Why did God wrestle with Jacob and why did this appearance not become a "big deal"? Laban agrees to allow him, in a week, to marry Rachel as well but he How is it possible Jacob didnt see Leahs face or hear her voice? Jacob, as he had already lain with Leah, was stuck. The miracle of conception lies within the power of God. At the top stood God, reaffirming his covenant with Abraham that now passed to Jacob: The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring (Genesis 28:13). She was a lovely girl, beautiful of form and face (Gen. 29:17). While traveling south, close to the Jabbok River, Jacob came upon a stranger who challenged him to a struggle. We, too, must willingly suffer for Christ, knowing our ultimate reward will comejust like Jacob won Rachel. Give me children or Ill die, she exclaimed to Jacob. He continued, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? We know him, they said. That was not exactly the happiest way for Leah to start her married life, was it? Then he worked 18Jacob was in love with Rachel(A) and said, Ill work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.(B), 19Laban said, Its better that I give her to you than to some other man. One great test of true love, therefore, is the ability to wait. Did Laban change his mind about giving Rachel to Jacob before he had completed the seven years in Genesis 29:30? If Rachel died just (say) two years before Joseph was 17, that is at the age of (say) 15, then Jacob and Rachel would have been married for 13 years in Paddan-aram plus another 9 years, a total of no more than 22 years. Thats right, Laban. If you inserted some improved circumstance or material possession, how might you finish the statement to be more consistent with the principles of Gods Word? The two wrestled all night; the word wrestled (yeabeq) is another of Genesis wordplays, using Jacobs name (yaaqov) and that of the river (yabboq). God always keeps His promises no matter what. 3:2). Didnt I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Following his deception of Esau, Jacob left Beersheba (Gen 28:9) and went to Paddan-aram (Gen 29) and worked for his uncle Laban for 7 years (Gen 29:20) for the hand of Rachel but ended up having to marry Leah as well as Rachel (v27). Jacob did not have to wait seven more years for Rachel, only one week. He moved a stone that normally took several people to move, and watered all of Rachels sheep. Then they let their father Jacob think Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He did not get very far before he learned that God was going with him. What could Rachel have done to overcome her jealous discontentment? Jacobs work for Laban wasnt easyit was hard, grueling labor. This must have been at least 1 year later.) By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. They criticize them for the way they dress, the way they fix their hair, the way they cook, the way they keep house, or the way they treat the children. We get the idea that he was so fascinated by Rachels beauty, and so enchanted by her charm, that he failed to recognize her shortcomings or even to consider the will of God in his relationship with her. He reminded the shepherds that grazing time was being lost and that they should water their flocks and get them back out to pasture while it was still light, probably a ploy to get rid of them so he could talk to Rachel alone. THEN, after all that time, Jacob wakes up to find that he had married the wrong woman! We also know that by the time Joseph was 17 years old (Gen 37:2) his mother had been dead for some unknown time before. Jacob was in love with Rachel, so he told Laban he would work for seven years in exchange for Rachels hand in marriage. Genesis 29:15-30. So Jacob said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? What is the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel? How many years Jacob lived in Egypt? Jacob and Rachels love story pales in comparison to the mighty, never-ending love God our father has for us. How could Jacob wrestle with God if no one can see God and live? She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. That gnawing discontentment kept her from enjoying anything totally, and it kept others from enjoying her. That is a remarkable statement. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Paul could say, For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am (Phil. Even though Jacob deceived his own family, he later embraced humility and was deceived himself. When we can recognize the presence of discontentment in our lives and acknowledge it as sin, we can seek Gods grace to overcome it and find new joy in living. The Hebrew name of Rachel means ewe or beautiful. Two, God has a plan that He will fulfill despite our all-too-human orchestrations, manipulations, and petty jealousies. It says, I feel good when I am with you, so I want to hurry up and get you to the altar before I lose you and lose these good feelings. Love says, Your happiness is what I want most of all, and I am willing to wait, if need be, to be sure this is what is best for you. And if it is real, it will stand the test of time. He had prospered to such an extent that Laban no longer felt very kindly toward him. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. But he was more than willing to do this in order to marry his beloved Rachel. Just like Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked 14 years, God loves you even more and gave His son Jesus to die for you! To approach a question 400 million years in the making, researchers turned to mudskippers, blinking fish that live partially out of water. The "seven" years may have been more reflective of how much Jacobs ability to work was worth. Jacob and Rachel Craft 10 Minutes of Quality Time has made a great tutorial and print out of when Jacob met Rachel. Jacob worked for his uncle Laban 7 years, then married Leah & Rachel He worked another 7 years for Rachel Now they've been married 7 years. What would seven years in wages amount to? