Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-Two
Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
Today, we get three questions for the price of one. This story is just so packed with weirdness that we need bonus questions today! We left off yesterday with Jacob setting off to his Uncle Laban’s. It’s a long trip…500 miles or so. He’s got a lot of time to think on his life. Thus far, Jacob has shown no interest in God, really. God is the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and the God of his father, Isaac. That is…until he camps at Bethel.
At Bethel, Jacob has a dream of a stairway or ladder going up into heaven, and the Lord speaks to him and gives him the same promise he had made to Abraham and Isaac. Now Jacob himself has an awareness of God! “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it…This is none other than the house of God!” (Gen. 28: 16-17 – Bethel means “House of God”) Jacob makes a promise to God to come back and worship here.
Moving on to Paddan Aram…Jacob comes to a well (does this sound familiar?) and it is there that he meets Rachel, his Uncle Laban’s daughter. He is so blown away by Rachel that the first thing he does is kiss her and start to weep. (29:11) Not weird at all… Rachel takes Jacob back to Laban’s place, where Jacob is welcomed in like a long-lost relative. Jacob stayed with him for a month, helping out with things around the farm.
After Jacob works for a month, Laban comes to him and says, “You shouldn’t just work for free. Tell me what your wages should be.” Jacob was head-over-heels for Rachel, so he said, “I’ll work for seven years in return for your daughter, Rachel.” Rachel was beautiful. Her older sister, Leah…ummm…had a good personality? Seriously, it just said she had “weak eyes.” Rachel was “lovely in form.” Her name meant, “ewe.” Leah’s name meant “cow.”
Fast forward seven years…the time just flew by, because Jacob was so in LUV with Rachel. Time for the wedding feast! So, after the feast, Laban brings a veiled, nice-smelling woman to Jacob’s honeymoon tent. “Have fun, you two!” Wink wink… The morning after, Jacob realizes that Laban has done a switcheroo. He has Leah, and not Rachel! “Why have you deceived me?” he asks his father-in-law/uncle.
Isn’t it ironic that Jacob, the deceiver, gets deceived? And then Jacob gets really angry at the deception. It feels different when things are turned around on him.
Reflection: What negative traits in others makes you the angriest? Have you thought about how that might be some trait in your own life?
Action: Take some time today to write in your journal. Start out with, “If I’m totally honest with myself…” and then see where that takes you.
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”
- Merriam Webster
Today, we get three questions for the price of one. This story is just so packed with weirdness that we need bonus questions today! We left off yesterday with Jacob setting off to his Uncle Laban’s. It’s a long trip…500 miles or so. He’s got a lot of time to think on his life. Thus far, Jacob has shown no interest in God, really. God is the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and the God of his father, Isaac. That is…until he camps at Bethel.
At Bethel, Jacob has a dream of a stairway or ladder going up into heaven, and the Lord speaks to him and gives him the same promise he had made to Abraham and Isaac. Now Jacob himself has an awareness of God! “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it…This is none other than the house of God!” (Gen. 28: 16-17 – Bethel means “House of God”) Jacob makes a promise to God to come back and worship here.
Moving on to Paddan Aram…Jacob comes to a well (does this sound familiar?) and it is there that he meets Rachel, his Uncle Laban’s daughter. He is so blown away by Rachel that the first thing he does is kiss her and start to weep. (29:11) Not weird at all… Rachel takes Jacob back to Laban’s place, where Jacob is welcomed in like a long-lost relative. Jacob stayed with him for a month, helping out with things around the farm.
After Jacob works for a month, Laban comes to him and says, “You shouldn’t just work for free. Tell me what your wages should be.” Jacob was head-over-heels for Rachel, so he said, “I’ll work for seven years in return for your daughter, Rachel.” Rachel was beautiful. Her older sister, Leah…ummm…had a good personality? Seriously, it just said she had “weak eyes.” Rachel was “lovely in form.” Her name meant, “ewe.” Leah’s name meant “cow.”
Fast forward seven years…the time just flew by, because Jacob was so in LUV with Rachel. Time for the wedding feast! So, after the feast, Laban brings a veiled, nice-smelling woman to Jacob’s honeymoon tent. “Have fun, you two!” Wink wink… The morning after, Jacob realizes that Laban has done a switcheroo. He has Leah, and not Rachel! “Why have you deceived me?” he asks his father-in-law/uncle.
Isn’t it ironic that Jacob, the deceiver, gets deceived? And then Jacob gets really angry at the deception. It feels different when things are turned around on him.
Reflection: What negative traits in others makes you the angriest? Have you thought about how that might be some trait in your own life?
Action: Take some time today to write in your journal. Start out with, “If I’m totally honest with myself…” and then see where that takes you.
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Lenten DevotionalsWeird is the New Normal: Day OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisDay 5: Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in GenesisWeird is the New Normal: Day SixWeird is the New Normal: Day SevenWeird is the New Normal: Day EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis Day NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis: Day TenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day ElevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day Twelve
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