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Genesis 29:1-30:24 Key Verse: 29:35a JACOB BUILDS HIS FAMILY “She conceive again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’ So she named him Judah.” Jacob was so selfish that he only think about his own business, but God is with him to exercise his sovereignty and accomplish his own purpose. God used Jacob’s love for Rachel, to give Jacob twelve sons. These twelve sons were the foundation of the nation of Israel. God changed them and raised them up to be the Patriarchs of Israel. Our God has a purpose for each person. Through today message I pray that all of us would learn how God works out by using one Jacob’s passion. And why we have to seek only God for satisfying our heart from Leah and Rachel story. 1. Jacob marries (29:1-30) Jacob met God at Bethel and made his vow. It was not enough to be a faithful vow, but God sincerely listened to Jacob’s prayer. Jacob walked toward to northeast, and he arrived in Paddan Aram. He saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it. Jacob approached to the shepherds and tried to talk for some tip. He realized that they were from Haran, so he asked about his uncle Laban. To his surprise, they knew Laban. Not only that, they informed him that a beautiful shepherdess coming with a flock of sheep. She was Rachel, Laban’s daughter. At first glance, Rachel captured Jacob’s heart forever. God had faithfully brought Jacob to the home of his mother’s brother, and had led him to meet the girl he would love for the rest of his life. Jacob impressed Rachel by rolling the large stone form the mouth of the well and watering the sheep she was tending. He kissed her and wept aloud, for he was deeply moved— either by God’s faithful leading and/or by Rachel’s beauty. Jacob was different from his twin brother, Esau. Esau was a man of flesh. He could not wait for anything. When he felt like to eat, he had to eat even at a huge cost--the birthright. When he felt like to marry, he had to marry whom he pleased. They were two Canaanite wives. Even though his parent--Issac and Rebecca--did not please, Esau followed what his emotion said to himself. In contrast, Jacob sought honor--the birthright--first. He made an elaborate plan to snatch the birthright from his brother, Esau. Now, he met the woman he wanted to marry. He did not rush into marriage or try to live with her before marriage. For handing Rachel into marriage, he agreed to work as a hired servant for 7 years. Verse 17-18 says, “Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.’” Verse 20 says, “Jacob served Laban seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” There are things we like to do and things we have to do. Someone who do things he likes to do is a man of flesh. Esau was such a man. He looked the true man in compare with his weak brother, Jacob. But he was actually weaker than Jacob, because he did not overcome the desire of his flesh. Such man lived as a slave to the flesh. They can easily harm to others. We could not expect anything great because they want to what they want to do. But Jacob knew things what we ought to do first. He overcame his temporal feelings, and willingly devoted to what we have to do first. This attitude made Jacob a great man. He mastered emotion first for acquiring more happiness. When Jacob completed the appointed time of contract, he said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.” They had a big wedding. The wily Laban had tricked him. He had married Leah. But Jacob did not give up. He made a new contract with Laban. To serve for 7 years without any wages seems so foolish. But to Jacob, it is worth to be paid. That is because Jacob was passionate for Rachel. He wounded up investing total 14 years of life in order to marry Rachel. We can see the greatness of Jacob here. He gave his very life to get what he wanted. He did not rush, but was willing to pay cost at the fullest. Many people today are too careful to calculate before doing something. They are afraid to take risk. They hesitate to give commitment to any task. They feel that high involvement means lose themselves. The denial to keep lasting relationship or deep commitment is the disease of modern man. These kinds of people frequently suffer from mental illness. I was a man of emotion who tends to do what I feel like. There was the thing I do not like the most--that is ‘waiting’. If I have the things I feel like to get, I cannot control myself before getting what I want to. One day, I really liked to have Walkman because of jealousy to a friend who showed his own to me. From that time, I did not stop crying to my mother before she brought Walkman to my hand. It was definitely not cheap, but she could not help without buying for stopping my cry. I was such a slave to my emotion. When feel so good, noting is problem. But feel so bad, I threw away what I ought to do. Responsibility, duty, or commitment--such words were regarded meaningless. I concerned over only self-satisfaction. This childish attitude had ruined my campus life until I realized the necessity of repentance in Jesus Christ. I misunderstood the campus one of heavens where I can do everything what I desire for. Now I look back last around 10 years of my campus life. What is the important lesson I learned from is that a man of flesh never be the great and only bring harm to other’s life. My parents, shepherds and friends felt too much burden to serve this selfish soul. But God who is the sincere shepherd had taught the way to be the great man during my military service. Through the experience, I learned sense of community, sense of discipline, and sense of responsibility. I served the several bosses who all were younger than me. One of bosses bitted me mercilessly whenever I forgot my assigned duty. In those days, I always prayed that the man would have an accident and go to the hospital. However, now I thank to him more or less. It is because I learn that I would do my own duty regardless of emotional situation. Jacob knew the way of waiting to get something. He committed himself to get what he desired. He kept his passion over a period of long time and paid the cost at the fullest. I pray that all of us learn Jacob’s good attitude. By overcoming our desire of flesh all of us step toward the man of great like Jacob himself. 