†. Gen 30:17 . . God heeded Leah, and she conceived and bore him a
fifth son.
God was favorably inclined to grant Leah's wishes. But why doesn't God
grant the wishes of all barren women? Is that fair? Why is God sensitive to
some while ignoring the feelings of others? I wish I could answer that. The
brutal fact is: God is merciful to whom He wishes to be merciful. Love it or
leave it; we're stuck with a God who has a mind of His own and does as He
pleases.
†. Gen 30:18 . . And Leah said: God has given me my reward for
having given my maid to my husband. So she named him Issachar.
Issachar's name is Yissaskar (yis-saw-kawr') which means: he will bring a
reward (or possibly; he is a reward). To Leah, Issachar really was worth his
weight in gold to her as a mother.
I really don't understand Leah's reasoning. Why would God approve of
putting her husband in bed with the maid? Sounds like a plot for a soap
opera to me. But nevertheless, Leah was happy with the way things turned
out. You know, that really shows the importance that women in that day put
upon children. Leah was willing to share her husband with another woman
as long as it meant more babies for herself. Isn't that something? How many
women would feel that way today-- especially here in abortion-prone,
career-minded, day-care dependant, glass-ceiling, women's-lib America?
I would like to point something else out too. Leah was crazy about kids and
she was crazy about her husband. That is not so apparent with Rachel. She
only wanted kids out of envy for her sister's fertility. And she even sold
Jacob's affections for nothing more than some wild herbs. A lordly price.
But it really isn't fair to say anything against Rachel. I truly believe she was
stuck in an arranged marriage against her will. After all, it wasn't her idea to
marry Jacob. Her dad engineered the whole thing. And Leah had already
worn the shine off Jacob by the time Rachel got a shot at him so that was no
big treat. I just don't think Rachel's heart was really in it. I feel sorry for
her. She really should have been given a home of her very own; not thrown
into someone else's marriage to wreck it with strife and rivalry-- most
especially not her own sister's. Rachel deserved better than that. She really
got a raw deal in life, that's for sure.
†. Gen 30:19-20a . .When Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a
sixth son, Leah said: God has given me a choice gift; this time my
husband will exalt me, for I have borne him six sons.
So far, Leah is the only woman in the house calling Jacob "my" husband;
and from one night to the other, she never really knew where he'd be-- with
her, one of the maids, or with Rachel. Jacob probably had a toothbrush and
shaving gear in every one of their bathrooms.
Well . . Leah wanted her husband to live at home with her, not with one of
the other women. Sleeping with the others was just a fact of life around
there and she was getting used to it. Leah could deal with that. But when he
was done fooling around with the others, she wanted him to come home to
her, not stay overnight with one of them. Since God had blessed her with
the most boys, and the most children, it only seemed right in Leah's mind
that she had more claim on Jacob than anybody else and he really should be
bonded to her more than the others.
†. Gen 30:20b . . So she named him Zebulun.
Zebulin's name is from Zebuwluwn (zeb-oo-loon') or Zebuluwn (zeb-oo
loon'); or Zebuwlun (zeb-oo-loon') which mean: habitation. Synonyms for
habitation are: occupancy, residence, domicile, and home. In other words,
Zebulin is where a man hangs his hat.
†. Gen 30:21 . . Last, she bore him a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Dinah's name is from Diynah (dee-naw'). That word is the feminine of duwn
(doon) which means: judgment and/or justice.
You can bet Dinah was an instant hit with the women. Now they had
someone to make dolls for, and cute little dresses, and tiny little knickers.
And they could show her how to paint her fingernails, perm her hair, and put
on make-up and eye shadow. I would guess that Dinah did more to help the
women forget their differences and become friends than anything else
around there.
And Jacob no doubt liked her immensely. It is just about impossible for a
normal man to resist the charms of a bouncy little cherub. I've seen the
toughest blue collar beasts you can imagine become mushy morons around
little girls. When one of those teensy sweethearts puts her chubby little arms
around a man's neck and says "Daddy, I love you" it's all over but the
burial. If sons were indeed prized in those days, then the daughters were
icing on the cake.
Note : Dinah is the very first girl on record born to the people of Israel.
