Daily devotion – Friday 24th September
Gen 29:20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.
God is never in a hurry and so too should we never hurry to ‘rush’ into marriage! We need to be reminded of the story of Jacob and Rachel.
Jacob knew that he wanted to marry Rachel and he wasted no time in making his intensions known. Jacob spent a month with the family of his bride-to-be, his Uncle Laban said to Jacob, Gen 29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?”
Jacob responded quickly by saying, Gen 29:18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
Laban was a shrewd man and knew he had a bargain in this deal. He told Jacob that if he worked for him for 7 years then Jacob could marry Rachel.
The deal was done and the 7 years to Jacob passed by quickly – the wedding date arrived!
But the morning after Jacob realized that he had been tricked by Laban and instead of marrying Rachel, he had been given her sister Leah.
He had been tricked into marrying the wrong woman!
Jacob was outraged and stormed over to see Laban – telling him all his hard work for the last 7 years was for Rachel.
Laban, the conman said it was always the practice that the older sister had to be married off first. So he told Jacob that if he worked for him for another 7 years he could then marry Rachel as well.
Jacob worked those 7 extra years – why – Gen 29:20 “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.”
This is the kind of love that lasts for a lifetime!
Not merely love at first sight.
What is so special about love at first sight, anyway?
It is when two people have been looking at each other for years that love becomes special. I have been looking at my wife, Helen, for 45 years now, and I am still struck by her intense beauty each time.
Jacob’s initial infatuation gave way to a committed love – and that is the kind of love husbands and wives need to cultivate for one another.
Nothing else will do!