A Mixed-Up Story
Sermon
All About Eve
Ten Selected Women of the Bible
Object:
It was Christmas Day and our family had opened all the
presents. We were talking and enjoying being together, waiting to
eat Christmas dinner. I took some time to run over to the
hospital and visit someone who was spending Christmas Day in the
hospital.
When I got on the elevator to leave, a couple of women were already there. One lady kept staring at me. Finally she asked, "Are you that preacher on television? You were on television last night."
We had televised our Christmas Eve services the night before and I was flattered she had watched our services. I said, "Yes, ma'am! Our services were on television last night."
"I thought I recognized you," she said. "Since my husband has been ill, we get our church from television."
She proceeded to tell me all about her husband's illness. Then she suddenly remembered she had not introduced me to her husband's sister, the lady with her on the elevator. So she said to her sister-in-law, "This is the preacher we watch on television sometimes. This is Dr. Robert Jeffress."
Talk about the wind going out of your sails! I didn't think I even looked Baptist! The woman on the elevator had me mixed up -- she had me confused with someone else.
The story of Leah and Rachel is also confused and mixed up. The Old Testament writer had an eye for the dramatic when he introduced this story with its plots, subplots, and innuendoes. Yet Leah and Rachel are important women because they became the wives of Jacob and the mothers of twelve children -- whom we know as the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Old Testament stories are often told from the standpoint of the hero, and he is a clever, charming, deceitful, manipulative, and charismatic individual. Jacob had connived to get his brother's birthright, but once he had it, he became frightened. He was afraid his brother Esau would kill him. Jacob had gotten what he wanted, but he had to flee his home because he had wronged his brother.
Jacob decided to go to his mother's homeland, Ur of the Chaldees. He would stay with his uncle. He made the 500-mile journey on foot. He must have been weary from the trip and scorched by the sun. When he arrived he asked some shepherds about Laban, his mother's brother. They said: "Behold, Rachel, his daughter comes with the sheep."
Jacob saw a bright-eyed, beautiful maiden, in a brilliantly colored dress. He fell in love at first sight with Rachel and wanted to marry her. Laban was a man who knew how to drive a bargain. He said, "Work for me seven years and you can marry her."
The seven years passed as if they were but "a few days." Then, when it came time for the marriage, there was a mix-up ... there was confusion ... there were some complications.
Laban pulled a switch at the wedding festivities. The switch was easy to do because in those primitive times, it was the custom to conduct the bride to the bedchamber of her husband in silence and darkness. It wasn't until the next morning that Jacob discovered the switch. He discovered the girl he had married was not Rachel, but Rachel's older sister, Leah.
Of course, Jacob complained to Laban. Laban only said, "It is unthinkable that I would allow the younger daughter to be married first. Work seven more years for me and you can marry Rachel." So, one week after marrying Leah, Jacob married Rachel and then worked for Laban seven more years.
Yes, the story of Leah and Rachel is a mixed-up and confusing story. Laban had manipulated and tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters. And it is easy to imagine the problems which arose in this polygamist household where two sisters were married to the same man. If there ever was a story that was confusing and mixed up, it is this story of Leah and Rachel and their marriage to Jacob.
This morning, I want to look at some elements of this mixed- up story and see how they apply to us.
I. The Story of Leah And Rachel Is A Story of Love
From the moment that Jacob saw Rachel with her father's sheep, he fell in love. He loved her so much he was willing to serve as an indentured servant for fourteen years. Jacob's love for Rachel is part of the fabric of this story.
There is something within us that identifies with the love that Rachel and Jacob shared. Perhaps it is simply that we long to be loved; we want to know if we are loved by another. Something within us yearns to know if we are loved.
One of my favorite plays is Fiddler On The Roof. In one scene, Tevye comes into his house and watches his wife working in the kitchen. Finally, he gets the courage to ask a question that has been on his mind. He asks: "Golda, do you love me?"
Regardless of who we are in this world -- regardless of position or power in life -- we all have the desire to love and be loved by others. And we all want confirmation of love. We want to know if we are loved.
But, as everyone discovers, the love between individuals can be very fragile. Sometimes things simply go wrong in a relationship. Sometimes there is betrayal, cheating, and heartache and things simply do not work out as we planned.
In the biblical story we read earlier, Rachel knew she was loved by Jacob. His love for her didn't end because he was cheated. He did not strike out in anger because Laban pulled a fast one. He just kept working to win the hand of the one he loved.
