Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Prior to the verse cited in the question, because Jacob had been more in love with Rachel, and had thus unjustly slighted Rachel's sister Leah (although they were both his wives), God had shown favor to Leah by allowing her to bear children for Jacob, while Rachel remained childless. This was a source of considerable friction between Jacob and Rachel, as indicated in Genesis 30:1-2.

The "competition" between the sisters in this regard became so intense that each of them allowed Jacob to have children with their maids (Bilhah for Rachel, and Zilpah for Leah) that they could count as their own.

Eventually, however, God "remembered" or responded to Rachel's childless state by allowing her to bear two sons of her own (Joseph and Benjamin) for Jacob, although Benjamin's birth came at great cost, since Rachel died immediately after he was born (Genesis 35:16-20).

Subsequently, as he had previously done with Rachel, Jacob showed favoritism to Joseph (as indicated in passages such as Genesis 37:3-4), because he was Rachel's son, which caused his jealous brothers to conspire against him, and sell him into slavery in Egypt. However, as recounted in Genesis 37-50, Joseph eventually became the deputy ruler there (with only Pharaoh ranking above him), which allowed him to save his father and brothers from the famine that later arose in the land. This is a prime example of how God can bring good results from even the seemingly worst of situations or human actions (although His perfect timing may not coincide with human hopes or expectations).

September 24 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report