Stumbling Right Out of the Gate - Genesis 29:1-20

©Copyright July 28, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

When a horse or runner gets their legs tangled up out of the starting blocks or starting gate it is often very bad beginning (or a very quick ending) to a race. Many things depend on starting well. Fortunately, God's plan does not require that we start well.

The nation of Israel was originally made up of twelve tribes. These twelve tribes were named after twelve brothers. Their dad was Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. This morning we are going to look at the story of how the twelve sons came to be. If you have never heard the story, hang on to your seat . . . you are not going to believe this!

Jacob was sent to the home of his uncle, his mom’s brother. This was a 300 mile journey back to the place where Abraham was from. It is likely Jacob had never been there before. He had to trust his GPS. He found the right town but then he had to find the right people.

Jacob's Wives

Jacob found his relatives when he talked to some of the Shepherds at the watering hole. It was there Jacob met Rachel, his first cousin. We are told in verse 11 that he "kissed Rachel and wept aloud." We hear this and think, "Wow, this Jacob guy doesn't waste any time with small talk." And the ladies may be thinking, "some stranger comes up to me and kisses me and then starts weeping . . . I am out of there as fast as my feet will take me."

However, this was not a romantic kiss (yet), it was a kiss of greeting. It would be like hugging a relative you had just met. How do I know this? Look at verse 13. Here Uncle Laban is kissing Jacob! It doesn't matter how much our society has changed . . . that would be creepy if it was anything other than a greeting.

Jacob took a job with uncle Laban. At first, he was just helping out. After a month Laban offered to pay Jacob. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years for the hand (and all the rest of) his cousin, Rachel. Rachel had an older sister by the name of Leah. The Bible describes the two sisters this way,

Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. 17There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.

The description of Leah is difficult to translate. If you read different translations, you will get very different interpretations. It seems like what the text is saying is Leah was average looking, but Rachel was stunning. Jacob was smitten.

One of the most beautiful statements of Scripture is found in chapter 29:20

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him like only a few days. [pause for the Awwwww!]

It was tradition for the prospective groom to pay a "bridal price" or dowry to obtain the hand of his bride. Jacob didn't have any money, so he gave his "sweat equity" for seven years. When the seven years were up Jacob demanded Uncle Laban live by the terms of the agreement.

Laban had a big wedding. In those days the "main event" was a big week long party for friends and relatives. It is possible some vows were also exchanged. At the end of the seven days the bride would be brought to the tent of the groom and the marriage would be official. This is where the story takes a really bizarre twist.

When Jacob was in his tent waiting for his bride, Laban switched Leah for Rachel! When Jacob woke up the next morning, he rolled over to kiss his bride, and it was Leah! People wonder, how do you not know who you are intimate with? There are several factors involved. First, it was dark, second, Leah was veiled, and third, they had been drinking and partying all week long.

Jacob was furious. He confronted Laban. Laban said, "It is not our practice to marry the younger daughter before the older daughter." Needless to say, Jacob did not find that answer very satisfying! Laban told Jacob after the bridal week (think honeymoon) he would also be given Rachel as his wife! Oh, there was one condition: he had to work another seven years.

Let me stop here and make an important observation: these are real people! Try to imagine being Leah who is forced on Jacob and who feels his revulsion in the morning. Or imagine Rachel, planning for a wedding and then having your marriage snatched away from you on the wedding night only to be a "throw in" a week after the wedding. Imagine being Jacob who worked hard for seven years only to be duped. These people have real emotions!

I hope you are disturbed by this entire account (and it doesn't get better). People should be treated with dignity, not as objects. People have feelings. We live in a world filled with people who have been wounded because others treated them as objects rather than as those made in the image of God with tremendous inherent worth. This happens more than you realize:

When we use or manipulate people to get what we want in our business or career

When we view people who are "different" because of Gender, race, mental capacity, physical limitations, income level (low or great), or even home situation as less valuable because of such things.

When we beat people up with their failures in the past.

When we label people

When people are bullied

When we assume we know what another person is feeling or thinking

Even when we invite people to church so we can be bigger or generate more money. (We aren't showing concern for them . . . it is really about us.)

When we criticize another person simply because they are not doing things like we would do them.

When we exclude someone at school because they are different.

When we slander someone because we just don't like them (or because they are telling us a truth we don't want to hear).

When we physically or sexually abuse someone.

When we encourage eating disorders so people (directly or indirectly) by comparing them to the airbrushed images held up as a standard of beauty.

We can be as disgusted as we want by Laban (and we should be . . . he's just getting started) but we also need to turn the spotlight on our own lives and look for the ways we are treating others as of lesser value than they have as one created in the image of God. Anytime we treat someone as a means to an end, we ae acting just like Laban!

Jacob's Children

The drama of our story continues in the next chapter and a half. Don't miss verse 31: "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved . . . " Feel the emotion of Leah here. Everyone longs to be loved. To compensate for the way Leah is disregarded God "enabled her to have children."

Leah had a son. In fact, she had four sons! Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. The descendants of Levi became the priestly tribe and the kingly descendants (including Jesus) came through the line of Judah. Leah was thrilled by the four sons born to her. She was sure this was going to draw Jacob to her. She figured Jacob was sure to love the mother of his children (v. 34). She longed to be treated as a woman of value.

Meanwhile, we are told Rachel became jealous of her sister. She saw the affections of her husband turning to her sister and believed she needed to start having kids and complained to Jacob. Jacob threw up his hands as if to say, "It is obvious I CAN father children. So, it must be God who has kept you from having children.

