Genesis Chapter 29
The account of how Jacob found a wife amongst the people of his mother’s relatives is an interesting one to say the least. Jacob was instructed by Isaac to go to his uncle’s home and select a wife from his daughters. I sometimes ask silly questions but did the family know that Laban had daughters? What if he only had sons? Most likely Isaac and Rebekah knew that her brother Laban had daughters, but I digress. Regardless, Jacob was not going to have an easy time of it as it originally appeared.
Jacob immediately met the right girl. She was from the right family, she was beautiful, and she was a hard worker, and she just walked out to him from the field. The Bible said he kissed her. This was most likely the customary kiss of greeting, but still it would have surprised her because she didn’t know who he was. Jacob had not brought a dowry with him from back home, but he knew he had found the one for him and was willing to work to get her.
Let's Reflect
1. Jacob’s father Isaac had pronounced a blessing over him before sending him on his way. What did Isaac say to his son regarding his search for a wife, how did he want God to bless Jacob? See Genesis 28:3.
2. Jacob was used to having servants do all the work back home, what did he try to instruct the servants of Laban to do?
3. Jacob met Rachel for the first time and knew that she was the one he should take as his wife. He got emotional as he thought about how God had answered his prayers. What emotion did he show?
4. When Rachel learned who he was she ran to tell her father. This family was obviously a family where the daughters had great reverence for their father. How was Jacob received by her father? How long did Jacob stay with the family before he took the opportunity to ask for Rachel’s hand in marriage?
5. Why did Jacob choose Rachel and not her older sister Leah?
6. As a dowry, Jacob suggested that he would work seven years for Laban to have permission to marry his daughter Rachel. Laban agreed to the dowry but played a terrible trick on Jacob. Disguised under a veil and in the darkness of night, Jacob married the wrong sister. Laban had set them all up for an incredibly difficult time. Rachel must have agreed to submit to her father’s plan. How do you think she felt about the situation?
7. Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel from the moment he saw her. And he thought the only solution to his heartache was to ask for her as a bride as well. What was Jacob willing to do so that he could marry Rachel also?
8. The heartache that follows is apparent to all. We read that Leah was blessed with sons. How many sons did she have while Rachel seemed to be barren?
