NIGHTMARE ON LABAN STREET

And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.~ Genesis 29:10

When Jacob met Rachel he was full of the promise of God, a man on a divine appointment with destiny.

1. He had clear direction from his father Isaac: “Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.”
2. He was blessed by his father: “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people.”
3. He had a God given dream and a direct word from God: “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.”

You can be sure that this word from the Lord produced faith in Jacob. You can be sure that, having the spirit of faith, he spoke it. And you can be sure the when he saw Rachel that he put the two together: “God has led me the right way! This is my wife, the mother of my children!”

And you can be sure that for the next seven years that Jacob and Rachel dreamed together, planned together, and spoke often of the certainty of God’s blessing on their lives. It was all part of God’s miraculous plan. After all, Jacob was the son of a miracle and the grandson of the father of faith, Abraham. What could possibly go wrong?

Was there anything that he hadn’t told her?

You can be sure that God had seen Jacob deceive his Isaac by pretending to be Esau in order to steal his birthright. And what a man sows is what a man reaps. And the truth is, when Jacob looked at his Uncle Laban, he was looking in a mirror at himself. What Jacob had done to Esau, Laban was fixing to do to Jacob.

And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. 21And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. 22And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. ~ Genesis 29:20-23

I believe Laban had this planned for some time and that Leah was probably informed of the switch. Not that she was guilty, she was a victim herself. But I bet you she was more than a little tired of all the talk of Rachel and Jacob this and Rachel and Jacob that. And I bet there was a smug and a smile that came on her face when she realized what was fixing to happen.

And I bet Rachel was devastated. “What! You’ve got to be kidding? He loves me, not Leah . . . THIS AIN’T RIGHT!! NOOOOOO . . .”

A river of tears must have flowed that night with an undercurrent of torturous thoughts of Leah with Jacob. During the seven years he had worked for her,time had flown because of their mutual love for each other. Now it was as if time was suspended because of anguish of heart, a nightmare on Laban Street.

And so begins the diary of a sad barren woman.