TRUE OR FALSE?

1.

The shepherds who met Jacob, had come from Harran.

2.

The shepherds were waiting there to slaughter the sheep for food.

3.

Jacobs deceitful behaviour has been met with retribution, as he was in turn
deceived by Laban.

Jacob worked for Laban for a total of 10 years.

4.

SO THAT YOU KNOW

How was Laban able to deceive Jacob into marrying Leah (Genesis 30:23)? The Bible does not
specify the reason in detail. However, it can be guessed that Jacob may have become very drunk
during the wedding, or perhaps it was because it was late at night and therefore dark outside and
there was also insufficient lighting within the tent for Jacob to properly see his wifes appearance.
According to the customs of that time, Leah would have been wearing a dark-coloured veil. As a
bride, Leah may also have been shy and therefore did not raise her face to look at people.
In addition, Leahs and Rachels faces may have looked different but they were similar in height.
All these factors may explain how Laban was able to deceive Jacob into marrying Leah.
MAIN POINT
Jacob went to Harran for two reasons: (a) to escape Esaus anger, and (b) to find a wife from
someone in his mothers family. Jacobs and Rachels encounter at the well was arranged by God,
because he promised to be with and watch over Jacob (Genesis 28:15), and this includes guiding
Jacob to choose a suitable spouse. However, Jacob finally met someone even slyer than himself in
the form of his uncle Laban. As such, due to his deep love for Rachel, Jacob ended up remaining in a
foreign land for a long time.
REFLECTION
1.

Jacob successfully met Rachel, and because of his deep love for Rachel, he was willing to
work for Laban for a total of 14 years even though Laban deceived him. What are your
thoughts on this?

2.

Jacob possessed such perseverance because of love. Have you had a similar experience?
What message does this display of perseverance have for your own love life?

ACTION
1.

What goals do you currently have for your life (e.g. good results, caring for your friends, etc)?
No matter what your goal, you should persevere to the end until you reach your goal.

2.

Jacob had a focused and serious attitude about his love. What is your own attitude about
love? Are you equally focused? Or do you treat it light-heartedly? Regardless of whether
you are currently dating, you should strive to emulate such a focused, seriously, persevering
attitude.

PRAYER
Lord, I pray that you will let me know what things are truly worth persevering for, and let me...
THOUGHTS (GENESIS 29:20)
So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of
his love for her.