In our study of Genesis chapter twenty nine, we look at how God can use all things, even man's deception, to fulfill His purposes.
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Continuing his journey, Ya'akov came to the land of the people of the east.
In the original Hebrew, it says that Ya'akov "lifted up his feet" and here it is translated as "continuing his journey" but the phrase is there so that the reader might see that this scripture relates to the plan of salvation. Ya'akov left Bethel and continued heading east until he reached "the people of the east" and this refers to enemies of Israel.
As he looked, he saw a well in a field; and there were three flocks of sheep lying there next to it; because they watered the sheep from that well. The stone on the well's mouth was large, and only when all the flocks had gathered there would they roll the stone away from the opening of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place on the well's opening.
As Ya'akov arrived, he saw a well that was used to water the sheep that were pastured in the area and we are reminded that a well of water speaks of marriage and water spiritually parallels salvation throughout the Torah. We see that there were three flocks of sheep there and are reminded that the number three is associated with the revealing of God's will for man. We notice that the passage makes it clear that the sheep were only watered from that well which speaks of the fact that there is only one path to salvation. The mouth of the well was protected by a large stone and we will see the reason for that in a bit. In the Hebrew, the phrase is "the stone is great" and it is translated here as "large" and the ordering of the words is significant and is so that we will take special notice of the importance of the stone. Throughout the Bible the stone is used as a symbol of the Messiah, the rock of our salvation.
Ya'akov said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" They answered, "We're from Haran." He asked them, "Do you know Lavan the son of Nachor?" They said, "We do." He asked them, "Are things going well with him?" "Yes," they answered, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."
We see that Haran is mentioned and we are reminded that it speaks of the Avrahamic covenant. In this and the well, we see that Ya'akov cannot continue the covenant alone; he must be married. Then Ya'akov asks the men about Lavan but, here, it is translated in the present tense while in the Hebrew he asks in the past tense (have you known) and this is done to show a deeper more complete knowledge of him and not just a passing familiarity. They answered that they knew him well and Ya'akov asks "is there peace to him" which is translated here as are things going well. The fact that Ya'akov asks about peace speaks to the will of God and the fact that the family had been set apart for a purpose related to the will of God. We see that, as soon as Ya'akov found out that he was in the right place, Rachel appears and this speaks of God's providence and perfect timing. We see that she was a shepherdess as she was bringing her father's flocks to be watered. It was common practice for a woman to tend the flocks if there were no male children in the family. As the youngest child, she would have been the one that was stuck with the job of tending the sheep. I say stuck because sheep smell and she would have been with them all day and cared for them. She would have had to be strong to protect them from predators and also patient to deal with their constant desire to wander off.
He said, "Look, there's still plenty of daylight left; and it isn't time to bring the animals home; so water the sheep; then go, and put them out to pasture." They answered, "We can't, not until all the flocks have been gathered together, and they roll the stone away from the opening of the well. That's when we water the sheep."
Ya'akov pointed out the fact that it was not the proper time for watering the sheep and urged them to go and graze the sheep until it was the proper time. There was hours left before sundown and the sheep would lick dew off of stones in the morning to get them through the day and they would be watered in the evening to get them through the night. Ya'akov was pointing out the fact that man's ways are the opposite of God's ways. Their response was to say no and that they all had to be there to remove the stone as it was too large for one or two men to move. They were afraid that, without the rock, someone could take more than their share of the water; they could not trust each other and there was corruption and doubt in that community.
While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, because she took care of them. When Ya'akov saw Rachel the daughter of Lavan his mother's brother, and the sheep of Lavan his mother's brother, Ya'akov went up and rolled the stone away from the opening of the well and watered the flock of Lavan his mother's brother.
When Rachel got there, we see that Ya'akov did what they said could not be done and he moved the stone through the power of God. This shows us the connection between Ya'akov and salvation in that it is one's relationship with his people (Jews) that salvation will come. That is prophetic in speaking of Yeshua being a Jew descended from Ya'akov. It also shows us the fact that, when God's anointing is upon someone, nothing is impossible. That applies to us as much today as it did to Ya'akov; if God calls us to do something, it will be accomplished through His power and not the power of men.
