Chapters twenty-nine and thirty of Genesis
list the birth order of twelve of Jacob’s thirteen children. Leah gave birth to
six boys and one girl. Leah's maidservant Zilpah gave birth to two more sons
while Rachel's maidservant Bilhah also had two sons. Rachel had one son she
named Joseph.
The
jealousy Rachel had for Leah ended with the birth of Joseph. Later Rachel would
die immediately after giving birth to Benjamin. Twenty years had passed since
Jacob came to live with his uncle. Now it was time to return home and make
peace with his brother Esau. He knew that making amends for his deceitful
dealings with his brother was a necessity.
Jacob
was a source of blessing to his father-in-law by giving him thirteen
grandchildren and by increasing his wealth many times over. Of course, the
father-in-law wanted Jacob to stay with him because he was such a blessing. The
lesson to learn from Jacob’s experience is that as you serve and bless others,
God will bless you.
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