Bookmark Daily Bible Reading Calendar By: Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu – Please LIKE us on Facebook
Genesis 29:
Jacob got to Arabia and meet Rachel, his cousin and daughter of his mother’s brother, by the well. He helped to water his uncle’s sheep that Rachel brought as a Shepard and he introduced himself as the son of her aunty, Rebekah. Laban, his uncle, was informed by Rachel immediately and he came to meet Jacob. Jacob and Laban agreed that Jacob works for 7 years to get Rachel as wife. Laban oldest daughter was Leah, but she had weak eyes, but Rachel was the second daughter and was beautiful. After working for 7 years, Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah instead and required that Jacob work for another 7 years because it was their tradition to marry the oldest daughter first. So Jacob worked 14 years to get both Leah and Rachel, and Laban gave them two maidservants as well, Zilpah and Bilhah, to assist his daughters. Those who deceive others will also be deceived by others. Leah was not loved but gave birth to 4 sons, but Rachel was barren. It seem all the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob, had issue with barrenness (generational curse), but they eventually gave birth.
Genesis 30:
Three generational curse of the patriarchs led to a similar situation of Sarah, where Rachel asked Jacob to sleep with her maidservant (Bilhah) to have children through her. Bilhah gave Jacob two sons, then Leah gave Jacob her maidservant (Zilpah) too as wife and she bore two sons as well. Leah then gave birth to two more sons and a daughter making it a total of 7 children – 6 boys and a girl. God then listened to Rachel and God her a son, Joseph, and she prayed for another son. Jacob informed Laban that it was time to return with his family to his homeland, but Laban wanted him to stay because God had blessed him because of Jacob. Jacob then told Laban that he wanted nothing except to take the spotted animals as his possession to take with him. So Jacob strategically breed the stronger animals for himself and the weaker ones for Laban, and got extremely wealthy.
Genesis 31:
Laban’s sons noticed what Isaac had done and informed their father. God then told Jacob to return to the promise land and he will be with him. So Jacob called his wives and informed them about how their father had cheated him in his wages 10 times and they agreed that the spotted animals will be mine, but God gave me your father’s livestock. Jacob then revealed to them that it was an angel of God that gave him the breeding strategy and advised him to return to his father’s land. His two wives agreed to go with him as God commanded because their father had sold them away for labor, used up all that was paid for them, and their father’s wealth now belongs to them. Jacob escaped without telling Laban and Rachel stole Laban’s gods. Laban then chased Jacob for a week and ask why he left without saying goodbye properly as well as why he stole his gods. Jacob said he was scared of Laban and he was allowed to search for his gods, but swore death for whoever had stolen it. Laban could not find them because Rachel sat on them in a saddle and claimed she could not stand because she was in her period. Jacob asked what his crime was after all the mistreatment he received from Laban for 20 years (14 years for the daughters and 6 years for the flocks). Jacob also concluded that he would have been sent away with nothing if not for God’s guidance for his labors and that is why God warned Laban in a dream the night before not to harm him. Jacob had not peace in the last 20 years as a fugitive because you will always pay for your evil. So they made a pillar of peace before God and agreed not to harm each other and they went their separate ways in peace.
Genesis 32:
Jacob sent words to Esau through his messengers and addressed Esau as “master” and wanted forgiveness from him as his “servant”, but they returned to inform Jacob that Esau was coming to meet them with 400 men. Jacob was scared to death, so he divided all he had into two groups, so that one group can escape if Esau attacks the other. He then prayed to God for protection against Esau and set aside about 550 animals as gift to Esau, which were to be presented ahead of him in a distance to pacify Esau’s anger against him. This shows that wicked cheats never have peace of mind and they too get cheated by others unless they repent and come to God. That night, a man wrestled with Jacob while he was alone till daybreak. Jacob refused to let go until the man blessed him, so the man changed his name to Israel, which means one that struggles with God. Till this day, the Jews still wrestle against God by failing to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah.