Rachel and Leah: Two sisters, one husband

Till date, memories of my wedding night remain intact. It was just a special moment with a special person and I believe most people have special memories of their wedding night. Imagine the months of preparation, the tiredness of the day and finally,  getting to relax together with your spouse. It is a serene experience. Even without electricity and light, the voice of your partner cannot be missed in the dark. However, someone got scammed on his wedding night and he received a different bride from what he worked for. Unfortunately, this man, obviously very drunk, didn’t even know that he had been deceived. His appetite to make love to his wife and the quest to enjoy his seven years of hard work, was so great that he failed to examine the package he received in the dark. The result was a very loud shout in the morning: “what are you doing here?” He might have shouted at his newly consummated bride. The very shy new wife, so shy to even raise her head, might have said in a low voice, “Please keep your voice down. We had a great night as a couple. If you have any issue, discuss it with my father. It was all his idea.”

But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:23‭, ‬25)

This was the story of two sisters who became two wives in a week because of their father’s quest to deceive his own sister’s son. Jacob after seven years of working for Laban, requested to be given his bride. “So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her” (Genesis 29:22‭-‬23). Jacob was deceived and he didn’t know. “When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:25). The very cunning Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” (Genesis 29:26‭-‬27). Two wives in a week? These are two biological sisters who are different in their own ways. Jacob loved Rachel but Leah was not loved. What’s a family drama series? Was Jacob ready for the result of these inconvenient marriages? Anyway, let’s see what happens. So Jacob “finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.” (Genesis 29:28‭, ‬30).

The rivalry in Rachel and Leah’s home was caused by their own father in a bid to deceive Jacob. The two sisters had to contend for attention from the same man. Rachel was already the “Miss World” of Jacob. Her beauty fascinated Jacob and she was loved and adored. Leah on the other hand was the “wife who was not supposed to be” and she did not have a lovely figure to attract Jacob. In fact, Leah had “weak eyes” according to the Bible. In between this drama was Jacob, the man who deceived his brother and had been deceived by his uncle. Each of the daughters of Laban were given a female servant to serve. Therefore the camp of Rachel had Bilhah as the supporting staff and Leah had Zilpah. Indeed Laban’s plan worked very well but what he missed was that he set up his own children to hate one another.

Any home built on lies and deception is bound to go through a circle of issues. Marriage is work but being married to two sisters is extra hard work. The emotional and physical stress of each would have been poured on Jacob. As Jesus said in Luke 14:28, it is very important to count the cost before decisions are made. When we fail to count the cost  we are consumed by the demands of the project. If care is not taken, one part of the project receives more attention than the other. Jacob was in a dilemma. He thought he had seen it all, until children started coming into the marriage. Join me as we continue this tomorrow.