Texts: Genesis 29:15-30
Date: Sunday, July 28, 2002
Author: Rev. Jonathan K. Twitchell
The floor I lived on my Freshman year in college was known for pranks. Oh, I didn’t get too involved, playing pranks on other people was never really my idea of a good time, but the guys on Second Shields (including my roommate Justin) managed to get involved in quite a bit of friendly pranks. Usually, these pranks would start out small, like putting saran wrap over someone’s door while they were sleeping, or dumping cold water on someone while they were in a nice warm shower. Generally, a small prank would be played, and the recipient of the prank would come up with something a little bit better, in order to get the prankster back. The whole floor would watch in anticipation, knowing that these pranks would eventually get out of hand and some real excitement would follow. Mid-range pranks included turning desk and bureau drawers upside down so the contents would spill on the floor the next time they were opened, or stealing laundry out of the dryer and scattering it around campus. More serious pranks might include filling a 33-gallon trash can up with water and leaning it up against the outside of someone’s door, so when they opened it in the morning they would have a half-inch of water all over their floor. Then there was the time that someone filled a trash bag with shaving cream, slipped the opening under someone’s door and stomped on the bag, shooting shaving cream over everything in the room. I’ve heard stories of prank wars which escalated to the point of major pranks, like: carrying someone’s bed - with them sleeping on it - and setting it outside the cafeteria. Or, the time that someone got back from winter break to discover that the door to their dorm room had simply disappeared. Where there was once a door, there was now simply sheetrock and paint, taped, spackled, and painted to match the rest of the hall. While I was glad to never have been involved, it was sometimes quite amusing to watch the creative juices of my classmates at work. It was always fun to watch people storm around campus after they had been “GOT” with a major prank. And, somewhere deep inside, we always liked it when someone who had been dishing out lots of pranks finally “got what was coming to them.”
Some might say Jacob got what was coming to him in Genesis chapter 29. After his continuing deceit and treachery to his brother Esau, and later to his father Isaac, we might start cheering for Laban as we watch him deceive Jacob. As the audience, we watched Jacob be born, second in line to his brother, grabbing at his heel, trying to get ahead even in childbirth. We were disgusted as he charged his brother Esau an outrageous price for a simple bowl of stew, and horrified when he dressed up in a costume to trick his own father into blessing the wrong son while lying on his deathbed. And now, we have a hard time holding in the cheers when we see him come storming out of his tent the morning after his wedding realizing that he had been gotten BAD, and that the joke was finally on him. Seven years of his life had he given in exchange for beautiful Rachel, yet he awoke in the morning realizing he had married ugly Leah. Whether it was the lack of lighting, or perhaps too much partying, feasting, and alcohol, we may never know. But somehow, Jacob managed to consummate his marriage, not with Rachel, whom he had bargained for, but with her less-than-attractive older sister Leah.
Hear our scripture narrative this morning from Genesis 29:
15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.”
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.
27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
We can hardly picture the horrified expression on Jacob’s face. Imagine being tricked by your own flesh and blood-your own uncle. Uncle Laban had certainly deceived Jacob badly. Imagine thinking you had married one person, and waking up in the morning to discover that you had married another. Imagine having already given up seven years of your life in labor, and now being tricked into spending another 7 years of your life in labor so that you can finally cash in on the promise that had been made to you.
I wonder what Jacob thought about while he was working in the fields. Scripture isn’t clear what kind of work Jacob did, but we can imagine that he might have been herding animals, tending the land, hunting, or any number of other tasks typically performed by nomadic Bedouins. During those first seven years, we like to imagine that he thought about Rachel’s beauty. Scripture indicates that time passed quickly for him because he was so deeply in love with her, and so the work passed quickly with thoughts of beautiful Rachel.
On the other hand, Scripture tells us little about what happened during the second set of seven years. We don’t know if time passed quickly or slowly. We don’t know what Jacob’s attitude was, and we don’t know what he thought about during the long hard days of work for his uncle. We can only draw conclusions based upon what we know of Jacob’s life so far. I think it’s fair to suggest that Jacob probably woke up every morning with the insistent reminder that he had been tricked. I doubt a day went by when he didn’t remember his uncle’s broken promise.
