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This biblical epic is a story of generational curses. It is a story of family chaos. And, most chilling, it is a warning of the crisis and confusion we bring on ourselves when we fail to give God our sincerest, highest, and most immediate praise, regardless of our circumstances.
Like any epic, it is a long story, one whose lies, deception, sibling rivalry, and failure to recognize and praise God manifested themselves in some shape, form or fashion across three generations of biblical history. You will recall in Genesis 12 that Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob, who was the husband of Leah and Rachel, in fear for his life, placed his welfare above the moral virtue of his wife, Sarah, when he lied to the Pharaoh and introduced her as his sister. Likewise, Jacob’s father, Isaac, told the same lie to the king of the Philistines about his wife, Rebekah in Genesis 26. In the very next chapter, The Bible tells us that this same Rebekah loved her youngest son, Jacob, more than she did her firstborn, Jacob’s twin, Esau. As a result, she deceived her husband and her oldest son by devising a scheme that allowed Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing after Jacob had already independently tricked him out of his birthright. And, my sisters, as hard as it is to admit, all too often, it’s mothers who set the wrong example; it’s mothers who lead their children astray. I know no mother in here today is guilty but, all too often, it’s mothers who are responsible for the perpetuation of generational curses.
And, at the time of our selected text, the early fall-out for these generational acts of deception begin to manifest themselves as Jacob, the trickster, is himself deceived by his mother’s brother, Laban; deceived into marrying Laban’s oldest daughter, Leah, after he had been promised Rachel. And, now, these two women, two generations removed from the lies of grandfather-in-law Abraham and one generation removed from the deceit of their Aunt Rebekah, Uncle Isaac, and their own father, are still perpetuating acts of jealousy, sibling squabbles, and destructive plots within the family as Leah vies for the affection of a husband who does not love her and as Rachel retaliates out of depression, frustration, and low self-esteem because she is unable to bear children.
At first, we may feel that Leah suffered more that Rachel in their polygamous marital arrangement. For as our selected text makes clear, she was married to a man who did not love her like a husband is supposed to love his wife. Day in and day out, as she heard the little intimate exchanges between Rachel and Jacob, as she witnessed the small tokens of affection that he lavished upon her, as she saw the Public Displays of Affection between them, Leah’s longing for that kind of love increased while, simultaneously, her sense of self-worth and self-confidence decreased. Leah was in a predicament.
My sisters in Christ, have you ever been there? My Brothers, do you have a sister, a cousin, a niece, or a daughter who is there right now? There, where you’re treated like a stranger in your own home? There, where, you are treated like less than a real person? There, where your feelings seemingly do not matter to the one who matters the most to you? There, where someone else is stroked and strummed like a treasured musical instrument, a valued violin, or the latest MP3 Player while you are treated like an old CD player sitting on a shelf waiting for someone to remember that you exist? To remember that even though you are not as attractive as some other models, you can bring joy and pleasure, too; sitting there just waiting for someone to dust you off and push your buttons and turn you on, if only for a little awhile? You’ve tried everything you know: you keep the house spotless and clean. You make sure the bills are paid on time. You labor over every meal just hoping and praying that he will remember where your tent is and will stop by and at least join you for dinner every now and then. You make sure that his children are fed, his clothes are washed, his shirts are ironed, and his socks and shoes have no holes in them. You can’t do anything about that little unattractive eye condition that you were born with but you keep your beauty shop appointment faithfully every week and have even managed to lose 10 of the pounds you gained from having all those babies back-to-back for the man of your dreams. And what does he do? He barely looks your way, barely speaks about anything but the bills or the kids, barely acknowledges you as a woman or even a person, and continues to spend each and every night with her, the beautiful one, the chosen one, the one you wish you were? But, although Leah’s situation merits our compassion, we are not to assume that she was completely blameless in her unhappy state…