And this is what God does with us as we make our journey through life. We may be crafty individuals and conniving individuals who seek to take advantage of others. We may have lives filled with sin. We may make God so angry that he is tempted to abandon us. But God will not abandon us nor can his love for us be destroyed. God continues working and loving us because of Jesus Christ.
II. The Story Of Leah And Rachel Is Also A Story Of Rejection
Put yourself in Leah's position for a moment. Leah was not unattractive. It was simply that her younger sister was "beautiful." Leah was married to Jacob and had several children by him. But she knew she was not loved by Jacob. How often do you suppose she was aware that Jacob preferred to be with her sister Rachel?
Leah was a human being and she was hurt by the knowledge that her husband preferred to be with another. Her heart ached at being rejected. Even when she was with him, she knew she was being rejected. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to feel rejection if you are not with somebody. If you are far away, you may be unaware that someone is rejecting you. However, if someone is close, you sense or feel the rejection.
Rejection happens in a variety of ways. As we grow older, we experience rejection. Blacks have been rejected because of the color of their skin. Jews have been rejected because of their religion. College students have been rejected from sororities or fraternities because they didn't fit the special mold. Women have been rejected for jobs they were qualified for simply because they were women. White males have been rejected for jobs because affirmative action laws required a company to choose another.
We have all experienced rejection at one time or another. The hurt is real and the scars are still visible in our lives. The challenge facing us is not to allow the rejection to control our lives.
One afternoon several years ago, I received a phone call from a medical doctor in my church. I tried to begin a pleasant conversation with him, but he was very direct and said, "Robert, can you come to my office, right now?"
From the sound of his voice, I knew something was not right. "Doc," I asked, "what's wrong?"
"I have a young man with a gun in my office," he said. "He's threatening to kill himself. Now he wants to talk to a minister, so I called you."
I remember thinking about saying, "Thanks a lot, Doc." But instead, I said, "I'll be right over!"
When I got there, an ambulance was waiting and police cars surrounded the building. I told them who I was and walked into the office. The doctor, one of his nurses, and the young man with the gun were in the reception area. I am sure I didn't follow procedures. I simply introduced myself as a Methodist minister and suggested it would be better if the doctor and nurse left so he and I could talk privately. He allowed the nurse to leave, but wanted the doctor to stay.
He told me his name and I asked, "Jim, what's going on? Why have you been holding these people and threatening to kill yourself?"
He spoke about problems at work and some other things. Finally, he got around to the details of his life. While growing up he had difficulties with his stepfather. He struggled in school and frequently got into fights and ended up in a juvenile center. Still, he seemed to be turning his life around until that October afternoon when his fianc‚e announced she was breaking off their relationship.
Then the young man with the gun looked at me and said, "Nobody gives a darn about me."
"Jim, that's not true," I said. "The Doc here cares about you or he wouldn't have wasted his time with you. I care about you or I wouldn't have come in to talk with you. And, even more important, God cares about you. He promises to help you deal with the hurt and heartaches and rejections in life."
We talked a little more and I asked, "Can we pray together?"
"That would be good," he said.
"Hand the gun to the doctor," I said, "so I can hold your hands while we pray." And he did! There in the reception room of a doctor's office, I prayed for a young man who had been rejected so much that the pain and heartache almost overwhelmed him. But now, with God's help, he was choosing to remember that there was One who loved him and would help him whenever he felt alone and rejected.
You, too, may have experienced rejection in your life. The pain is real ... the heartache is real ... and the promise of God's love is real.
III. The Story Of Leah And Rachel Is A Story Of Relationships
You have heard the old saying, "Three's a crowd." I am sure there was jealousy and bickering between those two sisters married to the same man. But there came the day that Jacob asked their help to return to the land of his birth. For the first time, Rachel and Leah were united in their desire to help Jacob. They pulled together because of their love for Jacob and in the process built a relationship that made them stronger and more supportive of each other.
I know a man who owned a business that failed. Everything he had worked for was lost. To make matters even worse, he had no money to help his son through college. His son would have to work his way through school.
As they said their good-byes at the airport, the father said, "Son, I'm sorry! I wanted you to have it easy while you were in school, so you could concentrate on your studies."
The son looked at the father and said, "Dad, you gave me what I needed most. You gave me your love and I will make it!"
When your relationship is right, you are stronger than you think you are. You will discover an inner strength to help you weather any storm. You will discover a backbone you didn't realize you had.
The writers of the Bible seemed to understand this. When someone felt alone and under pressure, we hear the promise of God over and over again: "Lo, I am with you always."
Do you know what this promise is?
It is God promising you the strength to face anything that comes your way in life. It is God promising you his love each and every day of your life. It is God promising you a relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Have you accepted this promise for your life?
