City Life Starter

Written by Nate Warren

The Word

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.

Genesis 29:21-30

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

-Jesus, Matthew 10:16

Reflection

Here, we find a pair of relatives that are constantly looking for a strategic, disingenuous advantage over others. As we’ve already covered, Jacob swindled a birthright and a blessing over his older brother through deception. Now he’s being swindled via a big party (read: alcohol) and a dark tent. He’s been tricked just as he tricked Esau and his father. Laban’s retort is stinging, wryly referring to the privilege of the “older” offspring. Laban, of course, wants to keep Jacob and his inherent blessing close to him as long as possible.

The consequences of these deceptions are tragic. Jacob becomes estranged from his brother, eventually resulting in centuries of fighting between the nations that descend from them. Laban’s deception results in his own financial ruin, and endless heartache for his daughters, who keep trying to one-up the other. The law of Moses actually forbade a man to marry two living sisters (Lev 18:18), despite this being the nature of the founding family of the nation. 

Application

Remember what God told Cain when he was jealous of God’s regard for his brother Abel: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Gen 4:7)  See, God has plenty of blessing to pour out, no matter what birth order you may have fallen. No matter how much blessing the other person has, there’s enough for you.

When Jesus sent out his disciples, he instructed them to be wise as serpents. That is, be crafty like Jacob, like Laban, like the serpent in the garden with Eve. But Jesus adds, be innocent as doves. This craftiness does not take advantage of others to their detriment, but rather returns a curse with blessing. It recognizes that our eternal inheritance is secure because of Jesus, so we have nothing to lose. From that position of security, we can craftily share with others without fear of what we might miss out on.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Teach me to be discerning in my understanding of others’ intentions, and let Your Holy Spirit guide me to return a blessing when others want to take advantage of me. Let my spirit be quick to forgive, and abounding in love.

For the glory of Jesus’ name,
Amen