Vayetze (And he Went Out)
Torah: Genesis 28:10 – 32:3 Haftarah: Hosea 12:13-14:10 Brit Chadasha: I Corinthians 1:20-31
For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his futile life, which he passes like a shadow? For who declares to man what shall be after him, under the sun? Ecclesiastes 6:12
Many Times He Just Knows Better
My hat goes off to Yacov. Why? Well he patiently waited for what he wanted. We find in the text that Leah had weak eyes but Rachael had a beautiful form and face.
And Lĕ’ah’s eyes were weak, but Raḥĕl was lovely of form and appearance. Genesis 29:17
Not taking anything away from Rachel, but I feel that Leah seems to get the short end of the stick and everyone seems to focus on Rachel. Again that is my opinion though. One thing that I saw when reading this text was Yacov had his plans and YHVH had His.
I am sure that Yacov probably was a bit frustrated and disappointed that after working his seven years for the bride price to receive Rachel; he wakes up the next morning with Leah. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall that morning to see his reaction. Could Yacov really be upset though? I mean it was only a few years back when he dressed up as Esav and went unto his father Yitzhak so I guess the saying all is fair in love and war just might pertain to this situation. I guess this is also a great example of sowing and reaping.
Do not be led astray: Elohim is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. Galatians 6:7
I have found this rampant in the xtianity; folks think they can live like a dog and run to an altar and ask for forgiveness and then get up and act like nothing ever happened. Yes sure we can find forgiveness but that does not do away with the law of sowing and reaping. It is a law like gravity and praying a little prayer does not change it. I do not want to get off into diet in this commentary but this is a good example. We have folks who are not eating how Yah commanded us in His Scriptures according to Leviticus chapter eleven and when they are diagnosed with some type of disease or sickness they wonder why this has happened to them and many times begin to question YHVH as to why this is happening because many times folks feel like since they are believers then nothing should ever happen to them. Well once again this is a great example of sowing and reaping. We put junk and garbage into our bodies then there will be repercussions from doing that and just because we are believers does not get us a free ticket for a miracle or healing. Think about the believers that you know who have passed away from some illness and they were fighting and rebuking the enemy and pleading the blood all the way to their grave. Why? Simple because what they reaped what they have sown and there are consequences. I am sorry if that sounds offensive to anyone and especially to those who have lost a loved one. It is not my intention to be offensive or cause pain but we have to say the hard truthful things sometimes. Folks when we sow things or do things that are not ordained by Yah; you can take it to the bank that there will be consequences.
I know what’s best for me
How many times have we made decisions based off of what was appeasing to our flesh? I am guilty, guilty, and guilty some more! Let’s face it we are temporal people. We focus many times on the here and now. We come from a culture that has force fed us go for the biggest brightest most beautiful things whether it be people automobiles houses and so forth no matter if it costs us everything. It’s like our attitude is what the heck you only live once so why not live it up and to the fullest? Well I do not think that is really what that idiom was created to mean. Can I get an amein? We act off of what appeals to or is pleasing to our flesh and emotions many times. This happened in the Garden and is still happening today.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7
Do not love the world nor that which is in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:15-16
I think we find Yacov here possibly falling into this trap and wanting Rachel for her outward beauty. Scripture does not say this but to me it sure implies it. Again who would not want a beautiful wife or a handsome husband? Sure we all want that but sometimes it’s not all about looks or the outward beauty. I would say that in many cases YHVH knows what is best for you and me and what we would pick out or choose just might not be what the Doctor ordered!
The plans of the Father
For whatever reasons, we find Yah allowing Yacov to marry Leah first.
Then Yaʽaqoḇ said to Laḇan, “Give me my wife, for my days are completed, and let me go in to her.” And Laḇan gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. And it came to be in the evening, that he took Lĕ’ah his daughter and brought her to Yaʽaqoḇ. And he went in to her. And Laḇan gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Lĕ’ah as a female servant. And in the morning it came to be, that see, it was Lĕ’ah. So he said to Laḇan, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Raḥĕl that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” Genesis 29:21-25
As I stated earlier Yacov was not happy with this situation because he asked uncle Laban why he had deceived him. So clearly Leah was not Yaakov’s first choice. As some might find this unfair, I ask the question, was this totally unfair or the plan of YHVH all the time? What do I mean by that? Well seems to me that Yah saw fit for Leah to be the wife of the progenitor of the Abrahamic blessing. Also, it was through Leah that Yacov sired Yehudah (Judah) and Levi. Yehudah was the line through which the Davidic monarchy and even which Y’shua came and Levi were whom the Aaronic priesthood came. For someone who was not really wanted as a wife, I find it ironic that the spiritual greatness of Israel came through Leah. So once again just because the grass is greener on the other side does not mean it’s all good. Just think back to Abraham and Lot and how he chose the area that was green and looked good to the eyes. We all know what kind of trouble that got him in. He lost a lot including a wife! For what it is worth I heard a preacher say one time the greenest grass he had in his yard was right above his septic tank. Again take that for what it’s worth.
What seems to be an accident turns out to be what was meant all along
I do not want to keep rehashing my point but many times what seems like a mistake is what was planned for us from the beginning. Let me explain. When I first came down to Costa Rica, I came down to work with another missionary. Long story short what I was reading in the newsletters of this missionary was not really the full story as to what was happening down here in Costa Rica. I was presented with one thing when in reality it was really something else happening. After a short four months and a situation in my relationship with this missionary, it was better for us to separate. One problem though. I did not know the language and really had no place to go and I was in a country that I had never been to before and did not know the culture yet. You want to talk about feeling alone and a failure and questioning everything, well that was me. I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life in selling everything that I had and moving to a land that I knew nothing about. Turns out that this was the plan of YHVH all along; He knew that if I stayed in the situation I was in then there would not be the growth and I would not be released to go out and do ministry. I would just kind of be stuck where I was at. I learned so much and grew so much from this situation.
What seemed like an accident turned out to be what YHVH wanted for me all along! Matter of fact it was here in Costa Rica where I began to learn about my Sephardic Jewish ancestry and began to not only study Torah but become obedient to the Father by being a doer of His Word and not only a hearer. So if this situation with this other missionary never would have happened then I could not fully say that I would be here in Costa Rica or have a beautiful family or would even be Torah observant, and probably not be in ministry. So what seemed like an accident and mistake turned out to be the will of the Eternal all along.
It is wonderful how Yah works in our lives. We have our plans, dreams, and goals and we go head long out into the world blazing a trail to accomplish those things but then frustration hits sometimes. We want to take the blueprints of our plans and wad them up and throw them in the trash and forget about our dreams. It seems like what dreams because this is not what I had planned for my life and I never dreamed of it being this way! Can I get another amein? Have not we all been here at some point and time in our lives? Some of you just might be at this point in your life right now. If so, take some encouragement. The Creator has not abandoned you. Your plans might not be His plans but allow Him to teach you and bring things into your life that just might work out and it could be that something great could still happen that you never expected. Be faithful where you are at and produce fruit where you’re planted at this time. Your time will come just as it has for many others. Some quicker and some later but it still came. Just as Yacov did not give up when it did not go his way, be encouraged and continue to motor along the highway that you are on. When it was all said and done Yacov had four wives (not sure if that was a blessing; no offense to women here but four seems tough) instead of one or two. These four wives gave Yacov children forming the twelve tribes of Israel and not only continuing the blessing and seed of Abraham but the covenant that you and I have today.