All Christians are in the process of growth. And, as much as we would prefer the growth process to be a steady incline toward glory, it doesn’t happen that way. Rather, Christians grow in stages. Some stages are wonderful, where we find ourselves maturing by leaps and bounds. But in other stages we find ourselves taking a few steps back, or sometimes falling flat on our faces. The life of Jacob shows us this. Last week in Genesis 28 we saw God meet Jacob in a dream, and Jacob was greatly encouraged in faith as he saw the ladder, heard God make great promises to him, leading to Jacob’s own honest, though imperfect, commitment to the Lord. That was encouraging to see for sure. This week though, in Genesis 29, we will Jacob seemingly forget the Lord entirely, as we watch many of his own sins come back to haunt him. But in it all, there is the God of grace, who continues to work out His precious promises in the midst of it all.
Two headings to work through today, see first…
The Context (v1-14)
“Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 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, 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. Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 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.” 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.” While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 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. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 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. 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, and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.
Chapter 29 picks up right where chapter 28 left off. In chapter 28 we saw the events surrounding the dream God gave to Jacob that we’ve spoken of. Well, after such a special and memorable evening, morning dawns and Jacob rises up night and goes off on his way, still headed toward uncle Laban’s place to hopefully find a wife. Notice though the ominous detail in v1? There is mention of him rising and going toward “the people of the east.” This may seem an insignificant thing, but in Genesis the ’eastward’ direction is not normally seen as a good thing. We’ve seen it time and time again, and here it pops up again, letting us know as the reader, ominous events await Jacob at Laban’s house.[1]
Then we come to a scene at a well. Wells have played pivotal roles in the Patriarch’s lives before, and here we see the same thing for Jacob. Especially important is the last large well scene where Abraham’s servant went out in search of a wife for Isaac. That this scene and that former scene are so similar invites us to compare and contrast them. So Jacob arrives at this well, and in v2-3 we get all the scene laid out for us. There is the well, three flocks of sheep lying down beside it, and a large stone covering the well, which would be rolled away by three or four shepherds once they all arrived to give water to their flocks. In v4-8 there is quick dialogue between Jacob and the shepherds already at the well. He asks where they’re from, they say Haran. Jacob asks if they know Laban, they say they do. Jacob asks if Laban is well, and the shepherds basically answer ‘He’s fine, oh look it’s his daughter, ask her about it.’[2]
Before Jacob speaks to Rachel it certainly seems like he wants the other shepherds to leave so he can talk to her alone. That’s how v7-8 read. But they stay, giving the impression that they’re enjoying the break from work. Then, Rachel comes into the scene in v9. And as soon as Jacob saw her we almost laugh as we watch his reaction in v10-12! In a testosterone induced feat of strength he single handedly moves the large stone blocking the well. We perhaps didn’t give Jacob enough credit earlier as he was portrayed as a homebody mama’s boy, but here we see Jacob is definitely the brother of Esau, having strength of his own.[3] Interestingly enough, Jewish tradition believes Jacob to be a giant with superhuman strength because of this text.[4] Anywho, this likely would’ve stunned Rachel as well as the other shepherds surrounding the well. Rachel would’ve likely been stunned even more as Jacob then runs up to her, kisses her, and weeps aloud. I don’t think this is romantic at all, it’s a customary greeting among relatives. And more so Jacob is likely is overwhelmed at the completion of his journey, and that he just so happened to be at the exact right well, at the exact right time to meet Rachel.[5]
Then, in v13-14 Laban enters the scene, seemingly thrilled to meet another relative. But is he? Laban would not have quickly forgotten the last time a relative came to town, with a large caravan of camels and gifts to seek out a bride for Isaac. As Laban sees Jacob approaching he sees only one man, no caravan, no camels, no gifts, and once he hears the story from Jacob I think he realized how exploitable this young man was. Jacob in his joy is just eager to be there. Yet, Laban is eager to use these events for his own purposes.[6]
The Deception (v15-30)
“Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 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?” Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.”
v14 tells us Jacob labored among Laban’s household for a month, now v15 brings us back to present. Laban asks Jacob what he desires his wages to be for working for him. It does seem Laban has more in mind than mere wages. He could’ve asked this question earlier but he waited a month. Why? To observe Jacob and how to best manipulate him for his own gain. I’m not reading that into the text, Laban is family. From the start Laban should’ve been eager to aid Jacob in building a family, but he doesn’t and by bringing up ‘wages’ it’s as if he just views Jacob as one of his servants.[7] Notice it is now in the text we get a detail that helps us interpret this scene in v16-17, namely that Leah the older sister was not as beautiful as Rachel the younger sister. Leah’s eyes were weak, is what it says, but that phrase is contrasted with Rachel’s beauty, so clearly to have weak eyes means Leah was not as beautiful as Rachel was according to the standards of their day. So Jacob, who loves Rachel, says in v18 what Laban knows he will say, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” This makes sense for Jacob to do. He can’t go back home and get his father Isaac to offer up a dowry, he left, he’s on his own, so he offers himself instead. Which wasn’t unheard of in that day to offer such service, but it was rare to offer it for so long. Maybe you offer your service for 3-4 years at most, but Jacob offers seven years to marry the beautiful Rachel. And of course, Laban responds in the affirmative in v19, but notice he never mentions the name of the daughter he’ll give in v19, just that it is better to give her to him than someone else. And Jacob was so ecstatic, see it in v20, the entire seven years go by as “but a few days” because he loved her so. This phrase “but a few days” is the exact phrase Rebekah had used to describe how long he would have to be gone from home. So Jacob is eager to marry and do just that, return home.[8]
It seems Laban was holding out on him, so Jacob must be one to remind Laban the time was over in v21, Laban throws together a wedding in v22, and then the plan goes into effect in v23. See it? “But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her.” How ironic, that now Jacob the deceiver has been deceived. On one hand we might wonder how such in the world Jacob could fall for this, but the late hour, the bride’s veiled face, and most likely a little too much to drink made it all too easy for Laban to swap out the daughters. On the other hand, what was this like for the daughters? Were they willing participants in their father’s plans? Maybe Laban had to restrain Rachel as Leah went out to lie with her man. Maybe Laban brought Rachel to the wrong tent while Leah went to the right tent? Maybe, Laban lied to Leah and told her that Jacob really wanted her instead of Rachel? However it played out. We don’t ever learn of these details, but we are left wondering. What we do know is what Jacob learned as he woke, “…in the morning, behold, it was Leah!”
