Working for a Wife
Text: Genesis 29:1-30
By: Ken McKinley
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Well before we start getting into our sermon this morning; let’s have a quick re-cap of what’s been going on in Jacob’s life. If you remember, he got his brother to first sell his birthright for a bowl of stew… then he got his brothers blessing by tricking his father. All of his lies and deception didn’t go over too well, so he was sent away to Haran, to find a wife, and to escape his brother. And on the way, he had a dream, where God spoke to him and God Himself confirmed the blessing upon Jacob.
And that brings us to our text this morning. And I’ll just tell you right now, God has a plan for Jacob, and He’s going to really start refining Jacob. And in this instance, God’s refining fire is a man named Laban. And this is something we see throughout the Bible. God uses circumstances, situations, and sometimes people (both pagan’s and Christians) to straighten us out.
So… Jacob arrives in the vicinity of Haran. He’s probably been on the road for about 3 weeks or so, and he comes to this well, and there are already shepherds sitting around it with their sheep. And so he asks them where they are from, and once he finds out they are from Haran, he asks if they know Laban. And as providence would have it, Laban’s daughter Rachel just happens to be approaching to water her father’s flock.
Now I’m sure that Jacob had probably heard the story of how his grandpa Abraham sent his servant to Haran to find a wife for his dad Isaac. And I’m sure he probably heard about how God directed the servant, and led him to exactly the right place. But now he’s actually getting to see God work. He had probably heard that story a hundred times, but now… now he’s actually getting to live out his own story and he’s actually getting to see God moving to ensure that His will comes to pass. But… just because Jacob’s getting to actually see this happening, that doesn’t mean that he understands it to be God’s providence; because remember, Jacob is pretty carnally minded. And so Jacob probably doesn’t even consider how God has led him to this place, and how God has orchestrated it perfectly so that at just the right time Rachel would be coming to water the flocks. And the reason I say that is because we don’t see Jacob react like we saw Abraham’s servant react. If you remember; when Abraham’s servant arrived in Haran and he found Rebekah he worshiped and praised the Lord. He gave all the glory to God. We don’t see anything like that coming from Jacob here.
In verses 9 – 12 we get to see when Jacob and Rachel first meet. And it’s almost like love at first sight. And so Jacob rolls the stone away from the well so that her sheep can be watered. And not only does he move the stone, he water’s the sheep. So basically; Jacob is doing what his mother did for Abraham’s servant. Some commentators say that he was showing off… or that he was trying to make a good impression, and maybe he was, but I think that he was just so smitten with Rachel that he wanted to do nice things for her. In verse 11 Jacob kisses Rachel, and we’re told that he lifted his voice and wept. And again; this isn’t necessarily worship, like we saw with Abraham’s servant. It is joy. Jacob is happy that he’s found what he’s looking for, and he’s probably pretty happy that Rachel is easy to look at. So Jacob’s probably pretty happy, but there’s no praise or thanksgiving recorded here.
And the kiss isn’t an affectionate or passionate kiss… it’s a customary thing. We see Laban greet Jacob a little later on in the same way. In-fact, they still do this in the Middle East, especially when it’s a joyous occasion. Jacob does it because he’s excited and joyful that he’s made it, and Laban does it because he’s happy that his sister bore Isaac children so that he didn’t have to give back the bride price.
So Jacob goes back home with Rachel. He meets his uncle Laban, and he stays there for a month. And at first; everything seems great. You know, he’s with his mom’s family. He’s met the girl he knows he wants to marry. His uncle has put him up and given him a place to stay. But it’s not going to last.
In verse 15 Jacob and Laban make a deal. Jacob says he’s willing to work for Laban for 7 years, if he can marry Rachel. And Laban agrees, but then he cheats Jacob and gives him Leah for a wife. In other words, Jacob is starting to reap what he has sown.
