Jacob went on his way to find himself a wife of their line like his father had commanded. He instantly fell in love with a girl from their line, Rachel, and wanted to take her as his wife. However, it was custom to bargain for your bride and to almost buy them from their family to make up for the loss they would take from not having their daughter around to help with the homestead. Jacob didn't have anything to give yet so instead he offered to serve her father for seven years. Rachels father agreed but what he didn't tell Jacob was that the first daughter, the eldest, had to be married off before the younger.
Jacob worked the seven years for the love of his life not realizing that on the night of his wedding, Rachels dad was going to slip his eldest, Leah, in the room with him instead of Rachel to consummate the marriage. The next morning Jacob was furious, he was informed why this happened and the dad agreed to give him Rachel still for a wife in addition to Leah but he had to work another seven years. Jacob could have left and rightfully so been angry with his father in law, but he knew that would get him no where and he would lose Rachel. So he fought through the anger and worked another seven years for her.
When someone doesn't hold their end of the bargain, its easy to walk away or justify quitting, but sometimes it serves us to stick it out even if we feel taken advantage of. Its important to know what God wants from us in the moment, always seek His guidance before thinking and acting rash.
Jacob didn't love Leah, although it was clear that he loved Rachel. God saw that Leah was unloved so he blessed her with sons, meanwhile Rachel was barren. Leah thought after each son she had that it would make Jacob love her, but finally she realized after her youngest son was born that God loved her and she instead chose to thank God for his blessings rather than seek them from Jacob. To show this she praised the Lord and named her last son Judah. Its noted that all of her sons were named due to the situation she was in at that moment, like the same with many others in biblical days. Babies were given names to live up to in those days, and if they didn't live up to the name then the name could change. Notice a lot of important people mentioned in the bible had a name change throughout their life according to their path. Jacobs name meant one who supplants and later is changed to Israel, one who struggles with God.
Genesis Chapter 29
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