Laban Lies (Genesis 29:21-30)Reading with your child....
After the 7 years were over Jacob went to Laban and said, "I have done what we agreed to and served you for seven years. Now it is time for you to give me my wife." So Laban threw a big party and held a huge dinner in celebration. In the evening, he gave Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel, but Jacob did not know that. When he woke up in the morning he saw Leah instead of Rachel and knew that Laban had tricked him. He became furious and went to Laban in anger and said to him, "What have you done to me?? I worked 7 years for Rachel and here is Leah - my wife!" Laban simply replied to Jacob, "It is our custom to marry our firstborn daughters first. Keep Leah and next week you can marry Rachel, but only if you work another seven years for her." Jacob agreed to that and the next week he married Rachel. He was obvious to all that he loved Rachel more than Leah and he worked for Laban for another 7 years.
Your child's insights.....
- Explain the difference in marriages at the culture at that time and what we know as marriage today.
- Why do you think Laban lied to Jacob?
- How do you think this whole situation made Leah feel? How about Rachel? Jacob? What about Laban?
- Do you think the second 7 years went as fast as the first 7?
Ideas for prayer with your child.....
- Pray that your child's marriage someday would be filled with faithfulness.
- Pray that your child would marry someone they truly love and who truly loves them.
- Pray that your child will have the wisdom to deal with people who deceive them in their life.
- Pray for perseverance in your child's marriage.
- Pray that your child would not allow deceitfulness into their life.
Your considerings.....
- It is interesting for me to wonder how the second seven years went for Jacob. A lot happens in seven years. Things become commonplace. You would think expectations would be sky high after waiting for 7 years to marry the person you loved. I wonder if those expectations were met for Rachel and Jacob. Personally I doubt they were because they never expected Leah to be a part of that.
- I wonder if Jacob stopped to consider the deceit he had engaged in with Esau after he was deceived.
- I wonder if Rachel was the one posed as the bride throughout the day of the wedding celebration and then was switched to Leah at the end of the night.
- Again, my heart breaks for Leah in this situation. Imagine the hurt she must have felt and experienced knowing she wasn't even wanted in that marriage. I'm sure she couldn't resist what her father told her to do. Imagine how she must have felt when she saw the look of horror on Jacob's face when he realized it was her and not her sister. I wonder why she didn't tell him before it was "too late."
- Talk about dysfunction!
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