Now the Bible initially contrasts Rachel and Leah based on their appearance. We’re told that Rachel was beautiful, but Leah had “delicate” eyes… the Hebrew word there is “rak” and it literally means “tender” or “weak.” Some people think that she had these big doe eyes. Other’s think she might have been cross-eyed… or it may have been that they were a pale-bluish color. Whatever it was, it was considered unattractive, and that’s why we see the contrast between her and Rachel. Now it’s interesting though, because Proverbs 31:30 tells us guys not to base our relationships on how a woman looks. It says, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” But again, Jacob was a carnal man at the time, and he was attracted to Rachel. But if we play Paul Harvey and look at the rest of the story we see that Leah was the one who was blessed by God. She had several kids, long before Rachel ever did. Secondly; Rachel is the one… in Genesis 31, who takes her father’s idols when they leave Haran. Thirdly; Rachel dies before Leah does. We read that in Genesis 35. And fourthly; Genesis chapter 49 tells us that Jacob had Leah buried in the place where he was to be buried, not Rachel. And fifthly; it’s from Leah that the line of Christ is going to come from, not Rachel. Leah was the mother of Judah. Jacob had a plan, but so did God, and again – we see God’s will trumping the will of man. It happens every time. God’s ways are not our ways.
So Jacob begins to reap what he’s sown….
He worked seven years and was married to Leah, and then he had to work seven more years before he could be married to Rachel. And it’s like after that grace period of one month was over… God began to use Laban to really work on Jacob. In-fact, Laban is going to be the primary source of Jacob’s troubles for the next 20 years. And actually even beyond that. Laban’s going to cheat him and swindle him, and get 14 years of labor out of him, and be a thorn in his side for a big percentage of the rest of his life. And that’s just the way God works sometimes… He puts us, as believers into situations with people (sometimes unbelievers), in order to teach us about ourselves. I can tell you from experience, it’s hard to deal with someone who has the same character flaws that you do. And that’s what we’re seeing here. Jacob deceived his own father, and pretended to be Esau, and now his own uncle has pulled the ultimate trick on Jacob. He’s worked seven years of his life, without pay, for only room and board, and the promise that he would get to marry Rachel. But Laban pulled a fast one on him. And so if Jacob want’s Rachel, it’s going to be another seven years.
And here’s the thing… he actually does it.
How many of you would’ve been like, “Man that’s 14 years of my life!” Or now-a-days, most guys would probably just elope and run off to Vegas with her. “Forget the parents, we’re doing this our way.” But surprisingly; Jacob doesn’t do that. He goes back to work. He actually, really did love Rachel. And that’s a lesson. When a man… or a woman, is willing to put up with years of hardship, they must really love you. I mean, MariJo and I just had our anniversary at the beginning of the month, and I know she loves me, because she continues to put up with me. And I’m sure if you asked her, she’d tell you, I’m not the easiest guy to live with.
Alright… a couple of things I want us to see here, and then we’re done.
Hebrews 12 says we, as Christians, are to “endure hardship as discipline.” When I was a kid, there were times when my dad would say to me, “Kenny, we can do this the easy way or the hard way…” and it’s called the hard way for a reason. Jacob chose the hard way, and because God loved him, He gave him the hard way. God didn’t let Jacob off the hook. Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines. And so Laban was exactly what Jacob needed in his life. You know… I actually think that most of the time, when things are happening in our lives, we attribute it to an attack from the devil, when actually it’s God trying to get our attention, or it’s God disciplining us. Not because He hates us, or because He’s mad at us, but because He loves us, and is molding us into something more like Himself.
The second thing that we need to understand here is that God is not the author of sin.
Jacob has sinned in his life, He lied and tricked his father. Laban is a sinner, he lied and tricked Jacob. Even Rachel and Leah… they both sinned in this. Oh yeah… think about it, they both had to be in on the con. Jacob finishes his work of seven years, he thinks he’s going to marry Rachel, and there had to be some kind of ceremony where he thought he was getting Rachel, but after-words, he drank a little bit too much (which seems to be a problem with the patriarchs), and goes to his tent, and wakes up in the morning to find Leah, not Rachel… so Rachel played along up until Jacob became too inebriated to know what was happening, and then she and Leah swapped roles. They both sinned. So everyone involved has sinned in some way, and none of that is pleasing to God… but here’s the thing… God uses it. Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to HIS PURPOSE.” Not according to your purpose or mine, but HIS! Genesis 50:20, what man intends for evil, God can work for good. And that’s what God does. He uses things, and events and people, to mold us, and shape us, and discipline us, and get us back on track.
So what this passage is telling us is this. “Look; here’s what Jacob did. He chose the hard way. Now what about you?” If you make that choice, then this passage is showing you the choice that God’s going to make for you. God will get you through it, but it’s either going to be the easy way or the hard way. Because if you are a child of God, His word is clear that He’s not going to let you get away with a life of sinfulness.
Jacob is a lesson for us. He’s a lesson that we want to learn, but not emulate.
Amen?
LET’S PRAY
