Jacob Meets Rachel

Published Nov 25, 2024, 10:00 AM

# 37 - Jacob Meets Rachel - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jacob’s love story takes center stage as he falls for Rachel and works seven long years to marry her, only to face a shocking betrayal. This episode delves into themes of love, perseverance, and deception, exploring how Jacob’s labor and Laban’s trickery shape his journey and relationships.

Episode 37 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.

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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/

Today's opening prayer is inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app.

Show Notes:

(02:16) Intro with Yael Eckstein

(03:35) Jacob Meets Rachel - Cinematic Retelling

(30:50) Reflection with Yael Eckstein

Previously on the Chosen People. The words were a final seal, a decisive declaration that Jacob was now the inheritor of Isaac's promise, passed down from Abraham through Jacob, the blessing of God most High would endure.

You will hunt and kill him like.

The stag Esau stormed out of the tent and looked around. His eyes narrowed with a hunter's intensity. He grabbed his bow and arrow, searching frantically for his twin. Panic jabbed at Jacob's legs. He was shaking, agitated, ready to run.

What do I do?

Mother?

Tell me what to do.

Flee to Laban, my brother in heron. You can stay with him until your brother's fury does Maybe with time he'll get what you've done to him.

I refuse to let this bright me. I will thrive in Laban's household. I return richer and wiser, ready to take back what's mine for my brother.

Jacob opened his eyes to a vision. He found himself standing at the base of a monumental staircase that stretched upwards into the infinite expanse of the heavens.

Here, you're really here.

Look around, you, son of Isaac. Behold the splendor of this land.

Jacob surveyed the starlit landscape. The radiance of the staircase illuminated its rich and vibrant valleys cut with rushing rivers and lush forests.

The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth. And you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the south. Through you and your descendants, all families of the earth who will be blessed.

What is the price of love? What if it was a lifetime of labor and the reward came disguised as betrayal? Selloh, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel. I'm Elextein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Now let's begin. Imagine a love story, not the gain from Hollywood, where perfect people find perfect love in a perfect world. Know this love story is raw and real, tangled and human flaws, but also promising divine intervention. Jacob's on the run, fleeing from the brother he deceived, searching for a place to call home, and what he finds is well, a woman and a journey that will test his faith. As you listen, ask yourself this, what would you do for love? How far would you go to secure the future that you dreamed of? What if the path to your heart's desire was lined with deception, disappointment, and years of waiting. Now let's listen to Jacob's story, where love and labor intertwine with dreams and deceit in the most unexpected ways.

The air was bitterly dry. The harshastern sun beat Jacob's neck as if with hatred. Jacob groaned and moaned with each step, missing the comforts of his tent in Canaan. The glass stung his eyes. His steps became slower as time passed. It had been over a month on the path to Haran. Jacob's will to press on waned with each day. But what choice did he have. He couldn't turn back home. His brother would kill him. He couldn't remain on the road. The sun would char him for the buzzards to feast. Jacob needed refuge, a place to kick up his feet and rest. He passed through the borders of Haran, and the child desert plains gave way to slightly less brown hills undulating like waves in a storm. Jacob's eyes scanned the land for any sign of life. He longed for water, food, and a pillow. His feet shurned dust with each labored step until he made it to a pasture, where the land was painted with shades of tan, yellow and light green. More life. Jacob knew where there was pasture, there was bound to be water. Desperately, he turned his head to see flocks of sheep like down near a well.

At last, water h.

Jacob mustered the strength to run toward the well, but when he arrived he found it was sealed by a large stone. He pounded his fists on it and pressed his forehead down in defeat.

Oh, just my luck.

Just then Jacob saw a few men in the distance herding a few sheep to the well. If Jacob had any water left in his body, he would have cried. Instead, he shouted with a raspy voice.

My brothers, where have you come from?

We're from Heran.

Do you know a chief named Laban, the son of Nahor? Well, yeah, we know him. These are his borders. Oh, thank god, Mosaigh is all well with him and his households.

Sure in fact, is your youngest daughter. Rachel is on her way now with her father's flock. Very nice looking flock. A nice looking lady as well, if I do.

