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"Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and
four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and
the two maids. He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with
her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on ahead of
them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his
brother" (Genesis 33:1–3).
Have you ever felt like a pawn in someone else’s game plan? Have you ever
felt that your goals, your actions, even your likes and dislikes, were being
used by another person for his or her own aims? Imagine, then, what Leah and
Rachel and Joseph felt, and the servant women and children whose names were not
even recorded, when Jacob divided them all into columns and set them on the
march to confront the brother he had wronged. "What is to become of
us?" they must have wondered, as they set out on their sunrise trek,
watching 400 of Esau’s men advance toward them. Even though Jacob now decided
to move ahead, putting himself before them (a change of plan after his night of
wrestling with the mysterious messenger of God), what could this one man do to
protect them against 400? The servant women and children must have feared the
worst, thrust out in front, as a protective buffer between the advancing army
and Jacob’s official wives. And then (in verses 4–11), came the astonishing
embrace between Jacob and Esau, and devastating news, even as Jacob and Esau
rejoiced in their reconciliation: the women and children were to be given to
Esau as a gift to appease his wrath!
We read such Bible stories and think: thank goodness people no longer
"belong" to other people as property, as chattel. But then we
remember that the freedoms we think we enjoy are not universal, even today. We
need only consider the situation of women and children around the world, and
also here in North America, trapped by poverty, racism, and sexual violence.
And most of us, however privileged our circumstances, have experienced times in
our lives when we have felt our own decisions, even our own destinies, to be
captive to the goals and desires of another person. Sometimes our choices are
circumscribed by the demands of work — the expectations of a particular boss
or co-worker, or duties associated with the particular institution in which we
are working or studying. Sometimes our choices are limited by the needs and
expectations of those we love and care for — spouses, children, parents,
friends. Sometimes we even find ourselves in situations where we feel
sacrificed involuntarily for the sake of others’ anxieties, or others’
ambitions.
Remembering the situation of Leah and Rachel and the women and children in
this story, we may consider: What is my vocation, my calling, the unique gifts
and talents God has given me to make a real contribution in the world, to live
into God’s realm of peace and justice? What power and self-determination do
I
have to discern and follow the path God is laying out before me? Do others
influence, or even control, my path? How can
I
remain faithful to my calling even in such circumstances? Are there ways
I
can stand up to those who would use me only for their own purposes?
Prayer
Loving Mother-Father God, you rejoice in the uniqueness and dignity of every
person: Grant me the courage and the wisdom to discern the path that God has
given me, so that my life may be given freely for the purposes for which you
especially created me! And give me strength and wisdom to help empower others
to discover the freedom and joy of their calling! Amen
Pamela Cooper-White is the author of The Cry of Tamar: Violence
Against Women and the Church’s Response. An Episcopal priest and pastoral
psychotherapist, she serves as associate professor of pastoral theology at the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible,
copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used
by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright
© 2002 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. All rights
reserved.
May be reproduced for use in congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America provided the copyright information above appears on
every copy with these words: Used with permission.
For all other purposes
contact Women of the ELCA.
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