Jacob Part 10: Deception in the House of Lavan

Deception in the House of Lavan

Last week we talked about that amazing dream. Do you wish you had dreams like that?

He did say he was terrified.

We're not gonna forget about the dream though, 'cause it's gonna come up again as we move forward. 

he goes from Bethel, which is up in the northern hill country. He didn't get that far before he has that dream. And then in a sentence, he's gonna have crossed hundreds of miles and it's gonna land his way halfway back to Babylon in the town Haran, where all of his extended family lives. 

So just quick on the map of the Yaaqov story, we are now in the center of the second act, which means we're in the center of the center.

And the way that these stories get designed whenever there's symmetrical shaping, every part's important and understanding how the parts that match and compare are significant. But usually, the centers of centers of centers are loaded with extra weight. 

And so notice that in the center of the center and then in the center of the center of the center is the story of the birth of the 12 tribes. Chapters 29:31-30:24

So that is surely significant because it's the birth of the characters whose names are gonna be the characters throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible. 

So this section happens in three steps. 

'Cause once again, the center has three parts. Each of those has three parts. And if you follow them through, look at the order

Chapter 29:1-30 is gonna be taken up with the story of Yaaqov getting to Haran and he meets Rakhel and who introduces him to his uncle, Lavan. And he's going to meet Rakhel by a well. 

Rakhel is the Hebrew word for "lamb." So he meets Lamb by a well and wants to marry her. And so Lavan says, yeah, let's arrange that. And Lavan receives Yaaqov and then deceives him by switching out the daughters that are gonna marry, and he switches Lamb out with Leah. Leah's name means "calf." So he switches the lamb for the calf and the calf for the lamb. That's the first narrative.

The second narrative in the middle of the middle of the middle is about the rival sisters. So you have Yaaqov and Lavan having a rivalry up here. And then because of what Lavan has done, that creates jealousy and rivalry among these sisters. And so there's gonna be a story about their rivalry that leads to the birth of all of these sons. The sons are born out of jealousy and rivalry. Then we're gonna turn our attention back to the rivalry of nephew and uncle. And what's gonna happen is Lavan thinks that he's gonna trick Yaaqov out of a whole bunch of money, that is flocks, but what actually happens is a counter deception. And Yaaqov is gonna trick his uncle out of his lambs and calves.

Like the word "lamb" and "calf" is actually used in the narrative to describe the flock that Yaaqov deceptively builds from. 

The rivalry of these sisters is at the center. The reason that they're in this rivalry is because of these men, these powerful men who are wheeling and dealing and trading these daughters back and forth like they're animals.

Do you see the deception with the daughters is set on analogy to the deception with the animals? And the daughters are named after the animals. 

the critique that's being leveled against both Lavan and and Yaaqov here. And the reason these women are in this sad situation they're in in the first place is because of what these selfish guys are doing. So that's an element of this portrait that I think seeing the symmetrical design, I think gives us some insight into. 

So that's the design of the story here at the center of the center of the center. So we're gonna take this in multiple steps.

In all of these stories, human characters scheme to achieve the Eden-blessing of God’s abundance, and they hurt each other in the process. And yet, God meets each of these people, the deceivers and the deceived, exactly where they’re at and shows them patience and mercy. However, at the same time, the overarching theme in the Yaaqov story is that God’s providence is at work, and even the selfish schemes of Lavan become the vehicle of God’s purpose in Yaaqov's life. What Yaaqov did to his family is brought back upon his head, but in order to humble him and make him into the kind of person who can become the vehicle of God’s blessing to others.

Genesis 29:1–11 CSB

1 Jacob resumed his journey and went to the eastern country. 2 He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. But a large stone covered the opening of the well. 3 The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep when all the flocks were gathered there. Then they would return the stone to its place over the well’s opening. 4 Jacob asked the men at the well, “My brothers! Where are you from?” “We’re from Haran,” they answered. 5 “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” Jacob asked them. They answered, “We know him.” 6 “Is he well?” Jacob asked. “Yes,” they said, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep.” 7 Then Jacob said, “Look, it is still broad daylight. It’s not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze.” 8 But they replied, “We can’t until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s opening. Then we will water the sheep.” 9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban’s daughter Rachel with his sheep, he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly.