2. Rachel and Leah (29:31-30:24) Jacob had two wives regardless of his hope. Rachel is the woman of Jacob, but Leah felt always unloved. 14 years was days for only Rachel, if not Leah, it might be a half. However, in view of God, Leah led a blessing life after knowing the true source of love. But Rachel suffered from jealousy and struggle. She came to dead in childbirth. Through this, we realize that God is fair. Really fair. Jacob loved Rachel; he never changed. God opened Leah’s womb first and gave children. Leah had 6 sons and a daughter. Leah thought that this news may please to Jacob. The name of children is seen her struggle. Reuben is the first son’s name, which means “he sees my misery”. Leah desired that Jacob turn back to herself who fell in misery. But Jacob was not moved. She continued to struggle for obtaining Jacob’s love. She was given the second son, Simeon. His name means “he hears”. And she brought birth the third son again, Levi, which means “attached”. Leah thought that Jacob would hear her voice and attach to herself. But it never works. Jacob’s heart was not moved for Rachel. Leah was sorrowful. Leah felt unloved. She must cried may tears and struggled with jealous hatred for her beautiful sister. Then, her fourth son was born. She named him Judah. His name means “Praise”. She made a decision. She would no longer beg love from his husband. She turned away her heart from Jacob and from rival, to God. She praised the Lord. She opened her cold wounded heart and let the love of God come in. She solved deep inner problem. ‘Thirst for man’s love’ problem was resolved by accepting true source of love. God’s love is far greater than the measure which man can give. It satisfies truly our heart. It is eternal and life giving. Later, Leah named the two sons “Gad” (good fortune) and “Asher” (happy). She became a happy woman. Later, she bore Jacob two more sons: Issachar (God rewarded me) and Zebulun (honor). She said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” Her husband and futhre generations honored her. Rachel was quite different. She was beautiful and spoiled. She had a monopoly on Jacob’s love, but she was not satisfied. Human love cannot fully satisfy a person’s heart. Rachel felt intensely jealousy of her sister. 30:1 says, “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister.” She wanted children, but she did not pray. She complained to Jacob, “Give me children or I’ll die.” Jacob’s angry answer pointed Rachel to God, but she did not accept it. He rebuked her, saying, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” Rachel did not seek God. She tried to get child through her servant, Bilhah as a surrogate mother. She got 2 sons, Dan and Naphtali. Dan means that “vindicate”, and Naphtali, “struggle”. She only thought about winning a victory over her sister. Finally, God gave Rachel a son, “Joseph”. Joseph was a son whom Jacob loved most because of Rachel. Jacob became the cause of great sorrow and source of great blessings. But Rachel did not thank to God. Joseph means “give me another”. Rachel’s heart was full of anger and jealousy. She worshiped idols (31:34). Finally, Rachel died in childbirth, Benjamin. Shepherd Jean, Seoung-Il was my Rachel. He has been better than me in term of learning language. Shepherd Jean has a fluent tongue on foreign language. In TOEIC test, Jean and I have same point. Jean spent only 3 days at it. But I poured a full of 3 months onto the test. Moreover, he has served as an excellent messenger. Whenever read the message he delivered, especially English Worship Service, I felt that he scorned my poor language. Another Rachel was shepherd Kim, Ho-Youl. He is a man of prayer. Kim is too weak to do hard work. But he has never missed the Morning Prayer. I have seen that God is blessing his life. I am such a troublemaker. But he is a man of gentleness. So he has served many students with God’s word. He is supposed to come into the graduate school in which I work hard. But I am not afraid of his future, even do afraid of my future. So by seeing my two Rachel, I often felt unloved. However, I am thankful to My Lord who gave these good rivals to the life. I am praising My God who awakens my dull spirit by giving my friends. I pray that I would be more useful and humble like them, so that God would use me as a source of blessing. The sovereign God was working out his own purpose in the midst of an imperfect human family. He blessed Jacob and protected him, and he trained him. Many years later Jacob could say, “My life is a pilgrimage”, and “God has been my shepherd all my life.”(47:9; 48:15) God used Jacob’s love for Rachel and through the struggles of his family, gave Jacob 12 sons, and made him into a great nation, the nation of Israel. God is truly the God of Jacob. |
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