Now I invite you guys to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 29 as we continue on in our study of the book of Genesis and our series we call In the Beginning because we recognize it's valuable to come back to this early history of humanity because who God has made us to be in the beginning tells us a whole lot about who he is calling us to be today. And we're gonna see here a story of love at first sight. Gonna get an awe, aw, yeah, love at first sight. But then also, a lot of talk about a well. So think about this, what is the big deal about the well here in this passage? But as we do want to see what God's purpose and plan for his word, his history here, let's offer this prayer. God, we are thankful that we are able to know you and your love through this word that you have blessed us with. And you do not waste any word of this scripture. And so as we read this history, let us understand the humanity of the people that we read about here, but also the wonders of your glory. Help us to see the longing of our souls that can only be satisfied in you. And as we seek you in your word, let us be satisfied with you. Father, we pray this now in Jesus' name, amen. So friends, I now invite you to stand in body or in spirit as we look together at Genesis chapter 29, starting with verse one. We hear these words of the Lord. 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. 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. Water 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. 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 flocks 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 Rebekah's son. And she ran and told her father. Brothers and sisters, the grass withers, the flower fades. He may see them. So I think it's official now that we have reached the hot days of the summer where it gets warm and it gets humid out there. Although we had a nice day or two where it almost felt like early fall, a time of year I really love. But when I think about these hot days of summer and having a couple days where I was working out in the yard doing chores around the house, one of the things that is very pleasant about these hot days of summer is that cool drink that you can have after a long day. Now you can fill in the blank what you want that drink to be, each to their own, but what I find personally is the harder I've worked, the longer the day has been when I've been out in the sun, the more I can't be satisfied with anything else than just a glass of cool water. But as I think about how good that water feels, the more thirsty we realize that we are, I have to think about the people in the days of the Bible, especially in this region of Haran that we're reading about, where water was very difficult to come by. Back in those days, they didn't have air conditioning that they could run back into. They didn't have the ease of our plumbing system that, with a flick of the wrist, you can get cool, clean water. No, to get water, to keep water, it took a lot of work. And this is probably one of the reasons why the Bible uses lots of imagery of living water. Living water, what is that? That's flowing water, like the water of a river where it's always moving, which means that it's not gonna get stagnant and full of gross things like algae and other kinds of slime that might grow in stagnant waters. For them, if you had access to living water, clean water, I mean, that was a wonderful joy and a privilege that not everyone had. And particularly here, when we think of this, the people who would drink water from a well, you know, if you had the choice of water that was flowing, you'd go for it. But they had a well, which meant that water was a difficult thing for them to get. And we think of the stone that they would put over it meant that they worked hard in order to protect the water. But think of that, how satisfying after a long, hot day it is to sit down with a cool glass of water. Think about the reverse of when you get to the winter season and you're not outside, you're not sweating as much, most of us are not working quite as hard. And what is it when you get that cold day and you're just bundled up and you don't wanna go anywhere, what is it that you wanna drink on that day? A lot of times we might think of that mug of hot chocolate with all the little marshmallows on top. Sounds pretty good in the wintertime, right? But what about if any of you have been working out in your yards recently, and what if I came to you and said, brother, sister, you've been working hard. Let me offer you this mug of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows on top. Unless you really love hot chocolate, would that sound good to you in that moment? I know it wouldn't for me. One of the things that it tells me is that the conditions that we're in, the things that are going around us, really do affect our thirst, what we think that we want or what we think that we need. And when we're living in a time of abundance, just think about the many blessings that we have living in the United States in this time of history. We are blessed with so much wonderful abundance. But if we think that we don't need much, then we might not thirst for much that is truly satisfying. And so, as much as you might love hot chocolate, particularly those marshmallows on top, those marshmallows are not gonna satisfy the real thirst. We all need water, and without it, we will die. So I think about this need for water, and then I think of our spiritual thirst, because we recognize that we are people who have been created to be hauled and be filled with the beauty and the wonders of God's glory. And yet because of the sins of Adam and Eve, because of the sins that we ourselves have committed, our desires are broken. Our soul is broken. It does not know how to seek out what we actually need. Because this world is full of different vices and distractions, things that offer to make us happy, offer to make us satisfied. And yet they don't, they can't. Because we were not created to be filled with the things of this world, we have been created to be filled with the beauty and the wonders of God. And so until we see him and can behold him and love him and