Bible women – Page 2 – Consider the Lilies

Jephthah’s Daughter: A Girl Without Angels

Hamlet:    O Jephthah, judge of Israel what a treasure hadst thou!
Polonius:  What a treasure had he, my Lord?
Hamlet:    One fair daughter and no more; The which he loved passing well.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

TW/CW: Domestic Violence/Abuse

The story of Jephthah’s daughter is a grim tale that has echoes throughout literature across the ages, from Iphigenia in Greek mythology to Offenbach’s operettas to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is the story of a proud father, an innocent daughter and a misguided vow.

Although we don’t know her name we know that Jephthah’s daughter loved to dance and this is how we first meet her. Her father is returning from battle and she goes out to greet him ‘dancing to the sound of tambourines.

She was the only child of Jephthah, who was an exile from the Gileadite tribe having been sent away by his brothers as his mother had been a prostitute (or perhaps that’s just what they called her!). He’d made a home for himself in Tob and had become a successful leader of ‘a gang of scoundrels’.

War had broken out and the Gileadites decided they needed Jephthah’s fighting skills and so they begged him to return to join them, which he reluctantly agreed to. However, rather than relying on his skill and on prayer he made a rash vow to God which would be his undoing:

If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph.. will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.
Judges 11. 31

What was he thinking!

Perhaps he imagined a goat would come out of the house first, or a servant he had no regard for.

But he can’t surely have intended for it to be his beloved only child. And so when his daughter came out of the house singing and dancing he cried out in dismay. Not, as you might think, in concern for her, but for himself!

When he saw her he tore his clothes and cried, ‘Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.
Judges 11.35

So she’s to blame… nice!

Her reaction was remarkable. She told him he shouldn’t revoke his vow to the Lord but asked him for two months freedom to mourn all that she was about to lose. She spent that time with her friends in the hills and then went back to her death:

and he did to her as he had vowed

We might recall a similar story from Genesis where Isaac was to be sacrificed by his father Abraham. Isaac was saved because an angel appeared just before the final deed and a goat was sacrificed in his place.

Sadly, no there was no angel to save Jephthah’s daughter.

Reflection and Prayer

‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love’ 
  John 15.9

Was this sacrifice something that God ordained, or was it just the foolishness and pride of a father unwilling to back down on a promise? My view is that this tale that reminds us that many terrible things have been done in the name of religion but which are nothing to do with God’s will. Jephthah’s daughter showed remarkable courage and strength in the face of a terrible injustice done to her by the very person who should have protected her. It’s another hard story to reflect on, but it’s also important to remember in prayer all those who are harmed at the hands of those they trust.

Let us pray:
For those who suffer at the hands of fathers who harm them;
For those who work with survivors of domestic abuse;
For those who do use God’s name to justify their own destructive actions; And let us remember that we have a heavenly father who loves us and will do us no harm, and He calls us to rest in that love. Amen

Why Why Why Delilah?

Judges 16. 1-31

My my my Delilah
Why why why Delilah
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free

I’m sure we’ve all crooned along to this Tom Jones classic. It’s a fantastically dark song about a woman caught in adultery who is murdered by her man:

She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more

The story of Delilah in the book of Judges is also a pretty dark tale, but this time the woman doesn’t end up dead. Delilah is a classic example of the female archetype that we see in both ancient and modern myths and stories:

The Femme Fatale

The Femme Fatale is portrayed as seductive, sexual, intelligent and beautiful. She normally eschews family life and is considered dangerous. She uses her ‘seductive’ skills to bring about the fall of a man previously thought to be invincible. We might think of Salome (‘bring me the head of John the Baptist’), Cleopatra or Carmen. Or more recent examples are Christine Keeler of the Profumo scandal, or Villanelle in Killing Eve.

Samson was Judge in Israel at a time when they were under the dominion of the Philistines. He was waging a private battle against them which culminated in a massive Israelite victory, and Samson was seen as the strongest and most powerful hero of his time.

That is until he fell in love.

I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free

It is likely that Delilah was a Philistine – she’s certainly portrayed as a foreigner. Unlike most other women she isn’t defined by her relationship to another man – we aren’t told who her father or brother is – she just appears, which adds to her intrigue and danger.

