Reading: Genesis chapter 29
Ill:
• For the romantics among you;
• Let me remind you that it in 20 days time it will be St Valentines Day:
• A day when traditionally we send a card to our loved ones;
• And maybe something extra e.g. a red rose or a romantic meal etc.
• Even though we know his name;
• Not too many people know who St Valentine was or why he became a saint.
• Valentine was a priest who lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius,
• The emperor Claudius decided to pass a law banning marriage.
• The reason he did this was simple.
• Not enough young men were not enlisting in the army;
• They preferred to stay home and marry and have a family.
• Valentine knew that God instituted the family and His will included great marriages.
• So, he kept on performing marriage ceremonies – but secretly.
• One night he was caught marrying a couple and ;
• He was thrown in jail and sentenced to death.
• During his imprisonment he was often visited by the jailer’s daughter;
• They talked for hours and a deep friendship developed between them.
• On the day, Valentine was due to die,
• He left her a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty.
• He signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
• That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day.
• It was written on the day he died,
• February 14th in the year 269 A.D.
I don’t know if you believe in falling in love at first sight:
• Jacob did and in our study this evening (Genesis chapter 29);
• He experienced it!
• But as Shakespeare wrote inn his play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1:1):
• "The course of true love never did run smooth."
• And Jacob is about to discover the truth of that statement as well!
• As we will see in this chapter Jacob the deceiver becomes Jacob the deceived!
(1). Protection (vs 1).
• The distance between Bethel and Haran was about 500 miles,
• This meant a long and dangerous journey.
• Jacob unable to return home because of his angry brother,
• Needs to make that journey;
• He needs to find his mother's family,
• And hope that they will receive him into their home.
Notice: Jacob makes this journey confidently:
• The Hebrew language in verse 1 is very suggestive and colourful:
• It reads: "Then Jacob lifted up his feet."
• It’s like our saying; “With a bounce in his step, off he went”.
• The picture painted in verse 1 is that of a new found joy and bounce in Jacob’s life.
• Last week you will have heard about how Jacob experienced an encounter with God:
• When God met with Jacob in a dream;
• And this led him to make a vow, a new commitment to his God.
• And Jacob also received promises from God.
• And so as he starts this long dangerous journey;
• He is sure - absolutely sure - of God’s protection, love, and care for him!
A promise from God is a statement we can depend on with absolute confidence
• Remember;
• A promise is only as good as the one who makes it.
Ill:
• I could promise my kids a trip to Butlins or a trip to the moon.
• I have the ability to keep my promise of taking them to Butlins but not to the moon,
• Whatever God promises he has the ability to deliver the goods.
• He made a promise to Jacob in chapter 28 at Bethel and he would keep that promise!
(2). Providence (vs 1+4+6).
The word ‘Providence’ is made up of two words:
• “Pro” means “Before” and “Video” means “to see”;
• The word ‘Providence’ simply means “to see before”
• So when we talk about the providence of God;
• We mean that God ‘sees before’ and plans accordingly.
• In other words nothing ever takes God by surprise;
• He is always one step ahead (or rather many steps ahead.
Ill:
• Alfred Hitchcock the famous director always appeared in each one of his films,
• Normally it was just for a few seconds or minute (a cameo role)
• In contrast Shakespeare never appears in any of his plays;
• His presence is pervasive, every act, every line of dialogue, bars the imprint of his pen,
• He is the genius behind all the characters,
• Each twist of the plot, every poignant ending.
In much the same way God is at work in the life of the believer!
• He is the invisible God (more like Shakespeare than Hitchcock);
• He is the invisible God who arranges circumstances for his purpose and plans.
Note:
• As you read verse 1 and verse 4; It may appear from a human perspective;
• That it’s Jacob’s lucky day, it is a chapter full of coincidences.
• e.g. Verse 1: Jacob is somewhere in the Haran area;
• He is a stranger in a strange land, and he ought to be completely lost – but he is not!
• e.g. Verse 4: He meets a bunch of shepherds;
• Who just happen to be a bunch of shepherds who work for his (Uncle) Laban.
• e.g. And then in verse 6:
• Laban’s daughter Rachel just happens to appear on the scene;
From a human perspective it’s Jacob’s lucky day, everything seems to happens by chance!
