Femme Friday Leah

 When growing up, did you ever have the description of so and so's older sister? Like Mary Kate and Ashley you were always part of pair? Never an individual? As Anna and Elsa, Paris and Nicky, Gamora and Nebula, many sister pairs are best known as a set. Leah and Rachel were a pair as well. Daughters of Laban, Leah and Rachel were relatives of Jacob. Jacob is considered one of the founding fathers of Judaism and later, Christianity. 

Jacob is best known as both a trickster and the father of the original twelve sons that become the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau. Jacob has stolen Esau's birthright and is headed to safety with his Uncle Laban. In Laban's fields, he meets Rachel. Rachel is pretty and demure. Jacob wants to marry her. Laban says ok, but only if Jacob will work for seven years in Laban's flocks. Jacob is so excited to be able to marry this beautiful girl, he says yes. Jacob comes to the end of his seven years and gets ready for his wedding night. The ceremony proceeds, but that night, Jacob discovers he's not the only trickster in his family. Uncle Laban has married Jacob to Leah! The older of his daughters. Because polygamy is a thing in the ancient times, Jacob works another seven years and then, finally, gets to marry Rachel.

Can you imagine being Leah? Being the girl your father tricks a man to marry? Do you think that was her dream? To marry a distant cousin who had fallen in love with her sister? I very much doubt it. But Leah makes the best of her situation. She becomes the dutiful wife. The Bible even tells us that because Leah was unloved by her husband, God blessed her with sons. Ten sons. As we have learned from other explorations of Old Testament heroines, sons were a woman's protection and safety in old age. Leah is bitter and resentful of her sisters beauty and having Jacob's affection. Furthermore, Rachel is barren. Leah uses that information to torment her sister. Would we do any better? 

Leah is not often held up as a figure to emulate. She is considered rude and nasty because of her treatment of Rachel. I ask again, would we do any better? When confronted with being second place, do we not also allow bitterness to plant it's roots in our hearts? As we are blessed abundantly with protection and provision, is that ever enough to fill the void of not being chosen first? 

It's not for me. When I am overlooked or misunderstood my first reaction is not a graceful benefit of the doubt. I, like Leah, have experienced the hurt of being second best. Feeling unworthy of love and tenderness. My friends, this is not where we have to stay. I don't know if Leah ever got to make peace with Jacob about their forced marriage. If having ten sons allowed some joy to shine through her forest of shame. I do know that we can move past our hurt and shame. 

We are chosen. We are made children of God. Even when the world, community our our homes are places where we feel and are treated as second-class citizens we are still wrapped up in the shelter of our Lord. It is Christ that empathizes with our displacement. He was chosen to bear that pain. So Jesus could then bind up our wound with His soft murmurs of assurance that we are His.