Jacob meets Rachel for the first time as she shepherds her flock. Jacob is more attracted to Rachel than Leah because she is beautiful, a trait juxtaposed with Leah’s weak eyes. Jacob would rather marry a strong, working woman with strong eyes. In this pericope, Jacob strikes a deal with Laban to marry Rachel. He would labor for Laban seven years, which seemed to him like only a few days because of his love for Rachel.

Laban deceives Jacob and weds him to Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob works another seven years for Rachel and loves her more than Leah. God sees that Leah is unloved and gives her four children, the beginning of the tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah—Judah being the youngest of Leah’s sons and the tribe through whom the Messiah (Jesus) would come.

Not only do we see that God cares for the broken-hearted and uses wretched human intention (seen in both Jacob and Laban) to accomplish His good will, the story is set for the rise of national Israel. Until the rise of national Israel, God was preparing to begin building His kingdom on earth—which  is finally established in Christ’s incarnation. Christ is the Lion of Judah. While Laban was concerned about his firstborn first, God considers the last to be first and the first last. We see the forsaken firstborn motif again in Jacob’s rejection of Leah and God’s choosing of Judah—typifying again the ordination of the second Adam rather than the first as the federal head of creation. God builds His national kingdom as He keeps His promises to Eve, Noah, and Abraham to renew the earth, redeem the seed of the woman, and bless all nations through the children of Abraham.