# 268 With A Glad Heart

The Book of Genesis

Day 268

Ge 29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"  16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." 19 And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

First, a little bit about the “delicate” eyes of Leah. Scholars have a difficult time with the Hebrew word used here, but I think it’s safe to say, that she was not as attractive to Jacob as Rachel. And was he ever infatuated with Rachel. Think about this:

It was the custom of the day to pay a price for the bride. Jacob had no money, so he offered to work for Laban for seven years, just so he could have Rachel as his bride. Seven years! How much money did you make last year? Multiply that by seven and you have the price that Jacob was willing to pay in dollars and cents!

The other beautiful thing about this passage is that Jacob felt that seven years of servitude was like a couple of days to him because of the love he had for Rachel.

I wonder if we could say the same thing about our love for Jesus? Service with a glad heart always makes the time fly. Oh I know, many times, we, like John long for the return of our Groom Jesus, “Even so, come Lord Jesus,” but in the meantime, we ought to seek to serve Him with gladness. I am reminded of the words of the 120^th Psalm, (especially verse 2!)

Ps 100:1 <<A Psalm of Thanksgiving.>> Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!  2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

I can just picture Jacob serving and singing with a joyful, thankful, heart as he waited for the day Rachel would be fully his! Should we not do the same?

Jesus counted it joy to serve us in a way we cannot even imagine! Heb 12:2says this about Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus loves you ! Tell your face about it, and serve Him with a glad heart!