My name's Matthew Capone, and I'm one of the pastors here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.
And it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
You may notice on Sunday mornings when Andy's leading worship, I sit over there on the front row,
and I do something a little bit odd, which is I read the song lyrics often off the back projector rather than the front projector.
And the reason I do that is because it allows me to look out on the whole congregation and see you all.
And I have many thoughts on a Sunday morning.
And this morning I was just thinking as I looked out on you all singing about just God's faithfulness and his grace to this church over the last nine years that I've been here.
And, of course, many, many your years, 21 years before that.
Our church turns 30 this year.
I don't know if you knew that.
We're at three decades now, and I'm just grateful for the ways God has grown us and is growing us and the people that he's brought.
And Ruth coming to be with our music and all the deacons and elders that God has raised up over the last number of years.
And, you know, it takes a whole team for a church to move forward.
So I'm grateful, grateful for you all.
We're continuing our series in the book of Genesis.
The book of Genesis is the origin story of God's people, Israel.
This summer we are looking at the story of Isaac and Jacob, mostly Jacob, in chapters 25 through 36.
And I want to remind you where we are in that story.
If you don't know where we're at in the story, this next part is actually not going to make sense.
So chapter 27, Jacob steals Esau's birthright.
Esau is so upset that he threatens to kill Jacob.
And so Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mom, has Jacob flee to Laban.
Laban is Rebekah's brother, Jacob's uncle.
You also may remember he's not just fleeing from Esau.
He's not just trying to protect his life.
He's also seeking a wife.
The beginning of chapter 28, Isaac tells Jacob, hey, go.
Not just flee to Laban.
Actually, Isaac doesn't know why he's fleeing to escape being killed.
But go, and I want you to marry one of Laban's daughters.
So that's the part we've been on ever since then.
Jacob is doing two things.
He's on his way to find Laban.
He's on his way to marry one of Laban's daughters.
That takes us to this week.
Jacob's going to end his journey.
Verse 1, he's going to arrive at Laban's place.
We're going to see Jacob's sin and God's promise.
I had a brain malfunction in your worship guide.
It says our title is Isaac's sin and God's promise, and I don't know why I did that.
So Jacob's sin, God's promise.
As I sometimes say when we come up against passages like this, this is a really rich passage,
and I'm probably not going to say even more than what I'm going to say,
just because we could probably do two or three sermons on this.
So I'm going to say something, something about what's happening in this passage, not everything.
With that, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 21, starting at 29, starting at verse 1,
which you'll find on page 7 of your worship guide.
As you turn there, remember Isaiah chapter 40 tells us that the grass withers and the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
And so that's why we read now Genesis chapter 29, starting at verse 1.
Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.
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, 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.
Verse 4.
Jacob said to them,
My brothers, where do you come from?
They said, We are from Haran.
He said to them,
Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?
They said,
We know him.
He said to them,
Is it well with him?
They said,
It is well, and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep.
He said,
Behold, it is still high day.
It is not time for the livestock to be gathered together.
Watch the sheep and go pasture them.
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.
Verse 9.
While he was still speaking with them,
Rachel came with her father's sheep,
for she was a shepherdess.
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.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud.
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman,
and that he was Rebecca's son.
And she ran and told her father.
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.
And Laban said to him,
Surely you are my bone and my flesh.
And he stayed with him a month.
Verse 15.
Then Laban said to Jacob,
Because you are my kinsman,
should you therefore serve me for nothing?
Tell me, what shall your wages be?
Now Laban had two daughters.
The name of the older was Leah,
and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Leah's eyes were weak,
but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.
Jacob loved Rachel.
And he said,
I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter, Rachel.
Laban said,
It is better that I give her to you
than that I should give her to any other man.
Stay with me.
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel,
and they seemed to him but a few days
because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob said to Laban,
Give me my wife,
that I may go into her,
for my time is completed.
So Laban gathered together
all the people of the place
and made a feast.
But in the evening,
he took his daughter Leah
and brought her to Jacob,
and he went into her.
Laban gave his female servant Zilpah
to his daughter Leah
to be her servant.
And in the morning,
behold,
it was Leah.
And Jacob said to Laban,
What is this you have done to me?
