Jan 13 Gen 29-30

The common understanding is that Genesis is written by Moses. He hasn't even been born yet. So we have to assume that this was all given over and over again by oral history. So as the story is told over and over about Ishmael being born of a handmaiden....wouldn't you think, "Hmm....I don't think that giving my husband a handmaiden is such a good idea". It must have been sooooooo common in that culture that they didn't even give it a thought.

One thing I noticed, and I'm not sure of it's significance, is that when Abraham's servant went to get a wife for Isaac, he came in what I assume would be the customary way: bearing a lot of gifts as dowry. There is no mention of the this when Jacob goes to get a wife. And he does 'call upon the name of the Lord' and say that if he was given success that then the Lord would be his God and he would give would give God a tenth (28: 18-22)but he does not pray for success as Abrahams servant did. IF the Lord gives me success then I'll serve Him?? Laban always gets a bad rap for 'bait and switch' and changing the wages but perhaps some of this is all Jacob's fault-maybe it was really God who made him work that hard for a family.

I think we are like that sometimes too, we see something that has been successful before and charge ahead with it thinking it must be right. We don't seek the Lord because it worked well the last time.