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