"And Yaaqov lifted up his feet and he went to the land of the sons of the east." He's being exiled, after all. So where do all exiles go?

They go to the east. 

"And he saw ..." And well, look at that. Out here in the desolate exiled wilderness. A well, wouldn't you know it? Just a surprise well out here. "And look, all these animals peacefully laying down at the well, because from that well, they," who's they?

Well, you're gonna meet the they in a minute. So "they would provide water for the herds. Ooh, and there was a stone over the mouth of that well." Big, big stone.

"And all the herds would be gathered there. And then they would roll away the stone from the mouth of the well, and that's when they would provide water for the flock. And that's when they would return the stone over the mouth of the well to its place."

So apparently, this well's important 'cause we just spent a lot of time meditating on this well.

So in narrative time, all that's happened is he like was walking and then he saw a well. It's like that's all that happened. All of this is backstory. 

It's only when all the herds are gathered together, that's when it's time to roll the stone away, that's when you provide water for the flock. And then you put the stone back. 

That's how over here in Haran. You know, we've got a way things work around here.

"And Yaaqov said to them, 'Ah, my brothers, where are y'all from?' And they said, 'Oh, we're from Haran.'" I mean, you're in Haran. We're from here.

"And he said to them, 'Do y'all know Lavan, son of Nahor?' And they said, 'Oh, yeah, we know that guy.' And he said, 'Well, is there shalom for him?' And they said, 'Yeah, he's doing fine.'" Shalom. 

They almost seem annoyed that he is here. I might be putting my own experiences into this. Boonville Ky. Going to breakfast.

"And look, right then, Rakhel, his daughter, was coming with the flock."

So remember, Rakhel is the word "lamb." How you pronounce the verb "was coming" in Hebrew is ba'ah.

Isn't that great?

I think you're supposed to laugh. The Lamb was ba'ah-ing as it came. Anyway.

"And he," that is Yaaqov, "said, 'Look, you know, the day is still big,'" that it is, you know, there's still a lot of day left.

"'It's not time for the livestock to be gathered. You guys provide water for the flock, so they can go graze.' And they said, 'You just got here, and you're gonna tell us what to do?'" So that's my paraphrase. 

"They said, 'Nah, that's not how we do things here at Haran. No, we're not able. No, we don't do that till all the flocks are gathered here. That's when they roll the stone away from the mouth of the well. And only then do we provide water from the flock.'"

Listen, buddy. You have an idea about how to deal with the flock. This is our job, and we have a way things work around here. 

Like, what's up with all of this stuff about the order and the timing of the well, okay? "While he was still speaking with them, well then here came Lamb ba'ahing with the flock that belonged to her father because she was a shepherd.

And it came about when Yaaqov saw Rakhel, daughter of Lavan, brother of his mother, and the flock of Lavan, brother of his mother. Then he came near" and he went rogue.

He decided, no, I know when it's time to roll that stone away. "So he went and he just rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well. And he provided water for the flock of Lavan, brother of his mother. And he gave water to Rakhel. And he lifted up his voice, and he wept."

What is he crying for?

who does happen to run into by the well?

He just showed up at a well and then lo and behold, it's my uncle's daughter of marriageable age right here, right now.

I don't know. That's what I've always thought's going on here. It's like, I can't believe it. I was sent here 'cause I'm supposed to meet somebody that I can marry and here she is. 

What do you think?

happy tears. Happy tears. You're right. The phrasing "to lift up your voice and weep" though it can be used for sad tears too. And that's true. So yeah, I guess, the context needs to determine the meaning of the tears. And isn't that always the case though?

So this is a whole story about, okay, so the lone chosen one out in the wilderness discovers a surprise source of water. And there, he just happens to discover his wife. Anybody, have we been here before?

Yeah. So we're replaying the story of Abraham's servant going to the well, like this same spot.

This is all in Genesis 24. 

