Bible Study Online Article
Jacob had met the shepherds of the east and the very beautiful shepherdess Rachel, which led to him meeting her father, who was also his uncle - Laban. Rachel's father would invite Jacob to come and stay at his house, being that he was family and had nowhere else to stay at the time. Although Jacob was a guest in his uncle's house, he wasn't idle. The promise bearer would help out by tending to his uncle's flocks. Jacob in his own right, was a very knowledgeable and skill shepherd himself. Plus, by him helping with the flocks, this would have kept him close to Laban's daughter and shepherdess Rachel whom he seemed to adore very much. Nevertheless, Laban was impressed by the ingenious and industrious work ethic when it came to Jacob and the way he tended to his flocks. Jacob had stayed there and helped out for about one month before Laban had approached him. "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be," Laban would ask of Jacob. Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older daughter was called Leah. Now the younger daughter we have already been introduced to... which is Rachel. Also for curiosity sake, the name Leah means (gazelle) and the meaning of Rachel name is (a sheep). I would also like to point out that Jacob was about seventy- seven years old at this particular time in his life. Being seventy-seven of that time is not the same as being seventy- seven in today's time. Keep in mind that Jacob would live to be about one hundred and forty-seven years old, so in retrospect, Jacob was a middle age man. The bible points out that Leah was tender-eyed, which means that her eyes were soft and moist and perhaps made her looks, to be very ordinary. Rachel on the other hand was very beautiful and lovely in form, in which Jacob adored and was very much in love with. "I'll work for you seven years in return for younger daughter Rachel," Jacob would say to Laban. "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me," Laban would tell Jacob. So Jacob would serve seven years in order for him to get the right to marry Rachel. The love that Jacob had for Rachel was so strong, the seven years of labor that Jacob had agreed to and finished, seemed like only a few days to him. So after the seven years had passed, Jacob approached Laban, "Give me my wife, my time is completed, and I want to lie with her." Shortly after Laban brought together all his relatives and invited his surrounding neighbors and gave a great feast in what seemed to be in honor of Jacob and Rachel. But when evening came Laban had different plans? It was custom for the husband to have his wife brought to them in the dark while they waited in their tents, in which the wife would have a veil over her face. Jacob waited for his wife in his tent. Laban would then present Jacob with his new wife in which he did lay with. The night would end and morning had came and Jacob had awaken only to find Laban's oldest daughter Leah lying beside him and not Rachel. Apparently Laban had crafted a plan with Leah in order to deceive Jacob. This plan would serve Laban, Leah and God in a couple of ways. First: This would get Leah a husband. With her being a simple looking woman, it was probably hard for her to find a man that would want her. Second: Laban knew that Jacob wanted Rachel so much so, that perhaps he could get the promise bearer to work for him a little bit longer, so that he could finally gain Rachel hand in marriage. Third: God would use this plan to bring Jacob further into a season of reaping for what he had done to his own father Isaac and brother Esau. Although Jacob had been predestined for the path that he was on, the way that he got there wasn't right in the eyes of the Lord. Jacob was now paying a greater price for deceiving his father. This season of reaping began would he was forced to leave his father's estate in order for him to escape the wrath of his brother Esau. Now Jacob sees an increase in his reaping season, because now he has been deceived by his father-in-law and has worked seven years for a woman he did not want to marry. "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel didn't I? Why have you deceived me?" Jacob said in a indignant tone. "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work," Laban would propose to Jacob. A very disappointed Jacob would agree to these terms. The promise bearer would finish out the bridal week with Leah in which Laban would then give Rachel over to Jacob in order for her to be his wife as well. Jacob would then lay with Rachel in which the bible clearly points out that Jacob loved Rachel more Leah. The bible also points out that Jacob kept his word and worked for his father-in-law Laban for another seven years. Both daughters would also receive handmaidens from their father as well. Leah received her handmaiden who went by the name - Zilpah, on her wedding day a week earlier and Rachel also received a handmaiden who went by the name Bilhah on her wedding day. Start at: The Introduction of Abraham Start at: The Birth of Isaac Start at: The Birth of Esau & Jacob 43) Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 44) Jacob - The Stone Pillow Dream 46) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 50) The Mandrake Plant of Love  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
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