Jacob and the Love Triangle

从一开始，雅各年轻时就被描绘成一个骗子，这实际上就是他的名字的意思。 他的双胞胎以扫是一个喜欢田野的人，一个猎人，也是他们父亲以撒的宠儿。 喜欢呆在家里的雅各是他们母亲利百加的最爱。 最终，他的母亲帮助他窃取了以扫的长子名分和祝福，雅各逃离了他兄弟的愤怒，来到了一个叫哈兰的地方，他的叔叔拉班（他的母亲利百加的兄弟）住在那里。

在这里，雅各遇到了拉班美丽的二女儿拉结。 雅各在欺骗了父亲之后变得很谦卑，渴望家庭纽带和一个可以称之为家的地方，他疯狂地爱上了拉结。 拉结的姐姐利亚也未婚，但他们的父亲拉班同意让雅各在工作七年以后与拉结结婚（创世记 29:18-20）。

雅各为拉班做的工作并不容易——尽管他是他的侄子，但这是一项艰苦而艰苦的工作。 整整七年，雅各都与拉班的大群羊一起工作。 但为了娶他心爱的拉结，他非常愿意这样做。 事实上，圣经告诉我们这七年的工作“对他来说似乎只有几天，因为他爱她”（创世记 29:20）。

然后，七年后，雅各准备迎接他的妻子拉结 —— 却被他的岳父欺骗了。婚宴结束后，雅各布以为在他新婚第一夜醒过来时，是会和拉结在一起，但当早晨来醒来时，他才意识到自己被愚弄了。拉班让利亚和他一起睡觉（创世记 29:23）。骗子的雅各变成了被骗的人。

当雅各与拉班对质时，拉班很坚决 —— 在他们的文化中，小女儿从不早于大女儿结婚。雅各，因为他已经和利亚躺在一起，生米已经煮成饭了。但拉班告诉雅各，如果雅各同意再工作七年，他也要把拉结给他做妻子。因为他对拉结的爱是如此之大，雅各就同意了，并最终得到了拉结。现在雅各有两个妻子。 利亚和拉结，她们是姐妹，一个受到丈夫的爱，另一个却没有受到丈夫的爱。

随之而来的是一段三角恋中的恶斗，扩大到姐妹们的女仆和多年的嫉妒和竞争。雅各继续偏爱拉结。上帝作为对不被爱的利亚的安慰，让利亚很快就怀上了四个儿子 —— 流便、西缅、利未和犹大。但祂阻止了拉结的怀孕。

拉结对自己的生育感到绝望，恳求雅各与她的仆人辟拉同床共枕，从而通过这种结合将她的儿子们算在拉结的名下（创世记 30 章）。 雅各同意了，辟拉生了两个儿子，但和拿弗他利。

利亚也不甘示弱，意识到她已经停止生育，所以她将她的仆人悉帕交给了雅各，悉帕生了两个儿子：迦得和亚设（第 11-13 节）。 利亚又怀孕，生了以萨迦、西布伦和女儿底拿。 最后，圣经告诉我们“上帝记得拉结”（创世记 30:22）并允许她怀孕。 她生下了约瑟。

在这11个儿子和一个女儿之后，雅各带着家人回到了自己的家乡。 最终，雅各与他的哥哥以扫和好。 在与父亲以撒重新定居的途中，拉结在生下雅各的第 12 个儿子便雅悯时去世了。 雅各将她埋葬在伯利恒附近的一座坟墓中，并竖起一根据说仍然存在的柱子（创世记 35:16-20）。

这 12 个儿子后来成为以色列的 12 个支派。 上帝有的每一个计划，祂都会完成；尽管我们会太人性化地安排、操纵和小气而且嫉妒。 尽管拉结和利亚姐妹之间争吵不休，并且在她们已经拥挤的婚姻中又增加了两个妻子，但上帝在看起来一团糟的情况下产生了上帝的子民。 尽管雅各在生活中爱拉结，但在他去世时还是选择了与他最初结婚的妻子利亚一起埋葬。 这三个父母的复杂结合最终产生了 12 个儿子，他们继续成为以色列的 12 个支派，上帝称他们为自己的子民。 上帝的旨意和计划得胜了，祂最初对亚伯拉罕的应许得以实现。

