Jacob Marries Rachel

The ones who are in front of you. Basketball team. Love offering for Dave.

Love offering for Dave.

Pause. Wait. Sometimes it is awkward. What is something worth the wait?

Genesis 29:13–30 ESV

13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and 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 kinsman, 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 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And 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 that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.

They seemed to him but a few days for the love he had to her...

Doesnt seem that ‘puppy love’ would last 7 years. Does seem like there was something else at play here:

When God does something in your life, there accompanies with His activity a pleasure of work and a satisfaction of being in His will that makes our time fly by.

Possibly the hardest part of letting God work in your life is the waiting. Marching would be easier. Because we have our orders and are headed somewhere. Double-time would even be easier. It would be fast and taxing but we would get there quicker. Yet God often tells His warriors to stand still. It is in the waiting that faith can grow.

When we wait, we are not dependent on ourselves or our abilities or even our timeframe. It is all Him.

Now waiting is not inactive. It is not slothful.

When we wait, we wait in prayer. We cry out to Him. We tell Him all about it. Tell it to Jesus, tell is to Jesus...

When we wait, we wait in faith. We express our unwavering confidence in Him. Not really in His plan because we may not know of it. But our faith is in Him. He says pray believing. He says when you pray, dont doubt. Wait in faith. He is never late in revealing the truth. He is never late in showing His plans. He is never late to rescue or redeem or restore. We can wait in faith.

When we wait, we wait in patience. The children of Israel struggled to get a handle on this one. They ran ahead. They built the golden calf. They murmured against their leaders and God Himself.

Hudson Taylor to missionaries who wanted to serve in China: 3 indispensable qualities for a missionary are patience, patience and patience.

A teacher was helping her Pre-k students get their shoes on. She had gone from one to the next, tying each set of laces. After she finished the last lace, the little girl told her teacher ‘you know what? those arent my shoes.’ The teacher took the shoes back off the little girl as she continued ‘they are my sister’s. She let me wear them today.’ The teacher quietly put them back on and tied the laces. That’s a whole nother level of patience!

When we wait, we place every part of our will squarely into His hands. We take our solutions and say ‘here you go Lord, you should hold these so I dont get into trouble with them’. We take our best ideas and hand them over to Him. We take our desire to run ahead and our squirming and our chomping at the bit and surrender them to Him and He will, in due time, give the command to go.

Nolan’s dog. Waiting is often harder than working. But often God gives the grace of activity even in the waiting. There is a lot to do while waiting on what is next. After all, the gospel command told us ‘while you are going’.

Todays’s story of waiting isnt just about the waiting or even the work that follows when the time is right. There is also the reward.

I have worked, give me my wife

A worker is due his wages. The time of waiting was over. It was time to move forward. What a joyful time that is. A groom preparing for his bride.

And we are given indication of a great celebration coming. Laban’s response is to gather everyone and prepare a feast. But what follows makes me think of the ‘ask, seek, knock’ exchange between Jesus and those following Him: which of you if your son asks for bread gives him a stone or asks for fish gives him a snake?

And Jacob served him seven more years

We have an incredible privilege and responsibility in this life that is preparing us and the world for the next. And what a joyful time this is! The groom is preparing. The bride is almost ready. It wont be long until the Lord says it’s time to call them home. The marriage supper of the lamb is ready. The bride is ready. The groom is ready. Its time to feast!

For Rachel.

Now that’s something worth waiting for!