Say so myself. It's high noon already, my friends. Is it time to water your livestock? I've been traveling a long while without water.

Ah.

Sorry, friend, We don't open up the well till all the flocks are here. Once Rachel is here with Laban's flock, we will open it up. Besides, we'll need extra servants to help us move this stone. It's a heavy thing.

It is.

Jacob shook in place, watching the silhouette of Laban's daughter slowly approach. His thirst multiplied with each passing second. It seemed like an eternity. When the shepherdess and her sheep finally reached the well, Jacob bent down to the stone and held it off the well. Jacob plunged his head into the water and drank. All The shepherds sprang back in surprise.

Oi, friend, that stone usually takes at least four men to push off.

How do you do that?

If you thought that was impressive, you should see my brother handle an ox.

But still, that stone weighs more than three men.

It's an odd gift given to my brother and me. I can't explain it.

Jacob slipped his hair back and wiped his eyes. His thirst was finally quenched, and he could see clearly, and what he saw took his breath away. Standing before him, skin kissed by the sun, with amber curls draped gracefully over her shoulders was Rachel, the daughter of Larban. She looked at him with a raised brow and amused, smile.

You must have been mighty thirsty, you to throw that stone like a sack of oats. Where have you come from?

Jacob was speechless, which was an odd feeling. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he inched forward and held her face in his hands.

What are you doing?

Jacob kissed her on both cheeks and began to laugh. He laughed, and he laughed, and fell on to his knees, hysterically from the exhaustion and weeks of sparse food and water, laughter from meeting the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. His fit of laughter slowly turned to sobs, and tears rolled down his dusty cheeks.

Best to step back, my lady, Rachel, this one seems to be a bit batty.

Sir, I think you need to leave.

Jacob held his stomach, which was tightening as he oscillated between hysterical laughter and weeping. He waved his hands and stood to his feet, trying to compose himself.

No, please, I'm not a madman. Well, I suppose a madman doesn't know he's a mad man. So if I was a madman, I would certainly say that I wasn't. What was your question?

I didn't ask a question.

Oh right, I'm sorry. My name is Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rachel, your father's sister. I've come here because my mother said that Laban would take me in for a while.

Were you sent away or something? Did you commit a crime? Are you on the run?

Uh? Yes? And no uh. I've made an awful first impression. It's been a long journey, and frankly, it doesn't help that I was just struck by lightning. Lightning, at least that's how I felt when I gazed upon your beauty for the first time.

Well, yes, that's very lovely for you to say. I'm going to run and fetch my father for you.

I can go with you.

No, No, that won't be necessary.

You've had a long journey.

Remain here while I get my father. My friends will give you some of their bread.

Jacob watched Rachel leave, eyes wide with embarrassment. He buried his face in his hands and groaned, But.

You wish you were struck by lightning after that. Ah, here's some bread and a swig of wine to forget that dreadful moment.

Jacob laughed at himself and gladly accepted. He rolled the bread in his hands and watched Rachel recede from view. He sighed and smiled. Jacob was fatigued and uncertain of his mental state, but one thing he was sure of was this. He was madly in love with the shepherdess Rachel. Larban's wide, hairy frame lumbered up the slight slope leading to the well. For a moment, Jacob thought he was looking at an aged eshaw approaching. Labin wrapped Jacob in his arms without warning and lifted him off the ground.

Ah, my own bonent flesh, look at you, a spitting image of my sister, only you got a little scruff on your chin.

Ha ha, Lord Layman, it would be a great act of mercy if you'd give me sanctuary here for a while as my mother's kinsman.

What's this, lord, nonsense, you're my sweet sister son. You'll stay under my roof as an honored guest, not a refugee. Come, Come, there's a hot pot on the flame.

