Dear Laban,
We have a soap called Emmerdale it is about farming
families and has for many years catalogued the disputes between them. Your
story would not seem entirely out of place there, even if it would need
updating a bit.
I can imagine you and the boys discussing round the dinner
table or somewhere what was going on and how you were doing compared to Jacob.
They were obviously worried about their inheritance. Then I can imagine the
brothers moaning to their friends as well as each other in whatever their equivalent
of the Woolpack was. It’s not surprising it got back to you.
Murder does not seem uncommon in your society and so were
you scared for your life and for that of your family too? You also seem to have
been getting a bit homesick wanting to go home aswell.
You changed Jacob’s wages ten times and were reluctant to
let him go. Was that because you wanted him to give you wealth or was it you
wanted your daughters to remain near you so that you could see your grandchildren
grow and so on?
I do feel for you because whilst Jacob did have a dream for
God explaining something of the genetics involved I think he was astute to know
what he was doing when he divided the flock and you and your sons may have
suffered as a result of his breeding programme.
I find it fascinating that your daughters say they had been
sold by you and were regarded as foreigners. It seems they were happy enough to
be married off by you at the time, but then their feminist sentiments broke out
when they realised how it impacted their relationship with you and inheritance.
It’s almost like they figured the dowry system was a good thing when they
thought they would benefit them in the end but when they realised you had spent
the dowry, possibly out of necessity, they realised what an oppressive system
it was.
It also seems that as the girls came to some kind of
reconciliation with each other they realised they had been forced into this
marriage whether they had wanted it or not and resented you for that.
I wonder what you thought when you realised Jacob and the
household gods had gone. Were the gods, which I am guessing were made from gold
or some such your investment system?
Did you have a violent temper, was that why you were
originally not told Jacob had fled or was it that nobody had realised before
then? I suspect the latter, but surely with such a large family somebody must
have known earlier. Maybe it was they had sympathy with this family and wanted
to give them a head start on you but bearing in mind the views of your sons I
doubt it.
It seems that you had gone with a fight in mind but then
you had that dream warning you. Were you scared of God? Had you had dreams
before or was this something new which freaked you out and meant you did as you
were told?
It seems in phrasing everything as a carefully worded
question you found a good strategy. Yet, you were able to talk about your
feelings. It sounds as if you loved your grandchildren and felt something for
your daughters. They seem like they had both been a handful in their own ways
for you over the years.
When you searched through and Rachel said she was on her
period did you believe her or did you at that point know exactly what was going
on and decide to save her life and not put Jacob and yourself in an impossible
position. I suspect it was the latter, she must have lied to you 101 times in
the past and you probably had a good idea when she was telling the truth and
when she wasn’t. You must also have had a fair idea that she was possibly the
only person who had the front to steal this. If she had been in a soap I am
sure she would have been the beautiful and successful bitch character that
people loved to hate.
Did you take it when Jacob got angry with you because you
knew he was innocent in the theft or because you were scared of what God had
said in the dream. It must have been some show down it seems that years of
resentment had been building up and I am sure from what we know of his and
Rachel’s relationship that he could verbally joust well.
You are obviously a caring man and understood the dangers
your daughters faced if you were not there to protect them, especially with the
temper Jacob appears to have.
It is good as part of the covenant you got protection for
them both physically and as wives, ensuring that no other wives would be taken
who might mean they ended up in worse positions emotionally and financially.
I like that you were able to bless your grandchildren and
daughters before they went. That must have been an extremely moving time. It is
clear that family was important to you and this parting was going to be
difficult for you. It would have made a tear jerking episode if you had been in
a soap and I felt quite moved reading this.
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