• Ill: Hebrew word for ‘Luck’ is ‘Gad’.
• So you can either live by ‘Gad’, or by ‘God’ (I know what I prefer).
• But for the believer! We trust in the Living God,
• Who arranges circumstances for his purpose, plans and glory.
• When you look at this story from God’s perspective:
• It shows him as being in control, it is the very opposite of believing in ‘Luck’.
We trust in the Living God,
• Who arranges circumstances for his purpose, plans and glory.
• Quote Hymn:
• “From life’s first cry to final breath; Jesus controls my destiny”.
• Psalmist (31 verse 15): “My times are in God’s hands”.
Ill:
• Time is an interesting thought,
• It gives us the guidelines of our daily operations.
• We have a certain time to go to work and school,
• Time is associated with money,
• Sorrowful moments are related to bad times,
• Joyful moments are associated with good times.
• Birthdays and anniversaries are remembered;
• According to the ‘time’ of a certain year you were born or the event took place.
Jacob’s times were in God’s hand:
• That is evidenced throughout this narrative;
• So in verse 4 he walked over to greet and meet the shepherds at the well:
• Jacob asked them a question;
• And they respond to his question and reveal that they are from Haran.
• Jacob asked if they knew his relatives, the family of Laban:
• Jacob then asked them if they knew his relative, Laban, the son of Nahor.
• They replied, “yes, they knew him”.
• The shepherds not only knew Laban and his family,
• But if Jacob sticks around long enough he can even meet one of them;
• Laban’s daughter Rachel will soon be here to water her flocks.
(3). Passion (vs 2-14)
Ill:
Welsh preacher who was a very passionate preacher;
• One day he was preaching on the verse in the Psalms;
• “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you”;
• As he passionately, enthusiastically preached the text, he was heard to say;
• “People, it’s your pants he wants!”
Ill:
• Passion is many times alluded to as a raging fire.
• Fire accurately describes the nature of Passion.
• On one hand, the fire of passion can be used constructively;
• If contained, it can be used for heating, cooking etc.
• On the other hand it can be used destructively;
• A fire out of control can devastate a forest and destroy life within it.
In this section (verses 2-14) we have three examples of the passion of Jacob.
(A). JACOB & THE SHEPHERDS.
• Verse 7: Jacob can’t quite understand while they are all sitting around waiting;
• To him they could water the sheep and they still have half a day to do some work.
Note: Different interpretations as to why they were waiting.
• It may be that that the water was scarce;
• They waited for everyone to arrive so that it was distributed evenly.
• It may be that the shepherds were lazy;
• Rather than work they had a perfect excuse, to just to sit around and chat etc.
• It may be that the shepherds were typical lads;
• Ill: Who wanted to wait for Rachel to laugh at her unable to lift the rock off the well;
• It may be that the shepherds were typical red blooded lads;
• Ill: Who themselves wanted to impress Rachel with their own act of chivalry!
Verse 9: “As they were talking Rachel arrived”.
• We are not told that she and her heard;
• Were the last flock of sheep that the others were waiting for;
• There may well have been other shepherds still on their way to the well.
• Note: Jacob allows his passion to get the better of him;
• Even though Jacob who was in his mid-seventies (about 77 years old)
• Verse 10 tells us he single handily rolled the stone away;
• Ill: He had some practice (Chapter 28 verse 18) erected a stone pillar at Bethel.
(B). JACOB AND RACHEL.
(1).
• When Jacob first saw Rachel, it was love at first sight!
• Ill: Woman = ‘Wow Man’!
• Add to that the excitement of having found his family (relatives);
• This stirred his emotions (his passions) to the limit.
• Ill: verse 10 in the Hebrew really brings this out.
• He referred to "his mother’s brother" three different times.
(2). Maybe this explains his unusual behaviour of not walking over to speak to Rachel.
• Instead he walked over and single-handedly rolled the stone from the well’s mouth.
• And watered the sheep for her.
• Maybe as well as impressing Rachel with his strength and gallantry;
• He just wanted to get rid of the other shepherds so that he could be alone with Rachel.
(3).
