Jacob went on to Laban, his mother’s brother, and got some of his supplanting thrown back in his face. Jacob met Rachel and immediately fell in love with her. “Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, [to Laban] “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her” (Gen 29:16-20).
God puts His chosen through severe dealings to test their faith. Becoming a Son of God is like boot camp of the Navy Seals today. Now Laban was a treacherous man. After the 7 years labor “Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, [Rachel] for my time is completed, that I may go in to her” (Gen 29:21). However Laban had other ideas. He prepared a wedding feast “but in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her” (Gen 29:23). “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?” But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. “Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years” (Gen 29:25-27). Jacob’s treachery had been turned against him. But “Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife” (Gen 29:28).
Leah conceived and bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi then Judah. With each birth she thought it would bring her closer to Jacob since she knew he loved Rachel. But Rachel was barren. Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” So Rachel gave her maid Billah to Jacob and she bore two sons Dan and Naphtali. “When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife” (Gen 30:9). Zilpah bore 2 more sons: Gad and Asher. Leah then obtained some mandrakes grown in the field from Rachel. A mandrake is an aphrodisiac Hebrew dudaim. The weight of authority is in favor of its being regarded as “a near relative of the night-shades, the ‘apple of Sodom’ and the potato plant.” It possesses stimulating and narcotic properties (Gen. 30:14–16). The fruit of this plant resembles the potato-apple in size, and is of a pale orange color. It has been called the “love-apple.” The Arabs call it “Satan’s apple.” After taking the mandrakes Leah gave birth to two more sons Issachar and Zebulun. She also gave birth to a daughter Dinah. At this time God opened Rachel’s womb and she gave birth to Joseph.
To show how God chooses imperfect men to be Hi Sons Joseph the supplanter had one more trick up his sleeve. Laban begged Jacob to stay but Jacob wanted to take his family and animals home. On his way out He made a deal with Laban as to what flocks he could take. But through a complicated breeding trick he actually outsmarted Laban and left with more premium sheep than he should have (Genesis 30:25-43). So through trickery “the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys” (Gen 30:43). Laban was exceedingly mad when he realized he had been tricked and pursued Jacob. But eventually Laban and Jacob reached an agreement, Jacob went on and Labaan went home.
Jacob knew he would encounter his brother Esau on his way home. He didn’t know if Esau was still angry at him and he feared what Esau might do to his small band of travelers. Before he met Esau Jacob had a meeting with God in the night. “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he [the Lord] touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he [the Lord] said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he [Jacob] said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he [ the Lord] said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; [Heb. “he who strives with God”] for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed” (Gen 32:24-28). So began the nation of Israel which means “striving with God”.
Jacob and his sons would become the sons of Israel and would eventually inhabit the Promised Land promised by God to Abraham. They would be, as He said to Abraham, a great nation. Even though God had crippled Jacob in his hip, God considered Jacob’s struggling all night a victory. “So Jacob named the place Peniel, [Heb. “the face of God”] for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved” (Gen 32:30). Very few men in the scriptures can claim they saw God face to face so the meeting was significant in the overall plan of God.
Jacob went on and was very apprehensive about meeting Esau his brother. But “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” “And he [Esau] said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own” (Gen 33:4-5, 8-9). So Esau accepted a gift from Jacob and even offered to ride along to protect them on their journey but Jacob refused saying: “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. Jacob journeyed to Succoth, [“booths” in Heb.] and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock; therefore the place is named Succoth. Succoth is also the name for the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles instituted by Moses in the wilderness years later.
Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments;” (Gen 35:1-2). An altar (Heb. mizbe<ah, from a word meaning “to slay”) means any structure of earth (Ex. 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25) on which sacrifices were offered. An altar is a type of Christ in that it is erected for the sacrifice of an animal for one purpose or another. After Christ no altars were necessary since Christ was the sacrifice for once and all time. We smile a little at Peter as he wanted to build 3 altars to commemorate the transfiguration. “And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: [altars] one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying” (Luke 9:33). “So Jacob built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, [the God of Bethel] because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother” (Gen 35:7).
“Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel. God also said to him, “I am God Almighty [Heb El Shaddai]