DAUGHTERS OF A KING
Seven years may seem like a long time, but the
Bible tells us it seemed like just a few days to Jacob (Gen. 29, v. 20). All seemed blissful for these
lovebirds, but Laban was not only a greedy man,
he was also a manipulator. This combination never
yields a good outcome for anyone on the receiving
end.
And so our story unfolds and on the fateful wedding day, Laban disguises Leah as Rachel and
places her in the couple’s bedchamber. The next
morning when Jacob discovers the ruse, he is told
by Laban that he must consummate his marriage
to Leah and work another 7 years as his slave, in
order to marry Rachel.
I am sure Jacob weighed his options in this matter,
as the thought of being married to Leah would not
have appealed to him. After all, Leah (compared
to her sister) had nothing significant about her,
other than having some type of physical deformity related to her eyes (Gen. 29, v.17). No matter,
Jacob resolves to keep Leah as his first wife and
agrees to another seven years of servitude in order
to have his beloved.
As life went on for this threesome, one can only
imagine the level of contempt Jacob and Rachel
had towards Leah. She was hated and practically discarded, so much the Lord took pity on her
(Gen. 39, v. 31) and opened her womb so Jacob
may have some affection towards her. And the
Lord made sure the affections were great. The
Bible tells us Leah conceived and gave birth to
Reuben.