• In verse 11 we have more unusual behaviour from Jacob:
• He gave Rachel an unexpected kiss (ill: not passionate but a kiss of greeting on the cheeks).
• Ill: It was the custom of that day for family members to greet one another with a kiss,
• But note: Jacob had not yet identified himself as family.
• He was still a complete stranger to Rachel.
(4).
• In verse 11 we have more unusual behaviour from Jacob:
• This time he bursts into tears and began to weep.
• Again this all happened before he (in verse 12) identifies himself;
• As a relative of her father and as the son of her aunty Rebekah.
• Jacob was a man of passion, who went with his emotions;
• He acted first and then engaged brain!
(C). JACOB AND LABAN (VS 13-14).
• As soon as Jacob identified himself to Rachel;
• She left the well and ran back home to tell her father, Laban.
• Laban receives the news enthusiastically and rushes out to meet his nephew Jacob,
• He embraced him and kissed him repeatedly.
• Once again the Hebrew brings out the fact it was repeated kissing.
• This was a very warm, emotional, passionate family reunion.
• Laban was naturally thrilled to see a son of his sister,
• A sister who had left home almost one hundred years ago when they were only children.
• Laban then took Jacob to his house.
• And Jacob explained to him why he had come (verse 13b).
Question: How much did Jacob share of his reason for leaving home?
Answer: We don’t know.
Laban must have suspected (or would have known) that something was wrong.
(1).
• Because Jacob came alone, with no servant or attendants with him.
• Laban knew that the family was wealthy and that Abraham (Jacob’s granddad)
• Had sent a whole caravan of servants to seek a bride for Isaac.
• So how could Jacob explain his being alone with no servants?
(2).
• Also Jacob had no gifts, no dowry with which to secure a bride.
• How could he explain this?
(3).
• Also Jacob had not come for just a few days visit.
• He had apparently come for a long time and showed no desire to leave,
• Even after a month (verse14).
Note:
• We do know that in chapter 28 Jacob had just had a deep experience with God,
• He repented and committed his life anew to the Lord.
• Maybe this experience helped Jacob to come clean;
• To share his past deception and his recent experience of God at Bethel.
What we do know is that in verse 14:
• Laban accepted Jacob:
• He received Jacob as his own flesh and blood.
• And he invited Jacob to stay and work for him.
• And this Jacob did for a whole month.
(4). Pretence (vs 15-30)
• These verses ought to read like a ‘Mills & Boon’ love story;
• But the charm of a simple love story is blemished by the deceit of Laban.
Now during Jacob’s month long stay with Laban,
• He has not been sitting around, taking life easy and doing nothing,
• On the contrary, Jacob had been working hard.
• He had proven himself to be a very capable worker and worthy of wages.
• So one day Laban asked Jacob what he thought his wages should.
Jacob is in love:
• He is not interested in money but in Rachel (Laban’s daughter).
• Having no money to put down as a dowry (the Eastern custom);
• Verse 18: Jacob offers to work for seven years in return for Rachel’s hand in marriage.
• Verse 19: Laban agrees and the deal is struck.
• Verse 20: Indicates to us how strong Jacob’s love for Rachel was;
• He worked seven hard years but for him they seemed to fly by!
On first impressions Laban appears to be an honourable man in the story:
• But all that is about to change;
• Laban has a cunning plan, a cruel plan.
• Ironically, Jacob is about to be deceived with the kind of deception;
• That he himself had practiced back home among his father and brother.
THE DECEPTION:
• Verse 21: Jacob completed his ‘seven years’ labour for Rachel.
• Jacob had been eagerly counting the days;
• And when the 2,555 day came along;
• He went to Laban and asked (as agreed) to marry Rachel.
Verse 22: Laban gave a large wedding feast in honour of the couple:
• This was the custom of the day:
• The father of the bride would hold a week-long feast;
• To which family, friends, and neighbours were invited.
Verse 23: Laban’s cruel hoax and deception took place:
“But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob
and Jacob lay with her maidservant”
ill:
TV or film: we would have a flashback point.
• Back in verse 16-18: we are told that Laban had two daughters,
• The oldest was Leah and the youngest was Rachel, neither of them was married.
• In contrast to Rachel who appeared to be a stunner (physically attractive);
• Leah we are told had ‘weak eyes’.
