Light and Life for Today

44. Love Story

Finding love has become a very complex and sometimes confusing task for many in the 21st century as various new ways of socialising have opened up. It's been amazing to see the number of reality television programs devoted to finding a perfect match and of course there are also various dating apps that help couples meet online, with varying degrees of success.While social media allows people to communicate more easily, it has not completely replaced the traditional way of meeting a potential partner in person and of course most importantly, relying on God for guidance.

In today's passage from Genesis, a beautiful love story begins as Jacob arrives at his destination and meets a very beautiful woman:

"Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Harran," they replied. He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?" "Yes, we know him," they answered. Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?" "Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." "Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture." "We can't," they replied, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep."

While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherd. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and blood." After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be." Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her." So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?" Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work." And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children."
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭29:1-35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It was so beautiful to see Jacob's instant attraction to Rachel! She must have been quite surprised when he kissed her and wept! It was surely an unforgettable kiss and then he was completely overcome by emotion, perhaps as a result of having come so far and now he could see Rachel as a blessing from God.

The road to marrying the right person is often difficult but for Jacob, it proved to be the ultimate in testing his love and patience.What a gesture of commitment to offer to work for seven years! A usual dowry at that time would have been a lot shorter period but Jacob wanted to demonstrate how he felt about Laban's youngest daughter Rachel, so was prepared to go the distance.

Jacob certainly was not prepared for the betrayal that followed as Laban tricked him into marrying his eldest daughter Leah. It would seem that Jacob was now on he receiving end of deception and it must have been heart breaking for him after waiting so long to marry Rachel!

Laban dismisses the deception under the guise of a tradition that the eldest daughter be given in marriage first. Jacob agrees to work for another seven years so he can finally marry the woman he loved. I cannot help feeling sorry for poor Leah who clearly would have felt inferior, knowing that Jacob had wanted to marry her sister all along!

The Lord sees the pain this situation has caused and allows Leah to bear Jacob four sons while Rachel remained barren. He was good to Leah even when the rest of the family treated her poorly. Leah watched for signs that her husband loved her. As each child came into the world, she assumed that surely this would cause her husband to love her but she was disappointed again and again. Her first three sons she named from a place of personal brokenness and rejection but we see a change when she names her fourth son Judah and says this time I will praise the Lord as her happiness is found in the Lord, not in being accepted and loved by another.

In fact, Leah had a great purpose in her life even though she had been rejected and despised. From her would come two of the greatest tribes of people —from Levi the priestly tribe and from Judah the Royal tribe who would be in the family line of Jesus! It's interesting that He too was despised and rejected!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

It's so special to see your blessing on Leah that would link her to your own Son Jesus! Thank You for what we can learn from this passage on so many levels as we examine each person's intentions. I love the way that You work even through our mistakes, heartaches and rejection to bring us closer to You. Help those we know who are in relationships that seem so complicated, trusting that You can still bring Your purposes into being as hearts turn to You.

Thank You for the way You long to draw us to Yourself in praise as Leah did. Lord may our priority to love You first and foremost, satisfy our longing for love and acceptance, leading us to loving relationships that are in line with Your will and purposes.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