29 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” 6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman, and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.
Section Overview
One of the features of the narrative style of Genesis is the presentation of parallel episodes that invite the reader to compare and contrast. We have already observed this tendency with the three wife-sister episodes (Gen. 12:11–20; 20:2–14; 26:7–11), and the first half of Genesis 29 gives us the opportunity to lay the encounter between Jacob and a woman at a well alongside the similar episode involving Abraham’s servant (Genesis 24).375 Both texts involve a man on a quest to find a wife, and the events may even occur at the same well. Both men are ultimately successful in their quest to find a wife, and both women are beautiful.
Yet the differences between the narratives are of more significance than the similarities. Abraham’s servant came equipped with everything necessary for success, yet he stopped to pray and seek the Lord’s guidance before he came to the well. There he sought a sign of the Lord’s will involving a test of the young woman’s character—would she be willing to serve a stranger by watering his camels, which was no small task? Jacob, on the other hand, has nothing to offer the potential bride he seeks, yet there is no word of any prayer’s crossing his lips. He is determined to prove himself worthy by watering the woman’s flock, and he gives no consideration to the woman’s character—it is enough for him that she is beautiful. Taken together, the two episodes are thus far more revealing of the character of Abraham’s servant and of Jacob than either episode would be by itself.
Section Outline
IX. The Family History of Isaac (25:19–35:29) . . .
E. The Woman at the Well (29:1–14)
Response
Although Jacob is the heir of the Abrahamic blessing and thus the Lord’s chosen channel of blessing to the whole world as well as the recipient of the Lord’s promise of protection and blessing (Gen. 28:13–17), he acts as though he were an orphan, alone in the world without resources or recourse to anything or anyone outside himself. This was understandable at the beginning of chapter 28, but after the events at Bethel things should have been different. By faith he could have introduced himself to Laban as the bearer of the Abrahamic promise. He could have boldly asked for Rachel to be given to him without a bride-price so that together they might return to the Promised Land immediately to build a family for God’s glory there. If he had approached the situation in prayer, on the basis of who he was by God’s grace, much of the subsequent conflict and sin might perhaps have been avoided. But, instead of living his life in the light of the blessing of Bethel, Jacob trusts in himself and his own ability to negotiate a deal with Laban—and he pays a steep price for that decision.
We too are the heirs of rich promises in Christ. We have a heavenly Father who has blessed us with every blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and promised to work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28)—yet how often do we too behave like spiritual orphans, dependent on ourselves and our own wisdom for our safety and prosperity in this world? If we remembered God’s promises of care and provision for us, we might pray more and fret less amid the challenging and confusing circumstances of our lives. We could speak more clearly to others about what God has done for us, and we might draw them toward this God who welcomes them to come to him through faith in Christ.Genesis 29:1–14