Volume 64, Number 41 Distribute october 10, 2020

When Rules Get Broken

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When Rules Get BrokenRon Reese

A ll right, class, line up for recess,” Mrs. Dowerly announced.As soon as he heard Mrs. Dowerly’s

words, Jonathan jumped out of his seat and raced to the doorway so he could be the �rst in line. His friend Daniel had the same idea. �e two boys smashed into each other at the door.

“Ouch! Yeow!” they moaned as they rubbed their sore heads.

“What have I told the two of you about running in the classroom?” Mrs. Dowerly asked.

Both boys knew the answer, but they didn’t want to admit it.

Mrs. Dowerly stared silently at the boys, waiting for an answer.

Finally, Jonathan said, “You told us not to run in the classroom because someone might get hurt.”

“Now you see what I mean,” she explained. “I want both of you to go to the back of the line.”

Mrs. Dowerly led the way outside. “Today is free play,” she announced. “When I call your name, you can go to the playground.”

Free play was Jonathan’s favorite recess. Everyone could pick what they wanted to do. If they wanted to climb on the obstacle course, they could do that. If they wanted to run around the track or play on the playground equipment, they could do that also!

Both Jonathan and Daniel waited for their names to be called, but instead Mrs. Dowerly just stared at them. “Why do you

suppose I haven’t called your names?” she asked the boys.

“Because we ran in the classroom?” Jonathan guessed.

“�at is right,” she said. “So what I want both of you to do is to take a time-out at the picnic table under the sycamore tree.”

Jonathan knew the spot. He o�en got into trouble on the playground, so he o�en spent time under the sycamore tree!

“Well, here we are again,” Daniel remarked as the two watched the other kids climbing on the obstacle course, running the track, and sliding down the slide.

“I know,” Jonathan said, looking to see if Mrs. Dowerly noticed their good behavior while sitting at the picnic table. �e boys waited for what seemed like forever.

“Are you boys ready to behave?” Mrs. Dowerly �nally called out.

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“Yes, Mrs. Dowerly,” both boys said together.

“Remember the rules,” she reminded them. “Be where you are supposed to be. Do what you are supposed to be doing. And have fun!”

“We will!” the boys shouted.“OK, you may get up and prove

yourselves.” Mrs. Dowerly smiled.Both boys jumped up and ran for the

obstacle course. A�er that, Daniel challenged Jonathan to a race around the track. A�er

the race, they decided to climb up the slide.Tweet! �ey both heard Mrs. Dowerly’s

whistle. “Jonathan and Daniel, have you forgotten the rule?” she asked.

�e boys were standing on the bottom of the slide, which blocked the path for the others wanting to slide down. Mrs. Dowerly pointed toward the picnic table. Soon the boys were sitting beneath the sycamore tree once again.

“It was your fault,” Daniel told Jonathan. “I told you we shouldn’t climb up the wrong

end of the slide!”“I know,” Jonathan agreed.

“But maybe we can have fun here at the table.”

“Doing what?” Daniel asked.

“Well, we could pretend that this is a lookout tower for the Forest Service,” Jonathan suggested as he climbed up and stood on the top of the table.

“But we aren’t supposed to stand on top of the table,” Daniel reminded his friend.

“We will be careful,” Jonathan said.

Reluctantly, Daniel stood on the picnic table.

“Do you see that �re over on that mountain, Ranger Daniel?” Jonathan asked. “Here, use my binoculars.” Jonathan pretended to hand a pair of binoculars to Daniel.

“Oh yeah, I see it,” Daniel agreed, pretending to use the binoculars.

“Well, we have to put it out!” Jonathan shouted.

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Published weekly by Pacific Press® Publishing Association, a Seventh- day Adventist Publisher, 1350 North Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687-3193, USA. Single sub scription rate in the United States and its possessions: $39.35 for one year. To other countries: $47.35. All prices at US exchange. Periodicals postage paid at Nampa, Idaho. For change of address, send both old and new addresses. Postmaster: Send address changes to Primary Treasure®, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353.Credits: Scriptures credited to NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Texts credited to NIrV are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION®, copyright © 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scriptures credited to ICB are quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999,

2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission. Scriptures marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Bible picture story (p. 13) is written by Linda Porter Carlyle. The Sabbath School lesson (pp. 14, 15) is provided by the General Conference Sabbath School Department. Illustrations and photos are from Kim and Lars Justinen of Justinen Creative Group, iStockphoto, or Getty Images.Emails & letters: anita.seymour@pacificpress.com Primary Treasure ® Editor, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353. Websites: primarytreasure.com; pacificpress.com; adventistbookcenter.com.Copyright © 2020 by Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Printed in USA.

