Mother's Day with Jacob and Leah

Introduction

Look at Jacob and Leah

Their own time

How they intersect with our time

How does this event draw the believer into closer fellowship with God

It is an invitation to those who think their mess keeps them far from God

Thank You Tim Keller

Cruise Ship Story

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

The Drama Unfolds

Jacob arrives to Laban

Laban’s job offer and Jacobs proposal

Jacob’s high offer absurdly high

Two Daughters

Racheal: Beautiful

Leah: Weak eyes

The high bride price

Jacob’s offer is absurd

Laban’s trickery begins

Laban begins in a place of fairness but quickly moves to a place of corruption

7 Years

Wedding

Confrontation

Jacobs Anger

Laban’s Excuse

if you have ever been the wrong end of one of these betrayals you know that the person who has betrayed you almost always has that justifying excuse. That reason for them that is okay. “Laban hides his treachery behind tradition.

Leah’s Children

Almost a divine justice.

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

Jacob

Jacob’s craving and the craving behind the craving

He has put all his hopes on Rachel

This is not fair to Rachel

Looks to sex to relieve his pain

Jacob the deceiver meets his match

Epilogue on Jacob

Jacob does not cure his pain until he is given more pain

Jacob wrestles with God

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

Leah

Leah is hated

Looks to family values to relieve her pain

Finally finds what she is looking for

Covenant keeping God

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

Application

Sexual pursuits did not save Jacob. It did not save then it can not save now

Inside marriage vows

Outside marriage vows

Tinder - It’s a balmy night in Manhattan’s financial district, and at a sports bar called Stout, everyone is Tindering. The tables are filled with young women and men who’ve been chasing money and deals on Wall Street all day, and now they’re out looking for hookups. Everyone is drinking, peering into their screens and swiping on the faces of strangers they may have sex with later that evening. Or not. “Ew, this guy has Dad bod,” a young woman says of a potential match, swiping left. Her friends smirk, not looking up.

“Tinder sucks,” they say. But they don’t stop swiping.

At a booth in the back, three handsome twenty-something guys in button-downs are having beers. They are Dan, Alex, and Marty, budding investment bankers at the same financial firm, which recruited Alex and Marty straight from an Ivy League campus. (Names and some identifying details have been changed for this story.) When asked if they’ve been arranging dates on the apps they’ve been swiping at, all say not one date, but two or three: “You can’t be stuck in one lane … There’s always something better.” “If you had a reservation somewhere and then a table at Per Se opened up, you’d want to go there,” Alex offers.

He says that he himself has slept with five different women he met on Tinder—“Tinderellas,” the guys call them—in the last eight days. Dan and Marty, also Alex’s roommates in a shiny high-rise apartment building near Wall Street, can vouch for that. In fact, they can remember whom Alex has slept with in the past week more readily than he can.

On the other hand, the commitment to family values did not rescue Leah. It did not save then and it will not save now

Article: Homeschool Will Not Save Them!

Article Over a decade ago, I made the life-changing decision to teach my child at home. Our guest room became a school room, our office turned into a library, and the big wide world was our field trip destination. I pored over homeschool catalogs, accumulating materials that onored God in all subjects. Lovely hours were spent reading rich literature, full of timeless stories of faith and courage. There was plenty of time to draw pictures, watch birds, and capture bugs.

She memorized Scripture verses in AWANA club and learned the books of the Bible, days of creation, and the Ten Commandments by heart. They were beautiful days that passed into gratifying years; and together, we reveled in the joy of learning about our Creator and his creation. Like the woman of Proverbs, I smiled at the future. Fast-forward to my daughter’s first year at the university. She came home one day and told me she had watched a film in biology class that showed a whale with legs. I laughed. She didn’t. Instead, she said these impossible words, “Mom, I don’t believe the Bible is true anymore. I’m not a Christian.”

She memorized Scripture verses in AWANA club and learned the books of the Bible, days of creation, and the Ten Commandments by heart. They were beautiful days that passed into gratifying years; and together, we reveled in the joy of learning about our Creator and his creation. Like the woman of Proverbs, I smiled at the future.

