I'm sure that most of us have read, or at least heard this story before. It reads like a Greek tragedy, and even more tragic--it's true.
Chapter 27
Okay, did anyone else laugh a verse 11? I'm sorry, but for some reason Jacob's frantic declaration got me tickled. Okay, we'll get started for real now.
I am really not sure that Jacob wanted to go along with his mother's scheme at first. Throughout their conversation, there are several moments when he seems to be hit with a pang of conscience. In verse 12 he seems concerned that his father will see him as deceitful, but was not all that worried about committing the actual deception. Righteousness does not depend on whether or not we are caught! Look at the way Rebekah takes control of him when he voices his doubts in the plan. She says, "Listen to me...Listen to my voice." Soothing him in that motherly way, yet leading him astray. Shh! Don't worry about the consequences. I'll take care of all that. You just do what I tell you. I'm looking out for your best interests. Of course I am I'm your mom. The Enemy is cunning.
There were so many chances in Jacob's encounter with his father that he could have done what was right. His father asks him over and over. Are you sure you are Esau? And time after time, Jacob lies. Maybe he felt like he had gone too far, that he was trapped. Beyond the point of no return. Sin has a way of making us feel that way. Praise God that it isn't true!
And suddenly, all is not well in the household. Esau becomes murderous and revengeful. Honestly, how did they think it would turn out? So Rebekah has to think of yet another scheme to get Jacob out of the house. Remember, back in chapter 24, how careful Abraham was not to let Isaac go back to his country to find a wife? And now Rebekah has pushed him into a corner. It's his only place to turn. But look how she turns on Jacob..."until your brother's anger subsides, and he forgets what you did to him.(verse 45)" Will she take NO CREDIT for this mess?! Maybe she has even deceived herself.
In verse 46 Rebekah covers the whole thing up. She goes to Isaac, seemingly innocent of the whole scene, and changes the subject. She twists everything so that Isaac thinks it was his idea to send Jacob away. Rebekah has become a crafty and dangerous woman.
In the beginning of Chapter 28, Esau has lost everything and is grasping for straws. He goes and marries yet another woman, this time one he thinks will gain his parents' approval. Sad.
Here we see Jacob's first awesome vision of God's plan for him. In verse 14 God promises that through him all the families of the earth will be blessed. Another Jesus clue.
Now, the beginning of Chapter 29 is one of my favorite parts of scripture. Jacob is instantly smitten by Rachel. In verse 10 he flexes his muscles a little bit--maybe to show off. And then in verse 11 it says that he kisses her, lifting his voice and weeping. This girl seems to be having an extreme emotional effect on him--and coupled with recent events, he has reached the end of his rope. He stays with them for an entire month before he ever declares intention. And by the end of that month, he is in love with her.
This is the most romantic verse in the Bible, in my opinion. It actually played a pretty big role in my courtship with Donnie. Genesis 29:20 "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed only a few days because of his love for her." Whew! That is soooo romantic. Donnie and I had been dating a while, when we decided to take a break. For a year. Just to be sure that we were right for each other. In fact, in that year we learned that we were not right for each other, but while we were apart, God did miraculous works in both of us that brought us back together, this time under His Will. Donnie knew before I did. I told him that we could think about dating when I finished reading through the bible. The whole thing. He said, "How long will that be?" I didn't answer him, but gave him this reference: Genesis 29:20. It didn't take us (quite) seven years to get back together, but I needed to know that he was willing to wait if it did. He showed me that he was. (Just yesterday we were telling someone that we had been married for five years. I jokingly said that it seemed like a lifetime. But at the same moment, he looked at me and said that it seemed like a day. Sigh.) So, I guess it makes sense that this story means so much to me.
But the Bible isn't a fairy tail.
Remember Laban? I'm guessing he and his sister, Rebekah had an interesting childhood. They can't get enough of the scheming. I have often wondered why Leah would go along with this. Did she believe that she was ugly and unlikely to marry otherwise? Did her father threaten her? And where was Rachel on their wedding night? Leah gets seven days of honeymoon and then Jacob marries her sister. Rachel never gets the chance to have her husband to herself. These girls are in for a lifetime of jealousy, hurt, and insecurity. Just so her father could use Jacob as an indentured servant.
I found the names of Leah's sons really interesting. Each one reflects her currant emotional state. With the first three she is still wallowing in shame and self-pity. By the arrival of the 4th child, she is ready to praise the Lord! We all have made decisions that we wish we could take back. But if our lives are going to mean something to the Kingdom, we have to accept Forgiveness, and LIVE. Stop looking at your feet, and look up!
Remember that Christ is called the Lion of Judah? It's from this boy's line that Christ will be born. I wonder why God chose Leah and not Rachel. And I wonder if her change in focus had anything to do with which son He chose. This is just speculation, of course, but still something to think about.
Next time: Genesis 30-33
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