Larban led Jacob to his camp. Larban's wealth and resources nearly rivaled his father's. Fires were set between sights, with large thick tents firmly erected on each corner of the bordered estate. Jacob looked at the servants, herders, and farm hands. They all wore finely woven robes, matching in color and design, green with purple fringes. The women wore the same colored purple headbands and green sashes. Jacob observed the servants or sweeping in unison, while the children help prepare dishes that were neatly stacked in rows in wooden boxes. Everything had its place, Everything was in order, just the way Jacob l liked it. They entered the large gathering tent where the main family dined. Laban's wife had just reclined with her daughters.

This is my eldest daughter, Leah and of course you already met my younger daughter, Rachel. I haven't been blessed with sons, but she's been a fine herder. For Beside them are Zilpah and Bilhah. They are daughters born to me through let's say more unsavory circumstances. They are now the maid servants of my daughters.

It's an honor to meet you all.

Jacob bowed his head, stealing a glance in Rachel's direction. She looked more ravishing in the torchlight, flickering flames illuminating her amber curls, full lips, and wide greenish hazel eyes. The very sight of her made Jacob swoon. He smiled, looking for anything in return. She didn't give him the satisfaction. He turned his eyes to Leah, who smiled intently at him. Her complexion was redder than her sister's, with eyes that resembled the morning fog banks. Jacob couldn't tell if Lea was unsightly or if Rachel's beauty overshadowed any of her redeeming qualities.

May God bless you, Jacob. We pray your time here is refreshing.

You certainly need it. And the bath.

Rachel you've lost your manners. I'm sorry, my boy. My youngest spends too much time with a shepherd's she forgets how to be a lady.

I take no offense, Lord Layban. Rachel saw me at my worst to day. I pray she doesn't hold it against me.

Jacob searched her again for any slight movement of her chin or eyes. Nothing, he continued.

It's the custom of my father's household to never accept the gift without giving a gift in return. I'd ask that Rachel let me tend to her flocks while I stay here.

There it was a slight twist of her beautiful lips curling upward. It was only for a moment, but Jacob knew he'd had her, and because he couldn't help himself, he added.

The time away from the flocks may allow her to regain the manners she lost.

And the smile left replaced with a roll of the eyes. But to Jacob, a roll of the eyes was just as satisfying as a smile. He was in her mind for a moment. He wanted to live there forever. A month had passed, and Jacob cheerfully tended Laban's flock daily, the house of Laban was a pleasant respite from the chaotic mess he left behind. Jacob applied the knowledge he learned from his father to Laban's flock. Isaac had a way of breeding sheep, weeding out specific blemishes and weaknesses. He was a savanth that way, much like his dear brother was with hunting. He thought about them often, but knew he couldn't yet return. No doubt, Esau's blood still boiled hot with betrayal. Jacob led the flocks to an enclosed pasture and returned to the dining tent. Lea was there, weaving a cord of flowers for a centerpiece. Her dull face turned brighter anytime Jacob entered the room.

Hello, Jacob, how is your day?

Fine? I suppose where's Rachel?

Probably chopping wood somewhere with her calloused hands. I swear sometimes I think she purposefully acts like a boy to please father.

Jacob wasn't listening. He fiddled with his cup, staring at the tense entrance. Rachel entered with her servant Bella, and Jacob quickly moved, leaving Leah behind. He composed himself before greeting her, straightening his robes and hair suavely, he approached Good evening, Rachel.

Good evening, Jacob, How are my father's.

Flax growing more beautiful by the day. I've scattered some olive leaves around for them, and it's given their wool an excellent sheen.

Very clever, Jacob, I thought.

So, your flocks have been in good hands. Rachel.

I doubted that at first, since I took you for a madman.

Oh, Rachel, in many ways I am a madman.

Jacob smiled and looked deeply into Rachel's eyes. At first, the stair made Rachel uncomfortable, but as time passed she had grown to enjoy it. The moment was abruptly interrupted with Larbin's entrance.

Jacob, come, my boy, sit beside me tonight as we eat.

Jacob sat beside Larbin, who gave him a firm pat.

On the back.

Jacob. I was thinking about what my sister would say if she knew you were working here without a wage? Were kinsmen? You're not my servant or slave. I should pay you for the excellent work you're doing. What shall your wages be?