• Ill: This could mean that she was cross-eyed or else had very bad eyesight.
• Or it could mean that her eyes were just not attractive e.g. they lacked a gleam, a sparkle.
• Not being able to marry Leah off;
• Laban bides his time and comes up with a cruel and cunning plan.
His hoax and deception is to switch the brides:
• So that Jacob unknowingly marries Leah;
• And Laban manages to find his older daughter Leah a husband.
• And for Laban this was a double winner;
• It meant he could secure another seven years service and work from Jacob.
Question:
• How did Laban pull off such a scheme?
• We would assume that Jacob would spot the changeover.
Answer: Maybe not!
• First Rachel would have been hidden out of sight.
• Second: Leah and Rachel were probably similar in stature, shape, and size.
• Third: Leah would have worn a heavy veil.
• Fourth: It was night - It was also dark and the cover of darkness also helps to hide Leah.
• Fifth: In celebration of his wedding.
• Jacob may well have had a few too many glasses of wine;
• Sixthly: Jacob was also unsuspecting; t
• The thought never even crossed his mind concerning a switch – and why should it!
• Jacob was deceived by a whole host of factors;
• That helped deceive him into believing Leah was Rachel.
THE OUTCOME:
• Note that the plot worked:
• Jacob consummated the marriage (he and Leah had sex on their wedding night);
• The next day he woke up looked into the eyes of his new wife;
• And to his horror discovered that he had been deceived.
When Jacob confronts Laban:
• His excuse for deceiving him is to declare that the community had a tradition, a law;
• That the older daughter of a family had to be the first to marry.
• Then in verse 27: Laban has the nerve to suggest a solution to the situation.
• All Jacob needs to do is to work another seven years and he can have Rachel as well.
• Amazingly; instead of exploding in anger against Laban;
• Jacob reluctantly agrees to Laban’s cunning but cruel plan.
• Laban actually sweetens his bitter deception;
• By letting Jacob marry Rachel seven days later.
• Verse 28: tells us that seven days later;
• After the traditional wedding week of celebrations had finished.
• Jacob got married again;
• This time to Rachel.
• Notice that he was given Rachel at the beginning of the seven years work, not after.
• He married Rachel and then fulfilled his agreement to work seven years for Laban.
CONCLUSION:
• Who needs EastEnders, Corrie or Emerdale;
• This story could fit quite easily into any modern day soap.
GRACE OF GOD AT WORK IN THE LIFE OF JACOB.
• Some may view the events of this chapter as God’s getting even with Jacob.
• Others would merely interpret them as a kind of poetic justice.
• I prefer to understand them as an evidence;
• Of the marvellous grace of God at work in the life of Jacob.
• God did not bring these events to pass to punish Jacob
• But to instruct him.
(a). Jacob learned the value of convention.
• A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted standards,
• Norms, social norms or criteria, often taking the form of a custom.
• Jacob showed no respect for the rules that regulated the use of the well (verses 2-3, 7-8);
• He just chose to break them and do his own thing.
• Jacob also disregarded some social conventions;
• In the way that he greeted Rachel – kissed her without explanation (verses 10-12).
• If Jacob knew about the convention of marrying the first-born first.
• Again he disregarded it and did what he wanted.
• Jacob learned the value of convention.
• Living in a community is a give and take process.
(b). Jacob experienced the grace of God in the delay of 14 plus years.
• It was this delay which contributed to the preservation of Jacob’s life;
• Had Jacob returned home with his new bride after seven years;
• The anger of Esau was still raging,
• And Esau who had purposed to kill him, may just have acted upon his vow.
(3). The grace of God was manifested in this event by the gift of Leah as a wife to Jacob. T
• In spite of the deceptiveness of Laban, Leah was Jacob’s wife.
• Leah was not a blight to Jacob but a blessing.
• Note: it will be Leah, not Rachel, who will become the mother of Judah (29:35),
• Who was to be the heir through whom the Messiah would come (49:8-12).
• Note: It was Levi, who was a son of Leah,
• Who would provide Israel’s priestly line in later years.
Summary:
• (1). The Lord’s protection.
• (2). The Lord’s providence
• (3). The Lord’s preparation (training of Jacob.
