If you’ve ever seen someone head over heels in love, then you know: logic isn’t their driving force.
They’ll drive three hours for a 30-minute coffee date. They walk a mile to see each other. They’ll stay up way too late talking, even though they have to work early. Love, when it’s genuine, makes effort feel light.
But love doesn’t just feel that way at first. It’s tested over time. The real test of love is how it handles disappointment, delay, and difficulty.
That’s where we meet Jacob in Genesis 29:14b-30.
14b After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
Genesis 29:14b-30, New International Version
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
After fleeing his brother Esau, Jacob arrives at his uncle Laban’s house and meets Rachel. Jacob loved her so much, he offered to work seven years for her hand in marriage. Seven years. 2,555 days. No ring, no promises. Just sweat and a dream. And verse 20 tells us, “They seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”
That’s devotion.
But then came the twist. Laban deceives Jacob. Laban offers Leah instead of Rachel. The wedding night turns into heartbreak and betrayal. Yet Jacob doesn’t storm off or quit. He stays and works another seven years for Rachel. Another seven years.
In total, fourteen years. For love.
This passage isn’t just a love story. It’s a mirror for how our Lord shapes us through waiting, working, and wrestling with what’s unfair.
Jacob’s life was marked by striving. He grasped for blessing, approval, and what he wanted most. But in this season, he’s out of control. Jacob is forced to serve, wait, and trust through confusion and disappointment.
Through it all, the Lord is refining Jacob’s heart. He’s turning a trickster into a man of endurance. He’s transforming fickleness into faithfulness.
It’s not lost that the one who deceived his father is now deceived by his uncle. The same pattern that marked Jacob’s early years is being undone, slowly, painfully, and redemptively.
Most of us want the Lord’s promises without the process. We want the calling without the character-building. However, like Jacob, we discover that genuine love, whether for the Lord or others, requires time. It’s not proven in passion but in perseverance.
Your “seven years” might involve working faithfully at a job that feels unnoticed. They could also involve staying patient in a season of waiting. Perhaps, they involve continuing to love people who don’t return it easily. You might even feel like you’ve been “given Leah.” You thought you were promised “Rachel.” This happens when life hands you something you didn’t ask for.
Yet the Lord works in those very seasons. He builds endurance, humility, and faith that outlast the momentary feeling of being cheated.
Jacob didn’t just gain a wife in those years. He gained a deeper understanding of what it means to love. He learned to serve. He was shaped by the Lord’s hand, even when life doesn’t go according to plan.
Love isn’t proven by how much we get, but by how much we give without giving up.
So, when the road feels long and the reward feels delayed, remember Jacob. Remember that even the detours are part of God’s design. Remember that one day, the years that felt heavy might look light in hindsight, because of love.
We’re taking a break from Genesis because the season of Advent starts Sunday. Look for my weekly posts starting Sunday. Happy Advent!
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