Join Mike Miller for part 4 in his series this time with a devotion on Jacob, Laban, Leah, and the Lineage of Christ.
As a kid, I remember learning all the great Bible stories. David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, Moses, and the burning bush, I heard them all. The Redemption card game is full of heroes and villains from these Bible stories. One such card from the Lineage of Christ set is “Leah, Weary Eyed/Leah, God’s Choice”.
The story of Jacob and Rachel always left me mad at how poorly Laban treated Jacob by misleading him and giving him Leah as a wife when Jacob clearly wanted to marry Rachel. It is a thought-provoking account to be sure. I have to admit, I always sided with Jacob and Rachel and saw Leah as a bit of a troublemaker. Then I realized the role Leah would play in far greater things. Let me explain.
As the account goes, Laban wanted to give Jacob something for his labor while he had stayed there. Scripture tells us of the deal struck by Laban and Jacob.
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Genesis 29:15-20 (NASB)
So, Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, but Laban gave him Leah instead. Jacob had to work another seven years for Rachel. Finally, after 14 years Jacob got to marry Rachel. This sounds like a happy ending, right? Well, not exactly. Having two wives who were sisters led to a huge case of sibling rivalry. That, however, is a story for another day. You might think that because Jacob was mistreated by Laban, and that Rachel was the love of his life, that all the important things would come from Jacob and Rachel’s children but that is not completely true. Sure, Joseph was their son and we all know that story, but let’s think about Leah for a minute.
Leah ended up having many children. But how did it come about that she would have a card in the Lineage of Christ set? Why is she God’s Choice? It is important to note son number four. His name was Judah. He had one of the 12 tribes of Israel named after him. Judah is also fourth (after Abraham) in the lineage of Christ. So now we know the “how”. I have to say that I was surprised by this. That something so honorable could come from Uncle Laban’s deception, just didn’t seem right. In my way of thinking Jacob and Rachel should be the ones to have the important sons. But that was not God’s plan.
Which brings me to the point of this exercise. My plans and yours, sorry to say are always inferior to God’s plans. In every instance. I may think I have it figured out, but I haven’t. I have a plan, but God’s is better, perfect in fact. I just may not know it yet.
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