VOLUME 64, NUMBER 41 OCTOBER 10, 2020

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“Let’s go!” Daniel jumped o� the picnic bench and landed on the ground.

Jonathan was planning to jump down to the picnic bench and then down to the ground. But he decided to jump all the way to the ground, just like Daniel! Unfortunately, when he jumped, he didn’t jump far enough! His le� foot caught on the bench, and he fell to the ground. He put out his hand while trying to stop his fall. Snap!

“Oww!” he cried. Jonathan felt a terrible pain in his right wrist!

Daniel quickly saw the problem. He felt as though he might pass out, but he managed to yell, “Help!”

�e teacher and the aide heard the boys’ cries and came running. “What is wrong?” Mrs. Dowerly asked, looking at Jonathan holding his wrist.

“He jumped o� the picnic table and broke his wrist,” Daniel answered.

�rough his tears, Jonathan could see the look of alarm in his teacher’s eyes.

“Beth, go call his mother!” Mrs. Dowerly said to the aide. “Why were you jumping o� the table?” she asked.

Daniel explained

what the two had been doing

when Jonathan jumped.

“Sometimes when rules get broken,

other things get broken too.” Mrs. Dowerly sadly shook

her head. She helped Jonathan inside. He laid on a bed in the back of the school o�ce.

A short time later Jonathan’s mom arrived and took him to the hospital. �e doctor sent Jonathan to the x-ray department. �e x-rays showed that he had broken his wrist. “It’s a bad break,” the doctor explained to Jonathan’s mom. “I’m going to put his wrist in a cast. It could take up to six months to heal.”

Jonathan’s eyes opened wide! He didn’t know which hurt worse—the pain in his wrist or the painful thought of having to wear a cast for six months!

Something to think about:

• God’s Ten Commandments are like 10 rules. How could breaking these rules cause pain? �ink about how breaking the �rst, ��h, sixth, eighth, ninth, or tenth commandment could cause someone pain. You can �nd the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.

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PretendingRuth O’Neil

C assie was both excited and nervous at the same time. She was about to audition for a

part in the school play. Standing up in front of people was so far out of her comfort zone that it even scared her to think about it. But at the same time, the idea of pretending to be some-one else for a little while sounded amazing.

Cassie was not part of the popular crowd at school. In fact, she was not in any crowd. Some of her classmates were nice and spoke to her, but she o�en kept to herself. It was better that way. Last year Cassie’s mom had made some mistakes, and she had to spend some time in jail. It had been on the news, and it was not long before all of her friends at her old school knew about her mom. Soon her friends started avoiding her.

When Cassie had to go live with her grandparents, she had to change schools. Cassie thought that was a blessing. No one knew who she was, where she had come from, or who her mom was. She wanted to keep it that way.

In her attempt to be a di�erent person, she had decided to try out for the school play. Today was her turn to audition. Her grandparents had prayed with her that morning, but she was still nervous. When she �nished reading the lines, she let out a deep breath. She felt that she did OK, but she would not know for sure until the director posted the cast list.

�e following week was one of the longest of her life. Every time she walked

past the bulletin board outside the school o�ce, she hoped to see the cast list. She knew it was there on �ursday when she saw a crowd gathered around the board.

When Beatrice, one of her classmates, turned around and saw Cassie, she shouted, “You got the lead, Cassie! Congratulations!”

In that moment, it seemed that everyone who stood around her was her best friend. �e girls were all hugging her. Everyone was congratulating her. Cassie could only smile.

“Grandma! Grandpa!” Cassie shouted as she burst through the front door a�er school. “Guess what? I got the main character part in the play!”

Grandma and Grandpa were just as excited as she was. �ey hugged her and congratulated her.

