January 15 – Wedding Feast

Genesis 29:22

Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. 

A wedding feast was prepared that Jacob thought was for his bride Rachel.  But with a heavy veil over the bride’s face, Laban deceived Jacob and gave his older daughter, Leah, in the marriage ceremony.  It was the custom to marry the older daughter before any younger daughters.  After a week of wedding festivities, Laban gave Jacob Rachel as his second wife.  It is likely that there was another week of wedding celebrations.  Jacob served Laban for seven years before he married Leah and for another seven years after he married Rachel.

Those first seven years seemed only like a few days (v.20)---but what about the next seven years?  By then the feasting was over.  Jacob had two wives---plus the maid servants---who became concubines for Jacob.  Between the four “wives” Jacob had eleven sons and a daughter. (Later Jacob and Rachel had another son, totally 12 sons which became the 12 tribes of Israel.)  With all the children, his four wives, plus servants, every meal was likely a feast for the Jacob household.

Jesus has promised us a wedding feast in heaven, Revelation 19:7-10.  “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb”.  These feasts that Jacob experienced may have been similar to the marriage supper---the great feast that will happen someday in heaven.  Men of the city were invited by Laban to the wedding feast—making it a public event that gave authority to the marriage union. 

So as you celebrate your anniversary this year, honor your wife/husband with a feast---a marriage supper in memory of your marriage and in anticipation of the wedding feast we’ll have in heaven.