Cont.
/
fifth son.
God was favorably inclined to grant Leah's wishes. But why doesn't God
grant the wishes of all barren women? Is that fair? Why is God sensitive to
some while ignoring the feelings of others? I wish I could answer that. The
brutal fact is: God is merciful to whom He wishes to be merciful. Love it or
leave it; we're stuck with a God who has a mind of His own and does as He
pleases.
†. Gen 30:18 . . And Leah said: God has given me my reward for
having given my maid to my husband. So she named him Issachar.
Issachar's name is Yissaskar (yis-saw-kawr') which means: he will bring a
reward (or possibly; he is a reward). To Leah, Issachar really was worth his
weight in gold to her as a mother.
I really don't understand Leah's reasoning. Why would God approve of
putting her husband in bed with the maid? Sounds like a plot for a soap
opera to me. But nevertheless, Leah was happy with the way things turned
out. You know, that really shows the importance that women in that day put
upon children. Leah was willing to share her husband with another woman
as long as it meant more babies for herself. Isn't that something? How many
women would feel that way today-- especially here in abortion-prone,
career-minded, day-care dependant, glass-ceiling, women's-lib America?
I would like to point something else out too. Leah was crazy about kids and
she was crazy about her husband. That is not so apparent with Rachel. She
only wanted kids out of envy for her sister's fertility. And she even sold
Jacob's affections for nothing more than some wild herbs. A lordly price.
But it really isn't fair to say anything against Rachel. I truly believe she was
stuck in an arranged marriage against her will. After all, it wasn't her idea to
marry Jacob. Her dad engineered the whole thing. And Leah had already
worn the shine off Jacob by the time Rachel got a shot at him so that was no
big treat. I just don't think Rachel's heart was really in it. I feel sorry for
her. She really should have been given a home of her very own; not thrown
into someone else's marriage to wreck it with strife and rivalry-- most
especially not her own sister's. Rachel deserved better than that. She really
got a raw deal in life, that's for sure.
†. Gen 30:19-20a . .When Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a
sixth son, Leah said: God has given me a choice gift; this time my
husband will exalt me, for I have borne him six sons.
So far, Leah is the only woman in the house calling Jacob "my" husband;
and from one night to the other, she never really knew where he'd be-- with
her, one of the maids, or with Rachel. Jacob probably had a toothbrush and
shaving gear in every one of their bathrooms.
Well . . Leah wanted her husband to live at home with her, not with one of
the other women. Sleeping with the others was just a fact of life around
there and she was getting used to it. Leah could deal with that. But when he
was done fooling around with the others, she wanted him to come home to
her, not stay overnight with one of them. Since God had blessed her with
the most boys, and the most children, it only seemed right in Leah's mind
that she had more claim on Jacob than anybody else and he really should be
bonded to her more than the others.
†. Gen 30:20b . . So she named him Zebulun.
Zebulin's name is from Zebuwluwn (zeb-oo-loon') or Zebuluwn (zeb-oo
loon'); or Zebuwlun (zeb-oo-loon') which mean: habitation. Synonyms for
habitation are: occupancy, residence, domicile, and home. In other words,
Zebulin is where a man hangs his hat.
†. Gen 30:21 . . Last, she bore him a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Dinah's name is from Diynah (dee-naw'). That word is the feminine of duwn
(doon) which means: judgment and/or justice.
You can bet Dinah was an instant hit with the women. Now they had
someone to make dolls for, and cute little dresses, and tiny little knickers.
And they could show her how to paint her fingernails, perm her hair, and put
on make-up and eye shadow. I would guess that Dinah did more to help the
women forget their differences and become friends than anything else
around there.
And Jacob no doubt liked her immensely. It is just about impossible for a
normal man to resist the charms of a bouncy little cherub. I've seen the
toughest blue collar beasts you can imagine become mushy morons around
little girls. When one of those teensy sweethearts puts her chubby little arms
around a man's neck and says "Daddy, I love you" it's all over but the
burial. If sons were indeed prized in those days, then the daughters were
icing on the cake.
Note : Dinah is the very first girl on record born to the people of Israel.
Cont.
/
