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21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her." 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?" 26 And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years." 28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. ~ Genesis 29:21-29
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 29 which in a few ways echoes the events of Genesis 27 where a deceitful brother tricked his blind father. Laban's trick in the darkness of night was aided by Jacob's partying spirit. It was also aided by Leah who wore a dense wedding veil. Then, to add to all of that, it was dark outside and dim inside. Interestingly, Jacob's service of seven years seemed "in his eyes" but a few days. Because Isaac’s "eyes were too dim to see," Jacob was able to steal his brother's blessing. Jacob’s eyes for Rachel, on the other hand, enabled Laban to take advantage of him. And, Jacob wound up with a woman whose "eyes were weak." Ironically, Jacob's deceit will have come full circle. Oh, the law of reciprocity, we reap what we sow. This law is different than karma because this law doesn't factor in our salvation but according to the Buddhist karma determines where one goes after death.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.'"
After Jacob fulfilled his end of the bargain to Laban, he once again came to Laban asking for Rachel's hand in marriage. Having been reduced to a slave who had to beg for his wages, Jacob spoke of Rachel as payment for services rendered. At this point, Jacob sounded much like his brother Esau when he begged Jacob for a bowl of his red stew.
As he stood before Laban, knocked down a notch or two, Jacob probably thought to himself, "This is a bad moment." But in reality, it was one of Jacob's greatest moments because being humbled is a good thing, especially when it prompts us to cry out to God for help. We are most often humbled by the most humiliating of circumstances. To be humble means to recognize that we are not self-sufficient, but dependent on God for everything we need. It is out of this type of humility that we are more likely to submit our will to God's will. And, when we do, we will witness God's power in ways that we have never before. This is when we are privileged to see God the best.
In v.22 of today's passage we read, "And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast."
This is the fourth feast noted in the Bible. The men of Haran had gathered for the wedding and the feast. Along with the feast would be included some of the best wine one could find. When it came time for Jacob to receive unto himself his bride, it was obvious that he had too much to drink and in his drunken state he found it difficult to even know that it wasn't Rachel who had entered his dwelling.
In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid."
Laban deceived Jacob by sending to him Leah instead of Rachel. And, since it was the custom to give handmaids to a daughter at her marriage, Zilpah was included. This is the law of reciprocity at its finest. We reap what we sow is the old saying. At the hands of his eventual father-in-law, Jacob was now the recipient of ill-treatment. All of this happened due to the fact that Jacob lacked a personal relationship with God wherein He was defining him. This is why we must be defined by God because when we walk outside of His truth, we avail ourselves to those who are wrongly defined.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'"
It was their custom at the time, as it still is in many places, for the bride to be veiled. Due to the fact that it was nighttime and the lighting was so dim, Jacob never saw the face of the wife he had for so long worked. Although Jacob was undoubtedly shocked by these events, in the big picture a greater reality was emerging: Jacob was humbled so that he would be fit to be the servant-leader of God’s people later.
Many years after these events, Joseph, after being hated by his brothers, was left for dead. And then, he was sold into slavery to some Ishmaelite traders. Due to his ability to see the big picture, Joseph was able to recognize that God’s sovereign goodness accomplishes the best who are learning to trust Him. Joseph told his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." It was the truth as defined by God that enabled Joseph to ardently determine to be defined by God. This resulted in giving Joseph to see the world through the eyes of God which is wisdom.
In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 And Laban said, 'It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.'"
Laban, who was not being defined by God but by his culture explained his deceptive actions. Even though he had already been blessed by Jacob, Laban was motivated by his love of money. And, yet again, Laban would profit from Jacob’s love for his younger daughter. He knew that Jacob would be willing to work another seven years without payment. And to ensure that Jacob accepted, Laban asked Jacob to only complete the bridal week with Leah. So, in seven more days, Jacob would be given his prize.
The number seven shows up a lot in the life of Jacob. In Jeremiah 30:7 we read of the phrase, "The time of Jacob's trouble." This passage makes a lot more sense when we realize that in just a short time Jacob would be renamed by God to Israel. Since Jacob is Israel as an unbeliever, it makes sense that Israel is Jacob as a believer. A careful study of Jeremiah 30:7 renders the understanding that it is a description of the time known as the Tribulation in the New Testament. This "time of Jacob's trouble" describes how unbelieving Israel will come to believe in the Lord Jesus at the end of time as we know it.
In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid."
We are not told how Rachel or Leah felt about their father treating them as objects for monetary gain. At least Rachel had the heart of Jacob. Who knows how much Leah struggled through these events. We were told earlier that her eyes were "weak" which meant that she probably had a disability that would have made it really hard for her to get by in the ancient world. Perhaps this is why her father was so eager to get her married to Jacob. It might also explain why she did not help her sister Rachel with the herding of the sheep.
So here was Leah with bad eyesight and not as pretty as her sister, struggling with deep insecurities about her disability and her appearance, and then her father publicly humiliates her by making her sleep with and marry a man who’s in love with her sister. She’s denied the opportunity to marry someone who loved her and forced into a relationship with a man who loved someone else. She was used and abused by those who were supposed to protect and cherish her, and then she was publicly paraded around for a week as the new wife of her dad’s latest business partner.
But, there is a twist to this story, as there always is with God calling the shots. God saw Leah’s situation and had compassion on her. He opened her womb and her first son she called Reuben. Leah thought God sent her Rueben to help her find love from her husband. She acknowledged God giving her Simeon her second-born because she thought God was trying to make up for her husband not loving her. With Levi, her third son, she hoped Jacob might at least form an attachment to her, even if he didn’t love her.
Finally, with the birth of her fourth-born son, Judah, Leah chose to praise the Lord, turning to Him for love instead of her husband. This is the ultimate lesson of this life that only God fulfills us. I find it most interesting that the Lord Jesus came through the line of Leah, not through the line of Rachel. The Savior of the world came through Judah, Leah’s fourth son.
