Genesis 29:1-30
Sister wives
Prayer for illumination-
Sermon introduction-
The year was 1521. The place was Germany. The man on trial was a Martin Luther. Why was he on trial before the most powerful men in Europe? Because of his convictions regarding the authority of the Bible and the nature of salvation! He was no fool, he knew his church history, and he realized that his ideas could get him killed. Earlier men who held similar convictions were tortured and then burned at the stake.
During the trial Luther was asked if he would recant his teachings.
Here is his famous reply- “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I Stand. I cannot do otherwise. My God help me. Amen.” (Sunshine, 34-35)
After these words were spoken chaos erupted in the courtroom. The emperor was so furious he stormed out of the room. Just outside the courtroom the Spanish contingent chanted “burn him, burn him”. Luther thought for sure he was toast.
Shortly after the trial the emperor made it clear that he would hunt Luther down like a notorious heretic and burn him at the stake. He also made it clear that the duty of all his loyal subjects was to seize Luther and deliver him to the authorities. Furthermore, he made the mere possession of Luther’s books punishable by death.
These were not idle threats. Luther’s enemies were real and powerful.
Luther had some serious enemies. Do you have enemies? We all have enemies to some extent. Evil people who want to due us harm. When evil people are out for us it may seem like God has abandoned us. Have you ever felt this way? This brings us to Genesis 29 this morning.
Genesis 29 teaches us that God uses all things, even evil people, to fulfill his promises!
God makes a promise
God fulfills his promise
First, God makes a promise
What does God promise Jacob? God promises Jacob numerous offspring!
We need to go back one chapter to understand the nature of this promise.
Genesis 28:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.
Just before this scene Jacob ruthlessly deceives his father and brother to obtain his Father’s blessing. This will come back to haunt him. In these verses Jacob’s father Isaac exhorts Jacob to take a wife from his mother’s country.
Off he goes to find a wife! On his way he falls into a deep sleep and God speaks to him.
Genesis 28:13–15 (ESV) — 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
In verse 14 God promises to give Jacob so many offspring that they will be like the dust of the earth.
This is quite a promise! This is the same promise that God made to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham proving that Jacob is the one to carry on Abraham’s line.
Having numerous offspring may not seem like a blessing to you. In fact, the average American family has 2.1 children (recently as low 1.87 according to a recent world mag article). This means that most American’s don’t see numerous offspring as a blessing. But in the ANE having lots of offspring was a huge blessing.
But at this point in the story Jacob is still single which creates tension in the story. This seems to be a pattern in Genesis. Abraham and Sarah were barren for years. When they finally have a son he remains single for what seems like an eternity. When he finally gets married he and his wife Rebekah are barren for 20 years. Each time we wonder the same thing. Is God going to fulfill his promise to his people to make them a great nation??? If so how in the world is he going to do it???
This brings us to our next point.
First, God makes a promise
Second, God fulfills his promise
How does God fulfill his promise? By bringing Rachael to Jacob!
Genesis 29:1–8 (ESV) — 1 Then Jacob went on his journey (literally- lifted up his feet) and came to the land of the people of the east.
Jacob walked over 400 miles (alone) to uncle Laban’s to find a wife! He is dirt poor and exhausted from his long journey.
Genesis 29:2–8 (ESV) — 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.
In order to ensure the security of the well a large stone was placed over it. This meant that several men were required to move it. This ensured that one or two rouge shepherds would not be able to steal water.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” (In other words- where am I?) They said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”
They give out as little information as possible indicating that they are probably suspicious of this stranger.
6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
In this interesting conversation Jacob discovers that he is in the right place, the land of Haran. We also see Jacob’s confidence/arrogance. He does not know these shepherds at all yet he rebukes them for being lazy shepherds, “shouldn’t your sheep be in the pasture by now???” More than likely what he is really trying to do is get these shepherds to beat or scram so that he can talk to the pretty girl who just showed up.
