Genesis 29 Day 1
Joy’s Notes:
Genesis 29
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❤️women often have a shepherd heart
⁃ all of Israel come from Leah and Rachel (plus two concubines)
(Jacob makes it to Harran and finds Rachel with her sheep by a well.)👇
Gen 29:9 “Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd. “
⁃ Rachel didn’t just come with the sheep; “she was a “SHEPHERD.”
👇
⁃ functions of the shepherd:
⁃ 1. lead the sheep
⁃ 2. protect sheep
⁃ 3. guard sheep
🔥 she possibly reminded him of his mom, who he missed terribly! He was a mamas boy!!!
Psalm 23 “ your rod & your staff- they comfort me.”
Possibly Rachel brought much COMFORT to Jacob after being on this difficult & lonely journey Maybe her temperment as a shepherd was comforting & attractive to him!
We’re called sheep
400 x in bible
Gods called Shepherd over 100x
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Gen 29:10 And because Rachel was his cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to the well and moved the STONE from its mouth and watered his uncle’s flock.
⁃ here we have JaCOB confronted with another stone.
⁃ Josh 5:9 “today I’ve ROLLED away the shame of Egypt.”
⁃ GILGAL- “TO ROLL AWAY” (the promise land after parting of Jordan River)
⁃ “Move that Bus” (extreme makeover) to see the RESTORED home!
⁃ Perhaps this is Gods way of saying to Jacob, “MOVE THE STONE!” ITS TIME TO SEE YOUR NEW RESTORED LIFE!”
⁃ The Stone Was Rolled Away: Not To Let Jesus Out, But To Let Us In!
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Gen 29: 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud.
⁃ this is the only case in the Bible of a man kissing a woman who’s mot his mother or wife!
⁃ It’s possible this “kiss” was more than just a friendly kiss on both cheeks.
⁃ shepherds carried a staff with them at all times
⁃ Surprised she didn’t clock him with it !
⁃ Gods promise coming true of being “WITH HIM” as God promised him, and then finding Rachel in Harran— must’ve led to his emotion of UTTER JOY!
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Gen 29 12-15
(Rachel introduces Jacob to her father, Laban. Laban embraces him and welcomes him to stay there. Jacob works for him for a month & Laban asks what his wages should be.)
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16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel.
17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.
⁃ beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
⁃ Her love, devotion & faithfulness as a shepherd (the way God describes Himself) made her beautiful to Jacob, who has just encountered the Living God!
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18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”
⁃ Jacob knew 7 wasn’t a number but a theology.
⁃ He was saying: the God who brought us together is perfect, complete, holy
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19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.”
20 So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
⁃ when we work FROM posture of SEVEN— “It seems but just a few days!”
⁃ SEVEN- is the day we “cease from our work to fix on Gods work”
⁃ We work FROM REST… not FOR REST (Begin our day in sabbath- and the day flows from the overflow of the sabbath)
⁃ Middle East vs America! (They work FROM sabbath. We work TO get to sabbath)
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21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”
⁃ we begin to see Jacob w/ INORDINATE DESIRE/ AFFECTION for Rachel.
⁃ Looking at Rachel as an OBJECT to fill his sexual needs.
⁃ But God elevates the woman. She is MORE then a sexual object— to be highly respected & loved tenderly
⁃ The sex is the CELEBRATION of intimacy— not the intimacy itself!
God HIGHLY elevates the woman!!!!
Desiring anything outside of respecting a woman— is NOT the heart of God & WILL USHER in darkness!
Eph 5:25
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her .”
1 Peter 3:7
“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
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Gen 29:22-23 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.) 25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”
⁃ Shame, unworthiness, orphan. Mentality— kept Leah from saying anything to Jacob (the SAME scene is being replayed between Jacob and his Father, Isaac!)
⁃ All Leah wanted was to be wanted by Jacob
⁃ All Jacob wanted was to be wanted by his dad, Isaac.
⁃ perhaps because Jacob was beginning to operate out of the “deeds of his flesh” (Gal 5:19-21) instead of the “fruits of the Spirit” (Gal 5:21-25) he found himself with a darkened heart and spirit & soul.
⁃ we walk in ignorance on the dark.
⁃ Ignorance can’t see the enemies schemes or detect when he’s dressed himself up as enemy of light !!
⁃ We’re easily dooped & deceived when walking by the flesh in darkness!
⁃ We walk RIGHT INTO his trap!!