You're very kind, as always, Lord Layban. I've actually given that question quite a bit of thought.

Hah ah, of course you have. You're a shrewd man. What's your price for the work.

Jacob turned his gaze back at Rachel. She glanced back, wondering why he was looking at her. Her smile curled on the edges of Jacob's face. He turned to Larbon with a glint in his eye.

I'll serve you for seven more years. That should be more than enough for your youngest daughter, Rachel's hand in marriage.

Rachel nearly choked on her food. Leo gasped in horror, but laughing was perfectly still stroking his beard and considering the exchange.

Father, Are you considering his offer?

What are you going to do?

Oh?

Yes, well, I suppose it's better I give her to you were kinsman than another dog from another clan wanted to swap rocks and land. You have yourself at deal?

A deal?

Father? Is Rachel really to marry before me?

I'm your lord, father, I'll hear no complaints or moans about my decisions. Rachel will marry Jacob after seven years of labor.

They shook on it, and Rachel stormed out of the tent. Leah simply sat there, quiet and dejected. Her servant Silpa comforted her. Jacob followed Rachel out dusk wrestled against ay, and the sun's final rays were being pushed behind the mountains. Rachel looked out at the valley with her shoulder leaning against the thick trunk of a sycamore tree. Its leaves swayed gently to the evening breeze, soothing her chaotic mind. Jacob approached softly and spoke tenderly, Are you okay, Rachel? She turned her face to him, greenish brown eyes seeming almost golden in the final light of dusk. Her beauty unsteadied him at times.

Would marrying me be such a terrible thing?

Rachel allowed a slight smile to escape from her frown. She shook her head and responded with an uncharacteristically gentle tone.

Of course, not, Jacob.

You come from a good family, with a good birthright waiting for you at home. But I wonder, are you a good man?

That's a difficult question to answer. My father's a good man. My grandfather was a great man. That we shall see about me.

We shall see.

Indeed, one thing that's certain, dear Rachel, is that I do love you. And seven years of labor for your hand will seem like near moments as long as I get to see you every day.

You're much more eloquent than the first time we met.

Yes, you see me at my worst. Now give me a chance you'll see me at my best.

Rachel allowed a full smile to grace her face. She reached out a hand and Jacob took it. They watched the skies for a long while, silently longing for a tighter embrace. Yet behind them, peeking out from the large tent was Leah, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. Her unrequited love for Jacob was as enduring as the stars in the sky. Jacob looked at his reflection in the still pond. He rubbed his face, observing the scruff that had turned into a meager looking beard. His mother had always joked that Esau stole all his hair in the womb. He could never quite grow a full beard, which made him wildly and securer times, especially on a day like this one. It had been seven years since his agreement with the Laban. He had worked tirelessly, expanding Larban's flocks sevenfold. Each year, the flocks became more beautiful as did Rachel. They had grown much closer in seven years, often stealing away moments to walk by the streams or eat dates over the pond's edge. The years passed by like a few days because of the love he had for her.

Ley Ben, it's been seven years tending to your flocks. I'm here now, too, humbly ask for Rachel. Of course, dear boy. Let's have a feast, a wonderful feast to celebrate the occasion. Wine will flow like the rivers of Eden. Food will be bursting out.

Of our ears.

That night, music, dancing, and laughter abounded. Everyone in the clan gathered for a decadent feast lambshanks with juniper jam, date cakes and roasted figs, whine imported from the vineyards of Poor Jacob feasted and drank to his heart's content, but Rachel was silent and unwilling to celebrate. Jacob plumped beside her and leaned in.

I haven't seen your sister all night. She's usually paddling behind me like a lost pup. It's been rather nice having some space, is she.

I'm not sure, Rachel?

What's wrong, my love? Why does your beautiful face hang low on such a joyous occasion. Don't you want to be with me?

Of course I do, Jacob.

Then we shall be together tonight.

Not yet, dear boy, the night has only begun. Drink, laugh, and enjoy this special night. I shall have my servants prepare your bride and send her to your tent.

