Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Genesis 29:18-20
Do You Remember?
Do you remember what it felt like when you had feelings of affection for that new someone special in your life? Most likely you were willing to do anything for them. You probably thought there was nothing that you would not do for them. Maybe it wasn’t even a romantic relationship. Perhaps you have a special friend in your life that you would do anything for. I know I have friends that I would do anything for within my power. But, would you even become their servant?
To Love is to Serve – Jacob and Leah
Voluntary service to another is an act of true love. Jacob loved Rachel so much that he agreed to work seven long years to have her hand in marriage. This was the agreement he made with Rachel’s father. While seven years seems like a long time to wait to be married to the one you love, for Jacob, it only seemed like a few days. He loved Rachel and wanted to prove how much he loved her by serving. And his service was not to her but doing what was necessary to make her father happy.
When someone loves another like this, it seems they don’t even realize that they are serving. They just do it. It comes naturally to care for those we love.
Jesus was an example of serving those He loved, and there is no doubt that He proved His love for us. He laid down His life for all mankind – the ultimate act of service. Before that, He served humbly because He loved. It is this selfless attitude of love that we can model our lives after. If I truly love someone and want to gain their favor, it does not matter how inconvenienced I may be, I am going to do whatever they need. I will put aside what I think is important and put what is important to them first.
Jacob was inconvenienced for Rachel but because he loved her so much, but he didn’t care. He even had to work an extra seven years because Rachel’s father tricked him into marrying Leah, Rachel’s older sister, first because she was the oldest. It was customary for the oldest daughter to marry first so Jacob had no choice. Poor Jacob!! Rachel’s father said he had to work another seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage. He agreed immediately because he loved her so much.
Do you willingly and sacrificially serve those you love? Can you cast aside what you want in order to meet someone else’s needs? Hopefully you are in a relationship where that works both ways. Not everyone loves unselfishly and can set aside what they think is important to put someone else ahead of them. That is God’s great plan for us, that we love and serve one another as He loves and serves us.
Scripture to Claim:
…his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah…and he worked for Laban another seven years to secure Rachel for his wife. Genesis 29:30