know his love for us, we will not be happy. And if we never know his love, if we never know his wonders, we will die in our spiritual thirst. And the consequences of that spiritual death are terrifying and eternity in hell. But the joys of knowing the Lord, loving the Lord, it is that spring that Jesus talked about with a woman at the well, that spring that wells up to eternal life. It is one where our cup is not just full, but it is overflowing in that abundance of joy. But I think about that hunger, that thirst that we should have for the Lord, and I think about that when I think about the power of thirst in the days of this passage that we are reading about. We know that the water was so important for these shepherds, particularly when we look at the traditions of the way that they had treated that well, the rules that they had made for each other. We read in verse 2, 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. So for Jacob, who had been wandering through the wilderness alone, he was likely very relieved to find a source of water that he could drink from, as well as some local guides that could help him know how close is he to Haran, how close is he to Laban's family. Verse three. 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. So the tradition is being explained for us that the shepherds would not water the flocks until all the neighboring shepherds had gathered together. And this is likely due to the scarcity of water. If they had streams, they would have took their sheep to the streams, but they didn't. what seems to be is this habit of making sure that not one family would hoard the water and overuse that water, making it unavailable for others. So what would they do? They put this large stone over the well, a stone that was so heavy that it it tended to take more than one person to be able to move it so that they would wait until all the shepherds, all the flocks were there, they could water them together and then they could see that they were all making even and equal use of that water. And so this is to help prevent hoarding but also It would help to make sure that you would not have other people that did not live in that land who were coming and sneaking and hoarding the water that would make it so they could not take care of their own sheep or even in case somebody might want to sneak over and poison the water or pollute that water. In verse five, 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. So this has got to be good news for Jacob. He's made it there. He's there at Haran, and they know Laban's family, and one of Laban's daughters is coming very soon. Which, if you remember from the previous week, why is Jacob going on this long trip, which was 550 miles, roughly, to get there? Why was he there? Well, with the hope that he would be able to marry one of Laban's daughters. Well, here comes one of those daughters right now. It seems kind of bold of Jacob just to show up and say, hey, I'm a stranger and let me tell you how to do your job. And some people are speculating, okay, what is Jacob's ploy here? Is he trying to get it where he can be alone with Rachel? What is going on here? Well, some suggest maybe this is just the natural attitude of Jacob. He's an ambitious fellow and he thinks that he can tell other people what to do. Maybe that's some of it. I kind of wonder if he's really thirsty and he sees that big stone over the well and he's just saying, guys, just get to it. What are you waiting for? Take off that stone, I'm thirsty. I don't know exactly what's in his mind, but there is a big deal that's being made of this well. This well is their source of water, their source of life in this dry land. Verse 10, 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. I look at Jacob here and I'm just reminded of the kind of things that a guy will do in order to impress a girl. Because here he sees, as soon as he sees this pretty girl who might possibly be his future wife, what does he do? He tries to show off by rolling away the stone that they typically wait for multiple men to be able to do this together. Yeah, yeah things that guys will do and try to show off girls to show off to girls where it's like hey See that heavy thing over here. Let me try to pick this up like well. Why do we do that? Let me go. Oh, he's strong Although some of them I go. Oh, he's rather stupid I Don't know hopefully the message that he wanted to have sent across was was sent to Rachel here but Some people wonder, okay, well, this is so big that it usually takes several men to be able to move it. Is God giving Jacob a supernatural strength? Is this a minor miracle that's taking place? Well, if God wants to, it could be that, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that fancy. It could be that this is a stone that one man could move on his own, but it's dangerous to do it on his own. In other words, it's stupid to do it on your own, and yet, what do we do as men when we want to impress a girl? And so, maybe it is just the local shepherds, they realize, this is much better until we get everybody here, we do this together, because it's not worth hurting ourselves. But Jacob wants to impress Rachel, and I don't know if the strength that he demonstrates in this moment is the natural strength that came from years of working hard, or if it's a supernatural strength. One thing that is communicated to Rachel here is that Jacob is not weak. Now, is he smart? I don't know. He still needs to prove that one, but he certainly is not weak. And then verse 11 and 12. