REUBEN’S DEPRAVED FIRSTBORN HEIST (GEN 35-36)
One day, while Yisharal (Jacob) was still away burying his father, Reuben (his oldest son) saw the nakedness of his father’s servant-wife Bilhah while she bathed in a private place and his loins burned for her, and he thought to himself, “My Father’s favourite wife (RACHEL) is dead, so I will defile her maid-servant (BILHAH) too and let my mother Leah finally be my father’s favourite, and then I will inherit a double-portion of everything”.
And that night Reuben looked into Bilhah’s tent and saw her asleep with her nakedness exposed (for she had drunk too much wine) and he crept in and had sex with her while she slept, defiling her and making sure she could not be his father’s ‘choice wife’. And when Yisharal (Jacob) returned home from burying his father, Reuben made sure his father found out exactly what he’d done, in order to ensure his future blessings.
SERVANT-WIVES/CONCUBINES WERE INHERITED FROM FATHER TO FIRST-BORN SON AFTER THE FATHER’S DEATH, BUT REUBEN WAS ACTING SHREWDLY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF HIS BIRTHRIGHT- BLESSING BY SLEEPING WITH HIS FATHER’S SERVANT-WIFE BEFORE HIS FATHER HAD EVEN DIED.
And Yisharal (Jacob) let his son Reuben ‘have’ his wickedness and didn’t punish him (for the time being), nor did he sleep with his servant-wife Bilhah again. And YAHUAH struck Reuben with sores on his groin-area for seven months, a grievous affliction which would have killed him if Yisharal (Jacob) hadn’t intervened and prayed over him. And even after the sores cleared up, Reuben lived the next seven years away from strong drink, meat and pleasant food, for word had spread throughout the entire family of his wicked behaviour, and he was incredibly ashamed and unable to even look his father in the eye even until the day of his father’s death.
FAMILY TREE OF ESAU
