Thanks, Brad.  This might be what I needed after the long letter I just 
wrote and posted here.  I'm keeping this, especially since my pastor was 
asking about genealogy of Jesus last Sunday and I couldn't remember them 
all.
For unto us a child is born.  Unto us a son is given.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MV" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 5:56 PM
Subject: Unfair treatment in life


> Life just doesn't seem fair at times does it?  Sometimes we wonder why
> things happen the way they do, and for the life of us we can't see why
> things played out as they did. In fact in our lifetime we may not see
> why,  but if we lived long enough we might  see why things occurred the 
> way
> they did. For instance I was reading this morning of a guy who was tricked
> by his future father-in-law big time, it cost him years of his life in
> labor and it just wasn't a good deal at all. I might as well tell it quick
> here so you get my point. This young man really liked this beautiful girl
> and was planning on  asking for her hand in marriage. The girl's dad was a
> bit reluctant at first but made him a deal that  if this young man were to
> hang around for several years and work for him on his farm, you know to
> kind of prove himself out I suppose, then after a number of years he could
> marry his daughter. So this young man did just that, I mean worked hard,
> got to know the family and all, and at the end of the arranged time, this
> young man was really getting excited about finally marrying this beautiful
> woman he dreamt about and was working so hard for her hand for several
> years, he grew even more in love with her. Well? The big day was here, he
> was going to marry her. So the old man through this big party  one night
> for his future son-in-law, and well, they had no electricity there and so
> the father-in-law gave his daughter over to this young man for the, umm,
> consumation of their love let's say, and in the morning this young man
> found out he'd been  tricked and given the sister of the woman he loved. 
> He
> married the wrong girl!! The thing is, it was the old man's idea! Talk
> about being deceived, mistreated and used. So the young man confronted the
> old man, and they struck another deal the same as the first one, where 
> he'd
> have to work around the place for another several years, and then he could
> marry  the woman of his dreams, which he finally did, but what a trickery,
> what an injustice huh? Oh, yeah, the part that is interesting if you look
> way beyond this young man's life? Generations and generations after his
> death, you can see that his first wife? The one he was tricked into
> marrying?  Provided  the fulfillment of prophecy of Jesus' birth. The 
> young
> man was Jacob, the first wife was Leah who has lineage through David to
> Jesus, and the second wife, the beautiful one  is Rachel, who has no
> lineage to Jesus. So without if Jacob married Rachel and not Leah, the
> lineage would have been messed up. Below is some scripture to show this.
> Interesting isn't it? So although we may not understand why things occur,
> neither did Jacob I bet, but God had it under control I guess. I also 
> found
> it interesting that Leah's son Judah, was the one who convinced his
> brothers and step brothers not to kill Joseph but sell him off to 
> slavery.
> Also
> Gen 29:16-27
> 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the
> name of the younger was Rachel.
> 17 And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.
> 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for
> your younger daughter Rachel."
> 19 Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than to give her to
> another man; stay with me."
> 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few
> days because of his love for her.
> 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time is completed,
> that I may go in to her."
> 22 Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.
> 23 Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him;
> and Jacob went in to her.
> 24 Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.
> 25 So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said
> to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I
> served with you? Why then have you deceived me?"
> 26 But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the
> younger before the firstborn.
> 27 "Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for
> the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years."
> Gen 29:30-35
> 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than
> Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.
>
> Genesis 29:35
> 31 Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but
> Rachel was barren.
> 32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said,
> "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love 
> me."
> 33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Because the LORD has
> heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." So she
> named him Simeon.
> 34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, "Now this time my husband
> will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." 
> Therefore
> he was named Levi.
> 35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "This time I will
> praise the LORD." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stoped bearing.
>
> Matthew 1:1-16
> 1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the
> son of Abraham:
> 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob 
> the
> father of Judah and his brothers.
> 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father 
> of
> Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
> 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and
> Nahshon the father of Salmon.
> 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by
> Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.
> 6 Jesse was the father of David the king.
> David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of 
> Uriah.
> 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and
> Abijah the father of Asa.
> 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and
> Joram the father of Uzziah.
> 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the
> father of Hezekiah.
> 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and
> Amon the father of Josiah.
> 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of
> the deportation to Babylon.
> 12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of
> Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.
> 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and
> Eliakim the father of Azor.
> 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the
> father of Eliud.
> 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and
> Matthan the father of Jacob.
> 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was
> born, who is called the Messiah.
>
>
>
> Brad
>
>   God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, not his extra
>