“Good job, honey!” Grandma said.“I knew you could do it!” Grandpa

added.Over the next several weeks, Cassie

memorized all of her lines and attended all the rehearsals. She was even making some real friends.

One evening, during dinner, she commented to Grandma and Grandpa, “I really like being in the play. I can pretend to be someone else, and now everyone likes me.”

Once the words were out of her mouth, Cassie saw Grandma make a sad face. “Did you think no one liked you before the play?” Grandma asked.

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Cassie could tell both Grandma and Grandpa were concerned. She shrugged her shoulders before she spoke. “I don’t know. �ey didn’t seem to. Hardly anyone talked to me.”

“Honey,” Grandpa put his hand on hers, “you are at a new school. It’s going to take time to get to know people and make friends.”

“�e kids at my other school didn’t like me very much when they found out about Mom. I thought if I pretended to be someone di�erent here, I could make friends.”

Now Grandpa moved to put his arms around Cassie in a bear hug. “It is true that there were some kids at your other school who said mean things. And it is probably true that some kids liked spreading rumors, but I don’t want you to pretend to be someone you are not. God made you who you are for a reason. Maybe down the road you will meet kids that are going through what you are going through right now. Maybe you will be able to help them.”

Cassie was afraid now. “Do I have to tell everyone what Mom did?”

Grandma smiled. “Of course not. What Grandpa is saying is that your true friends will like you because of who you are, not

because of what someone else has done. But don’t pretend to be anyone—except when you are on stage for your play. Be yourself. God doesn’t look at us and punish us because of what other people do.”

“And don’t let other people de�ne who you are,” Grandpa added.

“What does that mean?” Cassie asked.

“It means don’t let others tell you who they think you ought to be,” Grandpa replied.

Cassie was beginning to understand. She had felt so ashamed about what her mom had done that she had assumed people thought she might do the same thing.

“We are not responsible for the actions of other people,”

Grandpa added. “We are only responsible for what we do.”

Cassie was starting to feel a little better. “Can I still be in the

play though?”“Of course. We are so

proud of you for wanting to try something new,” Grandma said.

“Will you come to see the play?” Cassie asked.

Grandpa smiled and gave her one more bear hug. “We

wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

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Big City MissionaryArni Johnson

And so, a�er braving crocodile-infested rivers, poisonous snakes, �oods, mos-

quitoes, and unfriendly, demon-worshiping villagers, the missionary family returned to the United States, thankful for God’s protec-tion. �ey happily thought back to their time spent in the mission �eld, for they, along with the Lord’s help, had built a small church and witnessed a dozen baptisms. In a few short months, they would be o� again to a new country and new challenges, spreading the message of Jesus’ love.”

�e Sabbath School teacher put down the book of mission stories and looked around at her students. “Who here thinks they would like to be a missionary someday? Oh, many of you. How about you, Abby? Where would you like to go?”

Abby smiled, pleased that the teacher had chosen her. “My great-grandparents went to China as missionaries a long time ago. And my uncle was a missionary doctor in Africa and India. I would like to go to one of those places.”

On the way home from church with her family, Abby thought about the mission story. How exciting it would be to travel to a new land and meet people who spoke di�erent languages. She would see how they dressed, taste new foods, and learn about all the ways they were di�erent from her. But best of all, she could share Jesus with them. I can hardly wait to grow up! she thought to herself.

A few days later Dad called the family into the living room. He had an important

announcement. Abby and her older brother, Caleb, and their mom sat on the sofa and looked at Dad expectantly. Dad stood in front of them with a serious look on his face. What is the matter? Abby wondered.

Dad rubbed his chin and then spoke. “Kids, you both know that the company I work for has been having problems. �ey have cut back on the hours I work for them, and so I am not making as much money as I used to. In fact, it isn’t even enough for our family to live on. So I have been looking for another job, and I have been o�ered one in a large city. Mom and I prayed about it, and we have decided to accept the o�er. But this means we will have to move.”

Abby’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out. All sorts of thoughts �ew around her head until she �nally grasped at one and blurted out, “But what about my friends? What about school? I don’t want to leave.” She felt a lump form in her throat, and her eyes began to sting with tears.

