And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Genesis 31:14-16.

In every situations of life, the believer should always follow after the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus and should not seek to do anything beyond his means or outside the word and will of God to sin against his Father in heaven. God is above all and we should conformity to the world, and pride of life in the days of our pilgrimage on earth – Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Psalms 131:1.

Laban was unjust and cruel in his demands for wages or dowry for his two girls married by Jacob; but we can justly concludes that God allowed Jacob to reap deception after sowing deception to have the firstborn blessings from his brother before he get to his uncle’s house.

A believer from Gabon once suggested to his husband to be by saying; honey, I know that you are not financially capable to pay the dowry money required from you by my family, but we can marry now and you will pay the dowry later – this is exploitation. But what says the scripture, owe no man anything, but to love one another. Meaning that in all your spending, you should not overspend more than your present income and present provision from God, not to enter into debt because of marriage engagement and celebration, this is what it means to do all things to to the glory of God. Romans 13:8.

The scripture is very clear and plain for the call and warnings against the conformity to the world in marriage engagement and celebration among the redeemed children of God. First, it is sinful, very wrong, ungodly, unholy, idolatrous and worldy for a Christian brother to knee down before his bride to be before he ask for her hand in marriage to marry him. This is not the way to honour a wife, but the way of the ungoldy people from the world which has found its entrance and place in some of the churches and in the lives of carnal believers today.

Whatever is not written in the word of God should not be practised or obeyed if demanded from us. The bible invites us to knee down and worship before our God because he is our maker. If a man got on his knees before the woman made from he rib, he’s making her an object of worship. This is what Satan has turned the world into: it is is a sin of idolatory. The wife is a gift to be received as a favor from God and not as an object of worship from man. No servant or man of God or ordinary man or woman or an angel should not be worshipped – worship God.

A genuine daughter of Zion should not and will not ask or accept her fiancee to knee before her while asking for her hand in marriage, neother will an authentic brother get down on his knee to do to ask his bride of she will marry him – as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, stand up; I myself also am a man. Acts 10:25-26.

The lesser bow before the greater. Spiritual and biblical culture is that of respect, there are better ways to honor the wife other than kneeling down before her, by the way, the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. As a believer in Christ Jesus, you can and should bow before the old age or white hair as a sign of respect (Leviticus 19:32), but for the bridegroom to be on his knee to demand marriage from his bride to be is an abomination before God. It is a way of giving your marital spiritual dominion and authory as man indirectly to your wife to be – this is a spiritual implication of the manipulation of Jezebel spirit to rule in the marriage which the world has introduced to the church today.

According to the bible, the traditions and cultures of the world are vain: you are warned not to walk or conform to them in Christ Jesus. Believers should guard against false practices, fables and snares of the traditions and cultures of the men of this world by standing firm in the liberty of Christ as they seek to do the will of God, fulfilling all righteousness concerning marriage preparation, celebration and consumation as its main reason is to avoid fornication – to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman should have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:2.

From Deuteronomy chapter 22 verse 15, the bible speaks of the ‘’token of virginity’’ which is something serving as an indication, proof, or expression of the bride’s moral purity and chastity, the evidence or token of her virginity from her groom’s attestation in his first bedded with her which would allegedly be the blood on the sheet from the torn hymen (the bloody bed sheets were from the rupture of the membrane that in most women forms a barrier to sexual intercourse and breaks with the first intercourse.

It may be the whole bed sheet or blood on the sheet from the torn hymen of her first sexual encounter which shall be given to her parents’ for possession, and kept by them as a witness of her purity, should there ever be any occasion for it, which were to be brought and taken to the elders in the near future should her husband by lusts or any other unacceptable reason venture to lie against her chastity before marriage to put her away.

When you go back and study Deuteronomy 22 again, you will see that verse 13-18 gives us the true picture of the whole story «If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her: this means, to consummate the (marriage) sexual intercourse and to feel hostility, dislike or to have distaste for her – give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid – pure or virgin. This is a problem with the validity of the virginity of the damsel, occasions of speech, a deformation of character, an evil name against her and family to distort the true account of his first night with her.

The girl’s father and mother must bring forth their token or evidence of their daughter’s virginity, and their daughter’s evidence or token was the (cloth) spread out before the elders of the city for their defense against the deformation of character, and if the groom be found lying, he shall be beaten and penalized to pay an hundred shekels of silver approximately $120 dollars in those days as compensation to the bride’s family and shall never be allowed to put her away all the days of his life.

The token of virginity is never a dowry.

Where money changes hand was in a situation when a man found a free virgin which is not engaged and forced her sexually to rape her – If a damsel not betrothed were thus abused by violence, he that abused her should be fined for fifty shekels of silver, the father should have the fine, and, if he and the damsel did consent, he should be bound to marry her, (if the father so wishes Exodus 22; 16-17) and never to divorce her, how much so ever she was below him, and how unpleasing so ever she might afterwards be to him. Genesis 22 verse 28-29.

Marriage is a gift from God between man and woman, the appreciation and gratefulness of which must be ascribed to Him alone that has ordained this wonderful institution for both parties: but none of them should take advantage to commercialize the benefit and gift this wonderful union conveying them.

As the bride leaves the parents to her husband’s home to build her life, so likewise is the man leaving his father and mother to cleave to his wife: for the two, says the scripture, shall become as one flesh. Just as the woman was trained, spent over and brought up by her parents to become a responsible and decent woman in the society, so was the man trained, spent over and brought up as well by his parents to become a responsible and decent man in the society.

It is not good for a man to be alone – Marriage was made for man, and not man for marriage: It must never be obstructed, neither opposed by any material gain or interest from the family of the bride to be. Neither is the man without the woman and neither is the woman without the man in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man (formed from his rib as a gift and a helper meet for him), even so is the man also by the woman (in the multiplication of seeds and fruits of the womb to replenish the earth) but all things of God. 1 Corinthians 11; 11-12.