The Philistines offered her an enormous amount of money (11,000 pieces of silver) in return for information about Samson’s weakness so they could beat him in battle. It’s the riddle that he doesn’t want anyone to find out: the secret to his strength.

Coax him and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him
Judges 16.5

We don’t know if Delilah agreed to betray Samson out of loyalty to her people, hatred of Samson, or for the money.

My my my Delilah
Why why why Delilah

But she agreed. This led to her using all of her wily skills to find out her lover’s secret. She pleaded – ‘please tell me what makes your strength so great’; she pretended to be hurt – ‘you have mocked me and told me lies’; she was assertive – ‘until now you have mocked me.. tell me how you could be bound’.

Samson played along for a while.

‘if they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that are not dried out,’
‘if they bind me with new ropes that have not been used’
‘if you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight’
… then I shall become weak
Judges 16. 7-14

All those cords – it’s all rather kinky! But each time he broke free.

She then appealed to the heart and used persistence (which, when applied to women, is often called nagging).

How can you say, ‘I love you’ when your heart is not with me?…Finally, after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death. So he told her’
Judges 15. 16-17

Samson and Delilah, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 – 1553)

Once she had the secret she passed this on to the Philistines who paid her. She soothed him to sleep on her lap and another man came in and cut all his hair off: his strength left him. He was then blinded, thrown into prison and humiliated by being forced to ‘entertain’ his guards (we don’t know exactly what that means).

My my my Delilah
Why why why Delilah
I could see, that girl was no good for me

His hair grew back and his strength returned and so in a final act of revenge Samson pulled the pillars down on them all, killing himself and his Philistine captors. We don’t know if Delilah was amongst them. I think it’s unlikely she stuck around once she’d got her cash. She was far too wily for that!

Forgive me Delilah I just couldn’t take any more

Reflection and Prayer

If you’re now humming the Tom Jones song Delilah you might want to have a listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S87jWwzvwd8

If you’d like to listen to something a little more erudite then Camille Saint-Saëns’ opera Samson and Delilah has a fantastic aria called Bacchanale which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdITMksls0Y

Samson and Delilah had very different ways of showing strength didn’t they?Samson’s strength seemed to lie in his physical appearance, and yet even this powerful man had a weakness. On the surface, Delilah seemed the weaker of the two, but she demonstrated great strength through her cunning and powers of persuasion. It can be difficult to gauge the strength of others, we often don’t even know our own abilities – some of us look strong on the outside and yet inside are weak and vulnerable; and others are perceived to be weak and yet in adversity turn out to have nerves of steel and an ability to withstand all kinds of trials.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power...
Therefore take up the whole armour of God...fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians.6:10,15-18

As we pray for strength in these troubling times, perhaps we might like to pray the prayer of St Patrick, whose Saint’s Day was earlier this week, for ourselves and for our loved ones. Maybe we can imagine ourselves putting on the armour of God as we do so.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all who love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
St Patrick’s Breastplate

The First Mrs Samson

Judges 14

The next woman was meant to be Delilah but once I’d re-read the story of Samson I couldn’t miss out the first Mrs Samson. Most people have never heard of her and she isn’t given a name. She was a Philistine woman from Timnah. Samson, the hirsute Nazarite prophesied to be saviour of Israel from the Philistines, sees her from afar and decides that he wants her as his wife.

It isn’t the most romantic start to a relationship:

Get her for me [he tells his father]. She’s the right one for me.
Judges 14.3

It’s important to remember that at the time the Philistines were enemies of the Israelites and so this was an unusual match, and both families are wary of the union.

We all know tales of weddings that go awry with fights breaking out amongst guests or badly behaved relatives. A vicar friend of mine dropped the bridal ring down the church grate during the vows and they had to use a bridesmaid’s ring until after the service when they could get in a plumber!

However, I don’t think anyone will have had a worst engagement and wedding celebration that the poor first Mrs Samson.

It began badly. On the way to meet her for the first time Samson encountered a lion and ripped it apart with his bare hands. We can only hope he washed his hands before he saw her! He later found that the carcass has filled up with bees and scooped out some honey, ate it and took some as a gift for his folks.

The Wedding of Samson by Rembrandt van Rijn, between 1625 and 1669

But things really began going wrong during the wedding reception, which in those days lasted several days. Many of the most serious arguments begin with something really quite small, and this was the case for the Samsons.

