Movie: The Bible Collection: Jacob (I, H)

I've always loved the Old Testament stories of the patriarchs. The people seem so real and they walk by faith very differently from the people of the New Testament who actually get to talk and eat and live with Jesus.

This adaption of the life of Jacob didn't disappoint. The film uses dialogue not in the Biblical text to flesh out the story, but doesn't try to fill in the lost years of Jacob's life. Instead, we see him betray his brother and his father, court Rachel, and then wake up next to Leah. He sees his father-in-law's ongoing deception and betrayal as God's way of making him worthy of Abraham's blessing; in this story, what goes around truly comes around. Of course, Jacob doesn't always learn his lesson, and we see him favoring Joseph, Rachel's firstborn, over the sons of Leah, the seeds of which lead to their jealousy and will eventually cause them to sell him into slavery (although not in this film).

This film was a perfect blend of faith and humanity. We see why characters make the choices recorded in the Bible and how they respond to their conscience and the consequences of their actions. In addition, we can see how God used these people, their strengths and their weaknesses, to fulfill His perfect plan.

Since I was a little girl, I have always been fascinated with the whole Rachel/Leah marriage fiasco. How does a man not know he's sleeping with the wrong sister? How does a woman feel on her wedding night knowing her husband believes he is making love to another woman? How could two women agree to this type of deception? What kind of horrible father would ask it of them? This situation was handled deftly in the film. In fact, my only disappointment in the entire film was the omission of the very romantic line from Genesis 29:20: "So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her."

Due to some realistic swearing (from the decidedly non-religious Esau, played by Sean Bean) and adult situations (specifically, the wedding night and the morning after), I don't recommend this film for children. Still, it is both entertaining and spiritually truthful. Recommended. Grade: B+