Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Genesis 29
Genesis 29
“The con-artist gets conned”
In Chapter 28, Jacob left his home and went out to the land of his family. On the way, he has had a dream from God and is in what you might call a conversional part of his life. He is starting to change and become the person that God is intending for him to be.
Vs. 1-10
Jacob arrives in Padan Aram. He meets some of the people that live there, and he sees for the first time Rachel, whom he obviously falls for right from the beginning. Notice that though Jacob has had an experience with God that is going to start shaping his life, he still has some of the old nature in him. He immediately wants to send the others away, for he is used to being deceitful to gain what he wants. He must figure that without anyone around, he can make a play for the beautiful Rachel.
The stone that needed to be rolled away was a large flat rock that was used to cover the mouth of a cistern like this. It obviously took more than one man to roll it away, because already there were three shepherds and they hadn’t moved it yet. Of course, Jacob, who wants to impress Rachel and get rid of the other shepherds, somehow moves it alone. Men in love do such crazy things for beautiful women!
Vs. 11-12
The custom of a kiss was normal, but the weeping aloud was different. Either, Jacob was that moved, or Jacob was again up to his cunning tricks. Rachel now runs to tell her father that she has a relative for him to meet.
Vs. 13-15
Jacob has now met his match. Laban is a man who is out for himself just like Jacob has been up to this point. Laban calls him flesh and blood, but instead of treating him that way, he treats him as a worker. Laban should have helped set Jacob up with a start of his own, as a family member (see Gen. 30:25-34).
Vs. 16-17
Very simply, Leah had eyes that lacked the fire that was seen as attractive in those days. She was just not as attractive as Rachel. Rachel, on the other hand, was beautiful, and Jacob found her to be the one he wanted.
Vs. 18-21
Jacob makes a deal to work for Laban in exchange for Rachel. The deal is seven years, and when the time is over Jacob seeks to take his wife, and be married.
This is a great verse for purity. Jacob was promised to marry Rachel for seven years, but remained pure. Many people say, “we are engaged, so we can sleep together… besides we know we are going to get married.” Jacob went the distance of seven years and remained pure as a testimony of how it should be done.
Vs. 22-25
Ah, the irony! Jacob deceived his father by using his fathers blindness, and Laban has used the darkness of night to keep Jacob’s eyes from seeing what he was doing. Jacob is tricked into marrying Leah, and is mad.
Vs. 26-30
Jacob is hustled into working seven more years for Rachel, because he has already slept with Leah. So, Jacob finishes the “honeymoon” week, and then takes Rachel also as a wife. Clearly, Jacob loved Rachel more.
Vs. 21-End
Though Jacob clearly loves Rachel more than Leah, he does seem to find time to sleep with both! God ends up seeing the lack of love for Leah, and decides to provide children through her. Leah conceives and has four sons. These four sons will be important later, but for now they are Jacobs first born.
Irony:
Jacob who has conned his brother and father to get what he wanted from the family blessings, and family birthright, has nothing of his own, and is conned by the patriarch of the family he goes to live with.
Jacob is a man who is learning to be a better, Godlier man, but he has a lot of lessons to learn. Jacob is learning lessons about life by being on the receiving end of the things he did to others.
“In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”
Proverbs 12:28
“The con-artist gets conned”
In Chapter 28, Jacob left his home and went out to the land of his family. On the way, he has had a dream from God and is in what you might call a conversional part of his life. He is starting to change and become the person that God is intending for him to be.
Vs. 1-10
Jacob arrives in Padan Aram. He meets some of the people that live there, and he sees for the first time Rachel, whom he obviously falls for right from the beginning. Notice that though Jacob has had an experience with God that is going to start shaping his life, he still has some of the old nature in him. He immediately wants to send the others away, for he is used to being deceitful to gain what he wants. He must figure that without anyone around, he can make a play for the beautiful Rachel.
The stone that needed to be rolled away was a large flat rock that was used to cover the mouth of a cistern like this. It obviously took more than one man to roll it away, because already there were three shepherds and they hadn’t moved it yet. Of course, Jacob, who wants to impress Rachel and get rid of the other shepherds, somehow moves it alone. Men in love do such crazy things for beautiful women!
Vs. 11-12
The custom of a kiss was normal, but the weeping aloud was different. Either, Jacob was that moved, or Jacob was again up to his cunning tricks. Rachel now runs to tell her father that she has a relative for him to meet.
Vs. 13-15
Jacob has now met his match. Laban is a man who is out for himself just like Jacob has been up to this point. Laban calls him flesh and blood, but instead of treating him that way, he treats him as a worker. Laban should have helped set Jacob up with a start of his own, as a family member (see Gen. 30:25-34).
Vs. 16-17
Very simply, Leah had eyes that lacked the fire that was seen as attractive in those days. She was just not as attractive as Rachel. Rachel, on the other hand, was beautiful, and Jacob found her to be the one he wanted.
Vs. 18-21
Jacob makes a deal to work for Laban in exchange for Rachel. The deal is seven years, and when the time is over Jacob seeks to take his wife, and be married.
This is a great verse for purity. Jacob was promised to marry Rachel for seven years, but remained pure. Many people say, “we are engaged, so we can sleep together… besides we know we are going to get married.” Jacob went the distance of seven years and remained pure as a testimony of how it should be done.
Vs. 22-25
Ah, the irony! Jacob deceived his father by using his fathers blindness, and Laban has used the darkness of night to keep Jacob’s eyes from seeing what he was doing. Jacob is tricked into marrying Leah, and is mad.
Vs. 26-30
Jacob is hustled into working seven more years for Rachel, because he has already slept with Leah. So, Jacob finishes the “honeymoon” week, and then takes Rachel also as a wife. Clearly, Jacob loved Rachel more.
Vs. 21-End
Though Jacob clearly loves Rachel more than Leah, he does seem to find time to sleep with both! God ends up seeing the lack of love for Leah, and decides to provide children through her. Leah conceives and has four sons. These four sons will be important later, but for now they are Jacobs first born.
Irony:
Jacob who has conned his brother and father to get what he wanted from the family blessings, and family birthright, has nothing of his own, and is conned by the patriarch of the family he goes to live with.
Jacob is a man who is learning to be a better, Godlier man, but he has a lot of lessons to learn. Jacob is learning lessons about life by being on the receiving end of the things he did to others.
“In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”
Proverbs 12:28
