创世记

Meditative Reflection
A Victim of Traditions

Reading the story of Leah reminds me of the many old Cantonese movies I watched as a kid in which a woman was made to marry a man against her wish under the ancient traditions. Leah, in the land of Syria, was no different. She became a pawn in her father’s quest of wealth, not that Jacob was wealthy, but his service had greatly increased Laban’s herd of flock.

She knew that her husband’s first love was her sister, not her. It must have been a marriage in hell. The naming of her first three sons fully revealed her hurts.

In naming her first son Reuben, she was counting on the oriental custom of value placed on the first born male-child. She honestly thought that this would turn her husband’s heart around, and yet this was not the case, obviously.

So, at the birth of the second son, Simeon, she thought this would certainly turn her husband’s heart around, and yet it did not happen.

And, at the birth of her third son, Levi, she was certain that Jacob would become attach to her. Unfortunately, it did not work either.

It is interesting to note, though, in all three births, Leah understood that it was the work of God. He alone was the one who gave her the sons, and so Reuben means, “He has seen my misery”; Simeon means, “the One who hears”, and Levi means, “attached”.

As her misery of not being loved continued, she had two options: continue to trust in God or blame Him. What did she choose?

At the birth of the fourth son, she named him, Judah which means “praise”. There was no mention of what she hoped to achieve with the birth of her son. She chose simply to praise God, irrespective if her husband would respond with love or not.

In her time, Leah would have had very little knowledge of God, and her knowledge of God would only have come from stories she heard from Jacob ― his continuous encounters with Him, and perhaps stories of Abraham’s encounter as well. But with simple faith, not that she did not make mistakes of judgment, she had grown into the essence of faith in God which is obedience.

With our profound understanding of God and the comprehensive teachings we have from the 66 Book of the Bible today, the faith of some of us cannot even come close to that of Leah!

Meditative Reflection
Passive Manipulation

We all know that Jacob cheated the birth-right of his brother. As his name suggests, he is a master manipulator. When we read his encounter with Laban, we cannot help but see how Providence worked in humbling him in the hands of another master manipulator.

But it does not mean that Jacob would immediately learn his lesson. Perhaps, as almost a slave in the household of Laban, he simply had no means of reciprocation. His manipulation, unfortunately, assumed a different form and would play out among his wives.

On the surface, it was the jealous feud between Rachel and Leah that had led to Jacob taking their maidservants as concubines, almost involuntarily, but we do know that

1. He knew exactly the hurt of Leah

2. He knew it was the Lord who closed the womb of Rachel

3. He knew that the taking of Rachel’s maidservant as a wife would not take away the disgrace Rachel felt

4. He knew that the taking on Leah’s maidservant as a wife was only a game Leah played in retaliation, and

5. He happily obliged all along.

Not once did he enquire of the Lord as to how he should resolve the situation. Not once did he try to seek peace within the family. Not once does the Bible indicate that he objected to his wives’ manipulative actions. On the surface, he was the one being manipulated, but as the head of his household, he was the real manipulator, albeit a passive one.

Yes, by the grace of God, his four wives eventually produced the twelve tribes of Israel, but the ensuing stories tell of the selling of one of his sons by the rest of the brothers, and the numerous immoral deeds that were prevalent in the next generation. All because Jacob did not set a moral example of how to be a godly father!

Meditative Reflection
Be Still My Soul

In reading Jacob’s last bargain with Laban, we can see how his faith has grown as he replied to Laban’s question of “What shall I give you” with “Don’t give me anything!”

Another six years of serving Laban has resulted in, “the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants and camels and donkeys.” (Gen. 30: 43). How prosperous was he? Just as gifts to Esau, he was able to offer, besides many other animals, 30 female camels!

I invite you to reflect on God’s provision and care with the lyrics of the famous Be Still My Soul penned by Katharina Schlegel in 1697, to the music of Sibelius’ Finlandia.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

Meditative Reflection
Daughters Know Best

The stories in Genesis as told by Moses were not only conveying spiritual truths, but were told in a fashion that was most intriguing. The story of Jacob was no different.

As we read about how Jacob outwitted the manipulative Laban, we can’t help but punch our fist into the air with elation. The table had been turned on this master con man. But as Jacob contemplated fleeing from Laban with his fortune, we come across his consultation with his two wives. We can’t help but hold our breath and wonder what their answers might be.

While their consent was not a surprise, how they put it certainly was! Not only did they feel that they were foreigners in their father’s household, they felt that they had been used. Worse, they felt that they were being sold, like property!

Perhaps in retaliation, Rachel wanted to repay her father where it hurt! So she stole Laban’s household gods, which were probably small statues, small enough that she could sit on them.

