Recipe for Disaster or Blessed Beyond Measure?
Genesis 29:26-30
Laban answered, “It is not the custom in this place to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”
And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
If ever there were a recipe for strife, this would have to take the cake! Leah had only one week with her new husband before he married his true love – her younger sister. Jacob finally had the love of his life, along with a wife of obligation. Rachel finally had her man of blessing, but she had to share him with her older sister. Could anyone ever really be truly happy here? A modern day soap opera could gain much material from this one!
Yet, this awkward family situation that seemed destined to dysfunction and turmoil is where God chose to build a nation for Himself and eventually bring forth His very Son into the earth. In fact, everything seems to have come together exactly according to His plan. Did God create this recipe for disaster? I will answer that with a resounding, “No!” God, however, knew the hearts of men, manipulating as they were, and He chose to work within their wicked schemes. He knew Laban would trick Jacob and that Jacob would love Rachel. He knew Leah was not wanted and allowed Laban’s selfish manipulation to succeed. God took the evil their hearts created and used them for His glory and their benefit. They would all still pay the consequences of their own sin, but God set them on a path that would eventually lead to His designed purpose. The Devil could not outsmart the sovereignty of God.
Perhaps, you’ve experienced your own recipe for disaster. Know that God has still placed you on a path that will lead to His glory and your benefit. He still has a plan in place, and you will enter into His rest when you surrender to it. Neither Jacob, Leah, nor Rachel had an ideal situation, but they each had a divine destiny. There comes a time when we have to accept where we are in life, whether it seems fair or not. We must learn to appreciate what we have and trust that God allowed us to be there for a reason. He is still sovereign in the midst of our mess, and He can still bring great good from it all. Don’t wait until your situation is ideal to realize just how blessed you really are. That day may never come, and you will have forfeited happiness while crying about what you don’t have. Rejoice today and appreciate where you are. You just might find that your blessings runneth over!
Have a blessed day!