Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 31:14-15 (New Living Translation)

14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.

Two sisters, Rachel and Leah, are speaking to their shared husband Jacob. Their father sold them to Jacob.

Let’s try to take that in for a moment. These women realize the position the world has handed them. They are property. They were owned by their father and now they are owned by their husband. They were traded on the open market—literally bought and sold.

These sisters weren’t perfect. They were all too human and sinned plenty on their own. They were, however, loyal in their lives. In the face of injustice, they attempted to be just.

As Christians, we don’t have to act like those around us act. We have a standard given to us by God. Let us reach for godliness. We may not attain it often, but let us constantly reach.