A Study on Love: Part XXXIII

Genesis 29:14b-30
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."

Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."

Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her."

So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"

Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work."

And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

-This kind of goes against the study, but I think that it fits, in a sense. The passage does have the word love, but it also shows just how far love goes... Jacob works for this guy for fourteen years, just so he can be married to her. And I do not know if you are familiar with the story of Jacob (also known as Isreal), but his wives, whom are sisters, get jealous of each other, and this guy ends up sleeping with both Leah and Rachel, but also their attendants. And all four of them give him children. What a mess.

Seriously, though, I just want to focus on the whole fourteen years of work just to have the right to marry Rachel. He does get married to her seven years in, but he has to work fourteen. Granted, they lived longer in the Old Testament, but when Jacob came around, those lifespans were pretty much like they are today, no longer than 120 years old. And Jacob did live to be 120 years old, if I am not mistaken. So, 14 years out of 120 years, well that was 11.67% of his life just to earn her hand in marriage. That's mind-boggling. In today's time, roughly 50% of marriages end in divorce two years into the thing.

And another thing, people today get divorced quickly, saying they just didn't work well together. Did you know that people get married in today's world whom have never met each other? And they stay married for 50 plus years? You know why it works for them and not so much for secular America? It's a little word I call "commitment". They are committed to each other. They do not consider divorce, even in the roughest of times.

Some say Moses got divorced. The Bible doesn't say one way or another on if he did or not. But this I know:

Malachi 2:10-16

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. If anyone does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the LORD Almighty.

Another thing you do: You flood the LORD's altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

Has not the LORD made the two of you one? You belong to him in body and spirit. And why has he made you one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate it when people clothe themselves with injustice," says the LORD Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.

'Nuff Said. Johnny Out.