| Subject: Genesis 29 vss. 11-20 Post 150 |
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Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 20:50:00 05/15/11 Sun
Genesis 29:11-20 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month. 15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? 16 And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
The kiss is the equivalent of a big hug from family members that have not seen each other in a long time. There is nothing improper about Jacob's actions toward this first cousin of his. We notice that Laban ran and kissed Jacob also. This is a customary greeting between family or close friends in the middle east. In verse 12 we also see a peculiarity in relationships as they are mentioned in the Bible. Notice in the verse Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother when further reading will show that Jacob is a nephew to Laban. This kind of wording is common and a relationship written as a son may actually be a grandson.
Jacob is brought to Laban's house and stays a month. During this month two things are apparent. 1. Jacob has been "earning his keep" and 2. he has gone gaga over Rachel. Laban recognizes Jacob as a hard worker and offers him a permanent job. "Shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?" Leah and Rachel had both been in Jacob's presence for the month. Both were proper young women of marriageable age but with one there seemed to be a problem. While "Rachel was beautiful and well favoured" Leah was "tender eyed"!
That is not much of a testimony to the desirability of Leah. I have a billy goat by the named of Bubba that is very tender eyed. I mean you couldn't ask for softer eyes on any animal or person. I turned my back on that docile tender eyed animal one day and he butted me down. It took a shovel up side of his head to convince him that I didn't care how docile he looked I wasn't going to let him be boss.
Human nature hasn't changed in 6,000 years of human history. You set a man before two young women and tell him he can choose either and I guarantee you 100% he is going to choose a beautiful, well endowed young lady over one whose only complimentary feature is that she has "tender eyes". Jacob didn't have a problem with his choice. He fell "hook, line and sinker" for Rachel and bargained for her hand in marriage for seven years labor. Rachel must have been a 'knock-out".
In a time such as we live in today I would think this would not likely happen. It seems most young folk today are more interested in the casual fling, the "one night stand", or "shacking up" than a commitment that required you to work seven years for the girl's hand in marriage. Think about it. Jacob was in the presence of his true love for seven years and couldn't touch her. Every time he saw her his heart ached for her and I would assume he had a seven year calendar on which he was marking down the days.
Day after day he worked and dreamed of the time he would be able to call her his wife. Year after year he marked time and as the time approached he realized that all though at the first each day seemed a week and a month a year, he had almost completed his side of the bargain. Time really had flown rather than crawled. During that time his love had grown and not diminished. For him at this time he felt he had by far gotten the best of the contract. While Jacob was filled with elation a few more days of labor and Jacob would "deflate" with disappointment and would instead of elation begin to receive payment for his deception toward his father that garnered the blessings of his father..
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Jacob had proven his name which means "supplanter" and had ill gotten his brother's birthright and blessing. Jacob had called Laban his brother in verse 12. Now Jacob was about to have the tables turned on him by this man he called "brother".
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