讨论问题：

1. 你觉得这个故事里的人怎么样？

2. 在这个故事中，你同情哪个人，为什么？

3. 在您看来，雅各是否应该受到叔叔的这种欺骗？

From the start, Jacob in his youth was portrayed as a deceiver, which actually is what his name means. His twin Esau was a man of the land, a hunter, and the favorite of their father Isaac. Jacob, who preferred to remain at home, was the favorite of their mother Rebecca. Eventually, his mother helped him steal Esau’s birthright and blessing, and Jacob fled his brother’s wrath to a place called Haran, where his uncle Laban (his mother Rebecca's brother) lived.

This is where we meet Rachel, the beautiful second daughter of Laban. Jacob, who was by now humbled after his treachery and desperate for family ties and a place to call home, fell madly in love with Rachel. Rachel’s older sister Leah was also unmarried, but their father, Laban, agreed to let Jacob work seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage (Genesis 29:18-20).

Jacob’s work for Laban wasn’t easy—it was hard, grueling labor, even though he was his nephew. Jacob worked with Laban’s large flock of sheep for the entirety of those seven years. But he was more than willing to do this in order to marry his beloved Rachel. Indeed, the Bible tells us those seven years of labor “seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Genesis 29:20).

Then, after seven years, Jacob was ready to receive his wife, Rachel—only to be tricked by his father-in-law. After the bridal feast, Jacob thought he would wake up with Rachel, but when morning came he realized he’d been fooled. Laban had sent Leah in to bed with him (Genesis 29:23). Jacob, the deceiver, had become the deceived.

When Jacob confronted Laban, Laban was resolute—in their culture, the younger daughter never marries before the older daughter. Jacob, as he had already lain with Leah, was stuck. But Laban told Jacob he’d give Rachel, too, as his wife if Jacob agreed to seven more years of labor. His love for Rachel being so great, Jacob agreed and was given Rachel at last. Now Jacob had two wives. Leah and Rachel, both of them sisters, one loved by her husband and the other not.

What ensued was a love triangle that expanded to include the sisters’ maidservants and many years of bitter jealousy and competition. Jacob continued to prefer Rachel. God, as a consolation to the unloved Leah, enabled Leah to become pregnant with four sons in quick succession—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. But He prevented Rachel from conceiving.

In desperation over her barrenness, Rachel begged Jacob to lie with her servant, Bilhah, and thereby give her sons through this union (Genesis 30). Jacob agreed, and Bilhah went on to have two sons, Dan and Naphtali.

Leah, not to be outdone, realized she had stopped bearing children, so she gave over her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob, and Zilpah bore two sons: Gad and Asher (v. 11-13). Then Leah became pregnant again and bore Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah. Finally, the Bible tells us “God remembered Rachel” (Genesis 30:22) and allowed her to conceive. She gave birth to Joseph.

After these 11 sons and a daughter, Jacob took his family and returned to his homeland. Ultimately, Jacob made peace with his older brother, Esau. En route to resettle with his father, Isaac, Rachel died giving birth to Jacob’s 12th son, Benjamin. Jacob buried her in a tomb near Bethlehem and set up a pillar that reportedly still remains (Genesis 35:16-20).

Those 12 sons went on to become the 12 tribes of Israel. God had a plan that He would fulfill despite our all-too-human orchestrations, manipulations, and petty jealousies. Despite Rachel and Leah’s sisterly squabbles and the addition of two more wives into their already crowded marriage, God produced God’s people through what looked like a mess. Even though he loved Rachel in life, Jacob chose to be buried with his other wife Leah when he died. The complicated union of these three parents ultimately produced 12 sons who went on to be the 12 tribes of Israel, who God claimed as His own people. God’s purpose and plan prevailed and His original promise to Abraham was fulfilled.

Questions:

1. What do you think of the people in this story?

2. Which person do you sympathize with in this story and why?

3. In your opinion, did Jacob deserve this kind of deception from his uncle?