One Big Jealous Family

July 9^th, 2017         “One Big Jealous Family”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

Summer Sermon Series: Wrestling with Jacob

Genesis 29:31-30:24

          This morning we continue our summer sermon series, “Wrestling with Jacob”.  We are halfway through the Jacob story and it has already been a long journey.  We have witnessed Jacob’s birth into a family marked by strife.  We have watched him trick and cajole his way into both an inheritance and a blessing.  Last week we witnessed Jacob get a taste of his own medicine, as his uncle Laban tricked him into marrying two sisters.  This week, the man born into family conflict, witnesses some pretty severe family conflict of his own.

          (Read Genesis 29:31-35)

          Those that were here last week remember that Leah is the unloved, un-lovely of the two sisters in this marriage.  Leah has some sort of vision defect and Jacob was tricked into marrying her.  The author is clear that she is unloved, and today we find that her sorry plight is a motivator for God’s grace. 

          God was behind the scenes in our reading last week, but this morning God takes center stage.  When God sees that Leah is unloved, the Lord has mercy on her, and blesses her with the gift of children.  More specifically, Leah is given the gift of sons, which are of great value in the culture. 

          Leah is blessed with four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.  Leah views each child not as a blessing in and of itself, but rather as a way to draw Jacob to her in love.  “Surely now my husband will love me, God has seen that I am hated, now this time my husband will be joined to me” she says.  With each child Leah hopes in vain to win Jacob’s affection.

          (Read Genesis 30:1-13)

          Rachel, the beautiful wife married for love, is heartbroken that she cannot bear a child.  We must remind ourselves that bearing a son is the only value that women possess in this ancient culture.  You are nothing if you cannot give your husband a son.

          In her heart break Rachel lashes out at Jacob.  Jacob won’t have it, he knows he has done his part, and he obviously knows he is capable of producing children.  Jacob suggests that Rachel’s problem is with God and not with him; after all it is God who has “withheld the fruit of her womb.”

          Rachel looks back to the tradition of her foremother Sarah and offers her maid to Jacob in replacement.  To say she is offered as a wife is a bit of a stretch, as Bilhah has no say in the matter.  She is no more than property, and her womb is a part of that property.  Her body belongs to Rachel and so when she conceives and bears children, those children belong to Rachel.  Rachel, through Bilhah, now has two sons to her name, Dan and Naphtali.

          Not to be left out, Leah gets back in on the child bearing action.  If Rachel is going to do it then she can too!  She offers her maid Zilpah to Jacob as a womb and two more sons are born, Gad and Asher. 

          This idea of women as womb property is offensive to our modern sensibilities.  In fact, this section of scripture is the premise for the society in Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” which is back on the bestseller list and a new series on Netflix.  My book group has discussed this idea with horror, but the truth is it was a very common practice in ancient culture.  Much as we detest it, this was the way of the world; women were nothing but property and their wombs fell under that same category.  But at the same time we can see how such family dynamics can sow seeds of strife and discontent.

          (Read Genesis 30:14-21)

          Ah, the mandrake, a wild fruit that was commonly thought to be an aphrodisiac.  Just when we think things can’t get any more complicated now the sisters are bargaining for nights with Jacob.  Leah’s son brings in the mandrakes, and Rachel, still hungry for a child of her own womb, asks after them. 

          It is interesting that Leah accuses Rachel of stealing her husband.  One would think it might be the other way around.  Yes of course, Leah was married to him first, but everyone knows that Jacob didn’t want to marry her.  It has always been Rachel that Jacob loved.  Rachel could argue that Leah stole her husband.

          Leah appears to still be caught up in her desire for Jacob’s affection.  She offers the mandrakes to Rachel in exchange for an extra night with Jacob.  God hears her prayers and once again Leah starts conceiving children.  Two more sons are born, Issachar and Zebulun.  And lastly Leah pops out a daughter, Dinah.  If you have been following along you will note that each birth is marked with an exaltation, a praise of God, and a special name.  Each birth that is, except the girl.  Dinah is worth nothing to the family, and so she is an afterthought.  Leah is given 6 sons “Praise the Lord” and oh yeah, one girl.

          (Read Genesis 30:22-24)

          Finally Rachel’s day comes.  In a family of ten boys and one girl, God finally hears Rachel’s cry.  The author tells us “God remembered Rachel”.  Had God forgotten Rachel?  She conceives and bears a son from her own womb, Joseph.  And as Rachel praises God for the gift, she asks for another son in the next breath.

          And so, we have one big jealous family.  They certainly aren’t happy.  One husband, two wives, two maids to serve as wombs, and 12 kids now make up Jacob’s clan.  What a mess!  They are an entire generation born in conflict and strife.  Even the very names of the sons are meant to rub it in and gloat.  “God loves me, God chooses me, I am the special wife” the names say.  “I have fought with my sister, and I have won!”

