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HELEN SANDERS
12-5-2025
LEAH PART 2 - TRICKERY
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Jacob left his mother Rebekah and father Isaac to escape being killed by his twin brother Esau. He was sent by his father to Padanaram, to his mother’s brother, Laban. Isaac did not want his sons to marry pagan women. He wanted the bloodline to be pure.
Jacob went to Padanaram, but Esau, fueled by his anger became rebellious and married the daughters of Ishmael, Abraham’s son of the flesh to spite his father for giving his brother the blessing. On the way to Laban’s country, Jacob came to a certain place and made pillows from stones to sleep. While asleep, he had a dream of a ladder reaching up into heaven and saw the angels of God going up and down the ladder.
The LORD stood above the ladder and spoke to Jacob in Genesis 29:13-15 saying, “ 13I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father [grandfather], and the God of Isaac [his father]: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep [protect] thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”
Upon waking Jacob said, “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.” [Genesis 29:16b]. He then made a vow to God to serve him if God would take care of him. [Genesis 29:20]
Jacob continued his journey and came into the land where Laban lived. Rachel, the youngest of Laban’s two daughters, was watering her father’s sheep. Jacob told her who he was, a near relative, the son of her father’s sister Rebekah, and he was taken to Laban’s home. Genesis 29:17 tells us about the two daughters. Leah, the oldest sister was tender eyed, and Rachel was beautiful and well favored.
Jacob loved Rachel and offered to serve Laban for seven years if he would allow him to marry her. Laban agreed, and Jacob worked for seven years to have Rachel as his wife. Laban had a wedding feast for the marriage, inviting all the men of the place to the marriage. It was the custom for all women to wear veils, and in the dark Jacob did not realize that Laban had tricked him. Laban brought his daughter Leah to Jacob for his wife instead of Rachel.
How horrible it must have been for Jacob to wake up the next morning and find Leah with him instead of Rachel. Tomorrow we will see how the deception impacted both Jacob and Leah, and Rachel.
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