Labor of Love

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.

Introduction: A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.

and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it. The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

"Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight.

Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him...

when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

Today we are going to talk about a husband and wife that may have given each other the silent treatment over some major issues they have faced together.

Today we are going to talk about a husband and wife that may have given each other the silent treatment over some major issues they have faced together.

The couple that we will look today is Jacob and Rachael.

The couple that we will look at today is Jacob and Rachel, found in the book of Genesis. What is amazing about their relationship is that against the backdrop of the Old Testament culture in which marriages were often arranged by the parents, Jacob and Rachel stand out as an example of a love marriage. Yet, the marriage of Jacob and Rachel does not end with the happily ever after style. When he left Padanaram 20 years after he got there, Jacob had acquired great wealth in terms of flocks and hers. But their relationship underwent many trials and troubles. Though conditions were not always ideal, their love never suffered.

What is amazing about their relationship is that against the backdrop of the Old Testament culture ...

..in which marriages were often arranged by the parents, Jacob and Rachel stand out as an example of a love marriage.

Yet, the marriage of Jacob and Rachel does not end with the happily ever after style.

Yet, the marriage of Jacob and Rachel does not end with the happily ever after style. When he left Padanaram 20 years after he got there, Jacob had acquired great wealth in terms of flocks and hers. But their relationship underwent many trials and troubles. Though conditions were not always ideal, their love never suffered.

When he left Padanaram 20 years after he got there, Jacob had acquired great wealth in terms of flocks and herds.

But their relationship underwent many trials and troubles.

But their relationship underwent many trials and troubles.

Though conditions were not always ideal, their love never suffered.

Let’s see what we can learn from this complicated love story.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to .

Jacob flees from his brother Esau because he deceived his father and took the birth of rights of his older brother.

Now, his parents told Jacob to go to Rebekah’s family and find a wife there for himself.

Jacob probably feels very guilty for deceiving both his brother and his father.

And as he lays down to sleep and places a rock for his pillow, he has a dream, a hopeful dream.

God appears to Jacob with the following words, read .

· Notice a couple of things in what God says to Jacob.

First, God introduces himself as the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac,

but not as the God of Jacob.

So far God is the God of his parents and grandparents.

There has to come a time when God becomes our God,

not only the God of our parents, friends, or neighbors.

· Jacob understood this and that is why he makes a promise to God in verse 20, 21.

So Jacob stays on the fence about choosing God as his God.

As we will see in the case of Jacob, it is not good to remain on the fence ...

regarding our relationship with God.

Yet, God does not forsake Jacob and God will never forsake us either.

He is always lovingly trying to woo us to Him.

· And second thing we notice God doing is that He gives Jacob a promise,

the promise that He will give Jacob the land of Canaan.

With the promise, what God is telling Jacob is that he is forgiven for what he has done.

Well Jacob eventually arrives to Padanaram.

Let’s pick up the story in , .

Here Jacob was approaching the well with a kind greeting,

He was probably exhausted and a hungry traveler.

His first interaction is asking some friendly questions. Where are you from?

Maybe he didn’t know where he was but knew he was at a well.

His second questions was Do you know Laban?

Third question, Is he well?

As he is talking to these shepherds, guess who happens to show up

. Laban’s daughter, Rachel. And this is what you would call, a love at first sight.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Even if you don’t, Jacob definitely did.

Well we are not sure if Rachel felt the same way or believed in love at first sight.

But Jacob did really try hard to impress her.

Because he forgets about the shepherds that he was just talking to...

and quickly shows off his muscles by moving the stone all by himself in order to water Rachel’s sheep.

So far, in Jacob’s journey, he dealt with two stones.

Here the stone represents Jacob’s opportunity or his strength to show off to Rachel.

And the stone in the dream, in , represented a promise of God’s presence.

Two stones, representing two relationships.

The first stone, that he used as a pillow, represented his relationship with God...

and the second stone, that covered the well, represented his relationship with his future spouse.

Now you and I may not have anything to do with stones..

but we also have an opportunity to grow our relationship with God and ...

with our spouses, families, and friends.

If you’d like a healthy relationship with your husband, or wife, your kids, you co-workers.

Then make sure that you are growing deeper in your relationship with the Lord.

So back to Jacob and Rachel, after he moves the stone, what does he do next?

Well he follows that great first impression up with a pretty confusing, emotional breakdown.

He politely kisses Rachel, not a romantic kiss, but a cultural kiss of meeting a relative.

Then he breaks down and cries.

Now I’m pretty sure its ok to see a man showing emotion.

But I’m not sure what Rachel was thinking when this guy,

who just moved a large stone, breaks down and cries.

Who knows, maybe Jacob is exhausted and tired, or he just misses his mommy and wants one of mommy’s warm, fresh baked cookies, with some almond milk, to make him feel better.

And Rachel’s response is not recorded, what we do know is that she runs home and tells her dad...

about the stranger who is so strong, yet so emotionally unstable.

Laban, Rachel’s father runs to the well and embraces Jacob, welcomes him..

and invites Jacob to stay with them.

