What Rachel Can Teach Us About Love

Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”. Genesis 29:17-18

To understand the love in this story, we have to go back a bit. Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, and her father, Laban, was an ornery sort. He told Jacob that to marry Rachel he would have to work on his farm for seven years. Jacob was so in love, he gladly agreed.

The problem was, Rachel was the younger daughter. Leah was the oldest, and as such, she should marry first. So when Jacob had finally worked his seven years, and stood at the altar to marry his love (whose face was hidden under a veil), he really thought he had made it to the promised land! However, after the wedding Jacob finds out that he really married Leah, not Rachel.

He could have put Leah aside. He could have stolen Rachel and rode off into the sunset. He could have sued Laban for breach of contract. (ok, I don't actually know if that's possible or not. Tee hee) But instead he agreed to keep Leah, and work another seven years to earn Rachel as his wife.

You'd think that Rachel would have spent the rest of her life resting fabulously in the knowledge that she was LOVED! Adored, really. Wanted, definitely. Jacob devoted 14 years to pursuing her. (when was the last time you spent 14 years working towards, well, anything?)

But unfortunately, though Rachel's life could have been a testimonial on the power of love, it instead became another story of envy and greed.

Because we know that later, when Leah, and Rachel's servant, and even Leah's servant became pregnant by Jacob, Rachel did not. It was years before God would remember her, and give her Joseph. Rachel went through years of bitterness, feeling unloved, unwanted, unwelcomed.

Rachel could not know that Joseph was an important part of God's plan for His people, and for future generations. But she did know that God had promised Abraham that He would make a great nation from him. And God renewed this covenant with her husband, Jacob.

Rachel could have known, if she would have thought about it, that God's love and goodness to Jacob was for her, too. Rachel could have known that she too was an important part of God's plan. If she would have trusted in love - God's love, Jacob's love - she could have saved herself years of misery.

It can be difficult to wait on God's plan. No one knows that better than I do! It is a matter of trusting in the goodness of the eternal God instead of our temporary circumstances.

Why is it so easy to believe what we see instead of God? We forget how He has come through for us, time and time and time again. We just panic, and try to make our own way, instead of waiting for Him. Of course, it never works. Things always fall apart when we do thingson our own. And we are right back where we started from.

But true love is really the main character of this story. God's true love. Because His love remembered Rache. His love did not reward her according to her deeds, but according to His plans. His love was there, all along.