Jacob is in Harran staying with his mother's brother Laban. Because Jacob is gifted at estate management, he's been working hard every day to help his uncle Laban in exchange for his room and board. But Laban recognizes that the work Jacob does is too valuable to perform without a salary. Jacob is going above and beyond what any guest would normally do. We will learn that Laban isn't a man of very good character, so I think he offers a salary to Jacob in today's passage not so much because he feels guilty for accepting Jacob's work for free but because he wants to entice Jacob to stay in Harran. Laban's estate is flourishing under Jacob's management, as we will learn later on during Jacob's years there, and Laban doesn't want to lose him.
"After Jacob had stayed with him a whole month, Laban said to him, 'Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.'" (Genesis 29:14b-15) He says, "Jacob, I don't want to take advantage of you. You've been a big help to me out of the kindness of your heart because you're my kinsman. You're working as hard as anyone else here is and you should be compensated. Name your price."
Jacob names his price. "Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.'" (Genesis 29:16-18)
Scholars are divided on their opinion of what the Bible means in the original Hebrew when it says Leah had "weak eyes". Some think she was nearsighted and that this might have made her squint unattractively in a time when eyeglasses weren't available to fix her problem. Others think it means she had a soft, kind look in her eyes or that her eyes were her prettiest feature---maybe her only pretty feature. I think that whatever the Bible is saying about Leah's eyes is a compliment since in the same passage the Bible compliments Rachel. So maybe what's being said here is something like: "Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and face." You can tell a lot about a person by the look in their eyes, and I think if Jacob had spent more time looking into Leah's eyes he would have seen that she was a better choice for him than Rachel. As time goes on we will see why Leah was likely the woman the Lord would have chosen for Jacob instead of Rachel. But Jacob's falls for Rachel on her looks alone, and he's not the first or the last person to choose a mate based on superficial qualities. I think he falls in love with Rachel not so much for her personality but because he's physically attracted to her.
Seven years of hard work is a much higher bride price than any father would expect a prospective son-in-law to pay. It's exorbitant, really. If we were to add up what an estate manager would make in those days during seven years, the sum would be far above anything any man would ask in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. But maybe Jacob doesn't want to risk being turned down. Whatever we might think about him choosing a wife based on looks alone, at least he's serious and his intentions are honorable. No man who is just trifling with a woman would offer to work seven years for her for free.
Jacob makes Laban an offer that Laban (being a greedy man) won't refuse. Laban knows seven years of labor is too much to ask from any man who wants Rachel's hand in marriage but he accepts. I tend to think Laban can hardly believe his luck in getting seven years of valuable free labor in exchange for giving his daughter in marriage. "Laban said, 'It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.'" (Genesis 29:19) Laban's statement sounds quite casual, as if on the inside he's not absolutely delighted with this turn of events. I picture him putting on a serious expression while he pretends to mull the idea over thoughtfully in his mind. Then he says to Jacob, "Hmmm. Well, she's not likely to make a better match. I doubt any of these guys in Harran will offer more for her, plus you're my kinsman and I like you. Why not? I accept you as my future son-in-law."
"So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." (Genesis 29:20) Jacob's feelings for Rachel are genuine. He may not have put enough thought into his choice of bride, but no one can accuse him of not being so in love with her that he'd do anything to make her his wife. Because he loves her so much, working seven years for free seems like a small price to pay to win her.
Christ felt that way about us! He was willing to pay any price to win us back from sin and destruction. He would have done anything----and He did---to make us His bride. He was willing to endure the scorn and the taunts, and being spit on and cursed, and being beaten to within an inch of His life, and dying a torturous death on a cross in order to make us His forever. Just as Jacob considered seven years of work a small price to pay for his bride, Christ considered everything he endured a small price to pay for His bride, which is why the Bible tells us, "For the joy set before Him He endured the cross". (Hebrews 12:2) Christ's suffering, death, burial, and resurrection were intended to accomplish something. He was paying a price for us that we couldn't pay for ourselves. He was able to get through all these difficult things that happened to His human body because of the joy ahead of Him. Christ is going to live with and enjoy the presence of His bride for all eternity. Like any man who is truly in love, that fact outweighed anything He had to do to make it happen.
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