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Jacob's Family - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And she gave him Bilhah, her handmaid,
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  Speaker 1: to wife, and Jacob went in unto her. Genesis 34
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  Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, when I am close to my dreams,
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  Speaker 1: I will stay mindful that I don't jump the gun
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  Speaker 1: and settle for a counterfeit like Jacob. Instead, I will
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  Speaker 1: stay diligent and focused so that the dream you have
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  Speaker 1: for me will be the authentic dream and not a
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  Speaker 1: second-hand blessing. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that as I step
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  Speaker 1: into this new season of blessing and abundance, I will
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  Speaker 1: keep my heart from falling into the same trap that
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  Speaker 1: Leah and Rachel fell into. I decree and declare that greed, jealousy,
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  Speaker 1: and envy will not have a place in my future.
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  Speaker 1: I will rejoice and be glad with the dreams you've
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  Speaker 1: allowed me to birth in my life. I will honor
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  Speaker 1: and appreciate what I have, for I know that as
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  Speaker 1: I live to honor you, God, you will uphold my
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  Speaker 1: life and my future. In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to
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  Speaker 1: these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing
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  Speaker 1: from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob's Family Before this story, we learned about Jacob's journey
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  Speaker 2: to Laban. Jacob was affirmed by the Lord that he
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  Speaker 2: would be blessed as his father Isaac was, and his
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  Speaker 2: father Jacob. Upon arrival, Jacob met Rachel, and immediately fell
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  Speaker 2: in love. In exchange for being able to marry Rachel,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years. Now
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  Speaker 2: we will learn about Jacob marrying Laban's older daughter Leah
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  Speaker 2: first before marrying Rachel and the web of jealousy that
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  Speaker 2: bore an entire nation inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we
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  Speaker 3: learned that Jacob had fallen deeply in love with Rachel,
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  Speaker 3: the younger daughter of his uncle Laban. And because of
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  Speaker 3: his love for Rachel, He cuts the deal with Laban
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  Speaker 3: to work seven years in exchange for Rachel's hand in marriage. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we pick up as his seven years of hard labor
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  Speaker 3: are coming to an end. But what seems to be
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  Speaker 3: heading toward a very happy ending takes a sharp turn
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  Speaker 3: into deceit and dishonesty, rivalry and resentment. Jacob, who is
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  Speaker 3: the consummate cheater himself, is going to get a dose
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  Speaker 3: of his own medicine and learn that what goes around
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  Speaker 3: comes around as the cheater is now cheated. His own father-in-law, Laban,
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  Speaker 3: is going to get the best of him, trapping Jacob
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  Speaker 3: in a marriage to his older daughter, Leah. Jacob will
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  Speaker 3: choose to marry both sisters, but only after Laban makes
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  Speaker 3: him agree to another seven years of hard labor. And
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  Speaker 3: just as Jacob experienced the affection of his mother, yet
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  Speaker 3: the rejection of his father, we'll see how he'll now
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  Speaker 3: love one wife and despise the other. Spite and favoritism last.
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  Speaker 3: will poison the whole family and bring about a decades-long feud.
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  Speaker 3: In many ways, Jacob is not even the central character
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  Speaker 3: of today's story, but a sad pawn in a war
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  Speaker 3: between sisters. It's a messy story. And yet, in all
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  Speaker 3: of this, you are going to see God's compassion and
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  Speaker 3: grace towards Leah, Rachel, and Jacob. So, let's listen now
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  Speaker 3: to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob had toiled the ground of Laban for seven years.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob counted the months until he could finally be united
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  Speaker 2: with Rachel as husband and wife. Daily he saw her
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  Speaker 2: tending the sheep and pined after her. Their love and
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  Speaker 2: desire for one another burned deeply even before marriage, and
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  Speaker 2: as the time approached, Jacob's countenance grew brighter. Finally, it
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  Speaker 2: was time. Jacob, with his head held high, approached Laban.
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  Speaker 2: Seven years has passed. And I have worked faithfully for you,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob said. Now give me my wife so that we
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  Speaker 2: can make love and build a life together. Laban wasted
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  Speaker 2: no time and gathered together all the people for a
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  Speaker 2: great feast. Jacob's dream to be with Rachel was finally
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  Speaker 2: becoming a reality. Yet Jacob's wedding would not end the
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  Speaker 2: way he thought it would, nor would his marriage be
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  Speaker 2: the dream come true he expected. Late into the night,
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  Speaker 2: before the wedding was going to commence, Laban took his
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  Speaker 2: oldest daughter Leah and dressed her in a wedding gown
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  Speaker 2: and veil to cover her face, for back then it
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  Speaker 2: was custom for the bride to be covered. Leah was
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  Speaker 2: not adorned with the same beauty as her sister, rather
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  Speaker 2: she carried herself plainly and did not draw the same
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  Speaker 2: attention as Rachel. In Jacob's excitement and revelry with wedding
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  Speaker 2: music and wine, he took Leah as his wife. The
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  Speaker 2: two of them were one, and Jacob went into Leah
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  Speaker 2: for the first time, thinking it was Rachel. Jacob, the
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  Speaker 2: man who had tricked his own brother and father into
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  Speaker 2: giving up their birthrights and blessings, found himself in a
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  Speaker 2: wedding bed with the wrong woman, tricked by his father-in-law.
