Making a New Man Out of Jacob
Genesis29:15-30
Theprivilege to disciple many new believers. … The ones that concernme the most.. unbridledenthusiasm.
WhenI hear a person say, “I’ll never fail the Lord,” Iget really worried.
Thereason is that testingalways follows commitment.
Jesustalks about this in the parableof the soils inMatthew13.
Oneout of four.
Manywho make commitments to Christ fail to carry out those commitments.
Thelife of Joseph illustrates this principle.
Ourfocus in this message is fornew believers,
Jacobis at a turningpoint inhis life. BETHEL = Faith. HARAN = Discipleship (commitment) JACOBis our picture of the CHRISTIAN LIFE
HARANis our picture of the lessons that God must teach us if He can everuse us.
Ourtext is Genesis29:15-30. Jacob’slove for Rachel…. the deception of Laban
TheFULLERcontext isfound in Genesis25:19
Toledot
Genesisis a book about PEOPLE.
Godis working out HIS PLAN through the people He created.
Haranis meant to represent something in our lives. It represents thetestingsthat follow commitment. Let’slearn these lessons together.
ForMOSES,itwas 40 years of preparation tending Jethrow’s sheep
ForPAUL,14years in an “undisclosed location” (Galatians 2:1)
Evenour Saviorspent30 years before public ministry
Ourpatriarch JACOBwillspend 20 years in Haran (Gen 31:38).
LESSON#1. Jacob Learns to TRUST GOD.
Likemost of us, Jacob is concerned with loveand marriage.
Ina good way, Jacob learned to trusts God for a wife. 29:15-20.
JacobleftBeesheva for two reasons. Esau’swrath, find a wife
Proverbs18:22 tellsus“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor fromthe Lord.”
Travelingfor 1-2 months on the back of a camel praying for a wife. Then, hearrives in Haran and finds Rachel and it was LOVE at FIRST SIGHT.
Jacobshows respect for her.
Hecourts her.
Heworks for seven years for her.
Oneof the most romantic verses in the Bible, time flew because ofJacob’s love for Rachel Genesis29:20 “SoJacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only afew days to him because of his love for her.”
Duringthis time, Jacobis faithful. He and Rachel keep themselves sexuallypure. Their relationship develops fromphysical attraction to a deep love for one another.
Jacobshows his VALUE for Rachel
Jacobshows his PATIENCE
Jacobshows his SELF CONTROL
Welook at this courtship as STRANGE.
Learnfrom the BIBLE not from CULTURE
“40Year Old Virgin” Everyonein Andy’s life treats his virginity as absurd.
“AlongCame Polly” Rubinand Polly meet, have sex while contemplating whether they are rightfor one another. They finally figure out that the are, but remainromantic roommates instead of getting married. This is the virtuouschoice.
“Failureto Launch” Trippis a 30-something single man who lives at home and whose concept ofromance is deceiving younger girls to get them in bed. His parentshire Paula who specializes in getting men like Tripp to fall in lovewith her so that they gain confidence and move out on their own.
“TheFive Year Engagement” Tomand Violet postpone their wedding, but nothing else. This is normaland even virtuous.
“Friendswith Benefits” Dylanand Jamie give a try at sex without love. It ends up that they dofall in love.
“Ghostsof Girlfriends Past,”
“HighSchool Musical (1,2 and 3),”
“Twilight,”
“LoveActually,”
“NeverBene Kissed,”
“Sexin the City,”
Jacobhas learned to trust GOD for his wife! He is committed to God’splan
Lesson#2: Jacob Learns by Remaining Faithful When Tested
Recipientof Laban’s deception. Thedeceiver is deceived!
Thereis a spiritual principle at work here. Jacob is receiving adosage of his own craftiness“Besure your sin will find your out.” (Numbers32:23) “Benot deceived; God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall healso reap.”(Galatians6:7).
Labanis a greater deceiver than Jacob!