What’s amazing to me, is that this is the same well that so many decades earlier,

Abraham’s servant shows up and meets Rebekah, Isaac’s wife.

In that story, it is Rebekah that gives water to the servant’s camels,

but in this story, it is Jacob who gives water to Rachel’s sheep.

And in both stories, it is Laban that runs to the well to meet the strangers.

So we have one family and two marriages that begin at this well.

About 100 years before, it was Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather’s servant ...

who prayerfully came to this well to seek a wife for Jacob’s father, Isaac.

The servant had many camels loaded with all sorts of jewelry to impress...

but prayer was the power that made the trip a success.

And God answered the servant’s wife and Rebekah married Isaac.

But in today’s story, we have Jacob, who is alone, no camels with jewelry,...

you could say he is penniless and prayer-less, and fleeing home also finds a bride at this well.

How do you want to travel through life?

How do you determine your options for the future?

I recommend prayer and lots of prayer before making minor and major life decisions.

Bathe your life with lots of prayer and trust ...

the Lord will guide your relationships and your future.

So Laban invites Jacob home and welcomes him with open arms.

And after staying a month with Laban, Laban begins to negotiate with Jacob.

Now Jacob’s name means supplanter, one who undermines..

and Jacob lived up to his name when he deceived his brother

at least twice and his daddy once.

But in Laban, Jacob met his match, someone who is a greater deceiver,

more conniving then Jacob.

Let’s read how they negotiate in .

Now Jacob thought he got a good deal..

but Laban, Laban figured out how to marry off two daughters and get 14 years of free labor.

Notice how it all comes together for Laban, read .

Isn’t this just a romantic verse?

Jacob works seven years to afford Rachel and...

when you’re in love seven years goes by so quickly.

Have you ever heard a couple say they’ve been happily married

for so many years, like 20 years, or 30 years or so on?

I’ve heard someone once say that they’ve been happily married for 15 years and married for 20 years.

Love makes the journey in life sweet doesn’t it?

If you want to have a happy marriage choose to remain in love.

And may I remind you today that love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, does not boast, and it is not proud.

But love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, for love never fails.

Love is a choice not just a feeling. Even when you don’t feel like you’re in love, you could still choose love.

In your marriage you could either magnify the negative things or the positive things.

Choose to magnify the positive things, even the small things,

like a kind smile, delicious pancakes he may make for breakfast.

Delight and magnify the small kind gestures.

And by focusing on the positive, you are choosing love for your marriage.

So seven years goes by quickly and Jacob is excited and oh so ready to marry Rachel, ...

seven years might’ve gone by quickly but he does not want to wait another day, ...

Jacob downloaded one of those countdown apps for his iPhone and when seven years was up,

he went straight to Laban to make the wedding happen, but conniving Laban had a trick up his sleeve.

Read .

So Laban throws a big wedding feast, pretending that he is truly happy for Jacob and Rachel...

that he is caring for both of them,...

when in essence Laban was carrying about himself.

But just to make it look like he cares, Laban involves a series of ceremonial processions from and to the bride’s house.

The reading of the marriage contract, large meal offered to the family members and guests.

He creates a big crowd, big wedding, to create confusion.

He planned this well for months maybe even years.

And the bride having a traditional veil covered in the darkness in the night didn’t help the situation.

Jacob was completely vulnerable and there is no family to watch his back...

and Laban deceived Jacob and gives Leah instead of Rachel.

What a devastation!

Can you imagine poor Jacob, he worked 7 long years to marry the love of his life...

only to wake up next morning with the wrong woman in the morning.

At this point, I have a whole lot of questions in my mind, ...

how in the world did Jacob not notice until next morning that he is marrying the wrong person?

And why would Leah even go along with such a terrible plan,

to marry someone who loves her little sister.

I don’t know that we will ever know the truth until one of us in heaven has the courage to ask Jacob about that night.

I’ll let you ask him, how’s that?

But this marriage turns out to be a huge challenge in Jacob and Rachel’s marriage.

For you see, Laban was ready with another idea. Read , .

So Jacob within one week ends up marrying sisters.

He marries Leah and a week later marries the love of his life, Rachel.

And in the process ends up enslaving himself for another seven years of work.

Now at this point, we could entertain a few what ifs.

For example, what if Jacob, would’ve decided to not wait in serving the Lord until he returns to Canaan.

What if Jacob would’ve decided to pray and serve the Lord in Padanaram.

Would God have helped Jacob see through the deception and not fall for Laban’s tricks?

Well, we don’t know the answer to that one.

But we do know this, Jacob decided to put God off a few years and his life became quite a mess.

Because now Jacob instead of being married to the love of his life,..

with a happy marriage and a happy honeymoon.

He is married to the love of his life and her older sister. Talk about marriage problems.

And it only gets more difficult for Jacob, it turns into a real life soap opera.

For through goes something like this.

Since Leah is unloved, God blesses her with a baby boy,

and she names him Reuben, which means “see, a son.”

Leah things that God has seen her misery and blessed her with a son.

Then she has another son, this boy she names Simeon, his name means “one who hears.”

