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. 

Rebekah: I will go!

Most young Christian couples relish their courtship period. They have fond memories of the interesting things they learnt together; the opportunities to know each other, attending Premarital counseling and learning from the counselors etc. For most people, the courtship period helped them to learn valuable lessons to prepare them for marriage. Can you imagine a marriage where the bride and the groom only met each other after the families have concluded the whole marriage process? It might sound odd to some people, but this practice is not new to many cultures around the world. In our previous post, Abraham’s servant had prayed for a sign from God to know the right woman for Isaac. God answered him speedily and Rebekah proved that she was the right choice for Isaac. Now, how will both Rebekah and Isaac deal with the issue of an arranged marriage? Will Rebekah follow these strangers to marry Isaac? Will Rebekah’s family release her to Abraham’s servant? 

So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. (Genesis 24:58)

Rebekah had proven beyond any reasonable doubts that she was the wife for Isaac. She was not just an answer to prayer, she was homely, willing to serve and also ready to take the servant to meet her family. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, wasted no time in telling Rebekah’s family about his mission. Rebekah’s brother and her father were certain that this was the hand of God. “Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed” (Genesis 24:50‭-‬51). What a joy for Eliezer and his team. Their journey has been fruitful. After Abraham’s envoy had done the needful rites by giving gifts to the appropriate parties, they celebrated their victory. “Then he (Eliezer) and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. (Genesis 24:54‭-‬58).

Rebekah’s decision to go with Abraham’s servant was the tie breaker. She was certain of her choice.  She had no doubt that she had made the right choice and she was not worried or scared to go at  once and be with her husband. Rebekah was ready and willing.  She was prepared emotionally and physically. Her marriage happened suddenly but she was so sure that she was willing to leave her parents’ home just the following day. Making life-changing decisions like this requires an amount of faith, determination and preparedness. When Rebekah said, “I will go”, she literally confirmed her willingness and readiness for marriage and her acceptance of Isaac as her husband. Rebekah’s decision did not relocate her from her father’s house to her husband’s house, it ultimately changed her story and she became part of God’s bigger story. In the future, her descendents will be used by God to return humanity to Himself. The loss of Eden and the restoration back to God continued through the descendants of Rebekah. 

“I will go” sounds so easy to say but it comes with the readiness to embrace the unknown future and accept God’s will for your life. Like the marital vows, “I will” changes the single man and woman to a married couple with a one flesh mentality. “I will (go)” does not automatically remove all the barriers. In fact, when crossing the waters with your partner, it is still “I will go”; when in the valleys of life, or the plains of life, or the mountains of life, the charge remains the same, “I will go.” God did not promise Rebekah that the journey would be easy because she was ready and willing. But as we will see in our subsequent post, through the high and low moments, God still proved Himself faithful. Rebekah was never alone!