Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob
– Genesis 25:26
When Jacob fled to his uncle Laban, he was still for himself. He wept when he met his cousin Rachel. It seemed he had suffered a lot. After Jacob had been with them for a month, Laban said to him, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” (Gen. 29:15). Jacob told him, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” (v. 18). A smart, scheming man met a smart, scheming man. A strong-willed man met a strong-willed man. God arranged everything.
Because of Laban’s scheming, Jacob ended up serving fourteen years to get Rachel. In fact, Jacob served Laban for a total of twenty years. He was squeezed and cheated by Laban, who changed his wages ten times (31:38–41). He suffered by day and by night. In this situation, he still built up his own household and schemed to accumulate flocks for himself. He was indeed a man for self. He never thought that as a consequence of his actions he would have to flee again, just as he did from Esau. The heart of a selfish man is insensitive, his ears are dull, and his eyes dim (Isa. 6:10).
Adapted from A Sketch of Genesis, by Titus Chu, page 143.
Tomorrow: “Dealing with Esau (1)”