The festivities continued, as did Jacob's drinking lob and ensured the servant always kept his cup filled in the conversation light. When the time came for Jacob to bed his wife, thus sealing the marriage covenant, he stumbled to his tent. He fell into the dirt in front and crawled.

In Rachel, your husband has arrived.

He saw his wife adorned in a beautiful gown of purple, green and white. She wore a thin veil, as was the custom. Jacob slapped himself, trying to sober up.

I am waiting for you, my husband.

I've waited seven years for this moment.

A as have I. Jacob.

Jacob gently but clumsily, took her by the hips and drew her in close. In the back of his mind, he wished he had not drank so much. He would have been able to save the moment. Without the inside of his tent spinning, The two sealed the marriage covenant by lying with each other. Their passionate breaths rose with the heat of the flickering candles. When they were finished, Jacob released a sigh of bliss and lay his head down to sleep. The woman beside him, now his wife, blew out the candles and laid her head on his chest.

Ah, I love.

You, Rachel, I love you, Jacob.

Jacob's eyes creaked open. Dawn broke into his tent through an opening in the roof, uninvited. He propped himself up and rubbed his head. It felt as if his skull would crack open. He rolled his neck back and took a drink from his water skin. He sighed, then looked back at his bride. Her face was down on the pillow, hair draped over her face. Jacob pet her hair and whispered in her ear good morning. She turned and her head toward him, her hair falling to the side. Jacob shouted in shock and fell back. It wasn't Rachel, but.

Leah, Leah. What are you doing here?

I was with you last night, Jacob. Don't you remember?

What's no? What? No? How is it possible? How was supposed to be with Rachel. I how how did you?

My father insisted that it should be this way. He sent Rachel back to her tent and bid me meet you in here to be your wife. We sealed the covenant. It's done.

That treacherous snake. Leyban tricked me.

I will make an excellent wife, Jacob, I swear I will give you plenty of sons and daughters.

Where's Laban?

Jacob left Lea and stormed out of this tent, shirt still off and heads still throbbing. Larban was sipping a warm cup of tea, directing some of his workers as they cleaned.

Layban, good morning, my son, I trust you slept well beside your new bride. It's such an amazing moment in life, young love.

What have you done to me? I served you for seven years for Rachel? That was our agreement. Why have you deceived me?

Come now, Jacob or kinsman. You know our customs. It's not tradition to have your youngest daughter married before your eldest.

So you chose deception instead of negotiation.

Jacob, Jacob, you know better. I knew you wouldn't take Lea for a bride price of seven years I did what I had to do. This way I get to marry off my eldest daughter, and you work my fields for far more years than she's worth. It's a win win. Well. By that, of course, I mean that I win twice.

Love And gave Jacob a certain look that sent shiffers down his spine. It was the look of a opened behind his large, jolly veneer was a cunning and calculating mind. He may have looked like Esau, but he was more like Jacob, a trickster. Jacob sobered immediately he understood who he was dealing with. Now they were cut from the same cloth. The trickster had been tricked. Jacob was angry, but he couldn't avoid the irony. Jacob responded with a calm and calculated look.

You've bested me, Laban. You're surely a shrewd man. I should have known, since you and my mother, Rebecca are from the same line. She has a sharp mind as well.

Flattery was how Jacob would get what he needed from Larban. The poor man had awakened something in Jacob. Larban wasn't the only servant in the reeds.

I will work seven more years for Rachel. That was the bride price we agreed upon. In seven years, I expect to have her. There aren't any other secret daughters I should be aware of.

Ah.

You are a good sport. You have yourself a deal.

Jacob bowed his head and walked back to his tent. Rachel was waiting nearby, eyes red from a night of tears.

I swear, Jacob, I had no choice.

It's going to be all right. In seven years, you'll be mine and I'll be yours.

But what about Leah?

What about her? My grandfather had two wives? Why can't I?

I'm worried that Well.

You are the one I love, Rachel. I will have you as my wife, and when the time is right, Laybad will know who he's slighted.

