The Chase That Never Satisfies

Genesis 30:14-20

¹⁴In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” ¹⁵But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” ¹⁶When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. ¹⁷And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.

¹⁹And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.

(ESV)

Thought:
Here begins a very interesting story, seemingly about a bidding war over some mandrakes. Leah’s son Reuben finds some mandrakes, but Rachel wants them and so she exchanges a night with Jacob for the mandrakes.

Each woman had what the other wanted. Rachel possessed the affections of Jacob and therefore could easily woo him to lay with her, but Leah had the fertility that Rachel did not appear to have. So why did she want the mandrakes? Because in their culture at the time, mandrakes were believed to have properties that could give on greater fertility. This was due to their appearance which closely mirrored that of the human body.

But because of her pagan superstitions she was happy to trade a night for her husband for a supposed chance to fix her barrenness. The irony being it is Leah who conceives more children and Rachel who continues to remain barren.

Leah used her children to win the affection of her husband, Rachel used the affections of her husband to possibly conceive a child. Neither of them achieved what they wanted. All of them are chasing something to make them happy, but they just never find it.

This is what the devil will do, he will keep us chasing one thing after another, keeping us deluded that finally we might find that happiness we have been missing, in our marriage, our children, our career, our hobbies, our legacy, but none of it will suffice.

We must be constantly reminded of this, that all we need is God. Our sinful nature always gives us this uneasiness that there is something we are missing, that we need something more than God, but what is that greater or better than God? Nothing. It is stupidity to keep chasing after things to be happy.

There is nothing to chase, it is freely offered to us, happiness has come down and has found us, we didn’t go looking for it, it searched us out and happiness has a name, his name is Jesus.

Reflection:
Rachel and Leah show how easily we chase something—approval, success, relationships, comfort—thinking it will finally make us happy. But like them, we end up empty. This passage calls us to stop running after lesser things and rest in the One who came to find us. Jesus is our true joy, freely given, not earned. Happiness has a name, and His name is Jesus.

Prayer:
Father, keep me from chasing things that cannot satisfy. When my heart longs for something more, turn my eyes to Jesus, the only source of true joy. Teach me to rest in Him rather than in the promises of the world. Thank You that happiness has already come to me in Christ. Help me walk in contentment and trust. Amen.