Day 7 | Jacob

Read Genesis 29:1-30

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, the son of Isaac, and the one who would be named Israel. He would later have twelve sons who would give birth to the nation of Israel. Jacob was also an imperfect follower of God, but a follower, nonetheless.

In order to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham to make his descendants like the uncountable stars, Jacob needed a wife. Isaac sent Jacob to Rebekah’s family, to her brother Laban, to find a wife. Laban had two daughters, but Jacob loved the younger one, Rachel, and agreed to work seven years for her hand in marriage. Because Jacob loved Rachel, verse 20 says that those seven years “seemed like only a few days.” At the end of seven years, Jacob got a wife (Leah and not Rachel!), but he later got Rachel (for another seven years of work) plus each of their slaves through whom his children would come.

We seem to be wired so that when we have an intense desire for something, we’ll do whatever it takes to get it, sometimes even if it risks our freedom and health. In fact, we love stories of seeing people overcome barriers such as doors being slammed in their faces, being rejected over and over, and still being able to come out on top. When we treasure something, it becomes our heart’s obsession (See Matthew 6:21). The problem isn’t that we treasure things, but that we treasure the wrong things, which have no real temporal worth and no eternal worth. Many people pursue things that will only leave them empty once obtained. We need our hearts rewired so that we seek the One who is our ultimate treasure, Jesus. This rewiring must be a supernatural work through the Holy Spirit in the gospel of Christ. Jesus becomes our treasure, and “the things of earth grow strangely dim.” One day we’ll see Jesus face to face, receive resurrection bodies, and see all that Jesus has prepared for us. On that day, our suffering and struggles on earth will seem “like only a few days.” What are you treasuring?

Pray for 10 minutes