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  Speaker 2: The next morning, as the sun just began to rise
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  Speaker 2: above the peaks in the horizon, Jacob awoke. The night before,
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  Speaker 2: he had hardly remembered, but he did remember that he
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  Speaker 2: was finally married to Rachel after seven years of labor.
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  Speaker 2: He turned to his wife and was bewildered to find
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  Speaker 2: Leah laying next to him. Inconsolable, Jacob bolted out of
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  Speaker 2: his tent in a fit of rage. Arms flailing and
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  Speaker 2: heart pounding, Jacob pinned Laban to the wall of his tent.'
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  Speaker 2: What have you done to me?' Jacob shouted.' Did I
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  Speaker 2: not serve you faithfully for Rachel? Why have you deceived
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  Speaker 2: me like this?' Laban, knowing he had gotten away with
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  Speaker 2: his plan, grinned. It is not custom for the younger
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  Speaker 2: daughter to be married before the oldest daughter, he said nonchalantly.
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  Speaker 2: You can marry Rachel, of course, but only if you
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  Speaker 2: have served me another seven years. Jacob was distraught. The
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  Speaker 2: trickster had been outplayed at his own game. Jacob agreed
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  Speaker 2: to Laban's terms. He had no choice if he wanted
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  Speaker 2: to be with Rachel. He married Rachel a week later
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  Speaker 2: and then served Laban for another seven years. Jacob and
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  Speaker 2: Leah had sex for children, but Jacob and Rachel made
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  Speaker 2: love for passion. This would send Leah into a spiral
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  Speaker 2: of insecurity and spite, a spiral that would ultimately lead
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  Speaker 2: to a feud that lasted years. God saw that Leah
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  Speaker 2: was despised by Jacob and Rachel and had compassion on her.
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  Speaker 2: He opened her womb and made her fruitful. Though Rachel
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  Speaker 2: was barren and left childless, Leah conceived and bore a
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  Speaker 2: son and called his name Reuben. In her heart of hearts,
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  Speaker 2: she truly believed that if she bore a son, Jacob
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  Speaker 2: would love her. So began Leah's desperate mission to fill
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  Speaker 2: a void in her life left by her husband. She
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  Speaker 2: conceived again and bore a son and named him Simon.
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  Speaker 2: She believed Simon was a gift from God because her
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  Speaker 2: husband hated her. Leah bore another son, Levi. After three sons,
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  Speaker 2: she truly believed that Jacob would love her. Yet Jacob
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  Speaker 2: continued to love Rachel. And Leah fell deeper into depression.
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  Speaker 2: For a fourth time, Leah conceived and bore a son.
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  Speaker 2: His name was Judah. And this time, instead of hoping
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  Speaker 2: that another son would make Jacob love her, Leah praised God.
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  Speaker 2: thanking him for his faithfulness. After Judah was born, Leah
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  Speaker 2: ceased bearing children. Rachel knew that she was barren and
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  Speaker 2: hated her sister for giving Jacob sons when she could not.
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  Speaker 2: Rachel's jealousy towards Leah caused her to lash out at Jacob.
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  Speaker 2: Give me children or I shall die. Jacob's anger boiled
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  Speaker 2: up towards Rachel, for he too was angry that they
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  Speaker 2: could not have children together. Am I in the place
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  Speaker 2: of God? I cannot open and close your womb. So
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  Speaker 2: Rachel devised a plan, a plan that hearkened back to
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  Speaker 2: Sarah in the wilderness of Canaan. Here is my servant, Bilhah,
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  Speaker 2: Rachel said. Go into her, and she will have a
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  Speaker 2: child on my behalf. So she gave Jacob her servant,
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  Speaker 2: and Jacob gladly slept with her, repeating the sins of
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  Speaker 2: his grandfather, Abraham. Jacob and Bilhah conceived and bore a
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  Speaker 2: son named Dan. Rachel was pleased but wanted more. Not
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  Speaker 2: because she truly wanted children, but because she could not
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  Speaker 2: bear the thought of her sister having more than her.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob and Bilhah continued, and Bilhah had another son on
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  Speaker 2: Rachel's behalf. With great struggle I have triumphed over my sister.
