Genesis 29:14 -30

The trickster got tricked. Jacob was so used to taking advantage of others that he was shocked when he was taken advantage of. After seven years of hard work his uncle Laden tricked him into marrying the wrong sister. After he had been tricked Jacob had a decision to make. The same is true when any of us are tricked by life. We cannot change what has happened, but we can choose what we are going to do next.

He could have chosen to accept Leah as his wife. He could have chosen to treat her in as loving a manner as he possibly could have. He could have chosen to be faithful to her.  He could have chosen to always do what was best for her even when it wasn’t what he most desired. He could have chosen to always look out for her best interest even when it hurt or was hard. He could have chosen to have behaved toward her in a right and righteous fashion.

Many are quick to point out that he loved Rachel. I question, “Is love how you feel toward someone, or is it how you act toward them?” Jacob claimed to love Rachel, yet his marrying her after already being married to her sister harmed both. Leah felt unloved and Rachel experienced great jealousy. The sisters became estranged from each other and their lives were filled with pain and sorrow.

How is Jacob marrying Rachel for love different from a married man leaving his wife for love? Love has been the excuse for many a great sin. True love not only feels, it thinks before it acts. True love never requires us to disobey God. True love always does what it knows is right. Doing the right thing is often difficult, but in the long run it is never as destructive and as difficult as doing the wrong thing. True love is always righteous.