At this point, from v25b-30, we see the outcome of this deception. Jacob is angry in v25b that he was duped, Laban pretends to be angry in v26 by appealing to cultural customs, yet offers Jacob a new deal in v27, which Jacob agreed to in v28. He would finish out the wedding week with Leah, and then receive Rachel for another seven years of labor, culminating in v30 saying Jacob had now received both daughters as wives, along with their servants (setting the stage for the ‘birth wars’ to come), and it mentions his continued service, seven more years, which this time did not seem like just a few days. More irony in that the preferential treatment of one family member over another is now repeated in the next generation as Jacob loves Rachel and does not love Leah.[9]
Conclusion:
Two ways we drive this home to us today.[10] There’s bad news and good news to see here. First the bad news.
The Bad News
You don’t sin, sin does you. When we sin we normally think in terms of something we’ve done, or something we’ve left undone, we generally always think like this, sin as something we do. But look at what we’ve seen here. Isaac favored Esau over Jacob, now Jacob favors Rachel over Leah. Jacob deceived Isaac and Esau, now Laban deceives Jacob. And if we look further Leah’s children will hate Rachel’s children because of this, so much so that they eventually sell Rachel’s descendant Joseph into slavery and pretend he’s dead. Lesson? Tim Keller reminds us, “Lie begets lie. Sin begets sin. You don’t sin…It does you. You never sin and simply pass away. Sin is like a boulder, dropping into water. The shock waves go out forever.”
There’s more bad news to see in this text. Life on earth is marked by disappointment. We are right to feel for Leah in this story. She is abused in ways most of us can only imagine. But there is something she represents that is very sobering. When v25 says, “…in the morning, behold, it was Leah!” we are reminded of the end of all worldly hopes. Do you see this? If you’re hope is in anything in this world, and you get that thing and love that thing, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in year, or maybe not even in five years, but eventually everything we hope and trust in, in this world, that is not Christ will disappoint us and one day we will wake up and say, “It’s Leah!” Maybe it’s a personal goal of yours, a man or woman you desire to marry, a career you’ve wanted, a dream you’ve chased, whatever it is, though it began looking like Rachel to you, it will eventually look like Leah. Lesson? Church, hope in Christ. Goals, marriage, careers, jobs, and dreams are all good things, but making good things ultimate and central things always ends in disappointment, only Christ satisfies forever! All else will fail, therefore, put your hope in Christ.
That’s the bad news, now for the good news.
The Good News
God works with weak people. One of the reasons why Genesis is such a wonderful book to work through slowly is because it’s so honest. Have we not read of people, time and time again, doing horrible things to one another in this book so far? Indeed we have. There is good news for us in this. God works with weak people. Laban did really deceive Jacob, and Laban really did use Leah to get years of free labor. Jacob could’ve fought back more and defended himself before Laban, but perhaps he didn’t because he saw so much of himself in Laban and was disgusted by it. The deceiver had been deceived. So yes, what Laban did was wrong, incredibly so. But yes, God was using all these things to humble prideful Jacob. And story after story in Genesis reveal this to us. God working with weak people to accomplish great things. After all, at the end of the story, Jacob who had nothing, now had two wives and two servants. From these four women will come an immense family for Jacob in the coming years. Who would’ve thought all that would come about through all this?
God works through weak people. I know it’s not in our text today, but look ahead at v31. There we read, “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” Now the truth is seen. It isn’t so much that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, but that Jacob loved Rachel and hated Leah. Yet, what does God do for Leah? Her husband might hate her, but He loves her, He meets her, and He opens her womb. Her pain and hurt is seen in each of these children she has in v31-35, they all lay her heart bare and show how deeply she desires to be loved by her husband. But finally, it seems she grows and sets her sights far higher than her husband, she looks to the Lord. v35 says, “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah.” And in time, it will be through Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ is born! Church, through weak eyed Leah comes our strong savior! And what a savior He is. This Son of God is like His Father. God the Father loved the ugly woman who no one else loved, and so too, who did Jesus continually reach out to in His ministry? The ones no one else would love. More so, who does Jesus continually reach out to now? The ones the world would consider foolish, weak, and ugly. As Paul reminds us, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Church, this is the gospel. Though we might look like Leah to the world and to ourselves in all our sin, to the Savior, His Bride and His people ever look like Rachel. And so He came to save! And in Him and His salvation our hope stands firm!
[1] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2001), 400.
[2] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, WBC (Waco, TX: Zondervan, 2000), 230.
[3] R. Kent Hughes, Genesis, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2004), 367.
[4] Waltke, Genesis, 401.
[5] Waltke, 401.
[6] Hughes, Genesis, 368.
[7] Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 234–35.
[8] Wenham, 235.
[9] Waltke, Genesis, 406.
[10] Most all this application comes from Tim Keller’s excellent sermon “The Girl No One Wanted.”
