Genesis 29 – What Would You Do For Love?

 

Jacob goes on his journey and comes to the land of the people of the East. He saw a well in the field with three flocks of sheep lying near it. This well was used to water the flocks. However, a large stone covered the well’s mouth. The flocks would be gathered there and they (the shepherds) would roll away the stone and water the sheep, then put the stone back over the well’s mouth. Jacob asked the shepherds where were they from and they replied, “We are from Haran.” He asked them if they knew Laban and of course they knew him. Jacob asked if Laban was well and they answered that he is well. As they were talking, Rachel was coming towards them with her sheep and they informed Jacob that Rachel is Laban’s daughter. Jacob told the shepherds that it was early in the day and too early for all the sheep to be gathered together. So, he told them to water the sheep and then go feed them.  Wow! Who died and made Jacob boss? The shepherds said that they could not do that until all the flocks were gathered and then they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Different commentaries I read, suggested that it took all of the shepherds to roll away the stone because it was so large.  While Jacob was still speaking to them, Rachel, who was a shepherdess, arrived with her father’s sheep. When Jacob saw Rachel and the sheep, he rolled the stone away and watered her flock.  So, did the shepherds just use hanging out at the well as an excuse to be lazy or socialize? Obviously the stone wasn’t that great of a challenge for Jacob to move.  Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept. He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father. When Laban heard about his sister’s son, Jacob, he ran to meet him, embraced and kissed him and welcomed him into his home. Jacob talked with Laban and Laban said, “Surely you are my bone and flesh.”

Laban suggested to Jacob that he shouldn’t work for him for nothing because they were relatives, but should pay him wages. Laban gave Jacob the opportunity to decide what his wages should be. Besides Rachel, Laban had an older daughter whose name was Leah. She was not as attractive as Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel and offered to work for Laban seven years for her. Laban agreed saying that it was better to give her to Jacob than to another man. He told Jacob to stay with him. The seven years Jacob worked for Laban only seemed like days to him because of the love he had for Rachel. Have you ever loved someone or something so much that you were willing to do whatever it took (legally, of course) to get them or it? After Jacob worked the seven years, he told Laban to give him his wife so that he could consummate the marriage. In celebration, Laban had a feast and in the evening, he took Leah and gave her to him. Jacob unknowingly consummated a marriage to Leah. Laban gave his maid, Zilpah to Leah as a “wedding gift” to be her maid. Jacob was upset the next morning when he discovered he was deceived and he had slept with Leah that night. I wonder how Leah felt when she saw Jacob’s reaction to being married to her instead of Rachel.  I wonder how she felt when her father came to get her for the marriage bed. I highly doubt that Jacob’s love for Rachel was a secret for that seven year period.  How do you think Rachel felt when Leah was taken to Jacob instead of her? Jacob asked Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” Now, we see “like sister, like brother.” Rebekah plotted the deception in Genesis 27 and Laban now deceives Jacob. So, yes, Jacob inherited being a deceiver honestly.  Laban’s reason for the deception was that in their country the younger daughter should not get married before the older daughter. Laban told Jacob to fulfill the honeymoon week with Leah and then he will give him Rachel, but he would have to work for him another seven years.  I used to think that Jacob didn’t get to marry Rachel until after the 2nd seven years was over, but he actually was married to her after one week of being married to Leah. However, he still had to work seven additional years.  Laban gave his maid Bilhah as a “wedding gift” to Rachel to be her maid. Jacob consummated his marriage to Rachel. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah.

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb. Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and had a son and she named him Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Leah had a second son and she named him Simeon, because the Lord has heard that she was unloved, therefore He gave her another son. Leah conceived a third time and had son number three. His name was Levi. She thought that this time her husband would become attached to her because she had given him three sons. Leah conceived a fourth time and bore another son and she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore, she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing children.  

So, what did Leah do for love? She kept being intimate with her husband who didn’t love her in hopes of eventually winning his love. As much as Jacob loved Rachel, he didn’t seem to have any problems being with Leah intimately. I’ve asked this before in a previous post (Genesis 16), “Is this a ‘man thing’?” Not to just “browbeat” men, I’m sure there are some women who would not have a problem doing this as well. Some people live by the reasoning of “if you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with”. I also noticed that Leah was the one naming the sons and not Jacob, their father. By the time the fourth son was born, Leah took the focus off her, Jacob and the loveless marriage and decided to focus on the Lord and praise Him. If you are dealing with or have dealt with a difficult situation, what will it take or what did it take for you to stop focusing on the issue and to give God praise?

The next stop on this journey is Genesis 30.

To God Be The Glory!