Saturday, December 17, 2016

Genesis 29:1-14 comments: Jacob meets Rachel


1 ¶  Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. 2  And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth. 3  And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they r14 olled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place. 4  And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. 5  And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. 6  And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. 7  And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. 8  And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.

    9 ¶  And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them. 10  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11  And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son: and she ran and told her father. 13  And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14  And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.

Jacob went back in the direction from whence Abraham had come. So, he finds a well with three flocks of sheep waiting to be watered by a well that had a great stone covering it. What tremendous preaching material you can get from passages like this. Think of the Resurrection of Christ leaving a tomb covered by a great stone, giving living water to those sheep thirsting for it. There are so many possibilities with this. Three flocks might represent Noah’s three sons whose descendants overspread the whole earth waiting for this life-giving water. Such good preaching material and I’m sure you can think of more.

Can you see Jacob in this scene as a type of the angel of the Lord rolling the stone away from Christ’s tomb? (Matthew 28:2)

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