I do not think that Rachel stole them for her own protection or worship, as the Bible does not see Rachel in that light. More likely is Rachel’s understanding of her father. Being a polytheist, he worshipped many gods and would lose his sense of security if he lost these statues which he used for divination. (Gen. 30:27)

Laban pursued Jacob and wanted them back, not because they were necessarily made of precious metal, but they represented his source of security. In their absence, and in fear of retaliation by Jacob of his past wrongs, he sought to strike a covenant with Jacob, a most humble act as far as Laban was concerned. However, it would be most unlikely that in their absence and with his defeat in the hands of Jacob, Laban would learn to worship the God of Jacob whom He knew to be the most powerful of all gods, but not necessarily as the only Creator God.

Meditative Reflection
In the School of Humble Pie

I was reflecting last week on God’s modeling of His servant in that once He chooses his servant, He will not give up on him or her until not so much His mission is accomplished, but His work of molding is complete.

To say that Jacob had many rough edges would be an understatement. I am sure none of us would be willing to take the risk of using a person like Jacob in any significant role in God’s Kingdom, but that’s the difference between God and us. Not only nothing is impossible with Him, but His patience is beyond our imagination.

Like most of us, Jacob needed to eat humble pie as part of God’s molding process. But what a humble pie it was, as he described his life under Laban in Genesis 31:38-41.

It is generally believed he would have received the 20% share of the new born in his master’s herd as wages common to hired shepherds of his time. But it would not surprise me that Laban paid him far less than that, as Jacob basically had no bargaining power.

- Like laborers in a sweat shop, Jacob worked under the worst condition, consumed by heat by day and frozen by the cold at night;

- He worked long hours too, to the point, “sleep fled from my eyes”;

- He was made to compensate for all losses, even though it might not be his fault, and so he said of those torn by wild beasts, “I bore the loss myself”;

- He had to pay for all things stolen under his care;

- And he worked like a slave for a good 20 years!

This was a far cry from his pampered life, being the favorite son of his mother. The one who used to have smooth skin, fine finger nails and dressed like a prince, had turned into an outdoor man, exactly like the brother he tricked and pretended to be—with thick and rough skin.

God really had a way of teaching Jacob who paid a hefty price for his follies. But God always disciplines out of love, and the result of these 20 long years resulted in Jacob knowing and calling God as the “Fear of Isaac”. As flawed as Isaac was, there was one thing Jacob saw in him — his tremendous fear of God. Jacob, in his long humbling process has come to learn to fear God, as Isaac did!

Meditative Reflection
Looking out for Number One

As much as Jacob was known for his grasping, even from birth, holding onto the heel of his brother, trying to beat him to see the first daylight, he was no match for Laban when it came to self-centeredness.

Knowing that he could not touch Jacob (as warned by God in a dream), Laban, in conceding his defeat, cried like a baby when he said, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks care my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do...?” (Gen. 31:43)

This was how self-centered Laban was. This was also how arrogant he was.

The daughters were no longer his legally 20 and 14 years ago respectively. He sold them as wages to Jacob. That’s what his daughters considered.

If the daughters were no longer his, how could he claim that the grandchildren were his!

And the flocks? He must be kidding when he said the flocks were his too! Not only did he renege on letting Jacob have the first batch of male goats that were streaked or spotted and the speckled or spotted female goats (Gen. 30:35), he kept changing the rules (31:8). But God intervened so that Jacob legally increased his possession of livestock in spite of his tricks. None of these flocks could Laban claim to be his!

But he dared to suggest that all Jacob saw was his, including servants, donkeys and camels.

If that were true, he could legally reclaim them all, but he knew that was not true!

Laban reminds me of those who would remain unrepentant even at death. It is not because they have not encountered the works of God in their lives, especially adversities that aim to awaken their souls. But their determination to live only for themselves is so stubborn that, they keep on spurning God-given opportunities to humble themselves and repent. In many ways, Laban was not unlike Pharaoh who probably said in his heart that all the Israelites who fled from Egypt were his, including all their children and possessions!

Meditative Reflection
Letting Go

Honestly, I am quite impressed with the list of gifts that Jacob has prepared for his brother:

“200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams, 30 female camels with their young, 50 cows and 10 bulls and 20 females donkeys and 10 donkeys.”

You have to agree with me that the list is very impressive. It obviously speaks to the great wealth that Jacob now had. This list would represent a very small fraction of what he had. But we are talking about Jacob, the manipulator, the one who grasped everything. For him to let go of this small fortune must have not been easy. Sure, it was out of fear — fear for not only his life, but that of his wives and children. Just the same, it was his first major lesson of letting go — letting go of things that he wanted so much that he would cheat his brother of his birthright. He had come a long way.

But more than that, he had learned to let go of his pride. A sibling that he had fought for some 40 years over basically everything, and now he called him, “my master”, “my lord”, and called himself “your servant” over and over again. He had learned humility too.

If I were Esau, would I believe Jacob? Would I believe that this Jacob had changed? Would you?

Perhaps, the bringing of 400 hundred men was not meant to kill Jacob, but to protect himself, just in case!