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was his father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son. And she ran and told her father." So we might think of this kiss here and think, ah, in a love at first sight, first meeting, he runs to her and gives her a kiss. Just keep in mind context here. In verse 13 that we're gonna look at next week, what does Laban do when Laban sees Jacob? Laban gives Jacob a kiss. So I don't think that these kinds of kisses are romantic kisses. Although we do know that Jacob is hopeful that he will be able to marry one of Laban's daughters. But this is just part of the culture that they had back then. As you might think of the way that we would give a big handshake, the way that we would give a big hug, which John Rittsma gave me a wonderful hug earlier this morning that he didn't want you guys to know about. But the thing is that it's like, all right, we think about the different levels of intimacy and the ways that we share it with each other. Some of us are more of the handshake kind. Some more are the hugging kind. Well, in their culture, it was natural to give each other a kiss. If you are somebody who was a family member or somebody who is a close friend where you might as well be family, that was just the way they did it. And maybe you might think of some of the European cultures of when they greet each other, just give the kiss on the cheek, the muah muah kind of a thing. We don't tend to do that here in the United States. I'm not encouraging that we should pick up that habit there. But what might seem bold to us could be rather normal for them. However, think of in the case of Rachel here, it wouldn't be strange for a family member or a close friend to come and give you a kiss. But this man at this moment is still a bit of a stranger, right? So would it not seem strange for him to, you know, as soon as she appears, try to be all macho and move away the stone to do the work for her of watering her sheep? Why not the other sheep that are there and then come to her and to give her a kiss? And then instantly after trying to be super macho, then break down crying. And Jacob, these are kind of mixed messages, I think, that you're sending to her right now. And yet as it starts to be sorted out, who is he? She understands, ah, this is family. This is somebody that has that right of familial intimacy between each other. And as she's excited, she goes back to her father to say, you won't believe who is here. But when I read about this passage, and when I think about how I try to prepare any sermon, I'm looking for what are the reflections of Jesus in this passage? Because that's how I want to, what is the point? Where's the goal? Where are we going to go? Where do I see Jesus in this passage? And the first time through, looking at this, It's like, you know what, maybe I'll just tuck all this business about the well and the water, maybe I'll just tuck this underneath the wedding passage that's gonna come up. That idea of marriage and the love, and like there you can see Jesus there in the picture of marriage. And yet as I came back and was reading through these verses again, I actually found there are several different ways that I see Jesus being reflected. And he's being reflected in the water of the well. several different ways. Well, one of these ways that I see this is in the role that Laban plays. Even though Laban is barely mentioned in the verses that we have, when we think about the traditions of the well that's there, this was protected so that it was the families that lived in that region would share this well together. And so the right to drink from that water comes from the right of belonging to a family. And Salaban, even though he's a bit of a scoundrel in this sense, he plays a role that is a little reflective of Jesus, is that when we belong to this family, Do we have access to the waters that give life? And so we see when we think about this heavenly father, the son of God, realize that it is only as a part of being a member of his family do we have that right and that freedom to drink from the waters of life. Small reflection, but it's one that I saw there. Another reflection is in Rachel herself. Rachel is one who gives Laban what he is thirsty for, not just the water, but why did he come up here to Haran in the first place? Because he wanted not just to be a part of a family, a child in a family, but he wants to have a family of his own. He wants to have children of his own. And so for him to find what he is seeking for, Rachel's the one who is able to offer this for him. And I think about in marriage how there's a way that both the husband and the wife have ways to represent the love of Jesus Christ to one another. Just think about this small type of redemption that Rachel's able to play in Jacob's life as he is a man that has gotten himself in such big trouble that he has had to flee his home from all the mischief that he's been getting in. He is on his own. He is on the run. He doesn't even have a source of water, a source of life. And yet, as we'll see, he gets a chance to marry Rachel. What is it that women tend to do for men when they get married? Women, you are often able to take the wild energy of men and to turn it into something productive, something good. And we think about the way that marriage, where both the husband and wife are able to be reflections of Jesus Christ. Women, do not underestimate the power that you have when you love your husbands and when you love the Lord. The more your husbands love you, the more they'll love the things that you love. And when you love the Lord and you love them, you will take that wild energy of those men. It helps turn it towards something that is good, something that's useful. So there's a way that Rachel reflects a bit of the love of Jesus Christ. But then I also look at Jacob. Jacob, he's able to play a role for Rachel in the sense that if it is very difficult or unsafe for one of these shepherds to be able to move the stone on their own, I'd have to imagine that it would be even more difficult for Rachel to be able to do it. Rachel herself could not on her own strength be able to gain for herself the water because that stone is a burden that is too much for her to bear. And yet what does Jacob do? Jacob carries that burden that she herself could not carry to open the way to that water that gives life. And so as we think of the way that husbands, you are able to love your wives, God has blessed you with certain types of strength that you can bear burdens for your wives, for your children. And by bearing burdens for your family, you too are able to reflect Jesus Christ. So men, don't underestimate the strength that God has given you. So we see how each of these people, they have different ways of reflecting Jesus Christ. But the well itself, I think, is