“Sweetheart, we know this will be di�cult for you—for all of us.” Mom put her arm around her daughter. “But we feel it is God’s will to move at this time. Yes, you won’t see your friends as o�en or be able to go to the same school, but you will meet new friends. �ere is a �ne school just ten minutes from where we will be living.”

Dad and Mom continued to explain and encourage and comfort both children. Caleb did not like the idea of moving either. He had just joined Path�nders, and he was looking forward to the meetings, projects,

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and campouts with his friends. One month later Abby was walking

into her new home. It wasn’t a spacious three-bedroom house with a large backyard like she was used to. �is home was a

small apartment on the third �oor of a building in the suburbs of Chicago. For the next few weeks, she and her family explored their neighborhood. It was all very strange and di�erent to Abby. First of all, there were so many people, so many cars and buses, and so many roads and buildings! �en there were the types of people.

“What is that lady wearing?” she asked Mom when she saw a woman dressed from head to toe in what looked like black and white sheets.

“�at is called a burka. Some Muslim women wear it. It is the way they show modesty.”

“Look at that man’s clothes!” Abby was delighted to see a tall African American man wearing a bright gold, black, and red tunic, with a cap to match.

“Many people here in Chicago like to dress in di�erent ways,” Mom explained. “�at man is wearing clothes like he might wear if he lived in Africa.”

When Abby and Mom went to the

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market, she listened as she walked past the other shoppers. Half of the time she couldn’t understand the languages they spoke.

“I believe that is Polish,” Mom would tell her. Sometimes it was Spanish or Arabic or Chinese.

Looking around at the grocery store shelves, Abby saw some very unusual foods from all over the world, and many were labeled in foreign languages. Abby saw large jars of mashed beets from Poland, cactus from Mexico, and seaweed from �ailand.

One day Abby and Caleb were walking down the stairs of the apartment building. �ey wanted to check the mailbox to see if there were any letters from their old friends back home. As they got to the second �oor, they noticed one of the apartment doors was open, and a couple of moving men were struggling with a large chest of drawers.

“Hey, new neighbors,” Caleb said. “I wonder if they have kids.”

“Yeah, I hope they have a girl my age,” Abby wished. She missed having friends that lived close by.

Abby’s wish came true. Samiah was just Abby’s age. �e two girls found they had much in common—both liked to draw, ride bikes, and read stories about horses. But there was one thing they didn’t have in common. Whereas Abby was a Christian, Samiah was Muslim. Abby attended church on Saturday, the Sabbath day. Samiah went to a mosque on Friday for prayers. Abby knew Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for our sins. Samiah thought Jesus was just a good man, perhaps a prophet, but certainly not God’s Son.

One night, while getting ready for bed, Abby asked Mom, “Why doesn’t Samiah believe in Jesus?”

“Probably because since she was a little

girl, she has been taught the Islamic religion. Her parents believe it, so she does too.”

“Do you think she could learn about Jesus and want to be a Christian someday?”

“Of course. Every person in this world should have the chance to know Jesus.”

“Could I invite Samiah to come to Sabbath School with us?” Abby looked hopeful as Mom tucked her into bed.

“Abby, normally I would say that is a great idea. But I have gotten to know Samiah’s mother. She knows we are Christians, and she is glad you and Samiah play together. But she also told me she hopes we will not talk about Jesus with her family. She and her husband feel very strongly about that. We have to respect their wishes.

“But Abby, there are many ways to tell others about Jesus. Sometimes you don’t even have to use words. If someone knows you are a Christian, then by being their friend, by treating them right, by being honest and generous, you are showing them what Jesus is like.”

“So just being nice to Samiah is telling her about Jesus?”

“It sure is, honey. Have you ever heard the saying ‘actions speak louder than words’? �at means how we act is every bit as important as what we say, sometimes even more so. I’m glad you are friends with Samiah. Perhaps someday she will ask you about Jesus. Until then, you can show her Jesus by being her friend.”

Abby thought about this and decided that she was a very lucky girl. Her neighborhood was �lled with people from all over the world, many who didn’t know Jesus. She didn’t have to wait to grow up to be a missionary in a foreign land. She was a missionary right now, right here in the big city of Chicago.

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Kickball Kindness

Debbonnaire Kovacs

The Far-Away Friends are pen pals with Joseph and Mac. This year the Far-Away Friends will help you understand what your Sabbath School lesson can mean for you.