Laban, by his selfish actions, has turned his daughters against each other. Selfishness is not a victimless crime. Laban may have gotten Jacob to help for another seven years but the pricetag was enormous: he had lost his family.

Rachel decided she could compete with Leah by giving Jacob to her servant girl, Bilhah. Since Bilhah was Rachel's servant, she could claim any children born. to Bilhah as her own. Don't miss what is happening here: the woman who was treated as property is now disregarding another. She treated Bilhah as a surrogate and sent her husband into the arms of yet another woman! Bilhah had two children Dan and Naphtali. Rachel feel some vindication, 'I have struggled hard with my sister, and I am gaining." Life had becoming a petty contest.

Leah, not to be outdone offered her servant Zilpah, to Jacob! This has gotten out of hand! Zilpah had two more children placed in Leah's column," She named them Gad and Asher. and look what Leah says in verse 13

What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

Do you see this? She is doing all this as a cry for acceptance. She has felt like an outcast . . . perhaps for a long time. She has become convinced by the people around her that she has little to no value.

One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”

it was thought that Mandrakes had aphrodisiac properties. It had a pleasant perfume like smell. Leah seems to be writing what we now call "revisionist history". In other words, she is putting her own spin on how she remembers things. In her mind Rachel stole Jacob from her!

Rachel agreed to "let" Jacob stay in Leah's bedroom that night. (I told you this was an unbelievable story.) As a result of their night together Leah gets pregnant again. She named this son, Issachar which sounds like the term for reward. In Leah's mind this is a great contest and she is winning!

Leah then had a sixth son: Zebulun. She had one more child, a daughter, whom she named Dinah and we will see her again in a future story (I believe she liked to entertain banjo players in the kitchen). So, if you are keeping score: Leah gave Jacob six sons and one daughter. Her handmaid had two more children. So, Leah's side of the tally sheet says 9 children on her side. Rachel has two children by Bilhah and none of her own.

Finally, Rachel became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph. Later she had one more child, Benjamin. He didn't come along until much later.

Jacob's Wages

Jacob now has 12 children and was feeling the financial pinch. His 14 years of service has long passed, and Jacob asked to be released so he can go home with his wives and children. Laban benefitted greatly from the help of Jacob. He can't afford to lose him and asked him how much he needed to be paid in order to stay on to care for the flocks.

Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages.In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”

“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock. (30:31-36)

Laban was still trying to manipulate Jacob. He agreed to let him have all the stripped and speckled animals but then hurried and removed all those animals from the flock before Jacob could take them.

Jacob got the last laugh. He received direction from the Lord on how to produce stripped and speckled animals. Jacob made sure only the strongest animals were bred to produce such offspring. Jacob started building his own personal wealth.

Conclusions

It is fair to ask: What are we supposed to do with this text? What can we learn from this? Why is it in the Bible? Let me give you some suggestions:

First, this tells us the story of how the twleve tribes of Israel came to be. These twelve boys became the core of the nation of Israel! Once again, we see the lesson we have seen over and over again: the sinfulness and scheming of mankind cannot thwart the faithfulness of God. God does not need our schemes to accomplish His purpose. What we actually see is God accomplishing His purposes IN SPITE of our schemes.

In some respects, this whole story points to the grace of God. He took this incredibly messed up family and built a nation from them. He took broken people and turned them into leaders of a nation.

Here's a take home for you: do you feel like a person of little worth? Do you feel the disapproving stares of others? Have you been wounded and beaten up by people treating you as having little value? Do you feel like the person no one sees? This passage reminds us that God sees and values you. Though humans may be cruel, God is loving. You are a person of great value to Him. You are created in His image and He loves you. He can turn scars into marks of beauty; if you let Him.

Lift you head up! Not in arrogance, but as someone who matters to the One who alone determines the true value of people. Don't let others convince you that you have no value. You have great worth before God.

Second, people who spend their lives taking advantage of others will find they will never get ahead. Jacob deceived Esau and Isaac. And he ended up running from home. Laban deceived Jacob. And when Laban tried to steal from Jacob, the tables were turned on him.

I believe God sometimes allows His children to experience the negative effects of their own vices so they can grow in compassion and understanding. Jacob spent his life working angles. The Lord put him in a situation with Laban where he was the one being played. It was a necessary lesson for the man who would be called "Israel."

We will never find fulfillment by trying to steal it from others. You will never find fulfillment by pursuing a course that is contrary to God's design for life. You may have some laughs, you may have lots of stuff, you may be cheered by the world, but you will not find what you are looking for! God created us so we would be restless until we turned to Him. It is actually a gift of God to keep us from settling for less than the best.

In Psalm 73, Asaph tells of a time when he was discouraged and felt evil people were winning in life. He envied them. He found himself filled with resentment. And then came a realization,

Then I realized that my heart was bitter,

and I was all torn up inside.

22I was so foolish and ignorant—

I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

23Yet I still belong to you;

you hold my right hand.

24You guide me with your counsel,

leading me to a glorious destiny.

25Whom have I in heaven but you?

I desire you more than anything on earth.

26My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:21-26)

Have you learned this lesson? You can run all over the countryside seeking happiness and fulfillment, but it is right in front of you. Jesus stands with His arms open wide. All you have to do is come to Him.

Maybe you have been taking advantage of people all your life. The Lord calls you to seek forgiveness from those people and come to Him with your heart wide open. Then you can get off of the treadmill to nowhere, and begin a journey on the true road to life. Why delay?