It all began with a simple riddle.

We probably all know that Samson’s defining features are his long hair and his strength, but he was also keen on riddles and gambling. The Philistines provided Samson with 30 young men to be his companions during the festivities, and Samson decided to set them up with a riddle using fine linens as a wager.

Fun Fact: jars of Tate and Lyle’s Golden Syrup feature the lion and bees with the quote ‘out of the strong came forth sweetness’ from Judges

Out of the eater, something to eat; Out of the strong, something sweet.
Judges 14.14

This drove the young men mad. So mad in fact that they threatened to murder the bride and burn her family home if she didn’t tell them the answer!

She cried for the whole seven days of her ‘celebrations’ and eventually persuaded her new husband to give her the answer (Lion. Honey). Sadly, this didn’t end the matter. Samson was so furious that he’d lost the riddle that he paid back his debt by stealing the clothes off the backs of another group of men and then angrily went back to his family home abandoning his new bride.

She was then given in marriage to one of the companions, and one can image she might have been pretty relieved to be rid of the unpredictable Nazarene.

However the next year Samson went back to reclaim his bride and, finding she was already married, a cycle of violence began between the two clans which led to arguably the most bizarre act of revenge in the entire Bible.

Samson caught three hundred foxes (how on earth did he manage this?!), tied their tails together, set them alight and let them loose in the Philistines’ fields, where they ran around and burned down all their crops. It sounds like something out of a Roald Dahl novel!

They then retaliated by murdering the fated first Mrs Samson, her father, and many of her people.

And it all began with a riddle!

Prayer and Reflection

In the Church of England marriage service there is a promise that the congregation make to support the couple:

Will you, family and friends of x and x support and uphold them now and in the years to come’. 
ALL: We Will.

What can we do to support and uphold relationships that are struggling at this time?

A blessing often used at the end of wedding services – a prayer for us all perhaps.

God the Holy Trinity make you strong in faith and love,
defend you on every side, and guide you in truth and peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Jael: Malicious in Tent

Judges 4 and 5

One of my favourite Netflix series for 2019 was the spy thriller and darkly comic ‘Killing Eve’. The star was Villanelle, the beautiful and almost child-like assassin who comes up with weird and macabre ways to bump off her victims.

If Deborah defied our expectations of women in the Bible by being a judge and prophet then this next woman shatters any illusions that women are the ‘gentler sex’.

Yesterday’s tale ended with Sisera, the commander of the King of Cannaan’s army, in retreat. He had oppressed the people of Israel for many years and Barak, with Deborah at his side had gone to fight for justice. Sisera began the battle with 900 chariots and ended with an enormous defeat. He fled on foot to the tent of the Bedouin family of Heber the Kenite, who he knew was a long-time ally of his.

Heber the Kenite may well have been an ally, but Sisera didn’t consider Heber’s wife. Jael, it seems, was not an ally – very far from it in fact:

Jael saw him coming, so she went out to meet him and said, “Sir, come into my tent. Come in. Don’t be afraid.”
Judges 4.18 (ERV)

Jael and Sisera, ca 1690, Lucas Jordán, Luca Jordanus, Luca Fa Presto, 1632-1705

She was generous and hospitable, gave him some milk and a warm bed and tucked him in for the night. After a full day’s battle Sisera must have been exhausted and so he soon fell sound asleep.

She went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground – and he died.
Judges 4.21

Bedouin people lived in tents and so Jael must have been a good hand with a peg and a mallet! She uses what she knows. Villanelle couldn’t have done it better herself!

Jael even gets a mention in Deborah’s triumphant song which isn’t the most romantic of ditties!

Most blessed women be Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite,
Of tent dwelling women be blessed….
She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the work-men’s mallet;
She struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his head,
She shattered and pierced his temple.
He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet;
At her feet he sank, he fell,
Where he sank, there he fell dead.
Judges 5:24-27

Nice!

It’s an odd tale, and brings up moral issues of whether violence such as this can ever be justified or claimed to be part of God’s will. It’s hard from our perspective to judge the decisions of those in conflicts so many centuries ago. Do the ends justify the means? It’s very hard to tell, but what we are told is the actions of Deborah and Jael led to peace:

there was peace in the land for forty years’
Judges 5.31

That is, until the people rebelled again and war broke out once more (Judges 6).

