Jacob - Pt. 8

 

Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. (Genesis 28:1-5 ESV).

 

Today I need to backtrack a bit in the story of Jacob’s life. Our reading today helps us understand an essential characteristic of faith. Here we see that Jacob’s stated purpose in fleeing to Harran was to find a wife (v.2). It did not take him long to fall in love. Jacob’s polygamy and some other marriage customs described here may be foreign to many of us today, but they were not unusual in Jacob’s day. The fact that they are included in the Bible does not mean God approves of them; it simply means that God can work to redeem people’s hearts even through existing cultural realities.

 

On the night of his wedding, Jacob the deceiver is himself deceived. In the morning he finds that he is married to Leah instead of Rachel. Laban has played a nasty trick, and it will hurt his daughters as well as Jacob. But Jacob’s favoritism will also take a toll, setting the stage for resentment and bitterness that will plague his family for a long time.

 

It is easy to see the wrong in others. Jacob is quick to name Laban’s fault. But Jacob seems to miss the fact that only a short time earlier, he had committed a similar sin against his own father and brother. We are responsible for the sinful ways we act, and we are more like Jacob than we might like to think. We get irritated when others sin against us, but we are quick to justify our own wrongdoing. Thankfully, God kept working on Jacob, and he keeps working on our hearts too.

 

Be quick to admit your own sin. Take responsibility for your part in any disagreement or contentious relationship. Perhaps it’s time to realize that none of us can claim perfection in any area of life. We must build on our relationship with the One who is perfect… His name is Jesus.