Ya'akov kissed Rachel and wept aloud.
The same Hebrew word (without the vowel points) is used both for Ya'akov giving drink to the sheep and here for him giving Rachel a kiss and it points to the fact that salvation will only come through being a part of this family. The kiss mentioned here was simply the way that relatives greeted each other. The fact that Ya'akov wept shows his great joy and relief in making it to his destination and seeing that God is at work in the situation.
Ya'akov told Rachel that he was her father's relative, and that he was Rivkah's son; and she ran and told her father. When Lavan heard the news of Ya'akov his sister's son, he ran to meet him, hugged him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Ya'akov told Lavan all that had happened. Lavan said to him, "You are indeed my own flesh and blood."
Jacob was accepted into the home of Lavan and treated as family.
After Ya'akov had stayed with him for a whole month, Lavan said to him, "Why should you work for me for nothing, just because you are my relative? Tell me how much I should pay you."
The Hebrew word for month is "chadash" which literally means new (the month starts with a new moon) and it is a "kingdom word" meaning it has spiritual implications. During this month, Ya'akov was not simply vacationing; he was actively helping in the labor and so Lavan asks him what he should be paid for his labor.
Now Lavan had two daughters; the name of the older was Le'ah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Le'ah's eyes were weak; but Rachel was good-looking, with beautiful features. Ya'akov had fallen in love with Rachel and said, "I will work for you seven years in exchange for Rachel your younger daughter."
We are introduced to the two daughters of Lavan and Leah, the older daughter, is described as having soft eyes. The Hebrew word "rak" is translated here as weak but it means soft or tender and we are not sure exactly what this means or why we are given this description. Personally, I think that it speaks to her spiritual condition. Meanwhile, Rachel is described as beautiful physically but the word means both physically and internally (spiritually). In return for his labor, Ya'akov offered to work seven years for the right to marry Rachel because he had fell in love with her from the start. We remember that the number seven is a holy number that has to do with completeness and, here, Ya'akov is willing to work in order to marry Rachel to complete the work of God.
Lavan answered, "Better that I give her to you than to someone else; stay with me." So Ya'akov worked seven years for Rachel, and it seemed only a few days to him, because he was so much in love with her.
In the Hebrew, Lavan's answer was the word "tov" which means good and it relates to being in the will of God. Ya'akov and Lavan made an agreement for Ya'akov to work off the bride price. The traditional Jewish marriage had two ceremonies and the first one was simply the betrothal. This was a simple ceremony in which the groom would state his intention to have the daughter as his bride and the groom and her father would set a price. At this time, they would be "legally married" but the daughter would remain with her father until the second ceremony. The first ceremony is described here as they agreed that Rachel would be his wife after he worked for seven years. We see that, because of his love for her, the time seemed to fly by and this shows that he appreciated her worth. This is also the "ceremony" that is a picture of our being saved through faith in Jesus Christ. He paid for us on the cross with His life and so we are legally His but we remain in this fallen world for now waiting on the second ceremony when Yeshua returns. If we keep our eyes focused on the prize no matter what we face in this evil world, the burden of waiting will seem small compared to what we will receive at Yeshua's return.
Ya'akov said to Lavan, "Give me my wife, since my time is finished, so that I can start living with her." Lavan gathered all the men of the place and gave a banquet.
After Ya'akov had paid the bride price, he went to Lavan to collect his bride according to the marriage contract and we see, once again, that Ya'akov is a man of his word. Lavan had a feast and the traditional wedding feast would last for seven days. We see that this banquet was for "all the men" and it reminds us that the covenant of Abvraham is open to everyone. After this second ceremony, the daughter would go to live with her husband for the rest of her life. This second ceremony is described by John, in Revelation 19 as the wedding supper of the Lamb.
In the evening he took Le'ah his daughter and brought her to Ya'akov, and he went in and slept with her. Lavan also gave his slave-girl Zilpah to his daughter Le'ah as her slave-girl.
At the wedding feast, the bride would have been veiled and so Ya'akov thought that he was getting Rachel but Lavan switched and gave him Le'ah. Ya'akov slept with her and consummated the marriage before he knew what was happening.