Reflection and Prayer

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4.31-32

Aggression and violence is more often considered to be a male issue, and men are certainly more likely to be physically violent than women. However research shows that women are more likely to use indirect aggression, such as spreading false rumours, excluding others from a social group, making insinuations without direct accusation, and criticising others’ appearance or personality (1). Jael’s actions are shocking because of the physical nature of her actions, but perhaps we can all recognise ways in which we can be aggressive at times, and when our anger can result in harm to others.

I love this prayer by Harry Williams as it’s so real and honest:

O God, I am hellishly angry; I think so and so is a swine; I am tortured by worry about this or that; I am pretty certain things can’t get worse; this or that has left me feeling terribly depressed. But nonetheless here I am like this, feeling both bloody and bloody minded, and I’m going to stay here for ten minutes. You are most unlikely to give me anything. I know that. But I am going to stay here for ten minutes nonetheless. Amen

(1) Frontiers – Behavioural Neuroscience, 02 May 2018 – Aggression in Women: Behaviour, Brain and Hormones https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00081

Ruth: faithful friendship

The Book of Ruth

As a young Christian I was transfixed by the story of Jackie Pullinger. In 1966, when she was in her early twenties, she was called by God to leave her home and family in London and she set off on a boat with a one way ticket to Hong Kong without any idea of what she would do when she got there. She then lived and worked in the infamous Kowloon walled city amongst drug users and triad gangs and developed a ministry which continues to this day. She was one of the first female role models I can remember, and what attracted me was her bravery and willingness to go where she believed God was calling her, even though that came with huge risks to her own life. In her book, ‘Chasing the Dragon’ she writes:

‘God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.’

I think we can be sure that Ruth had both a soft heart and hard feet. She was a non-Jewish women from Moab whose Jewish husband had died leaving her with a bitterly grieving mother-in-law, Naomi and a sister-in-law, Orpah, whose husband had also died. When her mother-in-law chose to return to her homeland, Ruth made the brave decision to move away from all she knew to go with her. She was determined and in deciding to bind herself to Naomi she also made a commitment to Naomi’s community, and to God. Her prayer of conversion is beautiful:

‘Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die – there will I be buried.
Ruth 1.16-17

What a powerful declaration of loving commitment from one person to another.

Ruth and Naomi’s journey from Moab to Bethlehem

Ruth chose to accompany Naomi and was willing to step out into the unknown, into a life that was unpredictable and precarious, to go to a foreign land where she would be vulnerable and unprotected. Her motivations for doing this are unclear. Did she stay with Naomi because of her deep love and affection for this older and in many ways bitter woman? Or did Ruth have a sense of God’s call on her life that meant that she knew deep down in her soul that she should leave Moab.

Whatever her reason, Ruth’s brave decision led her to Bethlehem where, whilst in the fields gathering food, she meets Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s. Boaz protects her from harm and Naomi encourages their blossoming romance and even gives her a few tips as to how to secure his affection: ‘Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor’ (Ruth 3.3). Ruth and Boaz eventually marry, her future is secured, and they have a child, Obed, who will one day be the Grandfather of King David.

Ruth becomes one of the small number of women, alongside Tamar, Rahab and Bathsheba to be named in the genealogy of Jesus.

Reflection

Not many people are called by God to leave everything they’ve ever known in the way Jackie Pullinger or Ruth were, but we may be able to identify a time when we have been asked to take a step of faith. When I first felt God was calling me to be a priest, knew that this would mean we would have to leave our comfortable home in an Oxfordshire village, a decision that was harder to make because we had three young boys at the time. It’s tempting at times to wonder what might have been if we had taken other paths in life, but Jesus’ call to his disciples is always to follow, to look forward, to put the hand to the plough and not look back. (Luke 9.62).

Loving God,
We thank you for the joy and comfort of friendships:
For those who have been there for us through the ups and downs of life;
For those who have walked beside us even when we’ve not been great company;
For those who have given us advice and guidance;
and for those friends who are no longer with us and who we long to meet again.
Amen

The Daughters of Zelophehad: girl power

Numbers 27

One of our family treats is going to see musical theatre, and we recently enjoyed seeing Trevor Nunn’s production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse Theatre in London. It was wonderful. The story, for those who don’t know it, revolves around Jewish patriarch Tevye and his five daughters, all who need husbands and dowries, which Tevye, as much as he pleads to God (remember ‘if I were a rich man’), can’t afford.