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  Speaker 2: So she named her second son Naphtali. The cycle of
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  Speaker 2: jealousy did not cease. Leah, to spite Rachel and gain
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  Speaker 2: the love of Jacob, gave her servant to be with
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  Speaker 2: Jacob so they might have more children. Her servant, Nilpah,
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  Speaker 2: and Jacob slept together and bore Gad. Yet Leah was
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  Speaker 2: not satisfied. She gave Zilpah to Jacob again, and the
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  Speaker 2: two of them bore Asher. Jacob, caught in the middle
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  Speaker 2: of a civil war, made no protests. He sat by
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  Speaker 2: and enjoyed the fruit of his wives' insecurities. He refused
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  Speaker 2: to care for their hearts or reassure them of his love. No,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob had no such integrity, equality, he would soon be
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  Speaker 2: forced to possess. In the days of the wheat harvest,
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  Speaker 2: Reuben went out and found some mandrakes, a rare plant
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  Speaker 2: used for various medical and recreational uses. They were rare
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  Speaker 2: and valuable. Reuben brought them to his mother, Leia. Rachel
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  Speaker 2: wanted some of his mandrakes and asked Leia if she
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  Speaker 2: could have some. Leia was in no mood to be
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  Speaker 2: generous with Rachel. Isn't it enough that you have stolen
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  Speaker 2: my husband away from me? Now you want my son's mandrakes,
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  Speaker 2: Leia protested. In exchange for your mandrakes, you can lie
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  Speaker 2: with Jacob tonight. Will that satisfy you? Rachel said. At
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  Speaker 2: this point, Jacob was a tool for Leia and Rachel's
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  Speaker 2: war against one another. No more love and no more dreams.
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  Speaker 2: Only spite marked Jacob's household. When Jacob was returning from
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  Speaker 2: the field, Leia came out to meet him. I have
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  Speaker 2: given my son's mandrakes to Rachel so that you might
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  Speaker 2: lie with me. So Jacob slept with Leah that night,
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  Speaker 2: and Leah conceived a fifth son. They named him Issachar.
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  Speaker 2: The whirlwind of Leah and Rachel did not cease. Leah
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  Speaker 2: bore Jacob another son and named him Zebulun. Now my
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  Speaker 2: husband must honor me, Leah said. Leah was certain that
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  Speaker 2: six sons would prove to be enough for Jacob's love.
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  Speaker 2: Yet again she came back empty-handed. Afterwards Leah bore a
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  Speaker 2: daughter and named her Dinah. God turned his eyes toward Rachel.
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  Speaker 2: He listened to her honest cries for a son of
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  Speaker 2: her own. Under the moon and blessings of God, Jacob
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  Speaker 2: and Rachel made love. And from that love came Joseph,
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  Speaker 2: a miracle from God. Even though Rachel had conceived this
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  Speaker 2: miracle from God, she still got caught up in the
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  Speaker 2: trap all humans get stuck in. wanting more. Jacob was fruitful,
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  Speaker 2: and his sons were growing to be strong and ready
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  Speaker 2: to begin lives of their own. He decided it would
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  Speaker 2: be best to return to the land of his father Isaac.
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  Speaker 2: He approached Laban and said, I have served you, I
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  Speaker 2: have given you grandchildren, and I have cared for your
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  Speaker 2: land and daughters. Allow me to leave and return home.
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  Speaker 2: Laban enjoyed having Jacob by his side. Jacob carried with
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  Speaker 2: him the blessings of God, and everything Jacob did, he
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  Speaker 2: did with excellence. I will pay whatever it takes to
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  Speaker 2: have you stay here, for I am blessed because you
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  Speaker 2: are here, he replied. Jacob grew tired of Laban and
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  Speaker 2: greatly desired to leave his presence. I have given you enough.
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  Speaker 2: Everything you have given me to take care of, I
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  Speaker 2: have increased. Allow me, please, to depart with my own family.
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  Speaker 2: Laban agreed. and the two set up arrangements for Jacob
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  Speaker 2: to leave with a part of Laban's flocks. The agreement
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  Speaker 2: was that Jacob would take the blemished sheep, while Laban
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  Speaker 2: kept the pure white sheep. Laban tried first to trick
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  Speaker 2: Jacob and hid the speckled sheep so they would not
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  Speaker 2: breed and increase in number. However, Jacob, over dozens of
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  Speaker 2: years serving under Laban, had honed the craft of breeding
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  Speaker 2: and sheep herding animals. Jacob specifically bred the pure sheep
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  Speaker 2: to produce more speckled and blemished sheep. Jacob was able
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  Speaker 2: to produce stronger and healthier sheep for himself in great number.