K enya Jayne Washington pushed on the small back of the �rst-grader. “Higher,

higher!” Mercy squealed as she �ew high into the sky.

Kenya laughed. “OK, here goes. You had better hang on tight!” She pushed again, and Mercy shrieked with laughter, clutching the chains so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“My turn!” Sam cried. �e boy in the next swing pumped his legs and tried to go by himself but was not very successful.

Kenya pushed him too.“Hey, Kenya!”Turning her head, Kenya saw Tina

Warner, one of the twins who had recently come to the school, calling and motioning to her. “Come on! We need you for kickball!”

Kenya hesitated. She had promised Mercy and Sam she would play with them this recess. But she did love kickball. Mercy turned and looked anxiously at Kenya over her shoulder. “Next recess!” Kenya called back to Tina. “We will have a whole half hour a�er lunch!”

Later that morning, a�er she had �nished her math, Kenya helped Miss Angelo by playing an alphabet game with the �rst-graders. Mercy leaned on one shoulder and Sam on the other. �e third �rst-grader, Kimberly, wasn’t as clingy as Mercy and Sam, but she hovered close and got almost all the letters right the �rst time. “You are good at this,” Kenya told her.

“My mommy taught me my ABCs,” Kimberly said with a shy smile.

At lunch recess, Kenya played kickball with the older kids. She was having a lot of fun until she saw three sad little faces on the sidelines. “Time-out!” she called and went to talk to Solly, who was pitching.

“Let’s let the little kids play,” Kenya suggested.

“Are you crazy? �ey can’t play!” Solly replied.

�e other players came to get in on the conversation.

“Let the babies play? You’re kidding!” a sixth-grader named Ted exclaimed.

“�at is not nice, Ted. You didn’t like to be called a baby when you were in �rst grade, remember?” his friend Steve reminded him.

“How did you get to be the �rst-grade babysitter anyway?” Tina asked curiously.

“It kind of started the �rst day of school. Mercy cried and cried.”

“I remember! We could hear her in the upper-grade room.” Steve shuddered.

“I thought she would never stop screaming!” Ted agreed.

“You mean you are the one who quieted her?” Steve asked. “Wow! Do you have a lot

Far-Away Friends

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of little brothers and sisters?”Kenya laughed. “No, I’m the youngest.”

She gave Ted a look. “I’m usually the one who gets called ‘baby.’ ”

“So how did you know what to do?” Ted asked.

“I just kept remembering my �rst day of school.” Kenya looked around at the faces of her friends. “Don’t you remember?”

�ey shu�ed their feet.“Weren’t you scared?”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t bawl my head o�!” Ted exclaimed.

“No, you just fought with everybody in sight!” Steve laughed.

“Anyway, I tried to act loving, and over time, well, now I guess I do love them. �ey are great kids. So can they play or not?” Kenya asked.

Solly turned and looked at the sad faces on the sidelines. “I guess they can. But we will have to help them a lot.”

“OK, but just this once! Don’t let them think they can always ruin our games!” Ted grumbled.

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Who Cheated?DIRECTIONS: Check the squares around the puzzle to find the letters to learn two lessons about love.Puzzle

“Just this once,” Kenya agreed. “But they won’t ruin it. You will see.”

She went to tell Mercy, Sam, and Kimberly that they could play. �e change on their faces was amazing.

Mercy squealed and jumped up and down. “We can?”

Sam didn’t waste words; he just ran for home plate.

Kimberly hung back. “I don’t know how.”“I’ll show you. It’s easy.” Tina took her

hand.“I have an idea,” Steve said. “�ree of us

can choose a partner. Sam, buddy, want to be my partner?”

Sam’s face lit up with a smile.Kenya and Mercy were �rst up to the

plate when the game began again. Mercy

kicked the ball on the �rst try and screamed all the way as she and Kenya ran for �rst base. Everybody cheered.

Sam and Steve took three tries, but �nally Sam kicked the ball all the way into le� �eld, where Tina and Kimberly fell on it. “�row it! �row it to Solly!” Tina cried, and Kimberly threw it as hard as she could, making Solly run to catch it.

Miss Angelo called them in from recess much too soon.

