Bilhah: Rueben’s mistake that cost him his blessing

Sometimes I wonder why the biblical authors wrote down the details of certain events and ignored others. The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Through inspiration, the authors even documented the mistakes of the people whose stories were connected to write God’s  bigger story. In essence, God does not pick just the righteous people but He is interested in building a relationship with even the downtrodden and those who have been declared “bad”. If God could make a great patriarch out of a deceiver and a thief (Jacob), could connect a harlot to the family line of Jesus (Rahab), could take a murderer and a stammerer and make him a saviour of a nation (Moses), could make doubtful person an apostle and evangelist (Thomas), among others, surely He can make something out of me. The women in the Bible series reveal to us the women whose lives contributed to the scriptures. These women were not the best in their days. They had their strengths and weaknesses, yet, God worked His story in their discombobulated stories. Today’s focus will be on a single verse in Genesis 35 that is mostly ignored but very important in the Bible. 

While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. (Genesis 35:22a) 

Bilhah, Rachel’s servant who bore Jacob Dan and Naphtali, had an affair with Reuben,  Jacob’s first son. Genesis 35:22a quotes that,  “While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.” This verse is not continued in subsequent passages in the chapter. The Bible author just dropped the bombshell; Reuben defiled his father’s bed by sleeping with Bilhah. Jacob heard of the incident and did not say a word about it. Was Bilhah coerced, or did she willingly agree to sleep with Rueben? Such details are not given. What we know is what happened. Bilhah and Reuben’s action is a disrespect to Jacob. Aside the incestuous acts, it was a total disgrace for Bilhah to engage in sexual intimacy with Reuben while Jacob was still alive. The fact that Jacob heard it and does not immediately react to it makes the incident more difficult to process. Both Bilhah and Reuben continued to live in the same house with Jacob and the rest of the family. The huge burden of guilt hung like an Albatross around their necks. The weight of the guilt and the shame it probably brought to them had to be a lifetime mark. Bilhah and Reuben’s act had future consequences. 

Before Jacob died, he blessed all his children. For Reuben, this is what he said: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” (Genesis 49:3‭-‬4). Literally, Jacob cursed Reuben for the action done years ago. Bilhah might have heard of the curse too. Their age-old sin was reviewed on Jacob’s deathbed. The curse was laid on Reuben and no Reubenites could ever rise to the top in the history of the Israelites. No king, judge, priest ever came from the tribe of Rueben. The family also occupied a territory beyond Jordan when they moved to the promised land (Numbers 32:1-5). Reuben’s lack of control over his emotions (turbulent as the waters), led to an act that caused his descendants to lose a prominent place in Israel’s history. The only “popular” Reubenites, Datham and Abiram were rebel leaders and they died for inciting the people to sin (Numbers 16). Bilhah and Reuben’s mistake became a generational scare and we should learn from them to avoid a singular act that can deny us of a blissful future.

Before you do anything, consider the implications it would have in the future. You owe your descendants a blessing not a curse. Be intentional about avoiding sinful acts. One day with Bilhah or Reuben can cost a lifetime of regrets, pain, worry and disappointment. Look before you leap!

Rachel and Leah: Rueben’s mandrakes

The house of Jacob was a tension house. Imagine the drama between Rachel camp and Leah’s camp, the rivalry,  the envy, the competition and possibly the desire to get Jacob’s attention. I am not sure how Jacob managed to get his head together in such a toxic environment but definitely, Jacob was not the happiest man in the world. Rachel and Leah’s daily lives would have been full of quarreling, arguments and bitter feelings. This was the state of Jacob’s family. For God to still use such a broken family for His own glory is a reminder that no one is too broken or too bad for God to use. Jacob continued to work for his father-in-law while his wives took care of the home. One day, Rueben, Leah’s first born son went to 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.” 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.” (Genesis 30:14‭-‬15)

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night. (Genesis 30:16)

What are the mandrakes used for and why did Rachel pay for the mandrakes with “a night with Jacob?” In the ancient world, mandrakes were used for different purposes including  enhancing romance and for fertility.  Therefore, Rachel’s request for the mandrakes seem to be appropriate since she was battling with childbearing issues. Leah also needed the mandrakes because after her fourth son, she ceased childbearing. However, since Jacob favoured Rachel over Leah, the payment for the mandrakes was a night with Jacob. Far away on the fields,  Jacob did not know of the transaction between Rachel and Leah. There was no cell phone to communicate this to Jacob. “So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night” (Genesis 30:16). Jacob had no choice, he might have had another plan for the evening but he was obliged to sleep with Leah. He had no choice in this transaction but he was the price for mandrakes. Imagine the joy in Leah’s heart and the pressure on Jacob to pay for Rachel’s mandrakes. Jacob’s family could have easily passed for a popular drama series. The plots of their lives were so complicated and viewers will be glued to know what next. Rueben’s mandrakes became Leah’s opportunity to sleep with Jacob and this is what happened:

“God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(Genesis 30:17‭-‬21). Rachel was the one looking for the potency of the mandrakes but Leah who exchanged the mandrakes for Jacob had more babies. Did Leah pray to God? Why did vrs.17 begin with “God listened?” The one night with Jacob resulted in a son (Issachar) and later Leah had another son (Zebulun) and then a daughter (Dinah). All these while, Rachel remained childless except the two sons of her servant. Whenever I read these verses,  I am thrilled, God indeed has a good sense of humour. Why would Rachel receive all the love yet remain childless and Leah the unloved one receive all the babies? From another viewpoint, we see that both Rachel and Leah showed trust in the potency of the mandrakes to make one fertile. However, the Rachel who got the fertility plant did not even have a child, but Leah did.

As we study the lives of Rachel and Leah, we are reminded to put our trust in God and to look up to Him for our desires. We are also reminded that no matter our past story, God can still do something with us. Mandrakes are good but ultimately, God is the giver of the desires of our hearts. We should therefore take our attention from “the potency of mandrakes” and rather focus on “the power of God.” Is there anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Luke 18:27).