Vivian Bricker
This biblical soap opera showcases three truths we can learn from Jacob and Rachel’s relationship:
1. Favoritism Is Wrong
The Bible states Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah: “his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years” (Genesis 29:30b). Jacob showed favoritism in his relationship with Rachel, though he was married to both sisters.
God never wants us to show favoritism in any of our human relationships. While polygamy is wrong, Jacob shouldn’t have shown favoritism between the two. Due to his blatant favoritism, we see bitterness creep up in Leah’s heart. Naturally, she begins to doubt her worth while living in Rachel’s shadow.
In our own relationships, we should only have one partner, and we should not express favoritism. God wants us to focus on our partner, rather than comparing them to somebody else.
In the same way, outside of romantic relationships, we should not show favoritism within the family. Sadly, many parents play favorites with their children, or children play favorites with their parents. Friends play favorites, teachers have their pets, and coaches have their number-one Allstars. As Christians, we never need to play favorites or show favoritism. We need to love all people.
2. Polygamy Is Wrong
A second truth we can learn from Jacob and Rachel’s relationship is that polygamy is wrong. As previously mentioned in the first point, Jacob showed favoritism to Rachel over Leah. If an individual has multiple spouses, favoritism is bound to result. This is one of the many reasons why polygamy is wrong. Jacob was married to both Leah and Rachel, but at the beginning of creation, God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). Anything outside of this goes against God’s design for marriage.
. As Christians, we should never endorse polygamy. Simply because it was in the Old Testament doesn’t make it okay. God never tells us polygamy is right. God specifically tells us we should only have one husband or one wife.
Even in the case of dating, a Christian should only date one person at a time. The purpose of dating is to see if the other person will be a potential person to marry. If an individual is dating multiple people, it can cause division, confusion, and a lack of faithfulness. These concerns occurred between Jacob and Rachel and only created tension and hostility.
3. Marriage Shouldn’t Be Based on Physical Appearance
A third truth we can learn from Jacob and Rachel’s relationship is that marriage should not be based on physical appearance. Rachel was very beautiful, and that made Jacob attracted to her. The Bible tells us, “Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful” (Genesis 29:17). Since Rachel was beautiful, Jacob loved her more than Leah. Despite Rachel’s physical appearance, we are never told she was a follower of God. In fact, the Bible tells us Rachel took one of her father’s household gods with her when they left (Genesis 31:19,34).
(Proverbs 31:30) says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Leah was a woman who loved God and followed Him. She called out to Him in her distress, and He heard her. While Rachel was beautiful on the outside, we are never told she was beautiful on the inside. From God’s eyes, Leah was beautiful because she loved Him, followed Him, and obeyed Him.
المقال من وحي قصة حب يعقوب لراحيل نتعلم:
1 المحاباة سيئة جدًا (يعقوب ميز راحيل عن ليئة وده سبب مرارة وغيظ)
2- تعدد الزوجات غلط ومش معنى أنه مسموح بيه في العهد القديم يبقى صح، تعدد العلاقات عمومًا مؤذي
3- ما ينفعش أتجوز حد بناء على شكلة بس، راحيل كانت جميلة من بره بس، لكن الكتاب يقول انها سرقت أصنام أبوها، ليئة كانت مرأة بتتقي الرب وبتحبه