If both were spent over by their respective parents, and if both were created by God for mutual benefits and divine purposes, and if both have found favor before God to be married, who should then give or paid dowry to whom?

In the Old Testament, you’ll found the word dowry in four places from the scriptures: (a) Genesis 30; 20…. where Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry (which means, a gift of the 6th male child born un-interrupted (b): Genesis 34:12 – at Shalem, a city of Shachem, where Shechem the king asked Jacob to name his price for his daughter after she was being raped by his son, Hamor – ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife as if Dinah was a merchandise or good to be sold as many people are making merchandises and businesses out of marriages of sons and daughters today, but how much did Jacob asked for her daughter, nothing (and they said unto them, we cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: but in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. Genesis 34:14-16), absolutely, nothing is expected from the Schechem than to become Jewish by circumcision in order to marry Jacob’s daughter; thus we see that believer’s life is not a complicated one even as Christ yoke is easy and his burden is light: (c) from the book of Exodus 22; 17, we also found out the penalty or fined for a raped defendant as the price of virginity If her father utterly refused to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins which was just fifty shekels of silver comparable to the fined of an hundred shekels of silver to be paid by a groom that falsely accused her bride for infidelity before marriage. Deuteronomy 22; 19: (d): from the book of I Samuel 18 verses 25, and Saul said, thus shall ye say to David, the king desireth not any dowry (don’t bother yourself for any bride price as we know that you cannot afford one as a poor young shepherd) but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies (as a token of satisfaction to the king for your braveness and skilfulness as a warrior) But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

There is no place in the New Testament gospels and epistles where you will find the word dowry. The New Testament believer’s conversation or ways of life must be as it becomes the gospel of Christ if they are indeed dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world: they should’nt and must not walk, neither be subjected to, nor be ruled or be judged by the world’s ordinances, customs and traditions of marriage and whatever. Colossians 2; 20.

In any matter not spoken or written about in the New Testament, we should always look up to Abraham’s examples and footsteps in his relationship with God and dealings with the unbelievers. Wherever an event or situation is not found in his life, we must prayerfully commune with the Spirit of God, soberly and critically search the scriptures for spiritual guidance and judgement – the spiritual man judges all things. 1 Corinthians 2:15.

Abraham’s most trusted servant was given the task to find a suitable bride for Isaac, so he went out with reasonable gifts; at least, not to go or enter any house or bride’s family empty handed as he set out for his search for a bride for his master’s son, Isaac. Genesis 24; 10.
By divine providence, his direct and specific prayers were answered as he found Rebecca and woo her for Isaac, and he gave her some gifts on the behalf of Isaac which were the symbol of her consent to the proposal that she – Rebecca is willing and ready to go with the servant of Abraham to do the will of God, which is the most important thing. Genesis 24; verses 22 and 30.

Rebecca’s greedy and selfish brother (Laban) was present when she narrated her expereince by the well and of her intension to wed his un-seen, but well represented bride, Isaac. The favor, presence and power of God was evident in the situation, nothing to object or demand from the servant except that which he willingly gave out to the family on his own. Genesis 24; 50-53.

Let those that marry be as though they marry not (1 Corinthians 7:29), rich or poor bridegroom, the bridegroom should stand up for his bride, that he should not to be unreasonably taxed or extort by the money and gifts demands from the coveteous and wordly in laws in this issue of marriage dowry as we can see that unsolicited and unexpected gifts were given both to Rebecca and her family – this is the step of Abraham’s faith, and those that walk in these steps of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham (Romans 4; 12): hearken to me, you that follow after righteousness, you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock from where you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one and I blessed him and made him many. Isaiah 51; 1-2.

By the definition of Abraham’s faith life in his dealing with the unbelieving in laws through the guidance of the Spirit of God (b) also by Leah’s confession in Genesis chapter 30 verses 20, where she said, God hath endued me with a good dowry (which means, a gift from God of the sixth male child born consecutively in a row) the bride price or dowry is a voluntary gift, given by the groom, or from his family, not imposed upon by any quantity and quality demanded from the bride and her family.

It is good and praise worhty for the Christain brother to willingly, honestly and joyfully give some good gifts according to his means or ability from the blessing of God upon his life by giving precious gifts of love and appreciation to his wife’s to be family. Yes, I’ve seen a situation whereby a Christian brother walked away from the relatioship because of the ungodly traditional demands placed and expected from him for the sake of dowry, but because the sister was not also renewed in the spirit of her mind, she stood her ground to honor and respect the vain traditions and customs of her unsaved parents: but the observations of traditional rites by Christian couples opens the door for the enemy to defile, attack and destroy their marriage.

Laban served a strange god, and there are many believer’s parents and in laws like Jacob’s uncle, Rebecca’s brother (Laban) who was an oppressive and a wicked man who traded his two daughters in marriage with his nephew for selfish profitable gain and manipulative business and interest.

How many sons in laws has been physically and psychologically oppressed today because they married to a heartless in laws, married but not free from the in laws servitudes, ungodly demands and impositions, controlling and manipulative spirit? How many daughters of Zion are bold and truthful enough like Rachael and Leah to declare in agreement with Jacob of the ill treatments of their heartless father – Laban towards their husband in the matter of the un-justified services for dowry taken from Jacob, saying, for he has sold us, (in dowry taken) and he has indeed devoured our money. Genesis 31;15.

Prayer for the singles…….how long have you been waiting or been disappointed, deceived to remain single and lonely, desiring a godly spouse? Write or call now for an on-line deliverance prayer and godly counsel to the latterhouseglory@gmail.com +33650993869