She now thinks, God not only sees my misery, but he also hears my prayers.

Then Leah again has a third boy and she names him Levi.

And his name means “attached.”

Thinking that now her husband should choose her over Rachel for she has given him three healthy boys.

But that’s not all, Leah again becomes pregnant and has a fourth boy

and she names him Judah, which means praise.

This time she praises God for seeing, hearing, and blessing.

Have you had struggles and challenges in your marriage?

Do you know that God cares deeply about your relationships?

He sees your struggles, your pain, your loneliness.

He listens to your prayers, keep praying, keep talking to God, keep seeking after God.

He loves you, cares for you, sees you and will help you.

And praise Him for the fact that He journeys for you...

and will help you through every difficulty you may be going through.

Now, Rachel enters the picture and she is keeping score.

So far her older sister is winning 4 to 0.

Leah has four kids, four boys and Rachel has none.

And Rachel, she is angry, jealous and she takes it out on her sister, husband, and God...

For it says in that Rachel, “became jealous of her sister.

So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Leah has children but not the love of her husband.

Rachael has the love of her husband but no children.

Since God is not intervening to solve her problem,

Rachel decides to take the place of God and gives her maid, Bilhah to Jacob.

So now this family becomes even more dysfunctional and...

the problem more complex and Bilhah gets pregnant and has a baby boy and Rachel names him Dan.

The name Dan means “he has vindicated.” In another words,

God has vindicated me and the score is 4 to 1.

Bilhah again has a baby boy and this one Rachel names Naphtali, which means my struggle.

So the score is 4 to 2 and Rachel thinks she is making a third quarter comeback.

But now Leah changes her game plan and she gives her maid to Jacob, ...

and Zilpah has a baby boy, and his name is Gad, and Gad means good fortune.

And again Zilpah has a baby boy and she names him Asher, which means, happy.

And Leah is happy now, because she is winning 6 to 2.

Well the story is not over yet, because Leah again has another boy, his name is Issachar,...

which means Reward and then Leah has a sixth boy and...

she names him Zebulun, which means Honor.

which means Honor.

She is way ahead in the game, 8 to 2.

But God finally hears Rachel’s prayer and Rachel has a boy and she names him Joseph.

To make a long story short, Leah ends up with one more child,...

a baby girl named Dinah and Rachel ends up giving birth to one more son and ..

a baby girl named Dinah and Rachel ends up giving birth to one more son and while she gives birth to a healthy baby boy, she passes away.

while she gives birth to a healthy baby boy, she passes away.

With Benjamin being born, Jacob ends up with 12 boys and 1 girl.

A very complex family that started out so simple, so innocent, with Jacob loving Rachel.

But there is a lesson for us this morning.

Jacob is caught up between a competition between Leah and Rachel.

Do you know that the enemy throws things, or people to compete with the love of your life?

if not people to compete with the love of your life?

The devil attacks our marriages, our families, and all healthy relationships.

Jealousy, anger, hatred, bitterness, all fuel the competition and continue to make matters worse.

God’s solution is the gift of His Spirit.

When we allow Christ to live in our hearts and we allow the Holy Spirit to grow fruit in our lives.

We shall have love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When challenges come into your marriage,

choose Christ and let His Spirit dwell in you to respond with...

love, kindness, and gentleness and not with jealousy, anger, hatred, and competition.

The story of Jacob does have sad parts in it, Rachel ends up dying in child labor.

But Jacob loves Joseph and Benjamin so much, because they reminded him of Rachel.

Jacob never stops loving Rachel.

And after serving Laban for 20 years Jacob finally wakes up and decides to head back home.

We won’t go into the whole story of his fear in meeting his brother Esau, or his wrestling with the Lord.

But I do want to close with this text found in .

Jacob is back home now, he left alone, penniless, prayerless, guilty.

And returns having fallen in love, now he has a large family, great wealth and fully forgiven.

And what does Jacob do? He buys a piece of property, builds an altar and prays.

And he called the altar, El Elohe Israel, which means, El is the God of Israel.

You remember how our story began today?

With a statement from Jacob that the God of my father Isaac,

and the God of my grandfather Abraham is not my God, at least not yet.

But if God will bless me and I return home safely, then God shall be my God.

And Jacob kept his promise and God has kept his promise to Jacob

and now God is the God of Jacob also.

I don’t know what struggles you may be going through friends, ...

maybe it is financial struggles and you feel like Jacob, penniless.

Or perhaps you are lonely like Jacob was and you are seeking companionships.

Or maybe you are married and the business of life is competing with your marriage today.

Let God be your God today.

Choose to journey with Christ, share with him your challenges and struggles.

Don’t be prayerless but prayerful.

Bring the Lord into every aspect of your life and let Him lead.

It doesn’t mean that your life might get easier right away, ...

but it does mean that you have the companionship, friendship,

and wisdom of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit in your journey.

What more can you ask for?

My prayer is that as we journey in this life we all choose Christ ...

as our Lord and live a prayerful, Christ-centered, Spirit-led life.

Let us pray.