The Life of Jacob: Jacob, Laban, Leah and The Only Love that Matters

Genesis 29:1-35 Jacob, Laban, and Leah (The Only Love That Really Matters) Introduction: Vs.1-13. Jacob has fled, because of the wrath of his brother Esau, to the the city of Haran, back to his mothers relatives to seek a wife. On Jacobs journey, the Lord God appears to him assuring him that he will be with him wherever he goes, that his presence, blessing and the land of Canaan are truly his inheritance. Chapters 29 and 30 are the beginnings of God fulfilling his promise to Jacob to prosper him and make him a great and powerful nation. As we look at these chapters I just want to clarify once again that much of Genesis is descriptive and not prescriptive. Meaning that the author is not approving or commending what was done but has simply recorded for us the events that took place. On the human plane this story demonstrates the craving of human beings for love and recognition, and the price of thwarting it; on the divine level it shows once again the grace of God choosing difficult and unpromising material. 1. Jacob’s Idolatry a. Jacob is A Man With An Inner Vacuum and Emptiness. i. Jacob was the second son of Isaac. His father had set all of his love and hope on his brother Esau. Because of this Jacob most likely is bitter and cynical. He has now had to leave his loving mother’s side, in fear of being killed by his brother Esau for stealing his blessing. ii. Jacob has just had his first personal experience with God in chapter 28, and here we saw that Jacob entered into a covenant relationship with God. Though Jacob has begun a relationship with God it does not immediately create a full remedy for his inner emptiness. It is not immediately healed but it is going to take time, trials, great mistakes, and pain before Jacob will find true fulfillment in His God. iii. Why Was Jacob’s Life Empty? 1. He never had his father’s love, he has lost his mothers love, and he knows nothing of God’s love at this time. He has left the land of promise, he is friendless, homeless and penniless. iv. How Does Jacob Cope With His Inner Emptiness? 1. He sets all his hope and affections on a woman - 2. Vs 15-21 “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. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” a. He offers a price that is way too high for a typical dowry. b. 7 Years passes like a few days because of the love that he has for her. c. At the end of 7 years Jacobs demands his wife from Laban. i. The language that is used in the original Hebrew is so graphic and brash even for today’s standards. Jacob literally says, “Give me my wife, I want to have sex with her” 1. These points seem to indicate that jacob is consumed with rachel. 3. Jacob Puts All of His Hope in Rachel. a. Rachel is his new identity, and reason for living, and he will be somebody once he has her. i. In this way Jacob is very different than the world that he lived in and very similar to the thinking of our modern world. In biblical and ancient times people rarely married for love but rather they married for status. Many of us can relate to Jacob because we live in an age where this idea of “apocalyptic romance” or “one true love” is all around us. v. What is Apocalyptic Romance? 1. In a time where the culture no longer believes in a personal God “We look to sex and romance to give us the transcendence and sense of meaning we used to get from faith in God” We are looking to an individual to redeem our life and give us purpose. 2. “We maintain the fantasy that if we find our one true soul mate, everything wrong with us will be healed” -Tim Keller 3. We have made gods out sex, relationships and love. And through them we seek salvation. 4. But the gods we make can never satisfy our inner emptiness. 2. Laban’s Deceit a. We find out very quickly what kind of man Laban is. It says in Verse 13. That Jacob told Laban all these things. What things? Why he ran away from home, how he had stolen the blessing, and deceived his father - Laban responds, “Surely you are my bone and flesh”. Laban listens and says, we are so much a like. Jacob and Laban are made of the same stuff they are both con men, deceivers, those who take advantage of others for their own gain. Jacob has met his match in Laban. b. When Laban saw how lovesick Jacob was, he took advantage of him. i. Laban has two daughters. Leah, Laban’s older daughter has weak eyes; Laban’s younger daughter is beautiful in figure and appearance. ii. Laban never agrees to the contract. He never says, “yes”. He simply says, I think it’s a good idea for you to marry Rachel. 1. When the time comes Laban deceives Jacob. Vs. 22-30 “So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 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?” Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.” a. A quick note here. Back to the satisfying of our inner emptiness for a moment: it says that Jacob goes to bed thinking it’s Rachel “the one true love”; but in the morning, “behold it was Leah”. b. Cosmic disappointment - “Most people, if they have really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning, can really satisfy. I am not now speaking of what would be ordinarily called unsuccessful marriages, or holidays, or learned careers. I am speaking of the best possible ones. There was something we have grasped at, in that first moment of longing, which just fades away in the reality. I think everyone knows what I mean. The wife may be a good wife, and the hotels and scenery may have been excellent, and chemistry may be a very interesting job: but something has evaded us. -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 2. When Jacob protests Laban’s deceit you can clearly see how he condemns himself. What is Laban’s response to Jacob’s inquiry? - “around here we don’t put the younger before the first born.” Recalling Jacob’s own deception of his father. a. His father was blind to Jacob’s disguise as Jacob was blind to leah’s disguise. b. What can he say? He can’t protest what Laban has done and yet he still longs for Rachel. Jacob is stuck. He is enslaved. 3. Because of Jacob’s idolatry of Rachel Laban has pawned off his daughter that nobody wanted and he will get 14 yrs of labor out of Jacob. 3. Leah’s True Hope vs.31-35 a. Leah is also empty. She has lived her whole life unwanted by her father (he had to deceitfully pawn her off on Jacob). She has lived her whole life in the shadows of her younger beautiful sister Rachel. But now she has Jacob. Yet Jacob loves Rachel, and so once again Leah is in the shadow of Rachel, she is second best. b. How does Leah cope with her inner emptiness? i. Leah is wrapped up in Jacob. Leah is doing to Jacob what Jacob has done to Rachel. She is looking for ultimate purpose and identity in her husband. ii. As she names the first three children we can see that Leah is trying to use God's favor and blessing to get what she wants, attention, affection, love, and affirmation from her husband. But Jacob loved Rachel! But God loved Leah! 1. Vs.31 (When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb) God is reaching out in grace to Leah. c. Leah is the one character of hope in this story. i. She names her first son in hope that her husband will see her or notice her. That's what the name Reuben means in Hebrew. she names her second son Simeon (which means to hear or listen) in hopes again that Jacob will hear her cries for his love. she names her third son Levi (which means attached) in hopes of Jacob being attached to her. Finally after three children have been born to Leah she has given up on Her hope of finding security in Jacob love and attention. ii. Upon the birth of her fourth son there is a sort of defiance in her tone! She now turns her affections to the one who has loved her all along (not because of her beauty or lack of it.) She turns her attention to Yahweh and says, “Now I will praise the Lord!”. iii. "There is no mention of child or husband. It appears that finally, she had taken her heart's deepest hopes off of her husband and her children, and had put them on the Lord. Jacob and Laban had stolen Leah's life, but when she gave her heart finally to the Lord, she got her life back." - Tim Keller 1. Interesting that Judah will be the line through which Jesus will come! Did Leah have some sort of revelation during this pregnancy/ birth. Conclusion: 1. Until each one of us set our hope on God alone we are going to abuse and misuse every relationship and every blessing in our lives. We will be so consumed with "apocalyptic romance" or some apocalyptic purpose, confused about life until we find our identity in Christ. You will fail to be the loving father, or the faithful spouse, the caring mother, the faithful worker. You will fail to be You will not be able to experience the fullness of life, you will not get your life back until you find it in Christ! 2. Until we realize that our hungers and thirst can only be satisfied with the Father love of God we will live frustrated lives of disappointment. 3. Knowing how dearly loved we are by an unchanging God makes us secure, it gives us fulfillment, and Identity. a. Jesus could say that he had overcome the world even before the cross because he was absolutely secure and satisfied with the love between him and the Father. b. God says to the unloved and the unlovely I am the true bridegroom; your one true love. The one who has covenanted my love to you; I will love for ever! i. “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.” ii. “Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you; so lead us by your Spirit that in this life we may live to your glory and in the life to come enjoy you for ever.” - Augustine iii. Colossians 3:1-4