This same spot. And it was Rivqah who comes to the well and she says, "I'll water your flock." So there, it's the woman providing the water. Here, it's Yaaqov providing the water. 

the stories of the descendants are this replay in development of the stories of their ancestors. 

An Eden Well in the East

So we've got those two moments on the brain. So the lone human who needs a partner with whom they can be fruitful and multiply is in the desolate wilderness, happens upon a surprise source of water and discovers their partner. 

So in other words, these two stories about the two generations, the surprise provision of a wife at the source of Eden water are both mapped onto. So just keep that in your mind, 'cause Genesis 2 language is about to go off the charts in the next scene.

'cause think, where did he just come from?

He just came from the house of Elohim. He just came. The previous story was waking up in the Eden spot where Heaven and Earth are the same place. Then he goes a long ways away geographically, but in the narrative, it's just the next sentence. And here we are at a surprise water spot with animals laying peacefully, drinking. And then, again, there you go. 

After Yaaqov is exiled from the new Eden of Canaan, he finds himself among the “sons of the east.” This recalls all the “eastward” journeys into exile since the garden of Eden.

Eden Gen. 2:8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man whom he had formed. Exile From the Garden Gen. 3:24 So he drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Exile From Eden Gen. 4:16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Babylon Gen. 11:2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. Sodom Gen. 13:11-12 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. East of the Jordan Gen. 25:5-6 Now Abraham gave all that he had to Yitskhaq; but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Yitskhaq eastward, to the land of the east.

But, just as in “Eden of the east” God provides a life-giving spring (see Gen. 2:6, 10-14), Yaaqov happens upon a well with a great stone over its mouth. This is an important narrative image that recalls the divine provision of water in the wilderness in the Eden story.

Wives, Brothers and Mothers, Bone and Flesh

Recall how the story about the provision of water in Eden (Gen. 2:4-17) was compositionally paired with the multiplication of the one human into many through the provision of a wife (Gen. 2:18-25). This symbolic pairing of “water/wife” from the Eden story has been redeployed already in Genesis in the story of Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16 and 21). Here it is drawn upon again.

Yaaqov in Genesis 28-29The Human in Genesis 2Gen. 28:10-22 Yaaqov falls asleep alone, and his future multiplied family is revealed to himGen. 2:21 The human falls asleep alone and is split into twoGen. 28:14 Yaaqov is told his future seed will be “like the dust of the land”Gen. 2:7 The human was made of the “dust of the ground”Gen. 29:1, 10 God provides a well in the eastern desert, from which Yaaqov “provides water” (שקה) for the flockGen. 2:6, 10-14 God provides waters in the wilderness that “provides water” (שקה) to EdenGen. 29:10-11 Yaaqov meets his future wife at the wellGen. 2:23 The man wakes up in Eden (by the river) and sees his new wife Gen. 29:14 “Truly you are my bone and my flesh!”Gen. 2:23 “This is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh!”Gen. 29 Yaaqov has left his father and mother and becomes joined to his wife Gen. 2:24 “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and join himself to his wife”

The point of the analogy: Just like Yaaqov has been exiled from his home because of the “flood” of Esau’s anger, God graciously provides a new Eden and a new partner for his chosen one as an act of generous mercy. This entire story is set on analogy with God’s appointment of a human after bringing up the dry land from among the waters (Gen. 1:1-2:3) and then providing a garden home in the wilderness for his chosen representatives to flourish (Gen. 2:4-25). Yaaqov and Rakhel are depicted as a new Adam and Eve, but we already know from the previous section Yaaqov is not innocent.

The Way We Do Things in Kharan

So he comes to this well. The narrator says, "Hey, listen, here's how they do things here. All the flocks need to be gathered. That's when they roll that stone away, and that's when they water the flock." Yaaqov, like the newbie, shows up and he starts telling him what to do. He's just like, look, well, it's the time of day, man, water your flock, you know. And they're just like, well, who are you? Like, it's not how we do things here at Haran. And then the moment he sees Lamb, he sees Lamb approaching, and he's just like, forget you guys, I'm gonna water the flock. And he just goes it on his own. 

