OWB Blog Hop – The Reluctant Rival: Leah

The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story is the story of Jacob and his first wife, Leah, described in Genesis 29:16-25.

About the Book:

The moment Leah set eyes on Jacob ben Isaac, she was in love. Unfortunately, Jacob preferred her younger sister, Rachel. But when her father hatched a plan that would make Leah Jacob’s wife, she agreed due to her love for him—and fear of Jacob’s brother, Esau. Now, over a decade later, she is one of four wives vying for Jacob’s attention—and the only wife who follows his God. Throughout the years, the boundaries between the four women have been clear. That is until Rachel births her first son, and Leah her first daughter. Joseph and Dinah are the darlings of Jacob’s camp and the newest tension between rivaling sisters.

Leah fumes when she discovers Rachel teaching Joseph and Dinah about pagan gods. Will Rachel’s relentless devotion to false deities poison their children—and perhaps the whole family? Can Leah keep her sister from destroying Jacob’s faith in Elohim?

What I learned while writing the book . . .

http://www.ardani.net/armenia/pics/urartu-armenia.jpg

I don’t have to be pretty or perfect or even loved by the most important people in my life—to be cherished by my God. For a people-pleaser like me, this is a huge lesson I must relearn again and again.

Have you ever wondered what Genesis 29:17 meant when it said Leah had “weak eyes”? I discovered in 2008, while researching my debut novel, Love Amid the Ashes, some scholars believed “weak eyes” could mean light-colored eyes since there is evidence of light-eyed people in Aramean history (proven by the light-eyed sphynx).

However, while digging a little deeper into research for The Reluctant Rival, I found an intriguing second option in Jewish tradition for Leah’s eyes to be described as weak. In Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, he wrote:

“[Leah] had but one defect, her eyes were weak, and this malady she had brought down upon herself, through her own action [crying over having been promised as a bride to the evil Esau].” Legends of the Jews (2^nd Ed., p. 283).

You’ve heard of “crying your eyes out?” Well, Leah may have “cried her eyes weak” because she was betrothed to Esau. When Jacob showed up—without two shekels in his pocket—he chose Rachel, the sister he was already pledged to (according to tradition). But Esau had reneged on the betrothal and already married Canaanite women, jilting Leah in Paddan Aram (who didn’t want to marry him anyway.

Clear as mud?

Boiling it down . . .

Nobody wanted Leah. She was a weak-eyed, old maid who stayed close to home while her spunky sister was the quintessential voluptuous tomboy tending sheep.

Everyone chose Rachel—except God.

And when God puts His great big finger on the scale, everything—including Leah’s perceptions about herself—began to change. THAT’S the way I told Leah’s story in The Reluctant Rival.

As a brief explanation of how Guideposts encourages its authors to write biblical fiction (and the concept that guides me personally):

1. Biblical Truth – unalterable, unquestionable
2. Historical Fact – carefully researched but sometimes conflicting
3. Creative Fiction – imagination used like mortar to connect biblical Truth and historical fact into a work of fiction that stirs a hunger for God’s Word.

My Giveaway . . .

I’m giving away an autographed copy of The Reluctant Rival. To enter the drawing, CLICK HERE to join my fantastic group of “newsies”—the folks who get updates on my latest writing news and pray with me through life’s celebrations and challenges. (Since social media has become a less-inviting place, I spend more focused time with my newsies—but I still check in with faithful Facebook and Instagram friends!)

If you’re already subscribed to my newsletter, no worries! Re-subscribe USING THE SAME EMAIL you currently use, and the software will cull out the duplicate.

On October 12, I’ll draw two names and notify you if your name is drawn. You’ll have 24 hours to respond and claim your copy of The Reluctant Rival! If you happen to win the Blog Hop grand prize of all 24 books in the series, you can select another of my books instead.

(If you don’t respond to the winner notification email within 24-hours, we’ll have to choose another winner. Only U.S. entries, please, due to shipping costs.)

My Blog Hop Keyword:      CHOSEN

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