Noisy nature
Lily Cathcart
August 01, 2023
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Genesis 29: 15-28 (NRSVA)
15 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ 19 Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) 25 When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ 26 Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
Birdsong.
We hear it in the morning, noon and evening. Humans have written poems and songs about it, calling it beautiful and even romantic. It is funny then to realise that most birdsong is simply very loud noises a bird makes to tell other birds to get away from their territory or to entice a different bird to come and make chicks with them.
So too in the story of Laban and Jacob while attempts are made by the writers to add a little romance, the customs at the time and the nature of the two men — tricksters both — means that we are left watching two birds singing loudly at each other while some very badly treated females sit on the fence waiting to find out how it all ends.
Does this mean we should ignore the birdsong or the story? No, even in this short passage we can learn about paying workers fairly, about when to trust and when to ask more questions. There is always something to be gained by listening with context and accepting both the beauty and the foolishness of a situation or even a person.
PRAYER:
Dear God of birdsong
Help us to see past noise and find the truth in what we read
Remind us to see the beauty as well as the reality
Teach us to ask questions of what we think we know
Amen
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