Jacob versus Laban: Genesis Chapter 30 Bible Study

Introduction 

Welcome to The Daily Manna! Here we read the word of God as a Daily nourishment just like the children of Israel did in the wilderness. 

Today we will be reading Genesis Chapter 30. In this Chapter we will see Rachel repeating some of the choices Sarah made as a barren woman. We will see a competition of sorts with Rachel and Leah. Then we will also see how God provides for Jacob later into the chapter as he and Laban battle it out with their wits. 

Please Read chapter 30 in your Bible before reading any further as this is meant to be a Bible study companion and not a substitute for reading the Bible.

Summary of Genesis Chapter 30

Verses 1-12 Rachel is sad because she can not bare children so she offers her maid to Jacob so that she may build a family through her maid. This starts a competition with her sister. When Leah sees this, she also has Jacob take her servant as well. This is how Jacobs lineage starts to grow. 

Verses 13- 21 The women start to bargain away their time with their husband for mandrake. His first daughter was born. 

Verses 22-24 God remembers Rachel and he enables her to conceive. She gives birth to Joseph. 

Verses 25- 42 Jacob asks Laban to allow him to go back to his homeland. Laban is hesitant because he has blessings because of Jacob's God. Jacob asks for all the flaws in Laban's flock for his own. We see Jacob's flock increase despite Laban's manipulation to keep Jacob from gaining wealth. God provides for Jacob by providing him with strong livestock and leaving Laban the weak livestock.

Key Themes and Meanings 

Competition and Bargaining 

Genesis 30:1-2, 4-6 NIV

[1] When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” [2] Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

[4] So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, [5] and she became pregnant and bore him a son. [6] Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.30.1-6.NIV

This chapter starts with Rachel jealous of her sister's success in having children for Jacob. She confides in Jacob but is met with anger from Jacob instead of comfort from her husband. I would like to point out that Jacob's father and grandfather both prayed for their barren wives, however Jacob doesn't seem to do that. 

Rachel then gives him her servant to have children as a sort of surrogate so that Rachel might build a family too. This is a parallel to Sarah giving her maid to Abraham to continue the lineage. From here she finds success and declares winning the competition between her and Leah. We then see Leah also offer her servant after she stops having children to still compete with her sister. 

Later we see bargaining between sister for time with their husband for Mandrakes. It was believed that Mandrakes were a type of aphrodisiac or a fertility aid: 

Genesis 30:14-15 NIV

[14] During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” [15] But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.30.14-15.NIV

Manipulating and Trickery 

After Rachel is remembered by God and births Joseph, Jacob decides it is now time to go back to the land he was promised. He asks Laban to send him on his way. 

Genesis 30:27-28 NIV

[27] But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” [28] He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.30.27-28.NIV

Laban was a pagan, but even he could see he was benefiting from the blessings God was giving Jacob.

Laban asks what he shall give Jacob. Jacob doesn't want anything. He says “If you will do this one thing for me I will go on tending to your flocks and watching over them.”.  He then asks Laban to let him go through all of his flocks and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep or every dark colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat and they will be his wages. 

Laban seems to agree. However we next see him trying to manipulate the situation by removing all the animals that had blemishes and placing them in the care of his sons. 

Jacob however seems to find a way to selectively breed the livestock so that he could separate flocks for himself. 

Genesis 30:42-43 NIV

[42] but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. [43] In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.30.42-43.NIV

God provides

We see at the end of chapter 30 that even though Jacob and Laban are both doing all of these things by using triggery and manipulation, God is still in control. God's blessing, and not Jacob's gaming, was responsible for Jacob's prosperity. We can see this in the next section of Genesis chapter 31:9-13. 

Reflections for Today

In what ways have you thought something has been in your hands, but later found out it was all in God's hands? 

What are you holding onto today instead of giving it to God? 

Has there ever been something you really wanted that God remembered and provided for you? 

Conclusion 

Chapter 30 shows us that even when we think we are in control or need to manipulate situations to get ahead, in reality God is in control and provides everything we need, exactly when we need it. 

Prayer

Lord, help me to let God of the things I can not control and help me trust that you have everything under control.