Genesis 29:9–12 (ESV) — 9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.
This was a feat of extraordinary strength. More than likely Jacob was trying to show off for Rachael. I’m sure the lazy shepherds were stunned. And I’m sure Jacob said to them, “Sorry boys, ladies first”.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.
This kiss was a customary greeting, and his tears marked his joy for finding the right girl, from the right family, in the right place, at the right time.
Does this scene sound familiar to you? It should! This scene is almost identical to the scene in Gen 24 where Abraham’s servant goes to find a wife for Isaac. Just like Jacob, Abraham’s servant travels a long way. Just like Jacob, Abraham’s servant shows up at a well (many think the same well). Just like Jacob, Abraham’s servant is approached by a beautiful women (the future bride). Is this a coincidence? Answer – No way!
These parallel scenes highlight God’s control of both situations.
In the previous chapter God promises to “keep Jacob wherever he goes”. In other words God will control all things and work all things for Jacob’s good.
Genesis 28:15 (ESV) — 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Application:
If are a Christian God will keep you wherever you go. In other words, he is in control of all the details of your life. There are no coincidences in this life! There is no such thing as chance or luck.
How does knowing that God controls all things help me? It doesn’t unless you also believe that God is also good. (Ruth C. story)
The job you chose, the spouse you chose, the place you live, the house you bought, the kids you have or don’t have, etc… God is in control of everything!
But how does this scene prove that God will fulfill his promise to Jacob to give him many offspring. In Jacob’s culture it is hard to have lots of kids if you’re single and Jacob is still single, although he has his eye on someone….
How is God fulfilling his promise? By bringing Rachel to Jacob!
How else is God fulfilling his promise? By bringing Laban to Jacob!
In this scene we see that Jacob the deceiver has met his match!
Genesis 29:13–30 (ESV) — 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things,
I doubt that Laban forgot what happened many years earlier when Abraham’s servant showed up looking for a wife. Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather. Laban and his family were paid very handsomely when Laban’s sister left to go with Abraham’s servant. Could this be why Laban was so eager to meet Jacob? We can’t say for sure but it is highly probable based on what happens next. Unfortunately for Laban Jacob had nothing to give, not even a donkey.
14 and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month. 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel.
Notice how the verses describe the two girls.
Rachel the younger daughter was beautiful in form and appearance. “Jacob loved Rachel”
Leah is described as having “weak eyes.” This obscure phrase means that Leah did not have fire or sparkle in her eyes, which was highly valued in this culture. In other words the younger daughter Rachel was the babe and Leah was rather unattractive. In fact, the name Leah means calf or cow.
(v.18) And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
Seven years was very generous. 3-4 was typical if a man was broke like Jacob. But seven years assured that Laban would say yes.
19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.”
Jacob’s demanding tone indicates that Laban has forgotten his agreement or he is reluctant to do what he said he was going to do seven years earlier.
22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast (the word feast is the Hebrew word for a drinking fest). 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”
First of all you are all probably wondering how in the world Jacob did not know that he was consummating his marriage with the wrong person. Most commentators’ think that the deception’s success was due to the late hour, the darkness, the bride’s veil, and the free flowing alcohol.
This is worse than an HBO mini series. Jacob was furious and there was no going back on Leah after the marriage was consummated.
The deceiver has been deceived.
Ironically Jacob demands to know why Laban “deceived” him. Wait a minute? Is Jacob’s memory that short? It took allot of nerve for Jacob to get angry with someone for deceiving him. He was the master deceiver.
He deceived his father during a feast involving wine in order to get the blessings of the first-born son. Now Jacob is deceived during a feast involving wine in order for Leah to get the blessing of the first-born daughter. What bitter irony!
Or we could say it this way. In genesis 27 two brothers are exchanged before a blind man in Genesis 29 two sisters are exchanged before another blind man, only this time the man is blinded by darkness.
Jacob is reaping what he sowed.
Galatians 6:7–8 (ESV) — 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.