About 4700 years ago, Jacob was haggling with his future father-in-law about the price of the daughters he had for sale at his slave auction.
“I’d like to buy that one over there. The one with the nose ring and green—” Jacob points.
“Oh, that’s a very fine model. You see how bright her headlights are?” Laban is at his elbow, nodding, but tugging him away to another woman. “This one, though, is on sale this week. In fact, we may also have a buy one, get one free deal for you.”
“No. I want that one. The one who met me when I came through the door—” Jacob takes Laban over to the other end of the showroom and points directly at Rachel. “She’s the only one on your lot that I’m interested in. What are you asking?”
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
“No. But my father said I should ask for the family discount.”
“Yes. Yes. I remember your father well. We have this tradition, though…” He made a dismissive gesture as if the matter was trivial. “Of first, selling off our oldest daughters. Then, we put the younger ones up on the auction block. I can go as low as seven years working for me.”
“Deal.” Jacob was done haggling. “Wrap her up. You take credit?”
“No. But we have this layaway plan—”
And Rachel watched this from the other side of the showroom. What was she thinking?
In the church, we have a long tradition of “cleaning up” the events and language of the Bible. Here, I am doing the opposite. I have rewritten this event to shame those who would tell it as a love story. Love is hard to find in patriarchal systems. What is plainly displayed is the objectification of women (Jacob chooses bright eyes over dull) and the systemic enslavement of both kin and stranger. Divisions are made according to gender, race, and national origin. Economic enslavement was also common, even though the Law of Moses forbade usury, unfair foreclosures, and any mistreatment of debtors.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Middle-eastern tradition of hospitality to strangers is regarded as an unbreakable and holy ordinance. But we also see many examples of respected elders mistreating strangers and engaging in unjustifiable wars with those who are “outside of the family.” Laban uses Isaac and Jacob’s prejudices to his own advantage. He has these excess daughters that he can get a higher price for if he references family bonds and his fidelity to their shared traditions. No one is acting as if individual people matter more than lifeless traditions.
Having said the above, I do not think we have come very far from this sad tale. We speak about our 250-year tradition of promising each person equal access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; but the current political culture seeks to normalize the ill treatment of strangers. Further, those who are within our family, and yet are LGBTQ, have less access to these rights than they had a decade ago. Only when progressive ideals are continually upheld in the courts, as well as in our churches and workplaces, do we have justice for all. America is again headed towards a place where the systemic enslavement of strangers and the ownership of women will be legitimate. Only by escaping Laban can Jacob and his family find freedom. Only by repudiating the whole MAGA movement can we, as a spiritual and justice-minded people, recover our inheritance.