Love Story.
This morning we are looking at a love story of sorts. It is quite a story for sure.
Question of the day: What is your favorite "Love story" in the bible and why?
I have always loved a good love story. I still do, truth be told! I think if I had to choose my favorite love story in the bible it would be Adam and Eve. Perhaps it is that naked and unashamed part or the pure innocent love that is so appealing. I don't know but nothing beats a great love story!
Today we are going to be starting in Genesis 29.
Today we are going to be starting in Genesis 29.
READ Genesis 29:1-20
Jacob Meets Rachel
29 Then Jacob [a]went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. 2 He looked, and [b]saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large.3 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” 6 And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is Rachel his daughter coming with the sheep.” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a [c]relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.
13 So when Laban heard the news of Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he related to Laban all these things. 14 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 [d]relative, 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 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and [e]face. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
This sounds like the beginnings of a beautiful love story...right?
What do we learn about Jacob in this passage?
Continue reading Genesis 29:21-30
Laban’s Treachery
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my [f]time is completed, that I may go in to her.” 22 Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. 24 Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 But Laban said, “It is not [g]the practice in our place to [h]marry off the younger before the firstborn.27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.”28 Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.
So now we aren't very happy with Laban who came in a wrecked this love story, are we? But if we put that aside this is still a sweet love story. After all we learn about how deep the love of Jacob for Rachel must have been to be willing to keep working.
Is there anything that you found interesting in this passage?
Continue on reading:
Genesis 29: 31-35 - Genesis 30:1-24
31 Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him [k]Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become [o]attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will [p]praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him [q]Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
The Sons of Jacob
30 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, [a]she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” 2 Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her that she may bear on my knees, that [b]through her I too may have children.” 4 So she gave him her maid Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has [c]vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore she named him [d]Dan. 7 Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 So Rachel said, “With [e]mighty wrestlings I have [f]wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.” And she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son.11 Then Leah said, “[g]How fortunate!” So she named him [h]Gad. 12 Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “[i]Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him [j]Asher.
14 Now in the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, then Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my [k]wages because I gave my maid to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. 19 Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband [l]will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord[m]give me another son.”
Wow what a story...right?
A couple things I want to point out before we start discussing this story...
1. the word for "unloved" can also be translated as "hated." Meaning when it says that God saw that Leah was "unloved", it could be said that, God saw that Leah was hated. Things were far from good for her.
2. What are mandrakes? Well they are a plant that has long been used in many different ways in pagan traditions, and it is believed that it was used to cure infertility.
With that in mind, what stands out for you in this passage?
What do we learn about Rachel?
What do we learn about Leah?
What was their relationship like?
I confess, I think I have put Rachel on a pedestal and I have villainized Leah. It was probably because of the many times I listened to the bible story on tape as a young girl and the voice of Rachel was sweet and she sounded so pretty but Leah sounded like the ugly step sisters in the Cinderella story. This story though is really not about one being good or bad. This is like when I would have to tell my girls to both go to their room and figure out how to get along because both were being ugly.
If you look at these women, what motivated all this "bad" behavior between them?
What were they ultimately trying to get or what was the "NEED" they had that drove their behavior?
As I see it maybe self-worth, or value. To be loved and honored. All good needs right?
How many times do we let our genuine good need drive us to attempt to get it filled in a bad way?
What are some of the warning signs that they were going down the wrong path?
Maybe trying to beat each other at the game of who can have the most children. At all cost too! Can you imagine needing to be valued and loved and honored so much that you are willing to send your servant into sleep with your husband? Seriously?!?
I am sure that there were childhood issues that were also playing into this relationship that we are unaware of, however it isn't hard to see them...
Maybe Leah always felt less than even though she was the oldest because Rachel was beautiful. And Rachel may have always felt like her parents gave Leah more attention because they were always worried because she had "weak eyes." If that was the case, can you imagine when they gave Leah to "her" man? Then she became the "second" wife and then can't have children.
So if we are looking at this story and asking what is the life application for us...
What is it?
What are some of the "needs" and are we going to the right source to get those needs met?
Other issues illustrated in the story of Leah and Rachel:
What about the poison of comparison?
Comparison can kill relationships.
What about coveting?
Okay, so back to the title.
Is this a love story?
What do we learn from this love story?
I will be honest after diving into this story I wasn't sure I would classify it as a love story. More of a story about sisters. A story about need, trying to fill that need ourselves, about selfishness, about hurt, about running ahead of God, about pain that is never healed.
What is the take away in this story for you?
What I know for sure is that I needed this week to be reminded that I must stop looking to others and at their gifts, or their attributes, and be willing to see what God has blessed me with and what God wants for me. I needed to be reminded that I must stop comparing, stop running ahead of God and thinking that I can take care of my needs. Instead, I must fully rely on Him, trust in Him, turn my eyes away from others and gaze upon Him and stop comparing and start sharing. I must remember that my worth and my value comes from Him and Him only. If I try to find it other ways I will end up empty and hurting others in the process.
Happy Sabbath!
Know Love.
Live Love.
Share Love.
I confess, I think I have put Rachel on a pedestal and I have villainized Leah. It was probably because of the many times I listened to the bible story on tape as a young girl and the voice of Rachel was sweet and she sounded so pretty but Leah sounded like the ugly step sisters in the Cinderella story. This story though is really not about one being good or bad. This is like when I would have to tell my girls to both go to their room and figure out how to get along because both were being ugly.
If you look at these women, what motivated all this "bad" behavior between them?
What were they ultimately trying to get or what was the "NEED" they had that drove their behavior?
As I see it maybe self-worth, or value. To be loved and honored. All good needs right?
How many times do we let our genuine good need drive us to attempt to get it filled in a bad way?
What are some of the warning signs that they were going down the wrong path?
Maybe trying to beat each other at the game of who can have the most children. At all cost too! Can you imagine needing to be valued and loved and honored so much that you are willing to send your servant into sleep with your husband? Seriously?!?
I am sure that there were childhood issues that were also playing into this relationship that we are unaware of, however it isn't hard to see them...
Maybe Leah always felt less than even though she was the oldest because Rachel was beautiful. And Rachel may have always felt like her parents gave Leah more attention because they were always worried because she had "weak eyes." If that was the case, can you imagine when they gave Leah to "her" man? Then she became the "second" wife and then can't have children.
So if we are looking at this story and asking what is the life application for us...
What is it?
What are some of the "needs" and are we going to the right source to get those needs met?
Other issues illustrated in the story of Leah and Rachel:
What about the poison of comparison?
Comparison can kill relationships.
What about coveting?
Okay, so back to the title.
Is this a love story?
What do we learn from this love story?
I will be honest after diving into this story I wasn't sure I would classify it as a love story. More of a story about sisters. A story about need, trying to fill that need ourselves, about selfishness, about hurt, about running ahead of God, about pain that is never healed.
What is the take away in this story for you?
What I know for sure is that I needed this week to be reminded that I must stop looking to others and at their gifts, or their attributes, and be willing to see what God has blessed me with and what God wants for me. I needed to be reminded that I must stop comparing, stop running ahead of God and thinking that I can take care of my needs. Instead, I must fully rely on Him, trust in Him, turn my eyes away from others and gaze upon Him and stop comparing and start sharing. I must remember that my worth and my value comes from Him and Him only. If I try to find it other ways I will end up empty and hurting others in the process.
Happy Sabbath!
Know Love.
Live Love.
Share Love.
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