In the morning Ya'akov saw that he was with Le'ah, and he said to Lavan, "What kind of thing is this that you've done to me? Didn't I work for you for Rachel? Why have you deceived me?" Lavan answered, "In our place that isn't how it's done, to give the younger daughter before the firstborn. Finish the marriage week of this one, and we'll give you the other one also in exchange for the work you will do for me during yet another seven years."
We see again a pattern that will occur throughout the Bible and that is over and over again Isra'el will be deceived, cheated, and lied to but, in the end, they (and we) will overcome. When Ya'akov realized what had happened, he confronted Lavan about the deception. Lavan's answer was to use their tradition as an excuse for his lie and we note that he did not mention this when they were discussing the terms of the marriage contract seven years before. This is also a warning to us today that traditions are dangerous if they are not commanded in the word of God. Lavan's solution to the problem was to give Ya'akov a second wife in exchange for seven more years of work. This time it is different as Ya'akov is told to complete the seven day wedding banquet for Le'ah, agree to work seven years for Rachel, and they would be together as soon as Le'ah's banquet was over.
Ya'akov agreed to this, so he finished her week, and Lavan gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Lavan also gave to his daughter Rachel his slave-girl Bilhah as her slave-girl. So not only did Ya'akov go in and sleep with Rachel, but he also loved Rachel more than Le'ah. Then he served Lavan another seven years.
Ya'akov went along with Laban's plan and, as we see, he did not have to wait the seven years to get Rachel as she was given to him immediately after the bridal week of Le'ah. Now there are four women in the house of Ya'akov and we are reminded that, in scripture the appearance of women speaks of redemption. The fact that there is now four women, which is the number of the world, speaks of the fact that redemption of the entire world will come through this family of Ya'akov.
ADONAI saw that Le'ah was unloved, so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless. Le'ah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Re'uven, for she said, "It is because ADONAI has seen how humiliated I have been, but now my husband will love me."
Here, we see that Le'ah was "unloved" but what it means is not that Ya'akov did not love her but that, in his eyes, she was less significant and he paid less attention to her. We see that God caused Le'ah to be fertile while Rachel was not allowed to have children. Le'ah had a son that she named Re'uven which comes from two Hebrew words and means "see son" and Le'ah expected that Ya'akov would pay attention to her because she had produced the firstborn son.
She conceived again, gave birth to a son and said, "It is because ADONAI has heard that I am unloved; therefore he has given me this son also." So she named him Shim'on.
Even though Le'ah had given Ya'akov his first son, she was still not loved like Rachel. She got pregnant again and gave birth to a second son whom she named Shi'mon. The name Shi'mon comes from the Hebrew word Shim'own which means "hearing". She received no comfort from her husband but she acknowledges that the Lord has heard her and provides her with comfort. We remember that Le'ah was not the one that was chosen by God for Ya'akov as she had not been the one at the well but, even so, God was moving in her life. We must keep in mind that it was Lavan's deceit which brought about this situation.
Once more she conceived and had a son; and she said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore she named him Levi.
With the birth of her third son, Le'ah held out hope that Ya'akov's heart would be turned to embrace her. Levi means to escort, walk with, or join together and that was the hope of Le'ah.
She conceived yet again, had a son and said, "This time I will praise ADONAI"; therefore she named him Y'hudah. Then she stopped having children.
With her fourth child, we see that Le'ah finally gave up on changing her husband and just decided to praise the Lord for what He had done in her life. The name Y'hudah is derived from the word for giving thanks or praise. We notice that, in all four cases it was Le'ah who gave the names and not Ya'akov which was the normal for the man to name the child. The fact that she named them speaks again of redemption. We are reminded that, throughout the Bible, the number four is associated with earthly trials and we see that, after Le'ah's struggle with the feeling of being unloved by her husband, she just decides to praise the Lord. We also are reminded that this would have taken between three and four years for her to have these four boys. Out of this struggle, God would bring Levi who would be the ancestor of the priestly line as well as Y'hudah who would be the ancestor of King David and the royal line leading to Messiah Yeshua.
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