Daily Scripture Reading Genesis 29:13-35

In the 21st century we think of love as being a romantic attraction that you either have or you don’t have. We generally don’t think of love as being something that you can choose. However, the Biblical concept of love is that it is an action. It is something you can choose to do or not do.

The account of Jacob getting married and how he treated his two wives illustrates the Biblical concept that each of us can choose to love. Whether it is our spouse, our children, our neighbors, or God Himself, we can choose to love them.

When Jacob arrived in the east, he came to a well and met some shepherds from the city of Haran. They knew Jacob’s uncle Laban. Laban’s daughter Rachel arrived at the well with her father’s flock, and Jacob watered the flock. When Jacob revealed his identity to Rachel, she ran and told her father.

Gen. 29:13 ¶ So it happened that when Laban heard the report of Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and he embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Then he recounted to Laban all these things.

Gen. 29:14 And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him one month.

Gen. 29:15 ¶ Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Gen. 29:16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

Gen. 29:17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance.

I am not sure if the word “weak” means Leah was partially blind or if it means Leah did not have beautiful eyes.

Gen. 29:18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Gen. 29:19 And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.”

Gen. 29:20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they were in his sight but a few days because of his love for her.

Gen. 29:21 ¶ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

Gen. 29:22 And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.

Gen. 29:23 Now it happened in the evening that he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her.

Gen. 29:24 Laban also gave his servant-woman Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a servant-woman.

Gen. 29:25 Now it happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?”

Look at the word “deceived”. It was hypocritical for Jacob to complain about being deceived because he had deceived his father when he pretended to be Esau in order to get the blessing.

Gen. 29:26 But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to give the younger before the firstborn.

Gen. 29:27 Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.”

Gen. 29:28 And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

Gen. 29:29 Laban also gave his servant-woman Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant-woman.

Gen. 29:30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

Notice the phrase “he loved Rachel more than Leah”. Biblical love is not emotional, romantic attraction, it is action that does good things for other people. Jacob chose to love Rachel more than he loved Leah.

One the one hand this is understandable because Jacob never wanted Leah as a wife, he only wanted Rachel as a wife. Leah was forced upon him. On the other hand, Leah was his wife, and Jacob could have chosen to love her.

Gen. 29:31 ¶ And Yahweh saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

This verse implies that Jacob should have loved Leah. If love is merely a romantic attraction, then you could argue that loving Leah was beyond his control. However, Biblical love is self-sacrifice and doing good things for others. That is something that can be chosen. Jacob could have chosen to love Leah and treat her well, but he did not make that choice.

Since Jacob did not choose to love Leah, Yahweh rewarded her with children while He did not reward Rachel with children.

Gen. 29:32 So Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because Yahweh has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

The Hebrew word “reu” means look or see. The Hebrew word “ben” means son. When Leah gave birth, she named her son “Look a son” because she thought now that she gave Jacob a son, Jacob would love her. This reveals the extent to which Leah wanted to be loved. That was probably all she wanted.

Gen. 29:33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.

Look at the word “heard” and the name “Simeon”. The Hebrew name Simeon is a variation of the word that is translated “heard”.

Gen. 29:34 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.

The Hebrew name “Levi” is a variation of the Hebrew word that is translated “joined”.

Instead of thinking Jacob would now love her, she was thinking Jacob would now be joined to her. Joining means being a partner. Jacob was treating Leah as a concubine, not as a wife.

Gen. 29:35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

The Hebrew name “Judah” is a variation of the Hebrew word that is translated “praise”.

In the 21st century we think of love as being a romantic attraction that you either have or you don’t have. We generally don’t think of love as being something that you can choose. However, the Biblical concept of love is that it is an action. It is something you can choose to do or not do.

The account of Jacob getting married and how he treated his two wives illustrates the Biblical concept that each of us can choose to love. Whether it is our spouse, our children, our neighbors, or God Himself, we can, and should, choose to love them.

How have you been positively or negatively affected because someone chose to love or not love you?

Who are some people you need to choose to love?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”