Bilhah’s Seven

Bilhah’s Seven

Genesis 46: ²³ The son of Dan was Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.

 

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The last account of the tribes of Israel was Bilhah’s children. Dan and Naphtali. Bilhah was Rachel’s handmaid given to her by Laban.

 

My Observations:

• Bilhah may have believed she was the property of Rachel and also believed in household gods.
• Bilhah worked for Laban, possibly to pay off a debt that her family made.
• Bilhah had Dan and Naphtali which would become smaller tribes.

 

The tribe of Dan was eventually removed from genealogies. Naphtali’s genealogy was short. Both sons came from Bilhah through Jacob. Rachel insisted he sleep with her handmaid because she saw how many children Leah had and was jealous.

 

This plot to have children seemed to make matters worse. The Bible does not say what Jacob’s relationship with Dan was, but Dan ended up as a tribe who committed idolatry. GOD was still with all of Jacob’s children, but Bilhah produced the fewest descendants.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD tell Moses about Bilhah’s children?
• Has GOD ever put you in a situation where you were a substitute?
• Can you accept GOD’s grace that HE has on you?