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  Speaker 2: Laban had tricked Jacob once, but Jacob was the ultimate
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  Speaker 2: trickster and would not be outdone again. So Jacob increased
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  Speaker 2: in wealth and influence. With his wives, children, and newfound freedom,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob ventured back to Canaan. Yet Laban would not let
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  Speaker 2: Jacob go unpunished.
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  Speaker 3: Jacob works hard for seven more years. Rachel is anxious
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  Speaker 3: to marry the man of her dreams. Jacob comes to
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  Speaker 3: Laban and reminds him of the deal. It's time to
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  Speaker 3: pay up. He does not want to wait another moment
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  Speaker 3: to marry Rachel. At first, everything seems to be heading
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  Speaker 3: in the right direction, a storybook ending for the young couple.
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  Speaker 3: Laban quickly throws a great feast with lots of food
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  Speaker 3: and lots of wine, of which Jacob freely partook, no doubt.
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  Speaker 3: Needless to say, he was fired up. Perhaps in his
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  Speaker 3: haste and with the fuzzy head of one who celebrated
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  Speaker 3: too much, Jacob fails to realize that his bride that
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  Speaker 3: Laban brings to him is not Rachel, but his older
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  Speaker 3: sister Leah. Still, he unites with her, marries her, and
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  Speaker 3: seals his fate with her, a fact he realizes with
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  Speaker 3: horror and anger the following morning. He forcefully confronts Laban
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  Speaker 3: and only then realized that he, the master of deceptions,
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  Speaker 3: has been tricked. The trickster has been tricked. Leah is
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  Speaker 3: now his wife, but he really loves Rachel, so Laban
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  Speaker 3: agrees to let him marry her as well, if Jacob
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  Speaker 3: agrees to another seven years of hard work. Well, Jacob agrees.
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  Speaker 3: Rachel and Leah become bitter rivals, but God sees Leah's
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  Speaker 3: rejection and has compassion on her. He blesses her with
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  Speaker 3: a fertile womb, She bears four sons with Jacob and
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  Speaker 3: then stops conceiving. With each child, she holds out hope
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  Speaker 3: that this new son will cause Jacob to love her,
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  Speaker 3: but it never happens. Rachel, for her part, grows increasingly
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  Speaker 3: bitter and demands Jacob give her a child lest she die.
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  Speaker 3: Listen to Jacob's response found in Genesis 30, verse 2.
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  Speaker 3: Jacob became angry with her and said, Am I in
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  Speaker 3: the place of God who has kept you from having children?
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  Speaker 3: This may seem at first to be an appropriate answer,
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  Speaker 3: acknowledging God is the giver of life. But if you
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  Speaker 3: look at it closely, Jacob is simply denying any responsibility,
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  Speaker 3: even blaming God for Rachel's inability to conceive. Rather than
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  Speaker 3: pursuing God and asking for the blessing of a child
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  Speaker 3: with Rachel, he simply says, it's not on me. This
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  Speaker 3: is not my fault. Rachel offers her servant to Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: and he accepts, just as his grandfather did, and produces
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  Speaker 3: two sons outside of his marriage. Leah follows suit and
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  Speaker 3: offers her servant. Jacob again accepts. Like his father, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: he seems nothing more than a pawn in a bitter
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  Speaker 3: war between siblings. The Lord then looks on Rachel with
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  Speaker 3: a tender heart of compassion and grants her the son
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  Speaker 3: which she so desperately desired. This son, Joseph, he will
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  Speaker 3: grow into a man who will help save many nations
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  Speaker 3: one day. But not before the ugly consequences of this
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  Speaker 3: rivalry between sisters and Jacob's lack of leadership rips this
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  Speaker 3: fractured family apart. In life, there are many betrayals and setbacks,
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  Speaker 3: as in the case of Jacob and his family. And
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  Speaker 3: the question becomes, how will you handle setbacks in your life?
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  Speaker 3: How will you handle the mess-ups that you have made?
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  Speaker 3: Do you keep your eyes upon God and trust in
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  Speaker 3: Him in repentance and faith, as Jacob could have done,
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  Speaker 3: should have done? It is at this point in our
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  Speaker 3: story that Jacob seems to wake up and realize he
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  Speaker 3: needs to leave Laban's land and it's time to return
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  Speaker 3: to Canaan, the land of promise. Next time, we'll learn
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  Speaker 3: how Jacob escapes his entanglement with Laban. Dear God, there
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  Speaker 3: are many times that things don't turn out like we
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  Speaker 3: had hoped or expected. Sometimes it's our own fault. We
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  Speaker 3: can be cheated or cheat others, take advantage of or
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  Speaker 3: disappoint others, and be disappointed by others. Help us to
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  Speaker 3: continue to trust you and act with integrity, not dishonesty.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for this lesson in your holy word. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless.
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