Jacob agreed with his uncle Laban that he would work for seven years in exchange for being granted Laban’s daughter Rachel as his wife. He worked those seven years, cheerfully, as he looked forward to the marriage (Genesis 29:16-20). The wedding day arrived, and Laban threw a great feast of celebration. But then in the darkness of the wedding night, Laban put Leah into the wedding tent instead of Rachel. When the sun rose in the morning, Jacob could see that he was in bed with Leah (29:23-25).

He cried out against Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” (29:25). And Laban offered the lame excuse that the custom in that region was that the eldest daughter always had to get married before her younger sister. So Jacob worked for seven years to gain the bride he wanted, and he ended up with two brides and two servant girls, a harem of four, and got charged an additional seven years of labor into the bargain (29:26-30).

These four women would bear twelve sons to Jacob, who would become the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun (born to Leah); Dan and Naphtali (born to Rachel’s servant Bilhah); Gad and Asher (born to Leah’s servant Zilpah); and Rachel’s two sons, Joseph and (eventually) Benjamin (29:32-30:24, 35:16-18). They are not yet a great nation, but it is starting to look like God’s plan established with Abraham could actually come true.

Yet it is so messy. The jealousy between the two sisters, Laban tricking Jacob with the bride switch, Jacob using magic sticks to trick Laban. There is no obvious villain: you can see why any of the characters would feel distressed by the actions of the others. And there is no hero of the faith, whose example we should emulate. All we can do is stand in awe at the reality that it will be through this dysfunctional family of ordinary sinners that God will establish the covenant that will save the world.

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“ … we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (II Corinthians 4:7).

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All of our hearts, and all of our families, are frail, O Lord: we get mad and jealous and awkward with one another, and yet you work good in this world through us. We give you thanks, for your irrepressible love that holds on to us, even when we are getting it wrong.

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