Jacob placed a gentle hand on her chin and kissed her forehead. Leah was watching intently from the distance. He walked over to his tent and paused. He gave Leah an indifferent look, then passed her to enter his tent. For seven years, Jacob labored, and once the time had passed, he was finally able to marry Rachel. The night of their wedding, Jacob was completely sober, eyes clear, and heart fluttering with love. They sealed their promise that night with passion underneath the stars. To Jacob, it was well worth the fourteen years. Yet something was hiding in the margins between love and longing. Leah's love for Jacob, Jacob's love for Rachel, Lea's contempt for Rachel, and Laban's love of control were all brewing. Like the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern winds. They were doomed to collide, causing a storm of epic proportions.

Jacob, with his heart full of love for Rachel, is willing to work seven long years just to win her hand. That kind of love is the stuff of fairy tales and love songs. But then the twist, the deception, Laban's cunning move slipping Leah into Jacob's bed instead of Rachel. Sometimes even pure and true love isn't enough to shield us from the harsh realities of life. For this family, the harsh realities, we'll only get harsher, and that brings us to Leah. Poor poor Leah, caught in a web that's not of her own making. She's desperate for a husband's love. It's heart wrenching when you look at it. From her perspective, Lea's struggle for affection, for recognition, for feeling wanted. Most of us, from a tender age, we're taught that crying signifies weakness. Be strong. We're told hold your tears, move on, get it together. But here the Bible actually teaches us something very different. This is what the scripture tells us. Quote Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was beautiful end quote from her youth, Leah wept over her fate that she felt wasn't fair. Lea wept for herself and for her future children. And as she wept, she prayed that God would alter her destiny. And then we see it. God saw Leah's tears, and he heard her prayers, and as a result, God chose Leah to be Jacob's first wife, despite Rachel's greater beauty and beloved status.

This is the.

Profound power of tears. Leah's weak eyes were actually a symbol of her immense strengths, because it was through her tears that she reshaped history, that she changed the course of her life and the course of the world as we know it still today.

You see.

Jewish tradition holds that the gates of tears are the only gates to Heaven that never close. And I'll tell you something, my friends, we hold that same power, that same ability that lay a wheelded. We too can cry out to God with heartfelt tears of sincerity, of faith, of love. And through those tears, God hears our prayers and he alters the trajectory of our lives, which impacts the entire world. So, if there's one thing that I hope you get from this story, it's this, never underestimate the power of tears. As one rabbi so beautifully put it, the gates of tears were never locked. What a shame if no no one bothers to walk right through them. And that brings us to another layer of this story, the rich nuanced insights found in centuries of Jewish study of the original Hebrew text. Names in the Bible are more than just labels. We've already learned a bit that the names of the Biblical figures carry deep meanings and prophetic implications. Take Leah, for instance, her name literally translates to weary. It reflects her life's journey, her struggle for love, her constant yearning for Jacob's affection. Every time we say her name Leah, were reminded of her weariness and her struggle to be seen and loved. Rachel, on the other hand, in Hebrew, is pronounced Rachel, and it literally translates to eu.

E w e.