A Heart Revealed

As she spoke these words, there was a dresser in her old bedroom upstairs covered with trophies. Her competitive speeches on creationism, human value, and the defense of the Christian faith had won bronze, silver, and gold medals for five years. This wasn’t a grown child who lacked biblical knowledge or apologetic training. This was a young woman’s heart revealed, a heart “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” ( KJV), and it was just like my own heart had been before I had truly repented and trusted in Christ.

Fast-forward to my daughter’s first year at the university. She came home one day and told me she had watched a film in biology class that showed a whale with legs. I laughed. She didn’t. Instead, she said these impossible words, “Mom, I don’t believe the Bible is true anymore. I’m not a Christian.”

As she spoke these words, there was a dresser in her old bedroom upstairs covered with trophies. Her competitive speeches on creationism, human value, and the defense of the Christian faith had won bronze, silver, and gold medals for five years. This wasn’t a grown child who lacked biblical knowledge or apologetic training. This was a young woman’s heart revealed, a heart “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” ( KJV), and it was just like my own heart had been before I had truly repented and trusted in Christ.

My daughter had never been reborn. My confidence had been misplaced. Months passed before I could fully accept that one of mine was not one of his — at least not yet. Crushing self-condemnation followed. I spent over ten years investing in her soul daily, and what was there to show for those efforts? I looked around at all the homeschooling families we knew, and they appeared to be models of godly excellence, graduating faithful and fruitful young adults year after year. None of their children departed to a far country.

My daughter had never been reborn. My confidence had been misplaced. Months passed before I could fully accept that one of mine was not one of his — at least not yet. Crushing self-condemnation followed. I spent over ten years investing in her soul daily, and what was there to show for those efforts? I looked around at all the homeschooling families we knew, and they appeared to be models of godly excellence, graduating faithful and fruitful young adults year after year. None of their children departed to a far country.

For some of us, our lives feel like an absolute mess at times. Many of us have Jacob styled failure in our lives, many of us Leah styled failures. Many of us have both. Then we look around at the manicured social media world around us. The Perfect hair day selfie, the first day of kindergarten photo, the drink in hand first day of Cabo cover photo, family Easter photo, PR at the gym photo, second master's degree with kids in tow graduation photo manicured world and think if people only knew how messy my life is, ...how did I ever get myself into this and how will I get out. What good can possibly come of this.

Well take a look at Leah’s mess, She is hated and even while she is desperately seeking to be redeemed by her husbands love, and the Lord once again opens her womb...and she has a son named Judah, Judah has a son named Perez...

[2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] and Judah the father of Perez … and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of David the king. And David ... Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. (ESV)

God does not send Jesus from outside the mess of Jacob and Leah’s Marriage, but from that mess come the messiah

Main Point: God does not send us blessing to fix out messes, he brings about blessing from within our messes.

Invitation: The Bible is clear, if you are just a little bit of a liar, or you are a Laban sized liar the punishment for sin is death. If you are just a little bit trapped in your sexual appetites or very trapped the punishment for sin is death. If you are Racheal beautiful or have weak eyes, for the sin of vanity, finding your value in how people see you and respond to you the punishment for sin is death. And for those who have a family like Jacob’s, Rachels and Leah’s; not only has this sin separates you from the perfect and holy God,but it has also made a mess within your life, within your family I have good news, Leah had a son named Judah, who had a son named Parez who had a son who had a son and so on until there was a son named David. And to David God made a promise, there will king from your line who will reign on the throne. So david has a son who has a son who until a new jacob has a son named Joseph, who raises a son named Jesus who died on the cross to pay the price for our lying, for our broken appetites, for our need to be affirmed by others.

The mess of Jacob and Leah and Rachel was not a surprise to God and in his sovereign decree. From it he brings his greatest moment the death of his son to call sinners back to him.

For the sin of playing favorites with wives, for the sin of playing favorites with children, Leah has a son named Juday who has a son who has a son who has a son named Joseph the father of Jesus the Son of God.

For the sin of Vanity, for pride for greed, for finding your comfort in food instead of Jesus I have good news Leah has a son named Juday who has a son who has a son who has a son named Joseph the father of Jesus the Son of God.

Maybe you have only broken one commandment or maybe you know you have broken all ten...I have good news; Leah has a son named Juday who has a son who has a son who has a son named Joseph the father of Jesus the Son of God.

Jesus invites you to repent, that means turn away from those sins, and turn to him. The God who brings about blessing from within the mess.