Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children." Genesis 29:31-35
Up to this point, most of the focus in Genesis, Chapter 29, has revolved around Jacob’s quest for Rachel as he first made arrangement with Laban to work seven years for the opportunity to marry her and then, after being deceived by Laban to sleep with and marry his other daughter Leah, work another seven years in exchange for marrying Rachel as well. You’ll remember scripture telling us that Jacob "loved Rachel more than Leah." (verse 30) It would be easy to get caught up in the happiness of Jacob finally getting the woman "he loved" in Rachel but we would do that at the expense of thinking about Leah…and that would be wrong.
How can I say that? Well, look at verse 31 and see what happens right after Jacob gets his woman in Rachel. God steps in to attend to the abandoned Leah. In the midst of her heartbreak and disappointment in not receiving favor from Jacob, in steps the Lord to show Leah she can always count on the Father’s love, even when others let her down. We read that God "opened her womb" while Rachel was made barren. Jacob’s first children would come from the woman he favored less. Leah would get the blessing and joy of bearing children for Jacob and this overcomes her despair…evidenced by the her words as gave birth and named her first four sons. They were as follows:
1. Reuben – "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now."
2. Simeon – "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too."
3. Levi - "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons."
4. Judah – "This time I will praise the Lord." Notice that Leah’s heart longed for Jacob’s heart but in the end, she was led to praise the Lord…the source of her love and blessings.
There are several important life lessons to glean from this passage and Leah’s story:
1. We can truly hurt others when we withdraw our love from them. We all have an inherent need to be loved and accepted. Intentionally with holding you love from others can cause irreparable damage and scar people for life. Remember that the greatest commandments of Jesus revolved around love because at the heart of Jesus was just that…love. If we truly are Christians and Christ is in our hearts, then we will never hesitate to love anyone.
Question: Is there someone you know that needs loved? Why not extend some to them today? Maybe you have had a time when you have not felt loved…in fact, maybe you are feeling that way right now. For all those in need of love, here’s a second assurance we find in our passage.
2. God looks after the unloved. Our scripture assures us of this. In Leah’s sadness and time of need, God entered in. He’ll do the same for you or anyone else that needs love for we can always count on the love of the Father when all other love fails. He’s always there for us.
3. No matter how we might try to figure out why good things start to happen to us in time of need, we only need to turn to the Lord and know He and He alone is the source of our blessings. It may have taken bearing her fourth son for Leah to figure it out but she did. She was taken from the place or worldly reason and into the spirit of praise unto the Lord.
Question: Have you stopped to praise the Lord today? Even if you haven’t received anything tangible, you have already received His mercy, grace and the love that brings them to life. Just the opportunity to take breath is a gift from God above…the giver of every good and perfect thing…the Father who never fails to love us, no matter where we are. Thanks be to God for His goodness.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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