Did I not serve with you for Jacob?
Why then have you deceived me?
Laban said,
It is not so done in our country
to give the younger before the firstborn.
Complete the week of this one,
and we will give you the other also in return
for serving me another seven years.
Jacob did so and completed her week.
Then Laban gave his daughter Rachel
to be his wife.
Laban gave his female servant Bilhah
to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.
So Jacob went into Rachel also,
and he loved Rachel more than Leah
and served Laban for another seven years.
I invite you to pray with me
as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven,
we do once again thank you
that you have not left us
to wander in the dark as orphans,
but instead you come to us as our Father.
You speak to us clearly in your word.
We ask that you would do that this morning,
that you would open our eyes,
you'd unstop our ears,
you would clear our minds,
and you'd soften our hearts,
that we would be able to see and hear
and believe and understand
everything that's written about you
in your word.
Most of all,
we ask that you'd show us Jesus.
You'd show us his mercy,
his compassion,
his tenderness
with foolish sinners
like Jacob,
foolish sinners like us.
We ask all of these things
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
This morning,
I'm going to teach you an insult.
I don't recommend insulting people,
so you need to use this responsibly.
This one, I believe,
comes from the kids,
and it's become popular in recent years.
This insult is when you call someone
or something great value brand.
Okay, and great value brand,
one of Walmart's store brands,
right?
Hopefully you're familiar with this.
And so when you say someone
is great value brand,
you're saying,
they're not the name brand.
They're similar.
You know, it's the same product,
but it's not quite as good.
So here's how it works.
Let's say you see a man.
He's fit.
He's in good shape.
He's got a full head of hair,
and he's on the short side.
Okay?
You might say,
great value brand,
Tom Cruise.
He's like Tom Cruise, right?
He's short.
He's fit.
He's got a full head of hair,
but he's not a movie star.
He's not a model.
Great value brand.
It's a knockoff, right?
It's a similar product,
lower quality.
You could have bought the Oreos,
but you didn't.
You bought chocolate sandwich cookies.
That's on you, okay?
Jacob, in this story,
is a knockoff of Abraham's servant
in Genesis chapter 24.
Remember in 24,
Abraham's servant goes to find
a wife for Isaac,
and he meets Rebecca.
Now, in chapter 29,
Jacob goes to find his own wife
and meets Rachel,
and there's a very intentional way
in which the author of Genesis
is making chapter 29
an echo of chapter 24,
and I'll explain this to you.
We're going to jump right into the story.
So track with me.
Verse 1,
Jacob went on his journey.
That is,
Jacob is going on the journey
that began a couple chapters earlier
to Uncle Laban.
Remember,
to escape Esau,
who wants to kill him
and to find a wife.
Verse 1 again,
came to the land
of the people of the east.
That is the land
of his Uncle Laban,
and what does he find there?
Verse 2,
he finds a well.
Who else ran into a well
on his journey for a wife?
Abraham's servant
in chapter 24.
Jacob stops at the well.
Abraham's servant
stopped at the well.
Jacob finds a wife.
He finds Rachel at the well.
Abraham's servant
finds a wife.
He finds Rebecca
at the well.
In fact,
some commentators think
it might be,
this passage doesn't tell us,
but it might be
the exact same well.
So this is deja vu.
We are repeating
this same kind of type
and trope here,
but then it gets interesting
because instead of similarities,
we have differences.
Chapter 24,
who was it
who drew the water?
It was Rebecca.
It was the woman.
Abraham's servant
waits for Rebecca
to water his camels
because he wants to test
Rebecca's character.
Okay?
Instead, here,
Jacob draws the water
and this is one place
where the story gets fun.
Go with me to verse 10.
We're told Jacob
single-handedly
rolls away the stone
from the well,
which is a big deal
because we were told,
verse 2,
the stone on the well's mouth
was large.
Then,
in case we missed it,
verse 3,
all these shepherds,
they're waiting around.
They say,
we don't roll away the stone
until everyone is here.
Why?
It's a compound lift.
Okay?
Everyone helps move the stone
because it is so big.
It requires multiple men
to uncover this well.
So Jacob is flexing
on all the other shepherds.
He is clearly a strong man.
