Isaac is dying.  Esau is intent on murdering Jacob.  Jacob is scared.  And Rebekah is distraught.  She has betrayed and deceived her one true love.  She has alienated Esau.  She has taught Jacob that it is alright to lie and deceive.  She has pretty much torn her family apart.  And Jacob, the son she loves so much, is going to have to leave the country or end up dead.  One mistake has cost her everything she loved.  All because she wanted Jacob to be the heir, and not Esau.

But even though Isaac had been tricked, even though Esau was his favorite, Isaac showed his true character by honoring the blessing he had given to Jacob.  "I give the blessing of Abraham to you; that you may inherit the land...which God gave to Abraham."  So here Jacob was.  Abraham's grandson.  He had the inheritance, but he couldn't stay home and enjoy it.  It was an empty blessing--because he couldn't claim it.

He set out (fled for his life) on the journey to his uncle Laban's home, with direction from his father and mother to marry one of Laban's daughters.  Laban had two daughters, Leah--the oldest--and Rachel.  Jacob fell madly in love with Rachel and told Laban that he would serve him for seven years if he would let the youngest one marry him--which was not the custom.  "And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had to her."

When the years were up, Jacob said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may (finally) go in unto her."  But Labon, Rebekah's brother, must have been cut from the same deceptive cloth as Rebekah. He tricked Jacob, because in the morning, after Jacob had spent the night with a woman that he assumed was Rebekah, the sun came up and he discovered that he had consummated a marriage with Leah instead.  Labon had lied and his excuse was that, "It can't be done in our country that the younger should marry before the eldest."

Jacob got a taste of his own medicine of deception.  He had to serve Laban seven more years to get Rachel.  Which he did.  "And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah."  Once again, however, we have a barren woman.  Leah gave him sons, but Rachel couldn't. And Leah said, "God has looked on my affliction, (not being loved as much as Rachel), but now that I have given my husband a son, maybe  my husband will love me."  I have always felt sorry for Leah.  (The Bible says she had tender eyes.)