Genesis Chapter 29 and 30
A Picture of Israel—God’s Bride
and
The Church---Christ’s Bride
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, history reveals Your invariable nature, fulfilled prophecies demonstrate Your reliability, and witnesses attest to Your faithfulness. Many people have proven untrustworthy; nevertheless, You are faithful and true. Amen.
Introduction:
Recently, I read a book entitled Destiny Junction by Michael Phillips. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with my niece. Since I had borrowed the copy I had read and my niece lives a couple thousand miles away, I decided to buy a copy for her birthday. Being the penny pincher that I am, Amazon.com. seemed like a good place to shop. I did the push-button search and found the item. Of course, I had a choice new or used. (Gee, I wonder if my niece will read this. If you do, Tam, I love you J). Okay, so I went with the used-in-good-condition option. I mean, it was a book. What could be wrong with a used-in-good-condition book? There were no breakable parts, no small pieces to be missing, and no sizes to get wrong. The price was right—99 cents plus $3.99 shipping. Don’t laugh! Four dollars and ninety-eight cents was a real bargain even for a used book and you know it.
A week later, a rather thin package arrived in the mail. Eager to examine my purchase, I ripped it open and pulled out the contents to discover a 48-page booklet that consisted of the first chapter of the book I had ordered. Apparently, the publisher printed the booklet as a promotional handout. On the cover, in bold red letters was the word—FREE. Now, you can laugh.
The Lesson:
In our society, we don’t always get what we pay for and neither did Jacob in his day. He worked seven years to acquire Rachel as his wife. The record states that the time seemed like a day because he loved her so much. Isn’t love grand!
Over the next two weeks, we will discuss Laban and then Jacob in more detail, but this week we will look through our 3-D glasses to examine Leah and Rachel.
Leah- Although I have read otherwise, I believe Leah foreshadows spiritual Israel in that:
1. She was Jacob’s first wife (verses 21-27). Isaiah recorded the Lord’s affections toward Israel, For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. (Isaiah 54:5 emphasis mine) Obviously, God considers Israel His wife and she was the forerunner of the church. Jacob was Leah’s redeemer in that it would have been a disgrace for the older sister to be unmarried at the time of the younger sister’s wedding.
2. She was fruitful and brought forth children then for a time she did not conceive. Chapter 29 verses 32-35 state that she conceived and bore four sons to Jacob. Then we read in chapter 30:9, When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. Then in verse 17 we read, And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. Although the Bible doesn’t say so, it is generally understood that Leah out lived Rachel. Before the church age, Israel was spiritually productive. During the church age, she is barren, but God will restore her after the church is caught up in the clouds. For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Romans 11:25 emphasis mine)
3. Jacob forsook her as God has forsaken Israel. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. (Isaiah 54:7)
4. Also consider Isaiah 60:15: Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. The Messiah was promised to Israel, and He came through Leah’s son Judah (Matthew 1:2-3 and Luke 3:33).
5. Leah’s eyes were tender (Genesis 29:17). That is to say sensitive or as the NIV translates it weak. Perhaps she was nearsighted. Israel’s spiritual eyes were tender toward God, but lacked discernment or long-range perspective in regards to the Messiah and His kingdom.
6. She was buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah, where Jacob commended that his bones be buried when Israel returned to the Promised Land (Genesis 49:31).
Rachel—similarly, although some theologians claim she is the type of Israel, I find that she foreshadows the church:
1. She was the one Jacob labored for. His love for her knew no boundaries and he willingly gave himself to her father to acquire his bride. Likewise, Jesus purchased the church with His blood: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28 emphasis mine
2. She had two sons, and within Christianity, there are two major classifications.
3. Her sons, technically her grandsons, were grafted into the inheritance by Jacob and were blessed by Moses as equal recipients of land as part of the twelve tribes of Israel (Numbers 34:14-29). Most lists pertaining to the twelve tribes of Israel include Joseph’s sons—Manasseh and Ephraim—and exclude Joseph and Levi. According to Romans chapter 11, Christians have been grafted into the main branch and will receive their place in the eternal inheritance.
4. Rachel’s life was short in comparison to Leah’s, and the church-age will be relatively short in comparison with Israel.
5. She was shepherdess tending her father’s flock. Similarly, the church is the sheep of God and our leaders are called as overseers (see verse attached to point 1).
6. She stole her father’s gods and hid them among her possessions. Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. (Genesis 31:34a) While Israel certainly has had her difficulty with false gods, the church has hidden them among her traditions. To this day, the church continues to conceal them within her ceremonies. Many Christians have no idea that their favorite Christmas and Easter traditions stem from pagan worship. And when found out, most refuse to give them up justifying their actions with lame excuses.
Conclusion and Challenge:
Together Leah and Rachel are credited for building the house of Israel (Ruth 4:11). And together spiritual Israel and Christianity build the house of God.
Before the birth of Christ, those who believed the promise of a Messiah and followed the law were saved. Now, those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and followed His commandments are saved. Some day soon, Jesus is coming back for the church and the truth of the gospel will again rest in the hands of Israel. Then, it will be up to them to witness for the Lord. (Revelation 7, this is one of the few lists naming Levi, Joseph, and Manasseh, but excluding Ephraim and Dan.)