He is showing off to Rachel.
He is doing what is impressive
and even worse
or maybe even better.
Watch what he also does.
So he's flexing in front
of all these shepherds.
By the way,
he insulted them
when he said,
shouldn't you be out,
you know,
letting your sheep graze?
He's saying,
you're really lazy.
You're really lazy
and I'm also going to show you
that I can single-handedly do
what it takes a bunch of you to do.
Then,
notice this again,
verse 10,
he rolls the stone
from the well's mouth
and watered the flock
of Laban,
his mother's brother.
Remember when he shows up,
this is,
I think,
in verse 1,
verse 2,
there's three flocks
of sheep waiting.
There's a bunch of shepherds
who are ahead
of Rachel in line.
And Jacob says,
you know what?
I don't really care.
She's going to skip all of you.
You showed up early
because you wanted to be
first to the water.
Guess what?
This girl that I like,
she's going to jump
all of you.
Okay?
Abraham's servant
was interested
in Rebecca's character.
Abraham's servant
wanted a godly wife
for Isaac.
Jacob
is not interested
in that.
Jacob is interested
in how attracted
he is
to Rachel.
He's not focused
on a godly wife.
He's focused
on a beautiful wife.
There's a stark contrast
between the first
well episode
and the second
episode.
Notice what it says
in verse 10 again.
When does he roll
away the stone?
He rolls the stone
away when he saw
Rachel,
the daughter of Laban.
But it is not just
because he sees Rachel
and the sheep
of Laban,
his mother's brother.
So there's two things
going on.
He sees Rachel.
Okay?
Rachel's beautiful.
I need to impress her
by rolling away
the stone.
But there's something
else going on.
Rachel's dad
is rich.
He's got those sheep.
Okay?
So there's a
multiple things
that are attractive here.
He's like,
oh, I see the woman
and I see the wealth
of her family.
It's go time.
I'm going to roll
that stone
away.
The differences
continue.
The next ones
matter even more.
You may remember
Abraham's servant
stops and prays
to God
before he does
anything.
Jacob,
no prayer.
Abraham's servant
then stops
and gives thanks
to God
after he connects
with Rebecca.
Jacob,
no prayer.
As clearly
as he can,
the writer of Genesis
is trying to show us
this.
Abraham's servant
trusted God
and relied
on God.
Jacob,
Jacob
trusts
himself
and relies
on himself.
Which gives us
to a bigger point.
Jacob
is rough
around the edges.
Yes,
God made this
great promise
to him
that Andy
explained last week.
God reminded him
of his promises
to the patriarchs
that are his promises
as well.
God adds to that
that his presence
is going to be
with Jacob.
Jacob,
and Jacob
keeps living out
the story
of the Abraham family.
We've talked about
this before.
The story is this.
It's all up to me
and my skill
and my cleverness,
my strategies
and my schemes.
Jesus is highlighting
then for us
how much
Jacob
needs
to grow.
Thankfully,
God is still
at work.
He's going to use
the sandpaper
of life
to smooth out
Jacob's rough
edges.
Jacob
is going to
suffer
and he's going
to suffer
greatly
to become
the man
that God
is calling
him
to be.
Andy read
this for us
earlier this morning
from Hebrews
chapter 12.
For the Lord
disciplines
the one he loves
and chastises
every son
whom
he
receives.
That takes us
to the next
half,
the second part
of this story.
Verse 12,
Rachel runs
to Laban
and tells him
about this
impressive man,
this strong man
who also happens
to be a relative.
So then verses
13 and 14,
Laban welcomes
him,
brings him
into his house.
Verse 14,
I don't want you guys
to miss this.
I can't tell you
everything but I want
to tell you this.
He says,
surely you are
my bone
and flesh.
Now on the surface
he's saying,
yeah,
we're definitely
related.
But he says
that after
Jacob told him
everything,
all these things.
Commentators think
there's a double
entendre here.
Laban is saying,
yeah,
you're my relative.
Also,
you're a trickster
like I'm a trickster.
Game recognizes
game.
I see what's
going on here.
Oh,
you tricked
your brother
out of his birthright?
Yeah,
I do things
like that.
I do things
like that.
