WEAK EYES (EPISODE FOUR): TROUBLE

Jacob’s face carried an unusual peaceful countenance. The anxiety of the previous day had vanished. “I have a special announcement to make. The God of my fathers has reaffirmed his promise to me. I will no longer be called Jacob. I will now be called Israel.”

WEAK EYES

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Yahweh heard Rachael’s prayer. She gave birth to Joseph. The day she held Joseph in her arms; the spark returned to her eyes. she trembled, overwhelmed with joy at her own child, flesh and blood.

Although Jacob was now advanced in age, he fell in love with Rachael again. He spent so much time with Joseph and his mother. He taught him how to pray to Yahweh from the age of two. Jacob never glanced her way again, except to chastise and warn her of “your children’s behavior”. Yes, she knew they had their excesses but then, they were boys. And boys would always be boys.

“We are leaving Mesopotamia.” Jacob announced suddenly when Joseph was barely three years old. “I will go speak to your father today. Pray, let God’s blessings be on me that our discussion be fruitful.” Leah rubbed her forehead. Why now? Was it because his cherished wife had finally given birth? Would Joseph usurp Reuben’s position as firstborn? Far be it! Justice must have its course.

She would use her wisdom to win the heart of her mother-in-law. From Jacob’s tale, she knew they had something in common. Cunningness. Maybe it ran in their vein. How else could Aunt Rabekah had convinced Isaac to bless her husband as the firstborn son? Jacob had never given the full details, but Leah had been awestruck by it all the same.

The way Jacob’s shoulder drooped when he strode in, passed the message that all had not gone well.

Laban. She cringed in pain as she remembered the night, he had used her. Subjecting her husband to slavery for another seven years. It would not happen. She swore on her mother’s grave. Her greater devotion was for her husband now. She knew what she must do. She needed vital information. And she knew just how to get it.

The musty odour in the room put her off, but she focused more on her mission. Conversations with her brother never had good endings and she already knew that this would not be an exception. Irritated, she winced in disgust as he drank wine inordinately. She knew his weakness; blood-red free-flowing wine. She had spiked the wine with the appropriate dose of the herbs and it would not be long before they began showing their effect.

Subtly, she tendered her request for him to plead with their father to let them leave Mesopotamia. She weaved her way through, using striking words like a trained swordsman, deceiving him into believing that she was in despair.

“I can see that you have fed fat on my father’s wealth, and now your husband’s plan is to steal and run away with his loot.”

My husband’s wealth, you idiot!

With bloodshot eyes, he revealed more than he bargained for. He ranted out their plans as Leah watched in mock horror. He laughed derisively.

“You obviously cannot say a word. You know it is all true. I was right to have convinced father to change his wages ten times. He has already stolen more than enough and we won’t let you have more. If you want to leave, leave! But you will not take anything along with you!” Angered, Leah looked up daring him to speak more. She knew her eyes had the power to pass the message with more clarity than intended.

Her blood boiled hot against her brother, but more for Laban. The old tortoise. She needed to warn Jacob. If her father planned to rob her husband, it would be over her dead body. The earlier they left Mesopotamia, the better.

MORE TROUBLE

It was in the dead of the night that they took flight. With Jacob’s numerous herds, the servants went on ahead of the rest of them. Leah almost protested against his arrangement, but she was getting old for such ‘petty games’, as Jacob often called it. As they rode on, Jacob would lovingly gaze into Rachael’s eyes and ask after her welfare. He would give her from his flask to drink.

They would never tire of each other. The earlier she accepted the truth, the better.

The childbirth experience seems to have taken a toll on Rachael’s health. She was still very beautiful but her face had lost its vigour and she no longer moved gracefully as she used to. Leah longed to cuddle her sister in her arms but shame would not let her. She burned with self-hate for all the evil she had committed.

You are no different from your father.

Maybe it was true.

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The sun was just beginning to rise that morning when two of his servants returned. Leah’s heart gripped with fear. Had they been attacked? It was not too long before Leah understood the panicky look in her husband’s eyes. His twin brother, Esau was on his way.

Whatever had happened between the brothers, Jacob had never really opened up, but she saw her husband cower in fear. He continually ran his fingers into his hair like he did whenever he was nervous. For the first time since they left, they did not leave camp. And then Jacob disappeared. That night Jacob told his family to go on ahead of him. Perhaps, he wanted to pray.

Leah’s night was fitful. She wondered what her husband was cooking up. She hoped to the God he served that he would not do anything foolish. Early the next morning, she heard the servants chant noisily as a limping figure made its way into the camp. It took her a few minutes before she realized it was him. he limped so badly that it was obvious someone had tried to harm him. Was Esau already on the onslaught? As he came closer, he called his family together. Joseph quickly found his way to his favourite spot; his father’s laps.

Jacob’s face carried an unusual peaceful countenance. The anxiety of the previous day had vanished. “I have a special announcement to make. The God of my fathers has reaffirmed his promise to me. I will no longer be called Jacob. I will now be called Israel.”

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Leah watched on as Esau embraced Jacob. Indeed, her husband’s God has again shown him favour. Despite the kind gesture, she could see the distrust in her husband’s eyes. she knew he was up to something else the moment, they took another route to Succoth. There they camped amongst the Canaanites.

Dinah’s improper behaviour with the Canaanite men reminded her of how she flirted with her father’s shepherd as a young girl. Only, her daughter went too far. Leah did not know what to do. She felt the girl must feel lonely being the only daughter amongst several sons and she let her be. She needed to be lenient. She hardly received accolades from her own father. Besides, her daughter needed to make friends. She soon realized how foolish a decision she had made.

The crimson stains on her daughter robe were enough to prove that the worst had indeed happened. She shook terribly trying to remain calm for her daughter’s sake but her emotions betrayed her.

“Mother, I love him. I did not know…I did not know he would… he would-” breaking into sobs, Dinah wailed loudly. Leah’s heart broke as her hope faded away before her very eyes. It would never happen. She would never present her daughter a virgin to her future husband.

Leah had taken it all with levity until Dinah was raped. Simeon and Levi unleashed the hound trapped in their heart and yet felt no remorse. Jacob was obviously sore afraid. Again, the blame would fall at her feet. The bad child always belonged to the mother.

Leah; unloved, forced on Jacob, mother of unruly sons; and now, a raped daughter. What other descriptions would need to be fitted into her credentials? She would have to fight to defend her worth.

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We sometimes do not know how much capacity we have until we are in trouble. Remember the tea bag in hot water philosophy? What do you think?
Just like evil labels fought Leah, society labels us by the surrounding circumstances. How have we learnt to fight to defend our true worth?