          Last week I mentioned that the purpose of this narrative is to tell the story of the nation of Israel.  How do 12 tribes all claim their lineage to one father and four different mothers?  The author is explaining how that happened in this text that tells the birth of 11 brothers.  (Number twelve will arrive later on). 

          The story we have read today is the birth not only of Jacob’s family, this is the birth of the nation of Israel.  The sons are born in envy, rivalry, strife, and dispute.  The narrative of their births will reflect the conflict among the tribes later on.  The way of the nation is a way of conflict. 

          When I read this story though, my heart is drawn to Leah.  What a tragic character she is.  Always fighting with her sister, always feeling “less than”, always seeking after Jacob’s love which she never receives.  The birth of each son is only a blessing if it will finally make Jacob love her, and he never does.

          How often do we look for our own value in the eyes of others?  Like Leah, we don’t see our intrinsic value to God; we only see the ways we want to be valued by other people.  God sees Leah, God values Leah, God loves Leah, and so God favors Leah by opening her womb so many times.  Only a truly blessed woman could survive the birth of 7 children in that time.

          But Leah cannot see God’s love.  She only sees Jacob and he could care less.  Just like Leah, we struggle to find our inherent value in God.  We are looking for love in other places: in a partner, at a job, from our parents.  Like Leah, we struggle to accept ourselves as being of value simply because we are made by a loving creator.  It is a sad story, for only God can offer us the perfect love our hearts desire.

          Our text for this morning reminds us that the nation of Israel was born in conflict and strife.  It reminds us that the followers of God have always been a broken and messy people.  When we look at the paper each morning, or watch the news, and marvel at the brokenness of our modern world we are tempted to say “Things have never been this bad!”  The scriptures remind us that things have always been this bad.  We have always been broken, and selfish, and God has always met us in our brokenness.

          Today we gather together at the communion table.  This is not a place for perfect people.  This is instead, a place for broken people.  Our Savior Jesus Christ came among us; experienced our messy lives, witnessed to our brokenness, and lived that brokenness in his body on the cross.  When we gather at the table, we admit our failings, we admit that we are broken, and we are united together in our brokenness.  It is in coming together as community of broken and hurting people that we are healed.  It is in coming together that we finally know we are loved.

          The story of Jacob is a story of people fighting, being jealous, and being selfish.  It is a story of family.  It is a story of the nation of Israel, and it is a story of God’s broken people.  Come back next week as the conflict continues in this one big jealous family . . .

Karma

July 2^nd, 2017           “Karma”      Rev. Heather Jepsen

Summer Sermon Series: Wrestling with Jacob

Genesis 29:1-30

          Today we continue our summer sermon series “Wrestling with Jacob”.  We are three weeks in now and we have come to know Jacob as something of a trickster.  From before his birth Jacob has been in strife.  God declared to his mother Rebekah that her elder son Esau, shall serve her younger son, Jacob.  Jacob isn’t the strongest man around, but he is definitely the smartest.  He has twice defrauded his elder brother to secure both a blessing and an inheritance.  He is currently on the run from Esau, fearing for his life.  Though he appears alone in this world, Jacob is not, as the Lord has promised him protection, and presence.  Jacob will be the father of the nation of Israel, and the story of that nation begins with today’s reading.

          (Read Genesis 29:1-12)

          Jacob is in Haran, the ancient land from which Abraham once came.  He is seeking his uncle Laban, (his mother’s brother) and so he asks after the family name.  The gathered shepherds direct Jacob to his cousin Rachel, and upon seeing his kin he is moved to tears of thanksgiving and joy.

          The Jacob story is meant to be humorous and there is an interesting bit here about the well that modern readers might miss.  In fact, I never noticed it before my studies this week.  The author tells us that the stone on the well’s mouth was large and the shepherds would wait and move the stone as a group.  The idea here is to keep the water rights equal.  There is an agreement among the shepherds to wait until they are all gathered, they all move the stone together, and then they all get an equal amount of water for their herds.  It is an egalitarian system.

          Well, Jacob doesn’t seem to understand everyone just standing around waiting.  He points out that it is the height of the day and not a time for standing around, he thinks everyone should get on with watering the sheep and get back to work.  The gathered shepherds explain to him their custom and that they prefer to wait. 

          Well when Jacob sees Rachel, he is moved by her beauty and senses an opportunity.  Rachel is coming down to water her father’s sheep and Jacob sees his chance to make a good first impression.  As she nears the well, he single handedly moves the stone for her, so she can water her sheep. 

          The writer wants us to pick up on the comedy of this moment as Jacob is showing off.  Like many men before him and since, Jacob can’t resist a chance to show this pretty woman how big and strong he is.  I can just imagine him thinking, “Check me out, I can roll this huge stone myself” as he pushes the stone aside and then takes a casual pose near the rock, sure to be noticed by the beautiful Rachel. 