“�at was really cool!” Steve exclaimed, exchanging high �ves with Sam.

“Yeah, you guys are pretty good, for kids,” Ted agreed.

Solly elbowed Kenya as they went in the door. “Great idea,” he whispered.

Kenya smiled back. “�anks.”

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Who Cheated?

“ You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because you

are my relative,” Laban said to Jacob. “How much pay do you want?” Jacob

loved Laban’s youngest daughter Rachel. “I will work for you for

seven years if I can marry Rachel,” Jacob said. “It’s a deal!” Laban said. But Laban

tricked Jacob. He gave Jacob his oldest daughter Leah to marry. “What is this?”

Jacob shouted. “I worked seven years so I could marry Rachel!” “�e oldest

daughter has to get married �rst,” Laban lied. “But if you promise to work

for me for another seven years, I will let you marry Rachel too.” Jacob

loved Rachel very much. So he agreed. One week a�er he married Leah,

Jacob married Rachel too. And he stayed and worked for Laban for seven more years.

This story can teach us that God helps us serve others faithfully and patiently.

Lesson 2, for October 10–16, 2020

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Memory Verse“Love is patient,

love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4, NIV).

The Message: God helps us serve others faithfully and patiently.

References: Genesis 29:15–28; Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 188–190.

Who Cheated?

Have you ever worked hard and long for someone you love? Maybe it was helping your dad stack wood or repair the house. Or maybe you helped your mom in the garden all day. You were glad when it was over, but because you loved that person, it was worth it!

J acob had been at Laban’s house for a month. One day Laban said, “Jacob, you

are my relative. It doesn’t seem right for you to keep working for me without pay. Tell me, what wages would you like?”

Jacob was glad to be at his uncle’s house. He didn’t mind the work. And he had also been admiring Uncle Laban’s youngest daughter, Rachel!

“Uncle Laban, what I would really like is to marry Rachel! I will work seven years for you if you will let Rachel become my wife.”

Laban agreed. “�at sounds like a �ne arrangement to me. Yes, stay here and work for me.”

In those days, a man gave money to the father of the woman he wanted to marry. A�er the wedding, the father was to give the money to his daughter. It became her own to keep. But some men didn’t have money for

the bride price or dowry, as it was called. So if the father agreed, the man could

work for him for a certain amount of time. �at is what Jacob had

to do.So Jacob began seven

years of work to make Rachel his wife. Day a�er day he faithfully and patiently did all that Laban asked. And the time seemed

to pass quickly because of his love for Rachel. Finally, the

seven years were up! It was time to make Rachel his bride! But Laban was not honest or

Lesson 2, for October 10–16, 2020*

* Note to parents: For an explanation of the distribution dates for Primary Treasure®, go to the parents’ sec-tion of our website: www.primarytreasure.com.14

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fair with Jacob. He liked having Jacob work without pay. He knew that Jacob worked hard without complaining. It was clear that God was helping Jacob to be a faithful worker. And he didn’t cost Laban anything! So Laban decided to do something wrong. He would trick Jacob to get more free labor from him.

In those days, the bride wore a heavy veil during the wedding celebration. No one was to see her face. �at night Jacob took his veiled bride to his tent. He couldn’t see that it was Leah, not Rachel. In the morning, Jacob made a terrible discovery. He had married the wrong sister! He was shocked and angry. How could his uncle have done such a thing?

“Uncle Laban, why have you done this?” Jacob asked. “I worked hard for you so I could marry Rachel. Why did you trick me?”

“It is our custom,” Laban lied, “for the older sister to marry before the younger.”* “But I will make a bargain with you. You may also marry Rachel if you will work for me for another seven years.”

In those days, in that country, many men had more than one wife. So at the end of the week of Leah’s wedding celebration, Jacob and Rachel were also

married. �en Jacob began to work seven more years for Laban.

Jacob worked without pay for 14 years—a long time—to marry Rachel. Patiently, he served Laban all that time. He truly believed that having Rachel for his wife was worth it! And God helped him to serve faithfully even when the work was hard. When we really love someone, we will serve faithfully and with patience too.

*The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 388, states that Laban probably made up this custom. It was not the usual practice.

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*PTR201010*

PTR201010

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