1. The Lord’s ways are not our ways. Jacob met Rachel at the well and fell in love. A very romantic seven years ensued, during which time Jacob worked and waited for the time when he could marry his sweetheart. The wedding night came and his sneaky father-in-law substituted Rachel’s “tender-eyed” sister Leah in the wedding tent. Was “tender-eyed” a synonym for plain or did she have poor vision? It is not clear, but what is clear is that Jacob not had a wife he did not expect or particularly like. In some verses it suggests that Jacob hated Leah, but she became mother to at least seven of his children. Within a week of his wedding to Leah, Jacob was given Rachel for his wife. She eventually bore two sons as well, but there was a lot of rivalry between the two wives, apparently. Within a few years each of the wives had also given him two additional handmaids, for a total of four wives. From those unions were born the twelve sons of Jacob (later Israel), who are now known as the twelve tribes of Israel. The eternal ramifications of the Twelve Tribes extend into the Millennial times, when they will comprise the twelve governing bodies of the Church. How did that all happen from the inauspicious, unromantic beginnings? Sometimes it is difficult to imagine the blessings that come from challenging experiences. Jacob’s family was fraught with contention and family drama – but the Lord had a purpose in all of it, and things worked out for good. We can take encouragement from that.
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