          Of course, Jacob is also delivering a message to the other shepherds gathered around.  They won’t fail to notice how strong he is.  They will also notice that he has no regard for their customs and ways of doing things together.  Jacob is showing off his strength and authority.  But he is also revealing his attitude and impatience, which is no surprise to those of us who have been following his story.

          (Read Genesis 29:13-20)

          This is the sweet part of the Jacob narrative, the moment when love enters the story.  Jacob is welcomed by his uncle Laban, but after about a month the two realize that they need to come to some terms regarding Jacob’s stay.  Is he family, is he an employee, or is he just some guy hanging around?

          Laban proposes that Jacob offer up some terms of employment.  Jacob has had his eye on Rachel since that first afternoon at the well, and so he offers a bride price to Laban.  Jacob may have won the inheritance, but his father Isaac is still alive, so right now Jacob is penniless.  He offers to work for Laban for seven years, without wages, and that seven years will be a bride price to buy his marriage to Rachel.

          The author mentions here that Laban has two daughters, Leah and Rachel.  Leah is the oldest, and it seems as if there is something wrong with her eyes.  The Hebrew is unclear and the NRSV is charitable when it translates the word as “lovely”.  In other places in the scriptures the Hebrew word used here “rakôth” means tender, weak, or even incompetent.  I imagine that Leah is either really near sighted, or has a lazy eye.  She is certainly less than perfect when compared to her beautiful younger sister Rachel.

          Laban appears to agree to this deal, though he doesn’t clearly spell it out.  And in a dramatically romantic note, the author tells us that “Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.”  Ahhhh – how sweet!

          (Read Genesis 29:21-30)

          Oh snap!  Trouble in paradise!  The great trickster is finally tricked.  At the last minute, Laban switches Leah for Rachel and Jacob is duped into consummating a marriage with the wrong sister.  As modern readers we right away wonder how Jacob could possibly be so stupid as to sleep with the wrong woman.  But Laban is no fool.  Through the work of wedding veils, the darkness of a tent at night, and what was sure to be a drunken wedding revelry, it wasn’t hard to send in the wrong girl. 

          Jacob is furious, as he should be.  He had an agreement and had worked seven years for his bride.  Laban points out that the younger daughter can’t possibly be married before the older.  The reader is meant to pick up on the irony here, as Jacob himself has spent the majority of his life ensuring that he gets everything he wants, even though he is the younger of two brothers.  Birth order means nothing to Jacob, but that certainly has come back to bite him in the end. 

          Laban offers another deal.  If Jacob completes the wedding week with Leah, Laban will offer Rachel as a bride as well.  But, Jacob will need to work another seven long years to pay her bride price.  Jacob agrees, and serves seven more years.  Laban comes out on top, with 14 years of unpaid labor and both of his girls married off.  Jacob is the loser; he has one beautiful wife, but no wealth and a second wife he does not love.

          This is another one of those great examples of Biblical marriage!  Even ancient readers of this story would find it as strange as we do.  Leviticus 18 warns that “you shall not take a woman as a rival to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.”  Marrying two sisters is not good behavior, never mind the fact that they are all first cousins.  What a mess!

          Plus, any woman who has seen herself as second best can really relate to Leah in this story.  Poor girl is no more than a pawn in the struggles between her father and Jacob.  What did she have to say about that wedding night?  Can you imagine being forced to go in to your sister’s husband?  Can you imagine that awful morning in the tent when Jacob realized what had happened?  It’s not like Leah had any say in the matter.  At least she is married, which may never have happened for her, but no one wants to be married to someone that doesn’t love them.

          This is another text where we struggle to find some meaning or connection to our own lives.  The writer of the text itself has offered a story with no real moral or theological point.  This story is simply meant to entertain us, and to function as an origin story for the nation of Israel.  The 12 tribes need a way to explain how their ancestries all trace back to one father but different mothers. 

          As modern people we can certainly see this as an example of Karma, or the ancient eastern religious idea that the deeds you carry out in this life will come back to you either in this world or the next.  In plain talk we could say “you reap what you sow” or “what goes around comes around”.  Jacob is certainly getting a “taste of his own medicine” in this story with Laban and anyone who is following his tale would agree that he deserves it.

          The problem though is that the women in the story don’t deserve it.  Just like the trickery with Isaac and Esau, there is a lot of collateral damage here.  Jacob is angry, Rachel is disappointed, and Leah is no more than somebody in the way. 

          God is not directly present in our reading for today, but God is certainly behind the scenes.  You will remember from last week that God promised Jacob “offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth”.  You are going to need more than one woman to carry that out.  From these broken people will come the entire nation of Israel.  The message from last week echoes in this text: God’s grace and providence are present in our lives, even when we can’t see it, and even when we don’t deserve it.

          Once again in the Jacob narrative we find people behaving badly.  Now the stage is set for further conflict between Jacob and Laban, between Rachel and Leah, and even between Jacob and his wives.  Come back next week as the drama of “Wrestling with Jacob” continues . . .