the best reflection of Jesus. Because with all the effort, all the energy that goes into protecting this water, it's because they know without water, when you're in the wilderness, you will die. It is a life or death situation to make sure that we have access to clean water. And this is something that the people who lived in the wilderness, they knew very clearly how important this water is. Where for us, as I had said earlier, when we're living in abundance, it's really easy to take important gifts like water for granted. Just a flick of a wrist on a faucet is enough for us. But back then you had to fight for your water. And if we're people who are Just taking for granted this gift of the water of life that comes from Jesus Christ, going through life thinking we're fine just the way that we are. It reminds me of a time when I was in college during the summer. So my buddies, we went out to Idaho for a friend's wedding. And while we're out there, we wanted to go for a hike to go see a waterfall. And because we're super intelligent guys, we didn't do any research on how long this hike was going to be. We assumed it must have been a short distance. And so we didn't take any camping gear. We didn't take any water with us. We left our water bottles there in the car. And we started hiking for that waterfall. Well, we're hiking for a while. The sun is hot, beating down on us. We think, well, surely it must just be around the bend over here. Okay, not this bend, but the next one. And we kept going, and we kept going. And I don't know how long it was, but by the time that we had reached that waterfall, we were already very thirsty. And then on the way back, our thirst didn't get any better. At one point, one of my buddies, he nearly collapsed. He had to sit down on the ground where he was, find a shady spot, because he was not feeling very good. And he was acting a little strange, a bit delirious, and I wonder if maybe he was suffering from some kind of heat stroke. Because we thought that we were safer than we were. We overestimated the abundance that we had and we nearly went too far. And so I was in the situation that even though I was thirsty as well, I had to go running back to the car to bring water back for others. And fortunately my friend was fine. When I think about how easy it is to overestimate how comfortable we are and to overextend ourselves, I think about the spiritual thirst that we have. How many of us think that this world is enough to satisfy us? We are comfortable with the things that are around us. And so we go through life, overextending ourselves. And then one day, one way or another, we may realize that we have gone too far, that we do not have everything that we need for life. And I pray that when we reach that moment and we realize that we don't have everything that we need, I pray that for us spiritually, we still have that chance to turn back. Because I think of what Jesus was saying to the woman who was there at the well. This is a woman who, she herself, was looking for some sort of satisfaction, looking for some sort of stability. Why do I say that? Well, we don't know a lot about that woman, but one of the things that we do know is that she has been with several men that she has not been married to. And why has she been hopping from guy to guy? Well, presumably because she thought, this relationship will make me happy. This person will give me satisfaction. This person will give me stability. Kind of like we're on our hike thinking, oh, this corner, surely the waterfall's gonna be right around this corner over here. And yet, was she happy? No. We know that because she was still going from guy to guy. And we know that she wasn't happy because what time of day was it that's described that woman who was at the well when she ran into Jesus? It was the hot part of the day. The day that nobody else wanted to gather water. Well, why was she there when nobody else wanted to be there? Because she wanted nobody else to see her. If you're really happy with your life and the way that your life is going, do you wanna live in a way that you hope that nobody else sees you? Clearly that she was someone and in her pursuit of what she thought would make her happy was living a miserable life. And so the message that Jesus gives to her is implicitly your life that you thought would make you happy isn't satisfying you, is it? And yet I can give you what your soul is truly thirsty for if you're willing to admit that this is what your soul is thirsty for. Because what is our soul made for? To see and know and to be filled with the wonders of God, his glory and his love. And so what Jesus is telling her is that he is that way to everlasting life. He is the one who opens the well for us by which we can be satisfied. Now, you've probably heard this pitch before if you've been hanging around churches. You know what will make you really happy? It's Jesus. And we might think on a spiritual level, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that's the answer. This is a building with a pointy roof. We're supposed to say Jesus makes you happy. And yet, when we're living in a life of abundance with all sorts of other things that claim to make us happy. We have access to all sorts of different kinds of entertainment, all sorts of different kinds of relationships, wealth, popularity, sexuality, so many different kinds of things that promise to make us happy. Things that are very quick to give us dopamine hits. We know the type of pleasure that those things can give us in the moment, in the here and now. But do they really make us happy? You know, we think of a lot of the addiction that we start getting to, you know, the screens that are around us. If, when somebody says, hey, why don't you just set that down aside? If you start feeling itchy and agitated and be like, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm okay. I don't really, I don't really need that thing. It's like, you know, when somebody takes that source of joy away from you and you are instantly unhappy, That thing hasn't actually made you satisfied, has it? It's made you addicted. But what do we see from Jesus Christ? He's the one who gives us an offer that