Prayer
O God, for your presence in our lives through Jesus Christ, help us to be thankful. In his name. Amen.
When I got on the elevator to leave, a couple of women were already there. One lady kept staring at me. Finally she asked, "Are you that preacher on television? You were on television last night."
We had televised our Christmas Eve services the night before and I was flattered she had watched our services. I said, "Yes, ma'am! Our services were on television last night."
"I thought I recognized you," she said. "Since my husband has been ill, we get our church from television."
She proceeded to tell me all about her husband's illness. Then she suddenly remembered she had not introduced me to her husband's sister, the lady with her on the elevator. So she said to her sister-in-law, "This is the preacher we watch on television sometimes. This is Dr. Robert Jeffress."
Talk about the wind going out of your sails! I didn't think I even looked Baptist! The woman on the elevator had me mixed up -- she had me confused with someone else.
The story of Leah and Rachel is also confused and mixed up. The Old Testament writer had an eye for the dramatic when he introduced this story with its plots, subplots, and innuendoes. Yet Leah and Rachel are important women because they became the wives of Jacob and the mothers of twelve children -- whom we know as the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Old Testament stories are often told from the standpoint of the hero, and he is a clever, charming, deceitful, manipulative, and charismatic individual. Jacob had connived to get his brother's birthright, but once he had it, he became frightened. He was afraid his brother Esau would kill him. Jacob had gotten what he wanted, but he had to flee his home because he had wronged his brother.
Jacob decided to go to his mother's homeland, Ur of the Chaldees. He would stay with his uncle. He made the 500-mile journey on foot. He must have been weary from the trip and scorched by the sun. When he arrived he asked some shepherds about Laban, his mother's brother. They said: "Behold, Rachel, his daughter comes with the sheep."
Jacob saw a bright-eyed, beautiful maiden, in a brilliantly colored dress. He fell in love at first sight with Rachel and wanted to marry her. Laban was a man who knew how to drive a bargain. He said, "Work for me seven years and you can marry her."
The seven years passed as if they were but "a few days." Then, when it came time for the marriage, there was a mix-up ... there was confusion ... there were some complications.
Laban pulled a switch at the wedding festivities. The switch was easy to do because in those primitive times, it was the custom to conduct the bride to the bedchamber of her husband in silence and darkness. It wasn't until the next morning that Jacob discovered the switch. He discovered the girl he had married was not Rachel, but Rachel's older sister, Leah.
Of course, Jacob complained to Laban. Laban only said, "It is unthinkable that I would allow the younger daughter to be married first. Work seven more years for me and you can marry Rachel." So, one week after marrying Leah, Jacob married Rachel and then worked for Laban seven more years.
Yes, the story of Leah and Rachel is a mixed-up and confusing story. Laban had manipulated and tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters. And it is easy to imagine the problems which arose in this polygamist household where two sisters were married to the same man. If there ever was a story that was confusing and mixed up, it is this story of Leah and Rachel and their marriage to Jacob.
This morning, I want to look at some elements of this mixed- up story and see how they apply to us.
I. The Story of Leah And Rachel Is A Story of Love
From the moment that Jacob saw Rachel with her father's sheep, he fell in love. He loved her so much he was willing to serve as an indentured servant for fourteen years. Jacob's love for Rachel is part of the fabric of this story.
There is something within us that identifies with the love that Rachel and Jacob shared. Perhaps it is simply that we long to be loved; we want to know if we are loved by another. Something within us yearns to know if we are loved.
One of my favorite plays is Fiddler On The Roof. In one scene, Tevye comes into his house and watches his wife working in the kitchen. Finally, he gets the courage to ask a question that has been on his mind. He asks: "Golda, do you love me?"
Regardless of who we are in this world -- regardless of position or power in life -- we all have the desire to love and be loved by others. And we all want confirmation of love. We want to know if we are loved.
But, as everyone discovers, the love between individuals can be very fragile. Sometimes things simply go wrong in a relationship. Sometimes there is betrayal, cheating, and heartache and things simply do not work out as we planned.
In the biblical story we read earlier, Rachel knew she was loved by Jacob. His love for her didn't end because he was cheated. He did not strike out in anger because Laban pulled a fast one. He just kept working to win the hand of the one he loved.
And this is what God does with us as we make our journey through life. We may be crafty individuals and conniving individuals who seek to take advantage of others. We may have lives filled with sin. We may make God so angry that he is tempted to abandon us. But God will not abandon us nor can his love for us be destroyed. God continues working and loving us because of Jesus Christ.
