Isaac's mercy towards Jacob in his blessing is just like God's, in a way. Jacob messed up; he defied his dad, and Isaac got pissed. But even though he was mad, Isaac still wanted his son to prosper and to be happy. I think God feels the same way when we mess up. He doesn't see it as important in the long run.
...and Esau pretty much decides "well screw it, my dad hates me anyway. Might as well retreat further into the arms of lust and short-term pleasure and get me a couple more wives." This, though it sounds like an awful idea when spelled out like that, is not a dead concept. All the time, people decide, "I messed up once today, might as well go all out with and enjoy it while I can." This is not a good idea.
I repeat: this is not a good idea.
I think God would so much rather see us work past our mistakes, and keep trying, then to simply get discouraged and give up so soon. He has way too much hope in us for that.
I'm amazed that Jacob felt safe to lay on the ground with a rock instead of a pillow. I mean, I get that it was pretty much his only option, but it's so vastly different than the way things are now.
One of the cool things that God has done so far in Abe's family line is that he doesn't require them to trust on faith alone. He reaffirms them, if they even has the tiniest bit of faith. He gave Jacob a dream, helping him to trust God's promise more totally.
And I think he does the same for us; he helps us trust him.
Genesis 29
All the talk of wells and sheep in the first few verses makes me think of the metaphor of Jesus being the well of life, and the sheep representing us. It's interesting to read it from that perspective.
Rachel shows up in verse 8, and something unusual about her struck me immediately. She was a shepherd. I don't know if this was a common occurrence back then, but I can't imagine that it was. Being a shepherd was a dirty, smelly, foul job. And this lovely woman was the one left to do it. Rachel was not a woman that followed the crowd, but one that got the job done, gross as it may be.
I love the way even extended families acted back then. Jacob probably didn't know Laban or Rachel personally, and yet the meeting says full of weeping and kisses and excitement. It would be awesome if I was that pumped to see my family. To have that much enthusiasm about anything would be incredible, honestly.
Of the two daughters, I think of myself more like Leah, because I can't see at all. I wear glasses or contacts constantly, so I like Leah had weak eyes. I feel really bad for my homegirl, because I wouldn't want to be remembered in the Bible as the one with weak eyes that Jake didn't really want. It's not that fun of a title.
Jacob is such a noble man. He volunteers seven years of service for this woman. Myself, and most men, would aim low, hoping to get a negotiation going. But Jacob immediately goes to this ridiculous length of time.
Verse 20 is precious. "So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." (Genesis 29:20 NIV)
Such a glorious God-love. Admittedly, verse 21 kind of dulls the previous verse, but you can go look that one up on your own.
Now listen. Laban deceives Jacob. But I have to ask, how did Jacob not understand this until the next morning? Obviously, I have no idea how a wedding during that time worked. But I feel like there are plenty of opportunities where he could have recognized that this was not the girl he worked for.
For seven years.
That's tough.
Either way, Jake gets his Rachel, also, and I'm left feeling distinctly bad for my four-eyed friend.
But I love what God does for Leah, because it would make me feel better too. She has lots of babies. It kind of warms my heart to think that God gave her this comfort since the comfort of her husband was so foreign to her.
Leah had the first 3 babies for Jacob. She just wanted him to love her, which is far too common today. However, her fourth she had distinctly for God. Finally, she recognized that these precious little gifts came from him.
And she realized that her God was bigger than her problem.
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