Meeting a person for the first time and instantly developing a positive feeling for him/her is not uncommon. Perhaps, it has happened to you. It seemed you appreciated everything about him/her. His/her height and weight, stature and posture, set of teeth and smiles, accent and intonation, complexion and facial appearance… everything, I mean everything, about him/her appeals to you; such was the case with Jacob and Rachael. The very first time Jacob met Rachael, he fell in love with her. The love was so great that he offered to serve Laban, the father of Rachael, for seven years in other to marry her (Genesis 29: 9 – 12, 17, 18).

In many cases, this kind of attraction, often described as, “love at first sight” doesn’t last long because not everyone's looks and personalities match up. (In fact some attractive people are total jerks.) So when one gets close to the man/woman and discovers that the person one sees looking great and one assumes would be brilliant, loving, caring etc is not, one is disappointed and the initial feelings of love disappears. But this was not the case with Jacob and Rachael. In fact, seven years after the first meeting, the love was still very fresh (Genesis 29: 20).

But a Tested Love:

The genuineness of Jacob’s love for Rachael was further put to test when Laban gave him Leah instead of Rachael. He refused bluntly until Laban agreed to give Rachael, Leah’s younger sister, to him as well (Genesis 29: 25 – 28).

It is important to make some clarifications about the appearances of Leah and Rachael because it is generally assumed that Leah was not beautiful because in Genesis 29: 17 Leah is described as having “weak eyes” while Rachel was described as “lovely in form and beautiful.” (NIV) Properly understood, the phrase, “weak eyes,” does not mean that Leah was ugly (the Hebrew word used, rak, could be translated: tender, soft, timid, attractive or weak); so describing Leah as having “weak eyes” could mean she has “attractive eyes” or “timid eyes” as well.

Furthermore, describing Rachael as “lovely in form and beautiful” simply means that while comparing Leah with Rachael, though Leah was attractive, Rachel was extremely attractive. (Adam Clarke’s Dictionary) So, in a nutshell, Rachel was more appealing to Jacob than Leah and he made sure he married her at all cost, paying a very great price – fourteen years of labour plus becoming a polygamist.

Less, I forget, the concept of beauty must be understood simply as a matter of personal choice. God is the Master Artist who created variety. For those who have eyes for beauty and beauty only, Proverbs 31: 30 which says, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised” (NKJV) is a warning.

Yet…

Now back to the issue of the marriage of Jacob and Rachael, how do we access the marriage? Can it be described as a successful marriage or as a failed marriage? Bearing in mind that:

1. Although, there was only a week gap between Jacob’s marriage to Leah and Jacob’s marriage to Rachael (Genesis 29: 26 – 30) Leah had stopped bearing children before Rachael had one. You can imagine the stress and pains of those years of waiting. Read this:

35 And she (Leah) conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

1 Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!" 2 And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?" 3 So she said, "Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her." Genesis 29: 35 – 30: 3 (NKJV)

2. She died on the way to Ephrath (Bethlehem) at the birth of her second child, Benjamin (Genesis 35: 16 - 20). She “left” Jacob at the middle of their lives’ journey.

Supremacy of Destiny:

The role love plays in the choice making of a marriage partner as well as in marriage relationship cannot be over emphasized. But the role providence, fortune, destiny or divine-will and/or purpose play is far more important. In my opinion, Leah was the will of God for Jacob not Rachel – she had seven children, among whom were Reuben (Jacob's firstborn) and Judah, the ancestor of the leading tribe among the Jews, of the royal line, and of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Instruments of Divine Will:

Not many people in life, as a result of Divine guidance, have the privilege of marrying the persons they felt they loved. For some, their proposals were turned down. For others the proposals were initially accepted but later the beloved changed their minds for reasons they may or may not disclose and eventually got married to some other people. For some others, it was like the case of Jacob, “the culture of the people” and/or either or both parents (Genesis 29: 26) objected to the relationship so the marriage could not take place. For some other people, it was medical science that said, “Hey, don’t do it, you’re both AS.” And for some others still, a circumstance beyond human control that prevented the marriage with the person they felt they really loved from taking place.

Whenever objections are raised against one’s intention, plans or purpose, the natural reaction is to say, “NO! This is from Satan, I won’t take it. Both of us are in love.” And we begin to bound the enemies and command them to die in Jesus’ name. We take the people raising objections as our enemies. But I think it might be God in action. Those people or factors might simply be instruments through which God is making His will and purpose known. Romans 8: 28 say, “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (GNB) If we believe in God who has all powers, we must understand that he will not allow an enemy to “prevail” without a purpose. Like Jacob, when we reject our time tested culture that does not contradict the Scripture and or our parents’ opinion about marriage; when we fail to listen to all voice or reasoning, and we close our eyes at prevailing circumstances it might mean not just rejection of God’s will for our live but it might also mean rebellion against His eternal purpose.

A Word of Assurance:

Beloved, you need not be bitter when things are not working the way you want it. All that you need to know is that you’re neither here on planet earth by yourself nor for yourself. No, you are here by divine will and you are here to serve His purpose not your personal purpose. He who sent you here has plans for your life. His plans are far better than yours. He has someone special for you. The one He has for you is far better than the one you want to die for. All you need to do is to surrender your life – your will, your plans and self defined purpose to God through Christ. When God sees your sincerity, through the Holy Spirit, He will guide you into His perfect will and purpose and it shall be well with you. My prayer for you is that you will not miss the right man or woman for your life in Jesus’ name. Amen.