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Deceives Jacob into working for him
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Deceives Jacob into marrying Leah
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Deceives Jacob into working an additional seven years
Butthe moststunning deceptionis the weddingdeception. Gen 29:21-25.
Fullday of celebration
Fatherbrings the bride to the Bridal chamber
Veiledfrom head to toe
Now,Leah was going to make a wonderful sister-in-law, but Jacob was notin love with her. We read that Leah had “weakeyes” (Genesis29:17) This could be taken as a positive meaning “delicateeyes.” But from the very beginning, Jacob’s reacion tothe two sisters is that Leah was nice, but Rachel was altogetherbeautiful. “She was lovely in form and beautiful”(Genesis 29:17).
Hereis where the deceiver is deceived. Jacobuttered the SAME WORDS thatEsau once said of him.
Genesis29:25 “Whenmorning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What isthis you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I?Whyhave you deceived me?””
Genesis27:36 “Esausaid, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? Hehas deceived me thesetwo times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken myblessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved anyblessing for me?””
Jacobwould also repeat these words later to Laban. Genesis31:7 “yetyourfather has cheated me bychanging my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harmme.”
AndLaban would repeat them back to Jacob. Genesis31:20 “Moreover,Jacobdeceived Laban theAramean by not telling him he was running away.”Genesis31:26 “ThenLaban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’vedeceived me, andyou’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.”
Genesis31:27 “Whydid you run off secretly anddeceive me? Whydidn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy andsinging to the music of tambourines and harps?”
Jacobhad not experienced being on the other side of deception!
Jacobalso experiences the reverse of what he did to Esau
Esau- OLDERone submits to the younger
Leah- OLDER one takes precedent over Rachel, the younger one. Genesis29:26-27
Genesis25:23 “TheLordsaid to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoplesfrom within you will be separated; one people will be stronger thanthe other, and the older will serve the younger.””
Jacobislearning from adversity. Thelesson is difficult, but Jacob fulfills his vows and submits to theLord. He stays faithful rather than running away, and he learns theimportant lesson of walking with God.
LESSON# 3: Jacob Learns that Every Commitment to God is Followed by theOpportunity to Prove it.
Jacobreceived a Mountaintop experience at Bethel. There he heard from Godand built an altar, signifying his commitment to God.
Now,he is filled with excitement and joy over meeting Rachel. I canimagine that Jacob was saying to himself “things are reallyworking out for me!”
Butalmost as soon as Jacob begins his journey with the Lord, trials andobstacles come into his life.
Heis forcedto work for Laban for 20 years.
7years for Leah,
sevenyears for Rachel,
sixyears to earn the flocks that Jacob had built on his own.
Genesis31:38-42.
Hehas been tricked by Laban
Ina far away land
Deprivedof his mother and father
Thereis a HARAN in the life of every Christian who desires to follow God
Myown PERSONAL TESTIMONY in this goes back to the time that Kim and Iwere in our twenties. I distinctly remember telling the Lord, “I’venever had to face an issue like so many strong Christians have faced. I’ve never lost a loved one, or faced an overwhelming trial. Would I really love God if any of these things happened? Was there areason that my life had been so easy? THEN, seemingly instantly, wefaced sever trials regarding Brittany’s health at the time ofher birth. Then later, we faced our HARAN – a difficult churchexperience that caused us to face our willingness to stay in ministryand continue to trust God even after others mistreated us.
Yousee, there is a Haran for everyone who would desire to walk with God.
CHARACTERISTICSof HARAN PLACES in your life
Theyoften come after making commitments to the Lord
Theyalways include suffering.
Hebrews2:10 “Inbringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom andthrough whom everything exists, should make the author of theirsalvation perfect through suffering.”
1Peter 2:21 “Tothis you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you anexample, that you should follow in his steps.”
Theyusually include an antagonist
Theyindicate that God has something more for you to accomplish for Him.
Jacobmade a commitment to God, but it was followed by testing, not byease.
Goddoes this because He desires to be worshiped for who He is, not forwhat he does for you.
Bowto God at Bethel
Walkwith God in Haran