truly makes us full, that truly makes us satisfied, to the point that our well is overflowing with abundance. And so yes, when we think that we're happy because of all the dopamine hits that our society is quick to fill us with, we might think, Jesus making me happy? Yeah, right. It's easy to be confused on that. But friends, I can assure you that one day or another, we are going to end up in that situation, a little bit like with my friends on that hike without water, where we realize, I've gone too far. And I do need water. The way that I've been living my life cannot fill me and make me satisfied. And maybe for us, that day is gonna come in our life through old age. as we've lived well in the abundance of this world, but as we get older, realizing how age is slowly taking away the many abilities that we have taken for granted in the past, realizing that I can't do all the things that had once made me happy. Maybe for us, that's that day when we realize, I need something more. Maybe for us, it's not that slow gradual progression of life, but maybe for us, it's a sudden tragedy. Maybe it's the loss of somebody that we love, somebody that was so important to us that was taken from us instantly. I think of what the families in Texas with the floods that are there, the impact that that must have left on them. And we realize this world is broken and there has to be something more to it. Maybe we'll come across these moments in our life here. But I can assure you that even if we think that we are living in abundance every day of this life, there is going to be a day of the next life when we are all going to stand before the throne of Jesus Christ. When we are all going to be held accountable for the way that we lived our lives. And when we can't take all the riches of this world with us and we stand before Jesus Christ and he holds us to account for the works that we've done and we hold up our cups before him and those cups are empty. Friend, on that day, it's too late to go back. There it's too late to go back and try to do anything different, to fill our cup with something that's even greater. At that point, what we have is what we have. And if we do not have Jesus Christ, then what we have is emptiness. And so when I think about how hard the people in those days had to work to make sure that they had access to water, and the thirst that they must have felt greater than the thirst that I feel if I'm going on a long hike. It makes me pray for those who do not yet know Jesus Christ. I pray that they would know him while there is still a chance to turn around. And so friends, if you're here this morning, if you're someone who hasn't turned to know Jesus Christ, I want you to know your need for him now, before that day of judgment comes. Because the consequences of not knowing and loving Jesus Christ is an eternal death in hell. And Jesus, the way that he describes it is not a pleasant place. Describes hell as a place of eternal torture, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. If the fire is not quenched there in hell, then you and I, we're not gonna be quenched either. And so I don't want you to be scared into heaven. My goal is not to try to scare you into heaven, but it's important to recognize the dangers that come with this spiritual thirst from time to time because sometimes we need the kick in the pants to get us motivated. And so if you're somebody who does not yet know Jesus Christ, you have that chance to turn to him, to be satisfied with him. But I pray that all of us who are here this morning are people who already know Jesus Christ, that you already know that He alone is the one who can fill our cups, that He alone is that fountain that overflows with life. I pray that you already know those wonders, and I invite you to drink, drink deeply, drink often every single day the wonders of this God. But as you think about how necessary it is to know this Jesus, Maybe the kick in the pants that we need is that desire to share this good news with others as we see how many other people are living spiritually thirsty and wanting more to say, friend, I know where the well is. Let me lead you to the waters that give life. Because as long as we have breath in these lungs, we have a chance to turn back to the Lord, to be filled, to be satisfied forever and ever. So like I said, I don't want to scare you into heaven. The greater motivation is just knowing how beautiful he is. Like if you've had to do that long day of work out in the sun and you get that chance to sit down and that glass of cool water, you think, I haven't seen anything as beautiful as this cup of water right here. When you know your need and you know the satisfaction that will come from it, I pray that that is your motivation, that you would love the Lord so much that you would be eager each day to open up this Bible. And to see that even in passages that talk a lot of strange business about a well, why are we talking about a well so much here? You'd look at that well and say, I see the beauty of Jesus reflected there. Love him, long for him, drink from what he has for you because he is beautiful and he is good. So I guess the way I want to end our message this morning is with an invitation that comes at the very end of our Bible in Revelation 22 as it says to us in verse 17. Let the one who hears say come. Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much that you have made us family, that you have made us to be your sons and daughters, that by what Jesus Christ has done for us through his death on the cross, through the payment of his blood, that he has made us children of your kingdom. that He has washed away the penalty of our sins and that we would be made your sons and daughters by which you can say, come and drink the waters of life without price. Because the price has already been paid for us. Help us to see our utter need for you. And as our soul has those moments of longing, Let us be quick to turn to you and be satisfied. And let the abundance of our souls be a testimony to those who are around us that they too would seek you and be satisfied. Lord, by your grace, make all this possible within us. We pray this now in Jesus' name, amen.