Apples of Gold

Most of us enjoy getting packages in the mail. Thanks to internet shopping and busy schedules we find ourselves being the frequent recipients of deliveries. We decided to order an above ground pool this year. The delivery came during a particularly busy time in our schedules and the package sat in our screened in porch for awhile before we got around to opening it. We prepared a spot on the lawn and gathered the family to help set it up. Unfortunately, when we opened the box and began removing the pieces, we are all confused by the contents of the package. The more we took out, the odder it seemed. Eventually we realized that rather than a swimming pool we had received a large canopy. Not only was it disappointing that we did not have a pool to set up, but putting the mess back into the box and dealing with a ridiculous return process added additional frustration.  With persistence and wavering patience we finally got the wrong item returned and the pool delivered and set up. Now the time to take it down for the season is rapidly approaching and that brings it’s own set of challenges! 

The inconvenience we experience when we don’t get what we are expecting is often relatively easy to remedy. But what about when it isn’t? From an unexpected diagnosis, to losing a position or someone we love, we can find ourselves on the unwelcome side of Trick or Treat. Jacob ranks very near the top of the list of unexpected deliveries. After working seven years to marry his heartthrob, Rachel, he wakes up from his wedding night only to realize that his father-in-law has played a sneaky trick on him and he is now married to Leah. Scripture doesn’t tell us if Leah was in on the deception. The male dominated culture of the time might have completely arranged the whole marriage “transaction” without even informing the sisters. 

Jacob considered himself a master-trickster-just ask Esau. The instigator has become the victim and this trick will have life-long consequences for all of them. We have all heard that love is blind and perhaps that is what made Jacob vulnerable to Laban’s trickery. 

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.” Genesis 29:20-21

Laban waited until it was dark to bring Leah to Jacob. She probably was covered with a bridal veil as well. The agreement was that he would marry Rachel, but when Jacob woke up in the morning-it was Leah! 

“What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”Genesis 29:25

Jacob’s marriage to Rachel the following week set up a love triangle that would lead to much heartache and a perpetual juggling act for Jacob. He was in his 80’s when he married the sisters. In Rabbinical literature it is thought that Leah and Rachel were twins and were 14 when they met Jacob and 21 when they married him. 

As my daughters were growing up we found that Christmas gifts became a challenge. Not only did we do our best to keep the amount of money spent on each girl as equal as possible, we also had to deal with the appearance of what we spent. We were always looking for great deals but finding them could actually make things more difficult because a more expensive item at a bargain basement price could tip the appearance scale in a dangerous direction. This goes to a whole other level when the children are suspicious or even jealous of each other. Let’s have a bit of compassion for Jacob here. If he makes Leah happy Rachel is devastated, if he favors Rachel, Leah feels unloved. 

Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us. Genesis 31:49-50

I had to chuckle as I read Laban’s warning to Jacob not to marry any other wives. Jacob was likely thinking “More wives? You’ve got to be kidding me. My hands are more than full with these two!”

Jacob had the impossible task of trying to keep two women, who had an unending rivalry with each other, happy and content. He likely felt incapable of balancing these scales. 

Despite the difficulties, Leah and Rachel, together with their handmaids, birthed the 12 sons that would eventually become the tribes of Israel. It started with a trick but in the end God accomplished his purposes. 

At times we find ourselves hit by a trick when we were expecting a treat. Jacob’s example of perseverance and faithfulness throughout his marriages can serve as a reminder that God will bring good out of our circumstances, even the unexpected and undesired things. It is often not easy but when we put our trust in God it will always lead to good. 

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28