“Something strange in the neighbourhood”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, July 30, 2023

Genesis 29:15-28 (Forward, p. 93) CEV p. 28

So runs the theme song from the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie franchise, and certainly, I can think that it applies well to today’s little scenario in Laban’s household. I can certainly understand how Jacob was smitten with Rachel and willing to work without pay for seven years for the right to wed her. And, I can understand—sort of—the local custom (if indeed that is what it was) that the girls could only be married off in birth order. (The reason I’m suggesting that this might not have been the total truth is that perhaps Laban had other reasons for wanting to marry off Leah first. For instance, some translations suggest that she had ‘weak’ eyes while Rachel was shapely and beautiful.)

What I find extremely strange is the Jacob did not realize until morning time that Laban had switched girls on him in their wedding chamber. Presumably, Leah had been veiled during the ceremony—and perhaps didn’t say anything--but did Jacob never notice anything strange or unusual about her? Did he not suspect, by her mannerisms or anything else, that she was not the right woman? Of course, presumably that would have never even entered his mind. (Or, perhaps Rachel was in the ceremony after all, but that Laban switched them afterwards: it is plausible.)

I have often wondered where Leah’s consent, Leah’s opinion, came in all this. Maybe she did not have a choice: that this was something ‘thrust upon her’, like it or not? Or maybe she actually wanted it, thinking that Jacob would change his mind and learn to love her? On the other hand, could she not see that this might create some very serious problems if Jacob did not take it well?

However, turning to their wedding night, could Jacob not tell the difference? Was there nothing said or done that might indicate that he had the wrong woman? Or, perhaps he was so inebriated, so drunk, that he couldn’t tell. Surely, this is most strange, but not entirely out of the question.

However, imagine his shock come morning, and imagine Leah’s shame and humiliation in being treated this way, both by his father and her new husband. Treated like a chattel, an object, by her father, and then like the also-ran, the second-best, by her husband: how would that have made her

feel? (Knowing, in such an obvious way, that she was not as loved as Rachel was.)

And, for both Jacob and Leah, a day that, by rights, should have been one of the happiest days of their lives, marred in this way. Nevertheless, we see in just few verses (verse 31), that the Lord had pity on her in her sorrow and shame and enabled her to have children whereas Rachel remained childless. And, with the birth of her son, Reuben, she, all of a sudden, gained status and worth in both the household and the community.

So, what are we to ‘take away’ from this tawdry little tale? Certainly, we can see an illustration of the power of devoted love, one that puts up with such disappointed, and that, for her, he was willing to work for fourteen years without pay.

However, I’m not quite sure that we can take anything away from this about how God works, except to note His care for ‘the underdog’, the despised one. And perhaps, that is enough for us to take away from this: to recognize that even when we are cruelly used and badly treated, God is still there for us. That, indeed, is good news, and nothing strange at all. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her” (verse 20).

“When there is something you really want, you will give all you have to achieve it—no matter how hard it is. It may be someone’s love, a material good, or a job. You set a goal and work to achieve it.

“I have a friend who wanted to go to college but flunked her admission tests. She enlisted in the Cuban Army in a program that rewards two years of service with access to college. After two years in the Army and four years in college, she was told she could not complete her degree because she did not have the aptitude, yet they allowed her to change majors. She made great sacrifices, and four years later, she graduated with honors.

“If something is right for your life, do it—even if it is very difficult.”

Moving Forward: “What is the hardest thing you achieved in your life? List three lessons you learned in the process.”