5 Weddings In The Bible

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 brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

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?”

LESSON 2. A wedding can be a deceptive union with unexpected consequences

Jacob loved Rachel. Working seven years to get Rachel seemed like a few days for him. But Rachel’s family got involved in the marriage and made what should have been the happiest of Jacobs life a harbinger of troubles to come.

According to the Times of India, December 27, just two weeks ago

Police have arrested Umesh Yadav as a suspect in the murder of his wife, Sunita.

The article reads:

The complainant said late last night they received a phone call from the accused Umesh Yadav that Sunita consumed poison.

The victim's family members rushed to the her in-laws' place and found her dead. They were surprised to find that all other members of the family including Umesh Yadav were absconding after the incident.

Suspecting foul play they lodged dowry and murder case against her husband Umesh Yadav and other members. The police said that they have registered a case under dowry act and murder against the deceased husband and other members of the family.

I’m an American. I confess I’ve never understood the dowry system in India. It seems to me if a lady is worth marrying the husband to be should be willing to pay any price to get her, like Jacob, giving seven years of his life, then seven years more. But whatever the case, marriage is the last place such things should become an issue. Marriage is a challenge no matter what. No interference from the parents of the bride or groom should conspire to make it even more of a challenge.

Someone said marriage is a 3-ring circus

engagement ring

wedding ring

suffering

You have to figure out if that’s talking from the man’s perspective or the lady’s.

We’ve looked at two weddings: Adam & Eve,

Which taught us that even a perfect wedding of a perfect couple from a perfect family doesn’t guarantee a perfect marriage.

Jacob and Rachel, from whom we were warned that parents families of the spouses can have a terrible negative impact on marriage

and now, we turn to one marriage among many in Solomon’s life.

WEDDING 3

Song of Songs of Solomon 3 11

Go out, O daughters of Zion,

and look upon King Solomon,

with the crown with which his mother crowned him

on the day of his wedding,

on the day of the gladness of his heart.

I love this little snipped from the Song of Songs of Solomon . . . Today it is popular for the bride to wear a tiara, but for Solomon’s wedding, he wore the crown, the crown his mom gave him. Last week I sang at a wedding, where the speaker built a beautiful message around this idea of the crown.