10 Minute Bible Journey, The. Dale Mason

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      JACOB WRESTLES WITH . . . JESUS?

      (c. 1739 B.C.)

      The origin of Israel

      Encouraged by God’s promise of protection in his dream of the stairway to heaven, Jacob continued his journey to modern-day Turkey. The trip was long and probably lonely.1

      When he finally arrived at the well outside Haran, Jacob met a beautiful shepherdess, his cousin Rachel.2 Obviously smitten, Jacob soon offered to work for her pagan father Laban for seven years in order to marry her. Genesis 29 says the years seemed like only days because of his love,3 but when at last their wedding day arrived, Jacob fell victim to an appalling deception.

      Somehow, the anxious groom did not discover until the morning after the wedding that his bride was not Rachel, but her older sister, Leah!4 Perhaps she was veiled and the sisters were about the same size, or perhaps Jacob became drunk at the celebration. Regardless, Laban had switched brides without telling him, and Rachel’s marriage bed was corrupted by her own sister.5

      Though furious, Jacob may have remembered his own deception of his father Isaac. Still, his heart was for Rachel, so he agreed to serve another seven years. He married Rachel, whom he loved, after fulfilling his weeklong wedding obligations with Leah, whom he did not love.6