Yeah,
you and me,
same,
same.
We're the same
here.
We do some
things.
So Jacob's
a strong man.
He's a great
worker.
Laban wants
him on staff.
So that leads
to the negotiations.
This is verses
15 through
20.
Verse 18,
he offers
seven years
for Rachel.
I won't go
into the details
but seven years
is exorbitant
for a bride price.
Okay,
so Jacob
is offering
above market
rate.
He doesn't,
he's not playing
the art of the deal
here.
Okay,
he's not coming
in under
so he can
negotiate over.
No,
he offers
a ridiculously
good price.
Of course,
Laban immediately
accepts it.
Oh man,
this,
you know,
there's a sucker
made every day.
Seven years,
yeah,
let's go.
Isaac's
failure
continues,
by the way.
Remember,
we've talked
about the fact
Isaac,
Jacob's father,
is ruled
by his
appetites.
Abraham's
servant
came with
money
to pay
the bride
price.
So Abraham's
servant,
you'll remember,
chapter 24,
he shows up
at the well,
he pays
the bride
price,
immediately
takes Rebecca
and goes
back home.
That's what
should have
happened here.
Jacob doesn't
have any money
for the bride
price because
Isaac didn't
give him
any.
Isaac's
negligence
and his
selfishness
continue
to damage
his son.
So we have
this bad
deal.
Okay,
Jacob offers
more than
he should.
He shouldn't
even have
to offer.
His father
should have
given him
what he
needed to
pay a
bride price.
And then it
gets worse.
There's the
bait and switch.
Verse 21,
he goes to
Laban,
he says,
give me my
wife.
Verse 23,
there's the
switcheroo.
Rachel and
Laban are
switched out.
He gives
him his
other daughter,
the unattractive
daughter,
the one we're
told is weak
in the eyes.
And verse 25
says it all
in just a few
words.
And in the
morning,
behold,
it was
Leah.
Genesis is a
brilliant piece
of literature.
Okay,
notice what
happens here.
Jacob,
remember Jacob
tricked his
father to
give him the
oldest's
birthright.
And how
was he able
to do that?
He tricked
his father
because of
his father's
blindness.
What does
Laban do?
He tricks
Jacob because
of his
blindness.
He can't
see what's
happening in
the dark.
There's this
poetic justice
that's happening
here.
The trickster
is tricked.
And it's
not just that
the trickster
is tricked,
he's tricked
with his
very own
scheme.
He really
has met
his match.
Jacob's used
his own plan
against him.
Oh yeah,
you ran that
play with your
dad where he
couldn't see?
That's actually
a good one.
I'm going to
take that.
I'm going to
use that too.
I'm going to run
a play where
you can't
see.
I can borrow
some tricks.
Then he makes
it even worse.
He really digs
the knife in
in verse 26.
Laban said,
it is not so
done in our
country to
give the
younger before
the firstborn.
And this is a
mic drop.
Laban is saying,
you know that
trick you pulled
with your dad?
We don't do
that here.
Oh, you thought
that was real
smart?
Yeah, that
actually doesn't
fly over here.
You thought you
could switch the
younger and the
older?
Yeah, Laban
doesn't do that.
Laban actually
respects the
birth order.
Typically,
commentators tell
us the words
first or second
would be used.
It's strange
here that he
says youngest
and oldest,
and he's doing
this to really
give it to
Jacob.
The Apostle
Paul,
Galatians
chapter 6,
says this,
Do not be
deceived.
God is not
mocked.
For whatever
one sows,
that will
he also
reap.
The point
is this.
God is
disciplining
Jacob.
God is
bringing
Jacob to
the end
of himself.
God is
bringing Jacob
to a place
where his
schemes and
his tricks
no longer
work.
He's putting
him in a
position he
cannot lie
his way
out of.
He's saying,
look,
Jacob,
you're actually
going to be
forced to
rely on me.
And that's
actually what's
going to
happen over
the next few
chapters.
Jacob is
going to
learn that
his hope
and his
only hope
is in
God.
For the
Lord disciplines
the one
he loves
and chastises
every son
whom he
receives.
as the
story goes
on,
we're
going to
see
Jacob
trust
God
more
and
more
and
trust
himself
less
and
less.
