Do you recognize yourself in Leah ?

Wednesday 23 August 2023

Do you recognize yourself in Leah ?

“When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, He made her fruitful... Genesis 29. 31 Version Nouvelle French Courant

Do you recognize yourself in Leah, Jacob's first wife ? Her dearest desire was to feel loved by her husband, but the latter, in love with Rachel, her younger sister, could not accept the deception of Laban, the father of the two young women, who had put Leah in the Jacob's bed instead of Rachel. Jacob had reason to complain, but Leah had nothing to do with it. Do you feel frustrated for not being loved as you deserve ? She did everything to attract her husband, but the only thing she could get from him was that he give her children. And God, who saw Leah's distress, allowed her to have several. At each birth Leah sought an alleviation of her pain : after Reuben, she exclaimed : “The Lord has seen my affliction ; now my husband will love me” (v. 32), After Simeon she declared : “The Lord heard that I was not loved and He also gave me this one.” (v. 33). After Levi was born, she said : “This time my husband will stick to me, because I have given him three sons” (v. 34). Leah learned to overcome her frustration, because she clung to her hope of being loved. She also clung to her faith in God who she knew had blessed her with these three births. But suddenly, with the fourth Judah, the tone changes ! She exclaims : “This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called her Judah” (v. 35). This time, she no longer seeks to be loved by Jacob, but draws closer to God to praise Him. Her faith had grown stronger over the years, and now she knew she could change her heart if not her husband's. A lesson for us today : never give up hope. God hears you and when the time comes He will bless you to the point that you will glorify Him without restraint. She might have become embittered over the years, but instead she wanted to praise the Lord. And the reward for Leah ? It is his son Judah who would become the ancestor of Christ and not Joseph, the son of Rachel ! It is to him that Jacob will later affirm : “The scepter will not be taken away from Judah...until the one to whom it belongs comes...”, that is to say Jesus ! Do not despair, God's answers are surprising !

Source (His Word for Today)