Today’s passage: Genesis 29:1-30
Helpful thoughts:
- What begins as an exciting continuation of Jacob’s story, turns into an ironic chain of events that results in Jacob having two wives!
- The mention of Zilpah and Bilhah provides some foreshadowing for what’s to come as well.
- The description of Leah at the beginning of verse 17 is a figure of speech. She wasn’t as physically beautiful in appearance as Rachel. In this verse, we are learning part of the reason why Jacob will later “love” Rachel more than Leah.
- Though Jacob loved Rachel more, he technically paid the same bride price for each of his wives.
- The trickster (Jacob) got tricked! Much in the same manner he tricked his father by dressing up like Esau to receive the blessing, Laban presents Leah to him as his wife when he was expecting Rachel.
Questions to consider:
- What are some of the similarities and differences between this account of Jacob finding Laban and Rachel and the servant of Abraham finding a wife (Rebekah) for Isaac?
- Is God mentioned at all in this passage? Whose ways and customs are being followed here? What did that result in?
- Even though we don’t see God mentioned in this passage, was He totally caught off guard or bewildered by what happened? How did God use all of this trickery for good in the end?