One man, five daughters, no sons. This is a rather similar situation for Zelophehad, who who lived at time when the Israelites were in exile, wandering in the wilderness with Moses as their leader.

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the name of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlan, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah
Numbers 26.13

Five women that you’re unlikely to have ever heard of but whose chutzpah transformed the lives of women down the centuries.

Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph (another great musical!), son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Sons. It was a classic patriarchal society and every father needed a son in order to ensure the family line continued, and land was apportioned accordingly as inheritance. Now Zelophehad had died and the tradition was that if a man had no sons then his land and possessions would be inherited by his brother, and his family name would be lost.

But these women had another idea.

The daughters of Zelophehad came forward
Numbers 27.1

They decided that this wasn’t good enough and so, as a group, they ‘came forward’ to argue their case before Moses, Eleazar the Priest and the other elders. Their argument was forthright, concise, personal, persuasive and ends with their plea:

why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.
Numbers 27.4

The Daughters of Zelophehad, illustration from *The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons*. Edited by Charles F. Horne and Julius A. Bewer. 1908.

And Moses prays about it. And the Lord speaks to Moses.

The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance.
Numbers 27.4

The daughters are right. Wow. The inheritance laws are duly changed and from then on daughters could inherit if there were no sons – provided they don’t marry someone outside of their fathers’ clan.

Reflection

We cannot underestimate the importance of the actions of these brave women in changing the lives of so many others down the generations.

Gender inequality in inheritance law and land ownership rights is still a current issue and One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) of the United Nations is Achieve Gender Equality and Empower Women and Girls and a sub-category of this is Realising Women’s Right to Land in the Law. The report makes interesting reading on why land rights for women is still vitally important: http://www.fao.org/3/I8785EN/i8785en.pd

It’s never easy to ‘come forward’ to tackle injustice and to speak up for something you believe in. Sometimes it’s easier to do this in a group that on our own isn’t it? The sisters might not have had the courage to speak to Moses on their own, and it’s unlikely they would have had a hearing. Let’s give thanks for women’s groups and support networks which have been so important over the centuries for standing up for justice for women and children. I’m involved in a wonderful clergy women’s support group, and frankly couldn’t do without it.

The Women’s Institute Prayer

Shiprah and Puah: the rebel midwives

Exodus 1

One of my favourite TV shows to watch when my husband is out (he’s not so keen) is BBC’s Call the Midwife. I love the drama of it. The Sisters are just fabulous and they balance the stark reality of daily life with a deep faith so well. I love the way the programme focuses on the every day details of each family, and the mix of pain, struggle and endurance that leads to new life.

Sometimes it’s pretty gruesome, but birth is like that.

Funerary relief of a midwife, Ostia Antica (Roman Art)

I’ve always admired midwives. Having given birth three times I know it’s a messy business and these women (I know, I know, there are of course male midwives) are willing to be at the gritty end. Midwives are the kind of people you want in a crisis: unflustered, clear thinking, plain talking, patient and encouraging, even willing to be shouted and sworn at in the course of their work!

There must have been many midwives in the Bible but only two are mentioned by name: Shiprah and Puah. (Exodus 1.15).

We have come to the end of our readings from Genesis. The Israelites were now living in Egypt having settled there during the time of Joseph. A new Pharaoh had taken the throne who didn’t remember Joseph and his economic success, and he began to oppress them, forcing them into hard labour. Despite this the Israelites had grown in number and Pharoah was afraid they would rise up against him and so he brought Shiprah and Puah to him and made a terrible demand of them:

When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.
Exodus 1.16

In what is no doubt the first act of civil disobedience in recorded history, the midwives refused to follow this murderous edict: [i]

But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but they let the boys live.
Exodus 1.17

They knew that they could not openly disobey the order of their King, and so they were clever about it: they made up a racially charged explanation!

The Hebrew women are not like other women (they told the king) for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.
Exodus 1.19

Ingenious. It seems that Pharoah fell for this explanation, and because of the cunning bravery of these women the Israelites continued to procreate, the boy babies lived, and Moses, who would later lead them into freedom, was born.

