Entries in this series are excerpts from the National Geographic special issue, The little-known history of the Florida panther. Her jealous malcontent was seen again a short time later. Technically, the children of that union would be Rachels children in their culture. How is it possible Jacob didnt see Leahs face or hear her voice? One, we can understand thatlike Jacobin spite of our sins and weaknesses, we can still be reconciled to God. She had a beautiful face and gorgeous long hair. 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. Whatever the "value" was for those years of work, it was acceptable to Laban. The median wage for a laborer is $14.47/hr. Since they are contrasted with her older sister Leahs, which had no brightness or sparkle, they must have been dark and lustrous, captivatingly beautiful. There is an old saying that goes, True love never runs smoothly. Thats the way it was with Jacob and Rachel. She did bear another son. We know this because Benjamin was a father when they went into Egypt 22 years after leaving Succoth (Joseph 17 years old - 39 years old). As our knowledge of Him increases through the study of His Word and through prayerful periods in His presence, we shall find a settled peace and contentment growing within us. In desperation over her barrenness, Rachel begged Jacob to lie with her servant, Bilhah, and thereby give her sons through this union (Genesis 30). Episode about a group who book passage on a space ship controlled by an AI, who turns out to be a human who can't leave his ship? And her eyeswhat gorgeous eyes they were! If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. (This must have been at least 1 year later.). After discovering that he had been tricked, Jacob married Rachel also and then worked out another seven-year contract for this marriage. Rachel lies alone. Genesis 29:15-30. Some wives are discontented with their husbands. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Article Images Copyright , How Jacob and Rachels Bible Story Show's us God's Love in Action. What characteristics bother you the most? There were some shepherds sitting around the well, so Jacob started a conversation with them: My brothers, where are you from? They answered, We are from Haran. Jacob probably heaved a sigh of relief. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? Can corresponding author withdraw a paper after it has accepted without permission/acceptance of first author. And it came about, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mothers brother, and the sheep of Laban his mothers brother, that Jacob went up, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban his mothers brother (Gen. 29:9, 10). 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). 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). Joseph at this point must have been at least 8 years old. (g) Meaning after the years were accomplished. 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. Jacob was so shocked! Have your kids tell God how much they love Him for all that He is! 25 The next morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah! Where does the version of Hamapil that is different from the Gemara come from? Forced to serve Rachels father, Laban, for seven The Lord stood above the ladder and said to Jacob, Behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Gen. 28:15). Both Jacob and Laban, Rachels father, were sheepherders. WebHow many years did Jacob work for Laban, and why did he serve all those years? Laban had sent Leah in to lie with him (Genesis 29:23). She cooperated willingly with her fathers scheme but found very little satisfaction in the husband she had gained by deceit. Jacobs overt favoritism toward Rachel had prompted God to keep Rachels womb closed, but Rachels love was ultimately redeemed when she gave birth to a boy named Joseph, Jacobs favorite (Genesis 30:24-25). Through his son, Jesus, God gave us a path to redemption. 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. That is such a long time! Dickering over the value of a bride may have been an insult to the bride. At long last, the strangeran angel of the Lord, or perhaps God himselfrelented, and declared that Jacob would be known as Israel (he who prevails with God) (Genesis 32:28). Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he replied: "I am will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." This must have been at least 1 year later.) The next morning when he woke up and saw the woman he married, he realized that is was LEAH!!!! She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on, and he felt life without her would be worthless. From the start, Jacob in his youth is portrayed as a deceiver, which is what his name means. Think of someone that you love so much. What part did your kids seem to like the most in this Bible Lesson??? That sounds crazy! Is she feeling love, or is she feeling anger, hostility, and rejection? God made a wife with the need to rest secure in her husbands love at all times. And we shall be able to change what can be changed, while joyfully accepting what cannot be changed, being assured that it is part of His perfect plan to bring us to maturity in Christ. He ran up to her and hugged and kissed her because he was so relieved to meet family. Web30 Rachel, realizing she was barren, became envious of her sister. Jacob and Rachels love story pales in comparison to the mighty, never-ending love God our father has for us. What is the significance that Jacob offered to work for Laban ,seven years for Rachel ? please read and comment. While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her fathers sheep, for she was a shepherdess. Genesis 29:18 Jacob loved Rachel. How old was Jacob when he first saw Rachel? Jacob was so upset. Why did you give me Leah? I specifically asked for Rachel! Why have you tricked me? Jacob was not happy at all. genesis - How long were Jacob and Rachel married? - Christianity By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. How many years did Jacob serve laban? I don't know why I didn't think of running through the chronology myself! Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Genesis 30 TLB - Rachel, realizing she was barren, - Bible Gateway Maybe Jacob would have been commended for accepting these consequences from the sovereign hand of God had he exercised that degree of faith. Im ready to consummate my marriage. Laban invited everyone around and threw a big feast. It seems as though this romance was off to a blazing start. 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 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. He was made to work for seven years for Rachel and another seven years for Leah. How can you demonstrate love even in her bad moments? Finally, the Bible tells us God remembered Rachel (Genesis 30:22) and allowed her to conceive. Jacob was far from perfect, but he is an example to us of how a husband ought to treat his wife when she isnt all that she ought to be. Her labor was severe, and it became evident that she was going to die in childbirth. What is Wario dropping at the end of Super Mario Land 2 and why? Is it well with him? he questioned. Although Jacob was tricked into it, there were alternatives. All rights reserved. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.. He is the one who satisfies the thirsty soul and fills the hungry soul with good things (Ps. Similarly, we know God loves us so much He is willing to go to any lengths to win our hearts and souls for His kingdom. In the end, we cannot be certain of why Jacob failed to notice that he had Is there anything I'm missing? 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. 30 Jacob also married Rachel, since he loved her. When he brought them home and presented them to his mother, Rachel saw them and decided she wanted some too. For some long COVID patients, exercise is bad medicine, Radioactive dogs? How does God want you to handle those feelings? It could be a parent, grandparent, sibling, friend, anyone. (O) 29Laban gave his servant Bilhah(P) to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Isaac was the son of Abraham, the miracle child borne of Sarah in their old age. Jacob decided to call the place Peniel (Gods face), saying, I have seen God face to face (Genesis 32:30). He served Laban another full seven years work for Rachel. Laban agreed on the deal again and gave Rachel to be Jacobs wife. (R) And he worked for Laban another seven years.(S). The history of book bansand their changing targetsin the U.S. Should you get tested for a BRCA gene mutation? With a heavy veil over her face and long flowing garments covering her body, she got through the ceremony undetected. 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 when a man is enamored of a woman, he does not want to hear those things. Please be respectful of copyright. What we can learn from Chernobyl's strays. She had to have everything she wanted or life was not worth living. But she named him Joseph, which means may he add. And she said, May the Lord give me another son (Gen. 30:24). Some husbands are discontented with their wives. Then they let their father Jacob think Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. But Rachel took something that did not belong to any of them; she took her fathers idols, the household gods called terephim (Gen. 31:19). What are the teraphim (household gods) Rachel stole from Laban? The fourteen years of service for Leah and Rachel must have been fulfilled shortly after the birth of Joseph. Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular, Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number, Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular, Preposition-b | Noun - cdc | third person masculine singular, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular, Direct object marker | third person feminine singular, Untranslatable mark of the accusative case. Forced to serve Rachels father, Laban, for seven years to win her, Jacob was tricked at the end of that time into marrying her sister, Leah. He was then allowed to marry Rachel as well, in return for seven more years of labour. At first childless, Rachel eventually gave birth to Joseph and died giving birth to Benjamin. (1958 More. This is where we meet Rachel, the beautiful second daughter of Laban, Jacobs relative in another land (Genesis 29). No matter what. 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. 6. To save chestnut trees, we may have to play God, Why you should add native plants to your garden, What you can do right now to advocate for the planet, Why poison ivy is an unlikely climate change winner, The gory history of Europes mummy-eating fad, This ordinary woman hid Anne Frankand kept her story alive, This Persian marvel was lost for millennia. WebNew International Version. Let us leave aside the age of Jacob, it is possible to deduce the a number of other facts about his chronology. May I suggest another alternative; Jacob could have accepted his marriage to Leah as the will of God for his life and learned to love her alone. In fact, there are indications that he maintained his devotion to her to the very end of her life. It will not change as long as we think satisfaction can be found in any material possession or improved circumstance. God is love. The neighborhood beauty and the new boy in town had found each other. (E), 22So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, why the elaborate ruse? More, more, more! She wanted her husband rather than her brothers to have the largest share of the family inheritance so she could benefit from it too. Is what Laban said in Genesis 29:26 true? Some commentators insist that he should have rejected Leah since he did not take her willingly. Infatuation is usually in a hurry because it is self-centered. If God set the maximum age to 120, then how could Jacob be 130 years old? WOW! THEN, after all that time, Jacob wakes up to find that he had married the wrong woman! What is the difference between a blessing and a birthright (Genesis 25)? So she peddled Jacobs affections to Leah for the night for a couple of those love apples (Gen. 30:14, 15). What could Rachel have done to overcome her jealous discontentment? Jacob requested that he work for Laban and in return for him to marry Labans youngest daughter, Rachel. WebWe would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Finding the distance from a corner of a cube to the midpoint of an edge. What is this brick with a round back and a stud on the side used for? Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Law: Genesis 29:20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel (Gen. Ge Gn). But the shepherds had some sort of agreement that they would not roll the stone back from the mouth of the well until everybodys flocks were gathered (Gen. 29:7, 8). What is the meaning of Jacob wrestling with God. Why? Jacob stayed married to Leah, but a week later he also took Rachel as his wifeworking an additional seven years for her ( Genesis 29:2728 ). Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Jacob was so shocked! To approach a question 400 million years in the making, researchers turned to mudskippers, blinking fish that live partially out of water. Seven-year engagements may be a little excessive, but time is needed to learn someones desirable and undesirable traits, so that we can decide whether we can give of ourselves unselfishly for the other persons good in spite of his unappealing characteristics. But tensions within the clan, particularly between Jacob and Labans sons, compelled Jacob to return to Canaan with his wives and handmaidens, who also served as Jacobs concubines. Webster's Bible Translation And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and Jacob marries Rachel the daughter of Laban | Bibleview Their complicated union ultimately produced 12 sons who went on to be the 12 tribes of Israel, who God claimed as His own people. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Jacob worked for his uncle Laban 7 years, then married Leah & Rachel, He worked the next 6 years for his uncle's flocks, then he left Haran, Jacob stayed in Succoth, built shelters for his livestock, then he built a house there and settled down to raise his 12 kids, As Jacob's sons got older they worked with the flocks. Jacob waited, and his romantic love at first sight grew to become a deep bond of spirit and a total commitment of soul. 23 That night Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. Jacob tore his clothes and refused to be consoled and said, Judah did not approve of his brothers' dealings with Joseph, and lying to their father letting him think Joseph was dead. He did not get very far before he learned that God was going with him. 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). But that is a guess. 4. Never Satisfied! - The Story of Jacob and Rachel Two, God has a plan that He will fulfill despite our all-too-human orchestrations, manipulations, and petty jealousies. When they came to Bethel, God said to Jacob, Joseph was Jacob's only child with Rachel, and he was presumed dead. Dottard Correct Laban was greedy, he bartered for both of his daughters., Although he played the part of the benevolent uncle, he reduced his blood relationship with Jacob to a service contract. She always seemed to want what somebody else had. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years (Gen. 29:30). 1. One night, he dreamed of a ladder going up into heaven. We can, however, follow the chronology and the geography to know within about a year how long Jacob and Rachel were married. Save 15% on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. 3. Hosea 12:12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. Let them ask God to continue to keep His promises. One month is hardly sufficient time for us to get to know someone well enough to make a lifelong commitment, and it surely is not enough time to learn whether or not we are in love. God wants us to be content with what we have. I suspect that she loved Jacob from the start and longed for him to return her affection. Did the drapes in old theatres actually say "ASBESTOS" on them? Did Jacob placing branches in front of his flock really result in the offspring being speckled and spotted? You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. 18:18; 1 Tim. This means that it was a minimum of 13 years in Paddan-aram plus at least 2 more years that Jacob was married to Rachel. Too many couples marry in haste and repent at leisure. But the end is not yet. Jacob and Rachel WebJacob served seven years for Rachel, and it seemed only a few days to him because of his love for her. rev2023.5.1.43405. But from the beginning we are a little dubious about the match. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. Artist William Dyce captures this fateful moment in his mid-19th-century painting The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel., Photograph by Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany/Bridgeman Images. It was only one month after Jacob arrived in Haran that Uncle Laban approached him to see if they could work out a mutually acceptable wage arrangement. 10 Things You Need to Know about the Number 666, 10 Books of the Bible You Should Read Again and Again, 10 Most Encouraging Bible Verses That Will Uplift Your Heart and Soul, 5 Things That Hurt Relationships with Grandkids, 30 Morning Prayers to Start Each Day with God, How to Have Joy in Your Golden Years Despite These 10 Life Losses, 4 Things You Should Know about Big George Foreman, 8 Ways You Are Belittling Your Husband and What God Says about It, Maybe Money Can Buy Happiness, but Not Joy. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! A man may also trap a woman by promising wealth, or trick a woman by pretending to be something he is not, masking his faults until after the ceremony. Was Jacob so Sexually driven that He mistook Leah for Rachel? Genesis 29:20 Commentaries: So Jacob served seven years