Gentle Reader,
Previously we considered the context surrounding the story of Leah, Jacob, and Rachel – a hellish “love” triangle if there ever was one. Today we take a closer look at Leah herself. I am just as surprised by what my research revealed now as I was four years ago. There are so many layers to these stories. So much for us to learn about and from God, which leads into understanding ourselves better. May we step away from these words today with the courage to take a good look at ourselves in the light of God’s love.
When the LORD Saw Leah: Unloved – Leah
I was always described as having ‘tender’ or ‘weak’ eyes; my younger sister Rachel, on the other hand, was always called ‘shapely and beautiful.’ Although Jacob preferred beautiful Rachel and worked seven years to win her, it was me he married first – or rather my eyes, which were the only part of me he saw over my veil. In fact, it was his eyes that proved weak, so that he, like his father Isaac, chose the wrong sibling. 27
The only adjective used to describe Leah is rak, which can mean weak, but “more often,
it describes something that is tender…gentle…soft…delicate…and young.” 28 The ambiguity of the author is intriguing. Why remark on Rachel’s beauty but leave the reader with an incomplete portrait of Leah? Is Leah what that culture deems ugly? Is the author attempting to note that Leah is beautiful, but that Rachel is simply more so? Are these remarks and lack of remarks a statement about Jacob, about his character and concerns? Given that Jacob is perpetually discontent with his lot in life – prophecies and promises from God notwithstanding 29 – it is reasonable to deduce that he is entitled, believing himself to deserve whatever he deems best. For him that best is Rachel, even though his reasoning is shallow; “Rachel’s beauty is what attracts Jacob to Rachel.” 30 Before they even have time to establish a true relationship, he decides he wants her.
Does this mean that Jacob should have automatically wanted to marry Leah? No. Whatever the cultural customs are, attraction and affection cannot be forced. Jacob simply failed to examine his situation from an objective viewpoint. “As our eyes see external things but do not see themselves except where they encounter something smooth and hard. . .so also our mind does not see itself otherwise than by examining the Scriptures.” 31 Of course Jacob did not have any part of the Bible, let alone the complete canon, but he did have God. God had plainly stated that God was available to Jacob. 32 Perhaps Jacob could have saved himself and others a lot of trouble had he stopped to consult God.
Jacob did not consult God, though, and the deed is done. Leah is his wife. A wife he does not want. A wife he does not love. A wife with whom he’s willing to have sex, which while accepted by the ancient audience, creates discomfort for the modern reader. What kind of man is Jacob? How can he so callously use this woman? Today’s world clearly views Leah as the victim.
And she is. At the same time, she is not. This understanding is key to unlocking the meaning of 29:31-35. Leah is unloved, she is unwanted. With her, the reader empathizes and identifies. Yet the reader must step back and consider the narrative up to this point. Leah knows that Jacob wants to marry Rachel. Leah knows that the wedding feast is for Jacob and Rachel. Yet Leah went into the tent. The author does not say if she attempted to alert Jacob to her identity. The reader is given no intimate glimpse into the bridal suite. There is only the confusion and horror of the next morning.
Leah, then, is more like Jacob than it first appears. She is her father’s daughter, participating in the act of deception. Leah finds a way to get what she wants. Whether that is Jacob himself or simply to be married is unclear, but she takes her opportunity. Leah, compared forever unfavorably to her younger sister, emerges triumphant.
For a moment.
__________
25 Gen. 29:25.
26 Gen. 29:26-28a.
27 Finkel, 51.
28 Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1995), 259.
29 See Gen. 25:21-23.
30 Hamilton, 259.
31 Basil, On the Human Condition, trans. Verna E F. Harrison (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2005), 31.
32 See Gen. 28:10-22.
GRACE AND PEACE ALONG THE WAY,
MARIE
Image Courtesy of Louis Galvez
A full list of references for this paper can be found here.