II. The Story Of Leah And Rachel Is Also A Story Of Rejection
Put yourself in Leah's position for a moment. Leah was not unattractive. It was simply that her younger sister was "beautiful." Leah was married to Jacob and had several children by him. But she knew she was not loved by Jacob. How often do you suppose she was aware that Jacob preferred to be with her sister Rachel?
Leah was a human being and she was hurt by the knowledge that her husband preferred to be with another. Her heart ached at being rejected. Even when she was with him, she knew she was being rejected. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to feel rejection if you are not with somebody. If you are far away, you may be unaware that someone is rejecting you. However, if someone is close, you sense or feel the rejection.
Rejection happens in a variety of ways. As we grow older, we experience rejection. Blacks have been rejected because of the color of their skin. Jews have been rejected because of their religion. College students have been rejected from sororities or fraternities because they didn't fit the special mold. Women have been rejected for jobs they were qualified for simply because they were women. White males have been rejected for jobs because affirmative action laws required a company to choose another.
We have all experienced rejection at one time or another. The hurt is real and the scars are still visible in our lives. The challenge facing us is not to allow the rejection to control our lives.
One afternoon several years ago, I received a phone call from a medical doctor in my church. I tried to begin a pleasant conversation with him, but he was very direct and said, "Robert, can you come to my office, right now?"
From the sound of his voice, I knew something was not right. "Doc," I asked, "what's wrong?"
"I have a young man with a gun in my office," he said. "He's threatening to kill himself. Now he wants to talk to a minister, so I called you."
I remember thinking about saying, "Thanks a lot, Doc." But instead, I said, "I'll be right over!"
When I got there, an ambulance was waiting and police cars surrounded the building. I told them who I was and walked into the office. The doctor, one of his nurses, and the young man with the gun were in the reception area. I am sure I didn't follow procedures. I simply introduced myself as a Methodist minister and suggested it would be better if the doctor and nurse left so he and I could talk privately. He allowed the nurse to leave, but wanted the doctor to stay.
He told me his name and I asked, "Jim, what's going on? Why have you been holding these people and threatening to kill yourself?"
He spoke about problems at work and some other things. Finally, he got around to the details of his life. While growing up he had difficulties with his stepfather. He struggled in school and frequently got into fights and ended up in a juvenile center. Still, he seemed to be turning his life around until that October afternoon when his fianc‚e announced she was breaking off their relationship.
Then the young man with the gun looked at me and said, "Nobody gives a darn about me."
"Jim, that's not true," I said. "The Doc here cares about you or he wouldn't have wasted his time with you. I care about you or I wouldn't have come in to talk with you. And, even more important, God cares about you. He promises to help you deal with the hurt and heartaches and rejections in life."
We talked a little more and I asked, "Can we pray together?"
"That would be good," he said.
"Hand the gun to the doctor," I said, "so I can hold your hands while we pray." And he did! There in the reception room of a doctor's office, I prayed for a young man who had been rejected so much that the pain and heartache almost overwhelmed him. But now, with God's help, he was choosing to remember that there was One who loved him and would help him whenever he felt alone and rejected.
You, too, may have experienced rejection in your life. The pain is real ... the heartache is real ... and the promise of God's love is real.
III. The Story Of Leah And Rachel Is A Story Of Relationships
You have heard the old saying, "Three's a crowd." I am sure there was jealousy and bickering between those two sisters married to the same man. But there came the day that Jacob asked their help to return to the land of his birth. For the first time, Rachel and Leah were united in their desire to help Jacob. They pulled together because of their love for Jacob and in the process built a relationship that made them stronger and more supportive of each other.
I know a man who owned a business that failed. Everything he had worked for was lost. To make matters even worse, he had no money to help his son through college. His son would have to work his way through school.
As they said their good-byes at the airport, the father said, "Son, I'm sorry! I wanted you to have it easy while you were in school, so you could concentrate on your studies."
The son looked at the father and said, "Dad, you gave me what I needed most. You gave me your love and I will make it!"
When your relationship is right, you are stronger than you think you are. You will discover an inner strength to help you weather any storm. You will discover a backbone you didn't realize you had.
The writers of the Bible seemed to understand this. When someone felt alone and under pressure, we hear the promise of God over and over again: "Lo, I am with you always."
Do you know what this promise is?
It is God promising you the strength to face anything that comes your way in life. It is God promising you his love each and every day of your life. It is God promising you a relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Have you accepted this promise for your life?
Prayer
O God, for your presence in our lives through Jesus Christ, help us to be thankful. In his name. Amen.
