One of my favorite movie genres is a meeting of two genres—romance and comedy. It’s called “rom-com.” When unlikely love-interests meet, it can be very funny like in the movie When Harry Met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Over dinner, they address a burning question: Love—can you tell when it’s fake or real. You know the scene.
“Yes! Yes? Yes?”
“I’ll have what she’s having.”
Love—fake or real? It’s an important question because love is a universal necessity; it’s at the heart of every man’s story, especially the story of man and God. How do I know? God told us so in Malachi 1. His love is like the love when Jacob met Jehovah.
"I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob; 3but I have hated Esau… Mal. 1:2-3a
God loving Jacob and hating Esau has nothing to do with the fickle physical and emotional aspects of human love, but with the God-concept of love—the choosing one man over another because of the choices that man makes. God’s love is not a question of fake or real. God’s love is real because of the choices He makes.
How is God’s love real in that we can trust Him to keep his promises?
In Genesis 29:1-30, we see God’s choices when it comes to real love. As the trickster Jacob continues his journey as the chosen seed to carry on the line of man to bring the promised Seed of God who will Satan and sin, and bless mankind. God’s love will keep it together.
As we continue our Genesis series—The Seed: The Greatest Story Ever Told, we will see two reasons why His love is real, and His promises are trustworthy. God choses two things. First, God chose commitment. God’s love is real because it a committed love. Second, God’s love is real because it is corrective. Commitment and correction—those are two of the ingredients that make up God’s real love.
As you journey the last two weeks of Lent, reflect on your love. If you were sitting at a table across from someone God sent your way—like when Harry met Sally--and a variety of loves were on the menu, which would you order. Let me suggest today’s special. Have what He’s having.
First, God’s love is real because it is committed. It’s an “I-will-never-leave-you-love.” We see that commitment in a kiss Jacob gave his future wife in 29:1-15, specifically verse 11.
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. Genesis 29:11.
How did we get to this kiss? Here’s the back story. When we last met, Jacob had conned the family blessing from his father Isaac which he had intended it for Esau. Esau wanted revenge, so mother Rebekah sent Jacob away to his uncle Laban in Haran. Before Jacob took off on his journey, he made his father a promise he will marry a woman from his uncle’s family.
While on his journey to Haran, God gave Jacob a vision at Bethel of a ladder reaching heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. God made a promise to Jacob there:
I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!” Gen. 28:15
Then God led Jacob to a well. There he met a beautiful, young girl waiting to water her father’s sheep, but a rock blocked the entry. With almost super-natural strength, which was really the power of love at first sight, Jacob moved the rock. He discovered in their conversation that the girl was his cousin Rachel; her father was Laban. He had found his family. That’s why Jacob’s emotional kiss and unabated crying. God guided him to the well. God was with him just as He promised. Jacob knew that God loved him. It was not fake.
When was the last time you had a good cry over God’s real love in your life?
When you got that job that you didn’t think you’d get, but God was with you, committed to you because He love you.
When you got that negative result from that cancer test, because God was with you, committed to you because He loves you.
When you narrowly missed that near-head on car collision, be was riding shotgun because God is committed to you He. God was with you because He loves you.
God’s love means never having to saying, “Where were you when I needed you?” That’s another movie for another day.
God has always measured love by choosing those who chose commitment. Ruth chose Naomi and was committed to her. You know the story. When Ruth’s husband died, her mother-in-law Naomi, urged her to go back to her homeland, Moab, where there was food. Naomi had plans to go back to Judah where she heard there might be food. But because of Naomi’s qualities and the commitment she displayed to her God, Ruth refused to leave her side. She said:
“Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried.” Ruth 1:16–17
Ruth followed through on her commitment to Naomi and her God. She followed her to Bethlehem in Judah. There she met Boaz, a distant relative of her late father-in-law. They married. From that union came Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David. From King David’s lineage came King Jesus as God promised in the Seed of the Greatest Story Ever Told.
Church as you observe Lent, reflect on your love. Is it fake or real? Is it the love like the love when Ruth met Naomi, or better yet, the love when Jacob met God—a love full of commitment. Can you say, “I’ll have what he’s having.”
Second, God’s love is real because it is corrective. It’s a “I-can’t-let-you-go-down-the-wrong-road-love.” We see God’s correction love as He begins the process of changing Jacob from his trickster to a humble servant. The player is about to get played. With these words, Uncle Laban schooled nephew Jacob that things are done differently around here.
26 “It is not our custom here,” Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. Then we will give you the younger one too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” Genesis 29:26-27
Here’s the back story: Jacob has met Uncle Laban. He began to work for him, all the while he has fallen more in love with voluptuous Rachel. So, he asked to marry his daughter. Laban informed him that he would have to work for him sevens years. With sweet expectation, those seven years went by like seven. Alas, they were completed. On his wedding night, it was bliss. But in the morning. (Can you say: In the morning). As Gomer Pyle would say: Surprise, surprise, surprise. It was older sister Leah. She was no raving beauty—not like Rachel. Leah was described as having sad eyes. Rachel, on the other hand—let’s say, her eyes were never the center of attention.
The player had been played. Jacob accepted his fate.
He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban for seven more years. Gen. 29:30
God allowed Jacob’s his pasts to catch up with him. The important lesson to learn here is: God does not approve of sin to achieve His will. That is the lesson for Jacob to mull over for seven long years that did not go like a few days.
Jacob would eventually change. In Genesis 33, at the same place where God gave him the Ladder dream—Bethel—he will wrestle with God in the form of an angel. Instead of being the one known for grabbing hold of men to trip them up for gain, now Jacob will grab hold of God who was always with him, who loved him and will keep His promises to bless him. That wrestle story is for another episode.
God judged Jacob, not to destroy him but to corrected for the better. That’s what a father who loves his son does according to Hebrews 3:12:
6For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? Hebrew12:6,7
Think of the times you were given correective love by your parents:
When you dated a “bad actor” and your parents let you make your own choice to learn choices have consequences.
When you got that DWI and your parents let you spend a night in jail to learn that driving under the influence was not a good choice.
When your church hit the skids, and God did not change the direction of the congregation so you would learn about the depth of your faith in tough times.
Today’s psychologists call it tough love. God calls it “keeping it real” with corrective love. Imagine if the parents of Ethan Crumbley would have practiced corrective love, four of his classmates would be alive today. Back in November, Ethan shot his Oxford High School classmates with a gun his parents provided him, even after he complained of having psychotic episodes. These parents will now face murder charges.
Church, as you observe Lent, reflect on how you love. Have you loved with a corrective love, an accountable love, to put a person on a better path—like when Jacob met God. God’s love can be a tough love. If a variety of loves is on the menu, my suggestion is the special of the day. Say, “I’ll have what he’s having.”
CONCLUSION
Not all love’s the same. Some are fake. Some are real. God’s is real. God’s love is real because He chooses commitment. It’s an “I-am-with-you-no-matter what-love.” God was with Jacob on his journey, even if he was a trickster. Second, God’s love is real because it is corrective. It’s an “I-can’t-let-you-go-down-the-wrong-road-love.” It’s about correction, not destruction. God’s tough love allowed the player to be played so Jacob would eventually change.
As you journey the last two weeks of Lent, reflect on your love. If you were sitting at a table across from someone God sends your way—like when Harry met Sally, and love was on the menu, what would you order. Let me suggest today’s special served each Sunday—the Lord Supper. Have what He’s having: love with all the Easter. Anyone up for some resurrection.
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