Genesis 30

Thank you so much for tuning in today.

We are now, I believe, in Genesis chapter 30.

And one of the things that I was noticing is Rachel finding out the spiritual adversity that the family she has married into faces, and she is pissed.

She's angry about it.

And she could also find out about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, her husband's God.

But instead, she views the opposition that she's experiencing encountering according to her background and training, and she handles it that way too.

So let's go to Genesis chapter 30.

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister.

The story of Laban, Jacob and Laban.

You can read that in Genesis 30, verses 35 through 39.

7 and 39.

Then Jacob took fresh cut branches of poplar, almond, and plain trees and placed them and peeled the bark on them and put them and placed the branches in front of the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink and made it in front of the streaked and spotted branches.

So come on into the bar, and thanks for joining us.

Genesis 30 ends with one of those biblical stories that can leave a modern reader wondering what on earth is going on here.

Jacob makes a deal with Laban about which animals will count as his wages.

Then he peels branches, puts them in front of the flocks while they mate, and somehow walks away a very wealthy man.

This seems to be a biblical convention here that certainly warrants our attention.

Excellent.

So, Dr. Susie Park, thank you so much for this really incisive and revolutionary reading of the story of Jacob and his breeding habits here in Genesis 30.

And thank you for being my guest on The Bible Bar.

And then all of those great things you're supposed to do for other people, you start doing them naturally without even thinking about it.

Well, on today's show, we are still, yes, we are still in the book of Genesis, chapter 30 today.

And if you are very good at math, and since you already know that there are 50 chapters altogether, this being 30 today, that means we'll be done with three-fifths of Genesis, or another way to put it, 60%.

We are moving and grooving through the book of Genesis.

Just more examples of if you take it upon yourself to make decisions that God is the only one who can make, the end result doesn't go well usually.

That's why you put all of your faith in him, all of your trust in him, all of your everything in him, all of your burdens, all of your cares.

And then he will.

But if you try to bob and weave and make things happen and do it yourself, it usually ends up not good.

And the very people that were supposed to support her ended up being the most difficult people and unloving people.

There's tension woven throughout the relationship and the story of Leah and Rachel, and the Holy Spirit highlights one thing that is very clear, and it's back in Genesis 30 verse 1.

After Leah gives birth to her first four sons, notice the reaction of Rachel in Genesis 30 verse 1.

Some of you know this already, but it's worth revisiting.

Genesis 30 verse 1.

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister.

She said to Jacob, give me children or I shall die.

When you read on, her not being able to bear children was not up to her.

But when Jacob and Rachel.

In Genesis, what is it? Genesis 30, maybe? Yeah, 30.

Rachel cannot have a baby.

And we know that is really hard.

Okay, my Bible's open at the same time, so I won't forget what chapter I'm in.

So Genesis 30:1, start with verse one.

"Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die.' And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel-

He's like-

He went into her.

And then Genesis 30, she gave him to him, Bilka, her slave, as a wife, and he went into her.

It's the exact same.

And then Hagar became pregnant, and then Bilka became pregnant.

You'll bear a son.

You'll call his name Ishmael, for Yahweh has listened to you.

Genesis 30, and Rachel said, God has judged me, and he has listened to my voice.

The repetition's identical here.

I have learned by experience, inquiry.

Genesis 30, 27, right? I have learned by inquiry, by experience, that God has blessed me because you were in my life.

Jacob said, Jacob said, Jacob said, Jacob said, Jacob said, Jacob said, Jacob said, I don't want you to get mad at me because I don't want you to get mad at me because I don't want you to get mad at me.

I don't want you to get mad at me because I don't want you to get mad at me.