The origin of the expression “three’s a crowd” comes from John Ray’s 1678 collection of English Proverbs. While Ray does not record this exact saying, he was the first to suggest this notion: “One’s too few, three too many.” As Moses recounts the life of Jacob, the Bible provides readers with the first ever Soap Opera. Sister Wives isn’t just the name of a reality show, Jacob found himself in the midst of a bitter quest for attention between Leah and Rachel and their personal maids. After studying Genesis 29-30, three maybe a crowd, but four wives brought chaos to Jacob’s life.
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die! 2 And Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children? 3 And she said, See here, take my maid Bilhah and have intercourse with her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it upon my knees, that I by her may also have children. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her maid as a [secondary] wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her. 5 And Bilhah became pregnant and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God has judged and vindicated me, and has heard my plea and has given me a son; so she named him Dan [judged], Genesis 30:1-6.
The context of this family drama began with a promise from God to Abraham and Isaac: descendants as numerous as stars in the sky. When Jacob deceived Isaac into receiving the blessing of the first son, Leah and Rachel longed to fulfill this by having as many children as possible. The only problem was Rachel’s womb remained barren for years and Leah wasn’t able to have children for extended period of time following the birth of her third child. Subsequently, Rachel turned to her maid Bilhah as a secondary wife. Following this alternative solution, Leah tried to one up her sister by giving her maid Zilpah as a secondary wife as well. If 3 wives are a crowd, Jacob’s 4th wife resulted in a chaotic household.
When Leah saw that she had ceased to bear, she gave Zilpah her maid to Jacob as a [secondary] wife. 10 And Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, Victory and good fortune have come; and she named him Gad [fortune]. 12 Zilpah, Leah’s maid, bore Jacob [her] second son. 13 And Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher [happy], Genesis 30:9-13.
According to 1 Kings 11:1-3, Solomon acquired 700 wives and 300 concubines. If the one of the wisest human beings to walk the face of the earth couldn’t resist the temptation of multiple wives, Jacob opened the door for polygamy by attempting to please his four wives. While Moses doesn’t spend that much time addressing Jacob’s chaotic household, you can sense the friction between Leah and Rachel. As each sister bases their happiness by the amount of children they provide for Jacob, a dysfunctional relationship develops. As you read Moses’ summary of Jacob’s life, may you learn to be thankful for what you have and not what you don’t.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 