Leaving Bethel, the place where God had appeared to him in his dream, Jacob went on his lonely way to Haran, and it is there, or close to the place that we next find him. There was a well in a field, and three flocks of sheep were lying beside it, but a large stone blocked the way to the water. Jacob talked with the shepherds and found out that they were from Haran and knew his uncle Laban, and that Laban’s daughter, his own cousin, Rachel, was even then bringing her flock of sheep to the well. All this was good news to the wanderer from his father’s home. While he was speaking to the shepherds about watering their sheep, Rachel came, and Jacob rolled the stone away and got water for her sheep. He told Rachel he was her aunt Rebekah’s son. I suppose that Jacob’s crying as he spoke to his cousin was because he was thinking of his having had to leave his home, and why it was so, may have been in his thoughts too.
Rachel ran home to tell her folks of Jacob’s coming, and Laban came out quickly to greet his nephew, and bring him to the house. When Abraham’s servant had been there in the days when La-ban was very young, he could tell of his master’s riches, his flocks and his herds, but when Isaac’s son Jacob, came as a visitor, he was poor, having nothing, and an outcast from home.
A month passed, and’ as Jacob was in no hurry to go home—we know why, but perhaps Laban did not, unless the end of the thirteenth verse means that Jacob told of his deceiving his father, which I doubt. Laban said because he was a relative of his, why should he work for him without pay? And he asked him what wages he wanted.
Already Jacob had set his mind on marrying Rachel, and she was beautiful. There was an older sister, Leah, who had weak or sore eyes, but he didn’t care for her. So Jacob said he would work for Laban for seven years if he would give him Rachel for his wife, and Laban agreed to this, but when the seven years were over he deceived Jacob, and gave him the older sister instead of the younger.
This was paying Jacob in his own kind of money, wasn’t it? Yes, “God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:77Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)), as we have noticed before. Did Jacob think of that at this time? I think he must have he was many miles from the home where he had acted so shamefully, but his conscience, that still, small voice in his breast, told him of his sin.
Laban gave Jacob Rachel, also, but he had to work another seven years for her. When God saw that Jacob hated Leah, He did not give the loved wife any children, but gave Leah four baby boys. These boys were Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. After them came Dan and Naphtali, whose mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. Two more boys, Gad and Asher, were born to Zilpah, Leah’s servant. Then Leah got two boys again, Issachar and Zebulun, and a baby girl, Dinah.