karma comes home to roost

Okay, so here's the good old Sunday School bible story of Jacob - - who so far has made his way in life by seething jealousy, conspiracy, trickery, greed, guile, cunning, dishonesty and shamelessness - - getting his comeuppance, what's coming to him. In some circles it would be called karma. The chickens come home to roost. 



Jacob who with no conscience tricked his blind father, in the darkness of old age, out of the blessing and inheritance that rightfully belonged to Esau, his brother who trusted him, now is himself tricked, by a relative he trusts, under cover of the same darkness, out of the bride for whom he has been lusting more than seven years. 

At midnight, Laban escorts his new son-in-law Jacob, drunk with wine and lust, to the bridal chamber where the wrong sister, the ugly one, lies waiting in bed behind the veils. Probably giggling, certainly snickering. Laban wishes Jacob a joyous wedding night, switches off the light, and closes the door. In pitch black darkness, Jacob rushes blindly to the marriage bed.

The rest is Heilsgeschichte. The next morning Jacob wakens sobered into the worst hangover of his life: Reuben is on the way.

A campfire story for the ages, it is classic Yiddishkeit, not to satisfy a man's lasciviousness but part of the saga of God's ongoing sense of humor, slow, deliberate, taking His time, never in a hurry as He fulfills his promises to Abraham:

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

Confitemini Domino

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.

3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.

7 He is the Lord our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.

8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:

9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,

10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,

11 Saying, "To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance."


As always, the rabbis, who relish a good tale and get generation upon generation of scholarly enjoyment from it, chuckle over the story with far greater insight than us pious, foolish, literalist, inerrantist Christians:


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The Collect
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament
Genesis 29:15-28

Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 

The Response

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

Confitemini Domino

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.

3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.

7 He is the Lord our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.

8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:

9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,

10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,

11 Saying, "To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance."

45b Hallelujah!

or

Psalm 128

Beati omnes

1 Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
and who follow in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.

3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.

4 The man who fears the Lord *
shall thus indeed be blessed.

5 The Lord bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.


The Epistle

Romans 8:26-39


The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.


What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” 


No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 


The Gospel

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52


Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 


He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”


“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.


“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.


“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 


“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”