⁃ Nehemiah 6:2 “ but I realized they were plotting to hurt me (nehemiah was rebuilding the Jerusalem wall, and the enemy around him wanted to meet with him— but he knew it was a plot to harm him!)
⁃ When we study the LIGHT, we’ll recognize the DARKNESS!!
1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
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Gen 29.26 “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. 27 “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me. 28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.)
⁃ SEVEN.
⁃ 70 x 7
⁃ Jesus says to forgive SEVENTY x SEVEN.
⁃ this isn’t 490 x
⁃ It’s to forgive WHOLLY
⁃ His Jewish audience would’ve understood the emphasis on the number 7 in this teaching to indicate complete forgiveness.
⁃ Jesus said it before He died & = (Roman officer & criminal on cross heard)
⁃ Stephen said it before he dies & = (Paul heard)
⁃ Paul said it before he dies & = (Timothy heard)
⁃ Jacob offers it to Laban because forgiven people forgive
FORGIVENESS:
Forgiveness becomes the spiritual doorway for others to encounter Jesus!
• What if we made forgiveness our ministry?
Nehemiah 9.17:
“But you are a God OF forgiveness. Gracious. Merciful. Slow becoming angry. Rich in unfailing love.”
Satan H A T E S forgiveness.
He knows forgiveness will make you BETTER & not BITTER.
• True forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.”
“Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong, it makes you bitter.
Forgiving doesn’t make you weak, it’s set you free.”
“Unforgiveness in the heart of a believer is the single biggest open door for the devil”
WHAT IS FORGIVENESS? (By Lysa Terkeurst)
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1. Forgiveness doesn’t always fix broken relationships, but it does mend a broken heart.
2. Forgiveness is both a decision and a process and healing is a long journey (fact vs impact)
3. Forgiveness doesn’t put the other person off the hook, it actually places them in gods hands. (Joseph— payback or promise?)
4. Forgiveness does not justify or excuse abuse, ever.
5. Forgiveness is required by God, but reconciliation is conditional.
6. Forgiveness isn’t an act of our determination, but of our cooperation for what Jesus has already done
7. Forgiveness is not adding on top of our pain a misery too great to bear. It’s exchanging our bound up resentment for life-giving freedom - Making the mystery of the working of God too great to deny.
HOW TO FORGIVE:
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MOST VITAL STEP:
“Forgiveness flows TO me & then
flows THRU me!” 🤍🤍
• I can’t give what I don’t possess
• forgiven people forgive people.
“Freedom is learning to accept an apology you never got.”
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30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.
⁃ the generational sin of favoritism Jacob was marinated in continues through Jacob:(
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31 When the Lord SAW that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.
People may not see your true value… but GOD DOES!43 de
• God has habit of seeing the unloved & making them His BELOVED (Hagar )
• those of you feeling UNSEEN, UNCARED, REJECTED, DEJECTED= God SEES you
Romans 9:25 “I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.”
⁃ “Take heart, daughter. (woman w/ bleeding issue. ) Jesus stopped for this UNSEEN daughter on His way to a VERY-SEEN daughter! (Matt 9:20)
“The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.” Psalm 145:14
• Jesus put His hands on woman bent over & immediately she straightened up (Luke 13:10)
• All 3 of the patriarchal women of the Bible had infertility issues!!
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32 So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”
• First son: (Reuben)
“now my husband will love me.”
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33 She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”
• Second son: (Simeon)
“The lord HEARD I was unloved.”
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34 Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”
• Third son: (Levi)
“My husband will feel affection for me now!”
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35 Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah,[e] for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.”
• 4th son: (Judah)
“Now I will PRAISE the Lord!”
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(Jesus came from the line of Judah)
Leah’s soul deprivation revealed here:
• If she could just give more, do more, be more, then she could finally be loved.
Conditional love is all Leah knew.
Leah— didn’t know the enoughness of her Jesus! Therefore, she didn’t know the enoughness of herself!
Leah believes she could manipulate her self into someone’s life through gifts!
This type of “love “isn’t love, but demonic, perverted, twisted, warped counterfeit love
She wanted Jacob to give her what ONLY God could provide!
We exhaust ourselves, trying to receive love from a human being, that was supposed to love us, but can’t!
The enemy wants to deplete you, exhaust you, and wear you down by trying to chase down someone’s affection that you will never get!
⁃ BUT praise eliminate the voice over REJECTION !
Finally, with the fourth child, she relinquished her exhaustible search and found her true love in Jesus