So for the longest time I sat with this story of like, what's the deal with like all of this attention about the timing and the order of the well. And I think it's actually, it's another set of highlights on this character of Jacob, of Yaaqov. And it fits the larger picture of his character, doesn't it?

Where he sees an opportunity, and it doesn't matter what other people think, I know what to do. I've got a plan. I'm just gonna do it.

Is there another explanation for all of this emphasis on the timing of the stone? And it seems to me that we're developing this impatient and scheming on my time and by my plan, portrait of Yaaqov.

We're gonna meet these guys again.

They're actually gonna attend the wedding.

They're gonna attend the wedding, and what this whole interaction here is gonna come back to bite him later. But it's here for a reason. This is a perfect example of like, you read a biblical story and like, what? It's so weird. I just like, no, it's all here for a reason. So Yaaqov does not make a good impression with the men of the place.

But in contrast to God providing the partner.

Here, the moment Yaaqov sees her it's like his scheming nature kicks into gear and he's gonna make this thing happen.

That's for sure part of the contrast. as to the last time the the servant was there getting Rachel.

Rolling Stone

The stone is what releases the life of Eden out into the world. Yeah, the rolling away of the stone is like ... It's another portal keeper as it were.

And it's a little narrative detail and you just have to ask, man, how many rolling stones are there in the Bible? And there's not that many. 

Lazarith, Jesus, 1 Samuel 14:33 Roll a large tone over here. I don’t know But maybe there is something there. I don’t know I have not seen anyone follow this line of thinking. So maybe maybe not.

just the little footnote or not footnotes. The "word" well appears seven times here.

Be'er sheva', the well of seven.

So here we are, that's the meeting of Heel-Grabber and Lamb. And he loves this woman.

She is gonna hold a special place in his heart until the day that she dies.

And that is gonna cause problems for both of them and for everyone else around them, sadly. But isn't that how favoritism has kind of worked in this story? 

Laban Deceives Jacob

Genesis 29:12–14 CSB

12 He told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father. 13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened. 14 Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month,

"And Yaaqov, he told Rakhel that he was the brother of her father." He's actually the nephew, but in ancient Israel, whether you're a nephew, an uncle, father, sons, you're all brothers, and all of the women are all sisters. 

"He was the brother of her father and that he was the son of Rivqah. And so she ran and she told her father.

And it came about when Lavan heard the report of Yaaqov, son of his sister, that he ran." Everyone's running everywhere. "He ran to meet him. He embraced him, he kissed him, he brought him into the house. And he", that is Yaaqov, "Reported to Lavan all of these words. And Lavan said to him, 'Oh, you are my bone and my flesh.' And he dwelt with him a month of days."

He leaves the house of his father and his mother, and he discovers his bone and flesh by a well in the east.

This is Genesis 2. God planted a garden in the east of Eden. The water flowing, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, the two become, the whole thing,

So this all looks great, you know. Well, I guess Yaaqov was a little impetuous, you know, and, but he's being himself, but maybe, maybe, maybe marriage will settle him down a little bit, and he'll learn some new patterns of behavior. 

'cause marriage fixes everybody's problems, right?

So this is clearly a transition, but it's about the provision of the partner. 

Genesis 29:15–30 CSB

15 Laban said to him, “Just because you’re my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with her.” 22 So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. 23 That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?” 26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.” 28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

"And Lavan said to Yaaqov, 'Are you really my brother, if you're gonna serve me for nothing?'" Is that how brothers roll here? Like that you would work for me and I pay you nothing? That's not how brothers operate. Tell me, what's your going rate?

What's your wage?

The story just pauses. "Now, okay, some things you need to know. Lavan had not just one daughter, little Lamb, he had two. The name of the big one is Leah, Calf, and the name of the small one was Lamb.

Now the eyes of Calf, they were tender.

And Lamb was beautiful of form, beautiful to see.

And Yaaqov, he loved Lamb.

And he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rakhel, your smaller daughter.' And Lavan said, 'Well, it's more good that I give her to you, than giving her to another man. Stay with me.' And so Yaaqov served for Rakhel for seven years, and they were in his eyes like a few days because of his love for her."

