she begged her, “Please give me some of your son’s dudaim melons”.
But Leah snapped back, “IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU STOLE MY HUSBAND, NOW YOU WANNA TAKE MY SON’S DUDAIM MELONS TOO?”
But Rachel said “I’ll let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some melons”.
DUDAIM MELONS (CALLED `MANDRAKE’ OR `LOVE APPLES’) ARE A HALLUCINOGENIC FRUIT THAT MADE PEOPLE VERY DRUNK.
So that evening as Jacob was coming home from the field, Leah ran out to meet him, saying, “You’re sleeping with me tonight darling, Rachel and I have made a deal”.
So he slept with Leah that night and YAHUAH blessed her with a fifth son and she called him ISSACHAR (‘my reward’) for she thought, “Yahuah has rewarded me for giving my maid-servant to my husband”.
Then she fell pregnant again and called the child ZEBULUN (‘reward’) thinking “Yahuah has rewarded me again, now my husband will respect me for I’ve given him six sons”.
Then she finally had a daughter and they named her DINAH (‘the daughter’).
And YAHUAH remembered Rachel and her sadness and he answered her requests, allowing her to fall pregnant and give birth to a son. She was so happy and rejoiced saying “Yahuah has taken away my shame and allowed me to have a child”, and she named him JOSEPH (‘may he add’) for she said, “Yahuah has added yet another child to my family”.