Reflection

The two psalms below use imagery of the midwife to describe God.

“Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me
you have been my God.”
(Psalm 22:9-10)

“For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.”
(Psalm 71: 5-6)

How beautiful to think of the midwives, doctors, nurses and doulas who attend to women and babies at birth as being God-like in their work, bringing forth new life into the world.

Apparently 2020 has been designated ‘Year of the Nurse and the Midwife’ and Pope Francis said that “midwives carry out perhaps the noblest of the professions”.

Let us remember them today and pray for them in their work.

Mother God, as a midwife brings forth new life into the world, You long to nurture new life in us today. Help us to trust in your love and protection, knowing that we are safe in your loving arms. Amen

For more stories of incredible women see our book Unveiled: women of the Old Testament and the choices they made’ – https://www.brfonline.org.uk/products/unveiled

[i]

Francine Klagsbrun said that the refusal of Shiphrah and Puah to follow the Pharaoh’s genocidal instructions “may be the first known incident of civil disobedience in history” (Voices of Wisdom, ISBN 0-394-40159-X).

Leah: The Other Sister

Genesis 29. 15-35, 30.1-20

In the previous post we heard about Rachel, the wife who Jacob loved the most but who never seemed to find contentment. Now we hear of her sister Leah, the wife Jacob never really loved but who was blessed with a huge number of sons.

Me and my sister, Milly (plus Layla and Koru)

Much of my childhood was spent in arguments with my sister. I was a couple of years older and was deeply jealous of her. Apparently when I was around three I used to sleep outside my parents’ bedroom door so I was first to be seen in the morning! I don’t look back on those years with much pride as I was pretty vile. I even cut her beautiful red hair and made her promise not to tell anyone! One of the greatest blessings in my life is that she forgave me and we’re now the best of friends.

This certainly wouldn’t be the case if we were married to the same man!!

Leah knew from the beginning of her marriage to Jacob that she wasn’t the one that Jacob loved most. But she did have lots of boys (something we share as Milly and I have 5 boys between us), and boys in those days were a sign of God’s blessing.

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb
Genesis 29.31

She had four sons in quick succession (Rueben, Simeon, Levi and Judah)

Surely now my husband will love me
Genesis 29. 32

But sadly for Leah this doesn’t seem to be the case and Jacob continued to prefer her sister, even though she had even more sons via her handmaid Zilpah (Gad and Asher).

Although neither Rachel nor Leah had much power over who they were to marry, it seems that they did have agency within their relationship. They were able to name their sons for example. And it seems that they were also able to control which of them Jacob slept with. Here is an example:

Illustration of *Mandragora officinalis* (Mandrake)
Fun Fact: In the Odyssey, the Greek enchantress Circe used Mandragora in a brew to turn Odysseus’ men into swine!
Fun Fact 2: Mandrakes are used in Harry Potter (Herbology) as a powerful restorative.

After Leah has stopped having children her eldest son Rueben finds some mandrake plants, a known ancient aphrodisiac said to possess natural stimulants. When you see the plants it’s not surprising why they became known as an ancient form of viagra!

Leah gave Rachel the plants in return for a night in Jacob’s bed.

When Jacob came in from the field in the evening Leah went out to meet him, and said, “you must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob lay with her that night
Genesis 30.16

The result of this led to her fifth son, Isaachar. She went on to have two more children, Zebulun and last but not least a daughter… Dinah (who we will hear about tomorrow).

Leah may not have been Jacob’s most beloved wife, but she seemed to have been more contented that her sister, and she was blessed with a quiver full of sons who then went on to be the foundation tribes of Israel.

We don’t hear if the sisters were ever fully reconciled but I like to think that their passionate jealousy and fierce rivalry ran alongside a deep love for one another. They were in an impossible situation and one that would have tested even the most dedicated siblings.

Jacob may not have favoured her in life, but in death she was honoured and buried alongside Abraham and Sarah in a place where Jacob would be eventually laid to rest.[1] United in death if not in life.

[1] Genesis 49.31 – ‘There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; their Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah.’

Prayer

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger.... be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you
Ephesians 4.32

As we’ve reflected over the last couple of days on the complicated sibling relationship between Rachel and Leah perhaps we might think about our own relationship with a sibling or close family member. What do we appreciate about them? What is difficult?