Jacob
is going
to have
to learn
the hard
way,
but
Jacob
is
going
to
learn.
Christian,
in the
failures,
in the
hardships
of your
life,
when your
foolishness
finally catches
up with you,
and it will,
that's how
foolishness
works,
when your
lies finally
come out,
when your
tricks
stop working,
when your
children come
to you as
adults and
say,
this is how
you failed
me,
when your
wife comes
to you
and finally
shows you
her pain,
God
is still
at work.
He
hasn't given
up on you.
It will
be painful,
just like it
was for
Jacob.
God is
using that
pain to
purify you,
to refine
you,
to shape
you,
to look
more like
Jesus.
God is
not done
with you.
Malachi
chapter 3
says this,
speaking of
God,
he will
sit as a
refiner and
purifier of
silver,
and he will
purify the
sons of
Levi and
refine them
like gold
and silver.
God is
refining
Jacob like
gold and
silver.
He has
put him
in the
heat,
and he
will burn
his impurities
away.
for 20
years,
20 years,
think about
that.
Jacob is
going to
learn little
by little
to trust
and follow
God more
than he
trusts
himself.
even more
than that,
as we've
talked about
many times,
God remains
faithful to
his promises.
Andy talked
about this
last week,
last week's
passage.
God promised
his presence
to Jacob.
God repeated
his promises
to Jacob's
forefathers,
and notice
God's hand
in this
passage behind
the scenes,
still at
work.
Is God
with Jacob?
Is his
presence there
as he
promised?
Absolutely.
Jacob
appears
at the
right well
at the
right time,
and it's
clear from
his questions
to the
shepherds
that he
has no
idea.
He has
no idea
that God
has just
put him
exactly
where he
needs to
be.
Last
week,
God
repeated
his
promise
that he
was going
to make
Abraham's
line,
his
offspring,
like the
dust of
the earth.
What does
Jacob need
for his
offspring to
be like the
dust of
the earth?
He needs
some wives.
He leaves
this passage
with two
wives.
In the
midst of
Jacob's
failure
and sin
and foolishness
and pride,
God is
still at
work
refining
and purifying
and shaping
him.
God is
still at
work
keeping
his
promises.
Christian,
God is
shaping
you.
He's
keeping
his
promises
to you.
And when
you hit up
against the
consequences
of your
own
foolishness
and stupidity,
it is not
the end
of your
story.
Because God
is going
to weave
it into
his bigger
story.
And he's
going to
use it
to do
for you
everything
he said
he would
do.
It's
going to
be painful.
The next
20 years
for Jacob
are not
easy.
Your
sin
and your
unbelief
and your
failures,
as I've
said before,
cannot
stop
the
freight
train
of God's
kingdom.
They
cannot
get in
the way
of God
keeping
his
promises.
They
cannot
prevent
God's
work
in your
life.
Because
God is
faithful
to his
promise.
If you're
in Christ,
he's
faithful
to you.
For the
Lord
disciplines
the one
he loves
and chastises
every
son
whom he
receives.
And why
are we
sons?
We're
sons because
of Christ.
Remember
what John
tells us
in John
chapter 1,
but to
all who
did receive
him,
who believed
in his
name,
he gave
the right
to become
children of
God,
who were
born,
not of
blood,
nor of
the will
of the
flesh,
nor of
the will
of man,
but of
God.
Is that
you?
If it
is,
God's
promise
is true.
Philippians
chapter 1,
verse 6,
and I'm
sure of
this,
that he
who began
a good
work in
you will
bring it
to completion
at the
day of
Jesus
Christ.
Let's
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven,
we do
praise you
and we
thank you
that you
seek us
out,
even when
we're
caught up
in our
own sin
and foolishness
and pride,
and that
you're
merciful enough
not to
leave us
there,
that you
bring
hardship
and pain
to purify
us and
refine
us.
We ask
that you
would give
us that
hope in
the midst
of our
lives,
that we
would turn
to you
and trust
you no
matter what,
knowing that
you are
at work
bringing
your
purposes
to bear,
to end,
keeping all
your promises
to us.
We ask
these things
in the mighty
name of
Jesus Christ.
Amen.