Extra Credit Post - Thoughts on Leah & Rachel

Hello all, for extra credit points we are encouraged to post on the course blog “thoughts that you have during class but don’t have a chance to say or that occur to you after you leave class.” I’ve chosen to write a post about my thoughts during our Rachel and Leah story discussion day. I really liked how we used the worksheet/packet to have questions for discussion points and to take notes. I was especially interested in the question about listing all of Jacob’s children, who their mother was and the mother’s reaction at birth. We didn’t have a chance to discuss this is class, but I took the liberty to fill out a chart with that information and present it to you all. I’ve drawn quite a few interesting conclusions about Rachel and Leah from their children’s births. Here you go…

Names of Jacob’s Children	Mother of Child	The mother’s response…
Reuben	Leah	“now my husband will love me!”
Simeon	Leah	God has given her this child because she is hated
Levi	Leah	“now my husband is attached to me”
Judah	Leah	“This time I will praise the Lord!”
Dan	Bilhah	“God has heard my voice!”
Naphtali	Bilhah	I have prevailed over Leah!
Gad	Zilpah	“Good fortune has come!”
Asher	Zilpah
Zebulum	Leah
Dinah	Leah	“my husband will honor me”
Joseph		“may the Lord add to me another son!”
Benjamin		No response, she dies…

Firstly, I’d like to look at Leah. Doesn’t she sound a bit selfish? She’s happy about the child that is born, but for all the wrong reasons. She thinks that having Jacob’s children will make him happy, attach him to her, etc. And then eventually she comes around and is thankful to God to the babies and claims she will praise him for this child!

And is stark contrast, Rachel. She is much, much more humble. She is thankful to God and happy for the arrival of her first son Joseph. Sadly, we don’t get to hear/read her thoughts on the second baby because she dies after a rough childbirth.

Leah and Rachel’s difference in attitudes is transferred onto their children and how they interact with each other. I mean, the rest of the brothers had to mean to Joseph for some good reason, right?! No! We all know that the only reason Joseph was treated differently was because is mother was Rachel; and because Jacob loved Rachel first/more, of course Joseph was going to be a favorite…

These siblings are a great example of “the apple doesn’t fall from the tree…” We see Leah’s children being ungrateful at times, not praising God for the great things that have come to them and picking on Joseph. Whereas Joseph seems to be much more thankful for all the great things that have come to him, like his dream reading capabilities.

We can also argue that the women’s reactions at childbirth also influenced how God let their children’s lives carry on/play out. God might’ve also favored Joseph just a wee bit.