Tender Eyes

Do you remember the line, "Yaaqov was a whole man"?

and it was an intentionally strange turn of phrase, that's an invitation to a level two.

So that's what's going on here.

Genesis 29:17 CSB

17 Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.

Genesis 29:17 NASB95

17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.

Genesis 29:17 KJV 1900

17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.

Genesis 29:17 LEB

17 Now the eyes of Leah were dull, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

Genesis 29:17 NLT

17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

Genesis 29:17 NRSV

17 Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful.

The Hebrew word is "rak." Rak. It's not a common word.

Genesis 18:7 CSB

7 Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it.

This word appeared one other time previously. And it's when Avraham got the three visitors at the door.

And he took a calf that was tov and rak, good and tender.He took it, and then he gave it to the servant so that he could take it from him and then give it to his divine guests, so they could eat under the tree, by the tent.

So he takes the calf that is good and rak, tender. 

So on the literal level of the story, it's, you know, it's describing a calf that was like,you know, not sinewy. It's just like a really, it cooked up real nice, nice tender calf, you know? 

Genesis 33:13 CSB

13 Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing flocks and herds. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die.

it's also gonna describe later on in the story, children who are weak or frail. And so they can only travel so many miles per day. 

So there's something here about delicate Tender.

And so based off of that core idea, some translations think, well, if we're contrasting beauty with rak then tender must mean weak in comparison or something like that.

So It could be an idiom or a nice way of saying she ugly; One Commentator said it means she had nice eyes but Rachel had more than nice eyes; Weak in color or power (blue eyes or something of the like), Poor eyesight (needs glasses), Cross eyed, lazy eyed; Midrash Leah’s eyes were reddened and puffy because she was constantly lamenting the prospect of marrying Esau, who she was betrothed (not in bible)

Whatever it means it is a contrast between two daughters. One is tov, good of seeing, the other one is rak. So the tree of knowing good and bad, it's the tree of knowing tov and the Hebrew word for "bad" is ra'.

It's a wordplay..

Depicting the two daughters as the trees.

Because what is gonna happen, these daughters are going to be taken and given in an inappropriate way.

'cause what he's gonna do is he's gonna swap out. So we're back to that thing from the last session of how do you, how are we supposed to evaluate the behavior of these men in the story? And one of the ways the narrator helps us is by comparing the behavior of Lavan to Eve at the tree, doing what's good in her eyes, taking inappropriately what ought not to have been taken in that way.

Does that make sense?

It's the hyperlink that helps you know, that the narrator's critiquing the men in this story. So these women are described as beautiful trees. And trees are good. The good trees of Eden are good, but if they're abused and mistreated, then that's where the negativity comes in. So it's a wordplay.

Wages

he was asked, what are your wages?

Why did he say seven years?

He's the one, you know, you think about, you know, negotiating, and I just don't understand

For seven years

This is a good question where you probably go to some scholars and commentators and what they would wanna do is, well, here's how daughters were viewed as property, like animals and wives in the eyes of the patriarch. And so they would wanna do cross-cultural analysis of the value of these things and what seven years of wage might be. And so that might be an interesting way to explain what's going on here. 

If we're continuing the theme of Eden, seven is spelled with the same letters as the word "oath," sheva'. It's also the same three letters that spell the words "complete," to feel complete or to be satisfied. And so it's a common biblical symbol of a complete whole. And that's usually how seven gets used. Like with the well, up above, the well of seven, is like the ultimate well. 

So I think it's probably a way of echoing the Eden motif of the melody.

His seven is gonna turn into 14. It's gonna be doubled.

The word "serve." And it's a complicated thing with this word in Hebrew for how we render it into English, 'cause the noun of this word 'eved, depending on your English translation, it'll get translated servant or slave. But it's one who makes themselves, at the service of, and to become the property of another until the term of service is completed, like an indentured servant. And so Yaaqov is putting himself into slave service for seven, and another seven, and this is his exile.

and the reason why I think that's significant is because think of the seven days of rest. Seven years of slavery is like the opposite. So in other words, he thought this was gonna be Eden, and what he ends up is not having seven years of rest, he ends up having seven, plus seven years of slavery to get the good thing. 

