Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Tricking the Trickster: Narrative
Jacob has fled from his home and is on the run.
Finally, after travelling some 500 miles, Jacob arrives in Abraham’s home country of Haran.
Laban’s kinsmen seem to be lounging about, not working, and taking it easy.
Jacob quickly finds out who these men are, that they know Laban, and then he sees Rachel.
Rachel was absolutley stunning, a beautiful young lady.
And when Jacob sees her, he knows he’s got to have her.
So he does what any young man would do: he shows out.
He goes over to Laban’s family well, which is covered by a massive stone.
Normally, this stone takes three men to move, but Jacob has to show out for this beautiful girl, so he musters all of his strength and heaves the stone aside.
Then he walks up, as smooth as can be, and kisses Rachel on the cheek.
Then he burst into tears, trying to show his emotional side, you know the ladies like that!
And thus another of Israel’s patriarchs met his wife.
Funny how all the great leaders of Israel seem to meet their wife next to well: Isaac, Jacob, even Moses.
Women and wells seem to go hand in hand in the Bible, that’s where all the ladies like to hang out (in my hometown, this would be the Sonic Drive-in).
So, when Laban sees Jacob, it’s not too hard to figure out that Jacob is absolutely enamored with Laban’s daughter.
Laban, devious and wise as he is, uses this to his advantage.
Now, normally, a young man like Jacob would pay a bride price to marry someone.
Jacob, however, being an exile and fugitive, doesn’t have much to offer for Rachel.
So Laban seizes this opportunity: he arranges to have Jacob pay the bride price with 7 years of labor.
Here’s what’s wrong with that: The average wage of a shepherd is about 10 shekels of silver a year.
The average bride price is about 30-40 shekels of silver.
So Jacob is paying nearly double what a normal bride price would cost!
Laban is definitely getting the better end of the deal here, but Jacob is young and in love, so what’s seven years of labor?
Finally, after seven long years of working the farm, it’s time for the wedding.
Laban brings in the bride, covered by a veil, and they throw a huge feast.
Jacob is eating and drinking and looking across the room at his veiled bride, excited: his hard work has finally paid off.
That night, after it was dark, Laban brings the bride to Jacob’s room, and they consummate the marriage.
When morning comes, Jacob rolls over next to his wife he’s worked seven years for, pulls the veil back to reveal not Rachel, but her older sister Leah!
We’ve heard this story somewhere before: Jacob and Esau.
The trickster has been tricked using his own tactics!
No big deal, Laban says.
Just work another 7 years, and you can have Rachel too!
A Tale of Two Wives: Contention among Siblings
As you can imagine, the events at the beginning of this marriage don’t make married life very good for Leah.
She’s the older sister, so she’s supposed to be married first, but her father had to trick someone into marrying her.
Her husband didn’t want her, and she’s probably already grown up her whole life overshadowed by her younger sister’s beauty.
Leah is likely reminded of this fact every day.
Rachel, who’s name in Hebrew comes from “little lamb”, likely teased Leah, who’s name in Hebrew comes from “wild cow”.
And so, just as Jacob and Esau were at odds, Leah and Rachel were also destined to be at odds.
Jacob, as the younger sibling, had stolen Esau’s birthright.
For Leah, it must have seemed like the younger sibling Rachel had likewise stolen her husband.
Jacob immediately began to show the same favoritism as his parents had for he and Esau, and this only made matters worse for Leah and Rachel’s relationship.
Fruit of the Womb: God’s Mercy on the Lowly
Who are We, that God would Remember?
A- The Trickster is Tricked: Telling the Story
B- A Tale of Two Wives: Contention between Siblings
C- Fruit of the Womb: God’s Mercy on the Lowly
D- Who are We that God would Remember?
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