Perhaps we can think of three things about them that we are thankful for. We may even like to send them a message to let them know. If your relationship is complex and damaged then perhaps you might like to pray for healing and forgiveness.

Be gracious to all that are near and dear to us, and keep us all in thy fear and love. Guide us, good Lord, and govern us by the same Spirit, that we may be so united to thee here as not to be divided when thou art pleased to call us hence, but may together enter into thy glory,
through Jesus Christ. Amen

A prayer of John Wesley, 1703-91

Rebekah: faith and favouritism

Genesis 24-28, 49

Rebekah is the first of a number of women in the bible whose story involves leaving their home in order to marry a suitor they’ve not yet met. It is a story that involves camels, nose rings, a family feud and troublesome twins. I’ll try and tell it briefly.

Rebekah, beautiful, wealthy and privileged, lived with her family in the City of Nahor. The daughter of Bethuel of Arameus (Abraham’s nephew), granddaughter of Milcah and Nahor, her brother was Laban. We are told she had a nurse (Deborah) and several lady’s maids.

Abraham was an elderly patriarch and wanted to find a wife for his son Isaac from his own home country, rather than from Canaan where they now lived. He sent his estate manager, (often known as Eliezer) to Nahor (now Syria) on a quest to find someone suitable, with numerous camels carrying bags of jewels as a dowry. Eliezer promises to bring back a wife for Isaac.

Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Rebecca at the Well, c. 1896-1902 (image from Wikipedia Commons)

He spots Rebekah by a well at the city gates and she offers to fetch water for him and his camels. He takes this as a sign that she’s the one and gives her a nose ring and two gold arm bracelets. She invites him back to her father’s house.

After some negotiation over plentiful hospitality and more gifts (jewels, gold and cloth), the family concluded that the Lord indeed intended for Rebekah to marry Isaac. Rebekah was asked if she was willing to go (which was nice of them!), and she gave her consent with a simple:

I will go.
Genesis 24. 58

The very next day she leaves her home, her family and all that she knows to marry a man she’s never met before.

She marries Isaac and eventually, after a difficult pregnancy (I can relate to that!) she gives birth to twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Her boys were very different to one other, Esau being a rugged hunter, Jacob being a quieter home-based type.

Families are rarely simple and straightforward and often jealousies, feuds and rivalries are formed early on. This family was no exception and perhaps it began here:

Isaac loved Esau… But Rebekah loved Jacob
Genesis 25.28

The family rift grew when she disapproved of Esau’s choice of wives (he married two Hittite women, Judith and Basemouth). She plotted to make sure that Jacob would gain his father’s blessing over and above his slightly older twin.

This plot led to Jacob tricking Isaac, a fraternal feud which lasted many years, and Jacob having to flee into exile to Rebekah’s brother Laban. The blessing however, even though brought about by rather dubious moral means, is given to Jacob and he becomes the ‘father of many nations’.

We don’t know if Rebekah lived to see her beloved son Jacob again, or if she ever saw his eventual reconciliation with his brother. The last we hear of her is that she is buried alongside Isaac, Abraham and Sarah in the cave near the Oaks of Mamre.

Prayer

Rebekah was a courageous and bold woman of God, not afraid to take risks, to speak her mind, to use the power she had to secure what she wanted for those she loved.

Her actions caused conflict within her family though and her sons’ rivalry was perhaps partly due to their parents’ favouritism. Research in the UK came out this week which reveals that 30% of people thought their parents had a favourite child (but only 10% of parents admitted it), and believed this had had a lasting impact on family relations. (1)

Parenting isn’t easy, and so let’s pray for all those who navigate this tricky path, and who get it wrong at times. And for ourselves that we wouldn’t let old wounds fester.

A prayer of Evelyn Underhill

Lord, grant us to love You with all our heart, mind and soul and our neighbour for Your sake: that the grace of charity and kindly love may dwell in us, and all envy, harshness and ill will may die in us. Fill our hearts with patience, kindness and compassion; that, constantly rejoicing in the happiness and good success of others, and putting away the spirit of criticism and envious thoughts, we may follow You, who are Yourself the true and perfect love. Amen

(from Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book)

(1) research conducted by a YouGov Poll of 6,242 British adults for The Times, reported on Saturday 29th February 2020