We're inverting Eden motifs here.

Eden Narrative

Following the scenes in Genesis 28:10-22 and Genesis 29:1-14, which both mapped onto the creation of Eden story and the provision of a partner for the lonely human, we now hear the next notes of the melody: the deception, a test, and the failure. This entire story is mapped onto the narrative pattern of Genesis 3.

Also important is how the three stories of Abraham and Yitskhaq putting their wives at risk are being drawn upon for the analogy between the daughters and the trees.

In all of these stories, a snake-like deceiver takes what God has given as a blessing (trees/a wife), and twists it into a violation of God’s command and promise.

In, the snake deceived a husband and wife about a forbidden tree. Genesis 3

In,, and, the husband acts like a deceitful snake about a forbidden wife. Genesis 12 20 26

In, the father acts like a deceitful snake about his daughters and uses them to co-opt for himself the blessing of God’s chosen one. Genesis 29

Genesis 29:21-30

Genesis 29:21–30 CSB

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with her.” 22 So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. 23 That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?” 26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.” 28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Verse 21.

"Yaaqov said to Lavan," just all of a sudden seven years are over, it's like, wow, wow, wow. We'll spend a whole paragraph talking about a dream in one night, and then we'll just breeze over seven years like that. "Seven years later, Yaaqov said to Lavan, 'Hey, give me my wife.

My days are fulfilled, so I can go into her.'" Sounds crass to us, and it was, sounds the same in Hebrew.

"And Lavan gathered all the men of the place." You know, the men of the place. They're no strangers to Yaaqov.

And man, they got wasted. They had a drinking feast.

it's a wedding. It's like this weird inversion of Eden abundance. But man, when you get wine and intoxication in the tent or in the garden, usually that is not good.

"So it came about in the evening that he," that is Lavan, "Took Leah," remember, she and her sister are like the trees, like the tree of tov and ra', good and bad. "So he took Leah, his daughter, he brought her to him," that is Yaaqov, "and he," Yaaqov, "went into her," that is Leah. And bonus wife, "Lavan also gave Zilpah, his female slave to Leah, his daughter, as a female slave.

And it came about in the morning, look, it's Leah.

And he", that is Yaaqov, "said to Lavan, 'What is this that you have done?'" Remember what God said to Eve, when he came walking up?

Because Adam said, "The woman that you gave me, she did it." And God says to Eve, "What is this?" It's exactly the same phrase. "What is this that you have done? 

Didn't I serve you for Rakhel? Man, why are you deceiving me?"

The one who digs a pit will fall into it themselves.

"And Lavan said, 'Listen, you don't know how we roll here in Haran. Listen, this is not how we do things around here, giving the little one before the firstborn.'"

"Listen, we don't elevate the younger above the firstborn." It's the same word as in the earlier stories.

So it's improper in our custom here in the east to elevate the younger over the older.

And what is it that Yaaqov was doing with the whole well and his whole plan? He didn't know it, but he was choosing the younger

But then we're also reflecting back on the first third of Yaaqov's story, and who is the one who's elevating, it's God. But then Yaaqov thinks that he's gonna do it by his own scheming, which is exactly what he was doing with Rakhel.

It is crazy. Yeah, it's great, it's so, yeah. So when he gathered the men of the place and says, that's not how we do it in our place, we're echoing this whole thing about the well. We wait for all the flocks, we do it at this time, this is how we do it in this place.

And thus, those two stories become a way of illuminating each other.

So Lavan continues on, how about this? "How about you finish up the first seven, then I will give this one also to you for the service, which you will serve me, how about another seven?"

And that's what Yaaqov did. He fulfilled the first seven. "And then he gave him Rakhel, his daughter for him as a wife." And bonus wife, "Lavan also gave to Rakhel his daughter, Bilhah, his female slave as her female slave.

And he also went into Rakhel, and he loved Rakhel more than Leah, and he served him another seven years."

So Lemek accumulated two wives.

