Bible Chapter: Genesis 29

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    This is another chapter where the Bible clearly tells the whole story, as the expression says, warts and all.  Even though God used people to accomplish His purposes, some of them did things against God’s plan.  The chapter opens with Jacob on his travels finding his family.  He first met Rachel as she was watering the flock.  She told her father, Laban.  He was excited to see his sister’s son.  The last time Laban was mentioned he was young and we saw he was in love with material wealth.  Here we see he is a manipulator.  Laban told Jacob that he should receive wages for his work and they agreed he would work seven years for Rachel.  For some reason Laban deceived him and gave Jacob his older daughter, Leah.  When Jacob protested, Laban said he could also marry Rachel for another seven years of work. So this is what happened.  Jacob was a deceiver and he reaped deception in his own life.  The principle of planting and harvesting is true.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    When God created the world He also revealed some principles He expects people to follow.  Following God’s principles really makes life better.  One of them is what marriage is to be.  God created marriage  for one man and one woman.  Many cultures did not follow that, and some still don’t.  Here we see some of the problems inherent in polygamy.  It creates jealousy and competition.  Jacob really never wanted to marry Leah and never loved her.  He wanted Rachel.  When he ended up with both, he showed his preference.  This brought competition and strife to the home.
    The more I live the more I see the importance of doing things God’s way.  And the more I see it is a battle because of the pull of the flesh.  As this story is unfolding, now in the third generation of this family, we see how negative behavior impacts not only the people involved, but is passed on to future generations.  Reading history has shown so many family lines that make society better and others are destructive.  This comes from whether or not God’s plan is followed.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Don’t be a manipulator.  This is one of the lessons people must learn.  While deception might seem productive, it eventually leads to problems.  As I am reading these chapters I wonder how things would have been different if the main characters had done things right the first time.  This is a good thought for people to ponder as they make choices in life.