It’s an interesting contrast that Jacob faces. On the one hand, he remembers his supernatural experience at Bethel. He remembers how God built a ladder into his life and that the space between earth and heaven seemed thin...so thin, in fact that he declared that spot to be the very gates of heaven. On the other hand, Jacob is confronted daily with the very mundane experience in Haran, when he is reminded daily of the shattered dreams and broken promises around him.
We learn at a young age what Jacob learned there in Haran. We learn that people often let us down. Whether it was the promised ice cream cone, ball game, special present, or a visit to the park, we learn that sometimes people break promises. Perhaps it was a deal with a friend in kindergarten that went sour, or maybe a forgotten promise to be at the head of the lunch line, we find that there are times when we are disappointed because a promise didn’t come true.
As we grow older, those promises become more important to us. When they’re broken we tend to become more bitter and cynical. I can’t possibly imagine the torment Jacob went through as he was confronted with the prospect of giving up another seven years of his life in service to his uncle--all because of a broken promise. And yet, I can imagine that there are people all around us who have become bitter and cynical because of broken promises.
Unfortunately, we live in a society that doesn’t value a promise as much as it used to. Marriages end in divorce, business deals end in lawsuits, partnerships turn bad, and our perception of reality becomes greatly distorted. Perhaps we have come to expect promises to be broken. Our culture has become so disillusioned that we don’t believe anyone can keep their word. When our perception becomes this clouded, we need to look at Kingdom Realities!
“What’s a Kingdom Reality?” you say. A Kingdom Reality is something that is true in the Kingdom of God, but may not be readily apparent in the earthly realm. Eternal life is a Kingdom Reality. It’s true, but when we are confronted with sickness and death, it’s not readily apparent. God’s promises are Kingdom Realities. We may not always see His hand at work, but He is always faithful to His promises.
I don’t know what Jacob was thinking during those seven years, but I hope he was focusing on Kingdom Realities instead of allowing his perspective to be blurred by the broken promise of his Uncle Laban. I hope Jacob held on to the promise of God given to him at Bethel. I hope he held on to that promise with all his might! You remember the promise of God at Bethel don’t you?
28:13b “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
You can almost hear echoes of that promise in our Romans text this morning:
8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose....38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, [nor Uncle Laban], nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, [nor broken promises], nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Don’t you wish Jacob had those comforting words from Romans 8? But I’d like to think that he believed it anyway. I’d like to think that as he plowed, cultivated, hunted, and shepherded, he held on to the promises of God with all he had, believing that God would be with him until God had done what He had promised.
This morning, I offer you the promises of God. Not the promises of a pastor, or the promises of a church, or a denomination, but the promises of God. When all around you crumbles and falls, I give you the promises of God. When you’ve been tricked, and deceived, I offer you the promises of God. When the deal goes bad, or the joke is on you, I present to you the promises of God. You may not be able to stand on the promises of people, but you can plant your feet firmly on the promises of God.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -- Jeremiah 29:11.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -- Isaiah 40:31
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. -- Psalm 37:4
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -- Matthew 28:20
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” -- John 3:16-17
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved....for, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -- Romans 10:9,10, 13
This morning, I offer you the promises of God. Not the promises of a pastor, or the promises of a church, or a denomination, but the promises of God. When all around you crumbles and falls, I give you the promises of God. When you’ve been tricked, and deceived, I offer you the promises of God. When the deal goes bad, or the joke is on you, I present to you the promises of God. You may not be able to stand on the promises of people, but you can plant your feet firmly on the promises of God.
As we come to the Table today, we celebrate God’s promises. Even as we celebrate Holy Communion this morning, we remember His faithfulness. We partake in faith, that these elements will become food and drink for our souls, nourishing us for every good work for the Kingdom.
Benediction: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