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Whatever the "value" was for those years of work, it was acceptable to Laban. Web30 Rachel, realizing she was barren, became envious of her sister. Image of minimal degree representation of quasisimple group unique up to conjugacy, Two MacBook Pro with same model number (A1286) but different year. The answer may be simply that the seven years totaled up to a reasonable value of Jacob's labor which he was willing to "pay" eventually for Rachel and ultimately [That is Joseph was about 11 years old when Rachel died??] What characteristics in your mate bring you the greatest contentment? Now Rachel was the most beautiful woman Jacob had ever seen. Our culture frowns on a man expressing his emotions like this, but honestly expressing ones feelings might promote greater emotional health and greater marital stability. Passing negative parameters to a wolframscript, A boy can regenerate, so demons eat him for years. and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her; for though to lovers time seems long ere they enjoy the object beloved; yet Jacob here respects not so much the time as the toil and labour of service he endured in it; he thought that seven years' service was a trifle, like the service of so many days, in comparison of the lovely and worthy person he obtained thereby; all that he endured was nothing in comparison of her, and through the love he bore to her: besides, the many pleasant hours he spent in conversation with her made the time slide on insensibly, so that it seemed to be quickly gone; which shows that his love was pure and constant. The uncertainty arises from the unknown time between Jacob leaving Paddan-aram and arriving in Ephrath which was presumably at least 2 years (with Bethel in between) and when Joseph was 17 years old. Why the obscure but specific description of Jane Doe II in the original complaint for Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity? What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? She always seemed to want what somebody else had. This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. Some couples get angry with God for not giving them children, while others who do have children look forward to the day when the kids will be grown and gone and they can have some peace and quiet. (This must have been at least 1 year later.). Jacob decided to call the place Peniel (Gods face), saying, I have seen God face to face (Genesis 32:30). Except for the one time that Jacob got angry with her for blaming her childlessness on him, there is no indication that he ever loved her any less for her faults. And her eyeswhat gorgeous eyes they were! Infatuation is usually in a hurry because it is self-centered. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him. Jacob turned his head, took one fateful look, and it was without a doubt love at first sight. It's now been 11 years since they left Haran (Joseph was 6, now is 17. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. Some wives are discontented with their husbands. Isnt that so crazy??? For husbands: Does your wife continually sense your love for her? Leah, not to be outdone, realized she had stopped bearing children, so she gave over her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob, and Zilpah bore two sins: Gad and Asher (v. 11-13). It was a long and lonely journey. 25 The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her (Gen. 29:20). He went straight to Laban and started asking him so many questions. please read and comment. 30 For it was little indeed you had before I came, She has a weekly YouTube devotional, too. Laban had given Leah to Jacob. God allowed Rachel to have her one last request. It was so late at the wedding that Jacob was too tired to know what was going on. After discovering that he had been tricked, Jacob married Rachel also and then worked out another seven-year contract for this marriage. Why did you give me Leah? I specifically asked for Rachel! Why have you tricked me? Jacob was not happy at all. Jacobs father accepted the consequences of his deceit when he impersonated his brother Esau and stole the family blessing, and Isaac was commended for it in the New Testament. But when a man is enamored of a woman, he does not want to hear those things. Now Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel, both sisters, She was envious, selfish, peevish, fretful, discontented, and demanding. For example, he put her in the favored position to the rear of the company when they went to meet Esau and their lives may have been in danger (Gen. 33:2). He has instructed us to be content with what we have, for while the circumstances of life change daily, He is unchanging and ever with us (Heb. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. He arrived in the general vicinity of the city weary, footsore, homesick, and not exactly sure where to go. The week refers to the week of wedding festivities. All rights reserved. You can still visit her tomb today, a lasting monument to the disaster of discontentment. Jacob offered to serve him seven years for Rachel, the younger of his two daughters, whom he loved because of her beauty; i.e., just as many years as the week has days, that he might bind himself to a complete and sufficient number of years of service. Little Reuben, Leahs firstborn, who may have been about four years old at the time, was out in the field following the reapers around picking some plants called mandrakes or love apples, as any little boy of that time might do. When Laban heard that his nephew had come, he ran out to meet Jacob. One of these men kept their promise and the other didnt. When she realized that Leah was bearing Jacob children and she was not, she became intensely jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I die (Gen. 30:1). He worked 7 years to marry Rachel, but he was tricked into marrying Leah. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. "Signpost" puzzle from Tatham's collection, Passing negative parameters to a wolframscript. Generating points along line with specifying the origin of point generation in QGIS. Together with the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, these 12 men would become the forefathers of the 12 tribes of Israel, sealing Gods covenant. As we are reminded in Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the goodof those who love him, who have been calledaccording to his purpose.. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he made this offer to Laban: Ill serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.. 18 "Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, I will serve you seven years Some of these things are important and need to be talked out. Is there anything I'm missing? WOW! Are there any details that make it possible to estimate (with any accuracy) how long Jacob and Rachel were married before her death? What were the most popular text editors for MS-DOS in the 1980s? At the end of 20 years, Jacob had to deceive Laban (Gen 31:20) and flee for his life and left to return to Beersheba but actually settled in Shechem (Gen 33:18). Gen 30 describes the birth of the first 11 sons (and 1 daughter, Dinah) of Jacob born in the that second 7 year period. This is what happened with Jacob, he had to work 7 years before being with the love of his life but then found out he had to work another 7 years before his deal was up with Laban. It only takes a minute to sign up. What are the teraphim (household gods) Rachel stole from Laban? Jacob did not refuse for a very important reason. Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. But what good did it do her? He went straight to Laban and started asking him so many questions. There are a few key lessons in this story. Joseph and Dinah are 6 years old. Benjamin was born, but Rachel didn't survive. Knowing they arrived in Succoth when Joseph was 6 and that they left when he (and Dinah) was 17, we can say they were married about 25 years when she died.
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