It symbolizes and beauty. Her name Rachel. Rachel paints a picture of gentleness and grace, qualities that drew Jacob's heart to her in the first place. It's a very stark contrast to Leah's weariness, highlighting the different paths that they walked. You see in translation, we might overlook the prophetic implication of these names, but oh no, if we do, we might miss how Leah's weariness in Rachel's beauty are not just personal traits. No, they are woven into God's larger story. Leah's name, her weariness, speaks to the struggle that many of us face in finding recognition and finding love. Rachel's name her beauty remind us of the allure and desire that often drive our actions, and that brings us to Jacob. The Hebrew teaching that I want to point out about Jacob happens right away in Jenne's twenty nine rite in the very first verse here the Bible uses an unusual expression, as Jacob continues his travels. Most English translations tell us that quote, Jacob continued his journey end quote. But that's not the literal translation of the Hebrew. The closest translation says this quote and Jacob lifteth up his feet end quote. I'm going to read it to you in Hebrew so that you can hear how it sounds. This is what it says in Genesis twenty nine, the very first verse, vaissa ya akkov raglav. Let me say that again, vaissa ya akov raglov. But this isn't the Bible's regular expression for traveling. So why does scripture use it here? This isn't how it usually says that the Biblical figure traveled uses different words. Why well? The Jewish ages have a beautiful explanation that has always inspired me so much, and I hope that it will inspire you too. They teach that after Jacob woke up from his dream of God's promise, he felt quote light footed end quote. Isn't that beautiful? When he woke up from his dream, he felt light footed. After hearing God's promise, Jacob felt that he could do anything, He could overcome any of the challenges that God would put his way, and he would put many his way, including the challenge of finding the right wife, the challenge of living in the house of dishonest Laban, and the challenge of being father to God's chosen people. Those are all pretty big tasks. But when Jacob woke up light footed, he knew that he could overcome them. And I want you to remember, my friends, that just like Jacob, God has promised each one of us that as long as we dedicate ourselves to Him, he will be with us. We can feel lightfooted in that. And when you feel lightfooted that you know God is with you, you could accomplish anything. As you can see, there's more than romance going on here in this biblical love story. And to add even more, here's our good friend, Bishop Paulineer.

Thank you so much.

Elle.

Here we are in this Genesis chapter twenty nine, and Jacob arrives.

To a field of sheep.

Can I just tell you that I've always been intrigued, even marveled, at the relationship the Jewish people have with sheep. You know that back in the garden of Eden, after they had sinned and God was sending them out from the garden. He first clothed them animal skins, covering them with a bloody thing. Was this redemption at work? Was it an altar somewhere? Was it a lamb? I think about the offering at the altar of two brothers canaan Abel, and how Cain brought his vegetables from his garden, but Able brought a lamb a sheep. Why was he even raising sheep if indeed he was vegetarian, as many people believe. Well, maybe it was for the wool, Perhaps for the milk. Later on God spoke to Noah and told him he could now eat the meat, but not drink the blood, because that always belongs to God. And of course the lamb was part of that first and perpetual passover that was appointed in Egypt, and then later that elaborate, sophisticated sacrificial system at Mount Sinai. For me, the only answer is the altar. And you know so well that increasingly the altar was the center of Jewish life. Someone would move to a community and they'd build an altar, They would pitch a tent and dig a well. Those three things. Build an altar, pitch a tent, dig a well, that reveals to us the level of priority and importance of the altar of the sacrifice of the lamb. Later on we'll discover how the children of Israel got into the land of ghost and how the role of shepherd.

Played into that.

We'll think about that King David, who was first and foremost shepherd. And for Christians, we look to the New Testament and we think of Jesus being born and laid in a manger which was rich in the whole sheep narrative and culture. That the whole reason Jesus was being born there was because it was that space was special where sacrificial lambs were birthed and raised. We hear that John the Baptist when he sees Jesus coming and he cries out, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the lamb, the Lamb of God. And we hear Jesus himself saying, I am the good Shepherd. You know, I remember some time ago seeing a photograph and a video of yah Elle in one of our Fellowship campaigns.

And it strucked me.

It was so beautiful.

Yah El was on a sheep farm, and she was holding and caressing and laughing with a lamb so earthy and raw and real. I told my wife, I said, this is my favorite picture of yah El because of the authenticity. I'm telling you, if you could have made the picture black and white, it would have looked three thousand years old. But here Rachel is at one with the sheep, and it's with that flock that Jacob finds her and Rachel meets her future husband. There was never a moment quite like that for Jacob Agan. She was so beautiful to him, she captured is hard and ultimately Rachel gave Jacob two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and nobody had wonder how Jacob felt about those two boys, particularly because of their mother, Rachel.

This is more than a love story. It's part of the ultimate love story, the story of God's love for his chosen people. In each of our stories, even the painful ones. God doesn't waste our pain or discard us because of our flaws. No, God loves us, and he promises to bless each one of us his chosen People.

You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Exstein Ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Pray Dot com app today. This pray dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Could, Tina max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.

The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein

Welcome to The Chosen People podcast with Yael Eckstein, a transformative podcast experience that in 
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