Beginnings of the Nation of Israel

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heavenbound84

heavenbound84

Junior Member
Feb 23, 2013
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1
Bowling Green, KY
In reading the birth of the children of Jacob, who eventually become the tribes/nation of Israel, I wonder how Jacob felt being caught in the middle of the wife/maidservant drama. Did he enjoy the fact that he got to sleep with all those women or was he more overwhelmed by the jealousy and drama that was running around that he just kind of gave up? Did he even say enough is enough?

Genesis 29: 31-30:24 (for reference)

Thoughts on that one.
 
The story tells it all...he loved one..worked for her 7 years, was tricked and had to work another 7 years...he loved all of his children...and his name was changed by the angel of the Lord to Israel.....
 
dcontroversal said:
The story tells it all...he loved one..worked for her 7 years, was tricked and had to work another 7 years...he loved all of his children...and his name was changed by the angel of the Lord to Israel.....
Click to expand...

dcon,

I certainly agree that everything you said is true; but does the discussion end there?

It seems to me that God's plan to bring the Messiah through Judah (through Leah) may well have preceded Jacob's working for Rachel. If this is the case, it certainly complicates things!

Just something to think about.
 
heavenbound84 said:
In reading the birth of the children of Jacob, who eventually become the tribes/nation of Israel, I wonder how Jacob felt being caught in the middle of the wife/maidservant drama. Did he enjoy the fact that he got to sleep with all those women or was he more overwhelmed by the jealousy and drama that was running around that he just kind of gave up? Did he even say enough is enough?

Genesis 29: 31-30:24 (for reference)

Thoughts on that one.
Click to expand...

Good question, but I suopose we all can only give only our thoughts, but not Jacobs. So you should ask him...... later
 
MarcR said:
dcon,

I certainly agree that everything you said is true; but does the discussion end there?

It seems to me that God's plan to bring the Messiah through Judah (through Leah) may well have preceded Jacob's working for Rachel. If this is the case, it certainly complicates things!

Just something to think about.
Click to expand...


I fully agree the story does not stop there..was just summating a bit...what about the fact that God takes the sin of David, Uriah, Bathsheba..forgives it, kills his son and then a Son of David and Bathsheba sits on the throne of David 40 years at the height of the Israeli kingdom....Solomon.....many wonderful stories, deep truths and gems in the bible for sure....
 
I love the complicated mess that Bible is. It kind of is a reminder that our lives don't have to be all perfect and organized. If the kings, queens, prophets, and major characters in there are as complicated as we read, it is really to when I say that only God knows how complicated they really were in real life.
 
Just finished reading Genesis last week, and my thoughts are that he was just doing what men of that day did. Surely it wasn't the first time he had witnessed drama of that sort before.
 
I wouldn't say Jacob's relationship with Rachel complicated things. Through Rachel we get Joseph (which leads to Ephraim and Manasseh), as well as Benjamin. These tribes played important roles in the history of Israel.

Esther is a good example. Mordecai (and we can assume Esther, as his niece) was a Benjaminite. They ultimately saved a good number of Jews in the Persian empire. Paul was also of the tribe of Benjamin, and he was extremely influential (and still is) in the growth of the church.

From Ephraim, we have Joshua. He was also influential, and led the Israelites to victory and to settle in the land of Canaan.
So it may seem like a mess when we read it, but God obviously knew what He was doing when He allowed Jacob to have so many children.
 
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