That Girl Must Have Been Ugly

Oct. 31

Read: Gen. 29:1-30

That Girl Must Have Been Ugly

Jacob was 77 years old when he met his future wife Rachel. When you consider that he lives to be 147, you realize he is past his “mid-life” point. He is on the run from the anger of his brother and in a foreign land. He took little to nothing with him… he did not travel in luxury or with an entourage that could help him along the way. He is most likely pretty dirty and tired. Jacob was a pretty pitiful sight there at the well, and this is when he meets the love of his life! The greatest gifts from God often come at our lowest points in life.

I don’t think it was Jacob’s wealth or physical stature that drew Rachel to Jacob… because he had neither. It wasn’t that he was overly smart or funny either. The truth is that Jacob had very little that was outstanding about him. Imagine the scene; Jacob was a man known for lingering around his mom and working in the kitchen while his brother was out in the field. Here comes Rachel, a shepherdess who is working outside, ruggedly beautiful and taking care of the sheep. Talk about opposites! There is one thing that Jacob did have though and that was the Lord. Jacob had the Lord with him most importantly, and secondly he also had love. When the Lord and love are combined, the outcomes are supernatural and transformative for everyone involved. Jacob’s experience at Bethel had changed his outlook… in fact it had changed him. The presence of the Lord meant a total makeover for Jacob. He was about to experience this radical change. Don’t believe me? Just look at what happens next in these verses:

The presence of the Lord and love leads to physical strength:

Jacob was not a strong man when he left home. He was not someone who had spent a lot of time in the fields or with the animals. He had “soft hands” for sure. Now consider what happens the first time he sees his future wife -

“Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.” (v.10)

There is a subtle detail in there that could be easily missed. Jacob “rolled the stone away” from the mouth of the well! This normally took a number of shepherds working together to roll the stone away. This is why they would wait until all of them had gathered, because it was such a task to roll that stone. (v.2,3) This was a LARGE STONE and Jacob walked up and single-handedly rolled it out of the way. I believe this took more strength than Jacob naturally would have had… especially after such a long journey. Jacob was flexing a strength he did not have before. I am sure it was impressive to Rachel.

One other note is that Jacob was serving a people who were not his own. These other shepherds were strangers to Jacob. So Jacobs actions are not only loving to Rachel, but also to the other shepherds at the well. You see, when the Lord is with us and we are loving towards others he empowers us and gives us the strength we need… a strength far beyond what we can muster up on our own. Jacob was no longer weak and “soft”, we was being transformed into the strong and rugged man God was calling him to be.

The presence of the Lord and love leads to the ability to endure hard times:

When Jacob goes to stay with his Uncle, he begins to work outside in the field. This is the “new” Jacob - no longer clinging to his mother’s apron strings. He is powered by the presence of the Lord and his love for Rachel. He has nothing else to offer Laban in exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage other than his hard work. So he agrees to 7 years of labor in exchange for the hand of Rachel. 7 years! Look at what the passage says about this time:

“Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.” (v.18-20)

7 years seemed to him but a few days because of his love for Rachel. God’s presence in us and love for others has the capacity to make long stretches of difficult work and toil go by like a few days. We can endure hard work with the Lord and with love for others. Like rolling the stone away, this too is a supernatural feat!

The presence of the Lord and love leads to the ability to forgive:

The first time you read this story, it is definitely a twist to find Jacob sleeping with Rachel’s sister Leah on what was his wedding night! What goes around comes around huh? Jacob the deceiver was himself tricked with a case of hidden identity. It was now Jacob’s turn to be duped by someone else. Evidently Leah was so ugly that the only hope Laban had of her ever being married was to get someone drunk, cover her face with a veil, and then send her into the darkened room with the man! (v.17,21,23) When Jacob realizes the next morning what has happened I am sure he was angry and frustrated. Yet, look at the way that he moves forward. He “completes the week” with Leah and has compassion / pity on her AND he honors yet another agreement with Laban. How in the world could he trust this man!?! Jacob hangs around for another 7 years even after he had already received Rachel’s hand. How easy it would have been for him to quit or run off… but he didn’t. Jacob honored his word (unlike Laban), forgave his uncle, and finished his work. Jacob became an unexpected place of hope for Leah, a forgiving and honorable nephew for Laban, and a loving husband for Rachel.

God’s presence within us and the fruit of his Spirit that is LOVE radically transforms us. When God is with us and we are loving others he grants us strength beyond measure, carries us through times of difficulty, and leads us to forgive. God’s presence fundamentally changes us… look at how it impacted Jacob. Hebrews 6:10 says this: “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” The story of Jacob and Rachel is a story of hard work and love. God does not overlook hard work and love. God empowers us and carries us through. When we are weak, worn out, and without much to offer - like Jacob at the well - God’s presence in us will pour out and be made manifest in our deeds and our love. If you feel weak today - know that God will give you strength to “roll the stone away”. Maybe you are worn out in your “work” and your situation seems to be dragging on - ask the Lord to grant you love for others… it will make the time fly by. Maybe you have been duped, tricked, or deceived - only the Lord can empower you to endure and move forward. Ask the Lord to work out forgiveness in you towards that person / those people. If he can do it for Jacob, he can do it for us. Love you guys. - JDP