Avraham accumulated three in the course of his life, Hagar, Sarah, and then he marries the third, Keturah, after Sarah dies.

Yitskhaq stays a one woman man, as far as we know, with Rivqah. But Esau accumulated three. And now here's Yaaqov. He takes the cake, in terms of the most wives accumulated, which in his cultural setting would be a sign of status. 

But from a Eden point of view, it's like, he's the worst yet, he's the furthest from the ideal yet.

So it's another example of you have to be an informed reader to see the critique being leveled against both Lavan and Yaaqov here.

The slaves are gonna end up as his wives, right, it's not because of Lavan, it's because of Rachel and Leah.That's an important, very important, I misspoke there. 

They are, they would be viewed as possessions. So we're getting rich off deception.

Getting rich off deception.

When Avraham went down to Egypt, and he deceived the king of Egypt, what was his consequence? Man, he got rich, and he got rich in what way? I think we read this already once, but just to reiterate the point.

Genesis 12:16 CSB

16 He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

Genesis 12, verse 16, "He treated Avraham with tov," with good, "for her sake, and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female slaves, and female donkeys and camels." And the name of one of those female slaves is Hagar.

We're just circling around Genesis 3, but you can see the progression of, with the Bethel stairway was like a Eden moment becomes the well, the provision of the wife, and your bone and flesh leaving the father and mother. And we're like, yay. And then just, it's like, we're just covered with the splatter of human nature now. And that's what this whole story's about, about the taking and giving of wives, like fruit, like trees. And this is the origin story of the family of Israel.

Deceptions Within Deceptions: “The One Who Digs a Pit Falls Into It ...”

The narrative of Yaaqov in exile has been designed as an elaborate exploration of the theme in Proverbs about how the schemes of the wicked always come back upon them.

Proverbs 26:24–27 CSB

24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit within. 25 When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart. 26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly. 27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone— it will come back on him.

This proverb is a classic statement of the biblical “eye for eye” model of recompense: Whatever you’ve done to others will eventually make its way back to you. Notice how in this first story of Lavan’s deception, he does to Yaaqov exactly what Yaaqov did to his family members.

Lavan’s deception contains the main features of Yaaqov and Rivqah’s deception.

Rakhel is the younger sibling, favored by Yaaqov // Yaaqov is the younger sibling, loved by Rivqah and chosen by God

Leah is the older sibling, unloved by Yaaqov // Esau is the older sibling, loved by Yitskhaq, non-chosen by God

Yaaqov deceives Esau to get the “firstborn right” // Lavan deceives Yaaqov with his firstborn daughter

Yaaqov's deception earned him the blessing // Lavan’s deception inverts the blessing into slavery

Lavan's deception also uses key words and themes from the Yaaqov story: disguising oneself, deception, trickery, seven, and rolling a stone.

God Sees Leah

Bibliography

https://bibleproject.com/classroom/jacob

Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, John David Pleins, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Mathews, K. A. Genesis 11:27–50:26. Vol. 1B of The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005.

Brannan, Rick, and Israel Loken. The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014.

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Cotter, David W. Genesis. Edited by Jerome T. Walsh, Chris Franke, and David W. Cotter. Berit Olam Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003.

https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Vayetzei/Leah_s_Eyes/leah_s_eyes.html

https://biblepure.com/tender-eyed-meaning-in-the-bible/

https://www.logos.com/grow/tender-eyed-leah-meaning/

John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Genesis: Genesis 25:19–50:26, EP Study Commentary (Darlington, England; Carlisle, PA: Evangelical Press, 2003), 97–98.

Abraham Kuruvilla, Genesis: A Theological Commentary for Preachers (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2014), 374.

John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Genesis: Genesis 25:19–50:26, EP Study Commentary (Darlington, England; Carlisle, PA: Evangelical Press, 2003), 97–98.

Abraham Kuruvilla, Genesis: A Theological Commentary for Preachers (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2014), 374.

Scott Noegel's “Sex, Sticks, and Tricksters in Genesis 30:31-43: A New Look at an Old Crux” in Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, vol. 25 (1997), p. 7-17.