Remember the story of Leah and Rachel? Jacob worked for Laban seven years in order to marry the beautiful Rachel. However, he pulled a fasat one on Jacob and gave his daughter Leah. Genesis 29:25 states:
When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?”It was customary for the oldest daughter to marry first. But Leah had “weak eyes.” Laban obviously thought he could not marry her off. Not to mention, he was receiving some pretty cheap labor from Jacob, so he tricked him. When Jacob promised to work another seven years for Rachel, Laban gave her to Jacob the next week.
A little further in verse 30 it says “Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.” Poor Leah! How tough that must have been for her, never measuring up to the beautiful Rachel.
The story goes on:
“When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”Each time Leah gave birth she thought, “Surely my husband will love me now.” Or “Now at last my husband will be attached to me because I have borne him three sons.”
But what happened? Even bringing forth sons did not make Jacob love Leah. Oh, I can imagine how she felt, never measuring up, never being good enough, or pretty enough or anything enough. I am sure Leah was certain that she could earn Jacob’s love by bearing sons, but it didn’t work. I imagine Leah trying to be a better cook, a better housekeeper; trying and trying to best Rachel at everything - to no avail.
Do you ever feel like this? Do you ever think, if you change, if you do everything better, if you bend over backward, everyone will love you? If you have, you know it does not work.
So what did Leah do? She had another son, but this time she did not kid herself that this would be the son who would bring Jacob to her. She said “This time I will praise the Lord.”
I read an article this week by Timothy J. Keller at www.PrechingToday.com about Leah, The Girl Nobody Wanted. Here are a couple of things he has to say about her.
"Leah became the seed—Leah the outsider, the Leah the ugly, Leah the rejected. Because she grabbed hold with faith, she got her life back from all the people that had ruined it for her. She got it back. And God comes down and makes her into the seed. She goes ahead of her husband. She understands the gospel better than her husband. And at the very end God says, Now through your suffering, because you have come to understand the gospel of grace, you are the seed and your son Judah is the seed, and you become the mother of Jesus.”
How could this be? How could this possibly be? Why would God choose Leah to do that? And the answer is right here.
"When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved he came to her." And now we know.
The Old Testament shows us what the New Testament really, really tells us. God loves those who others don't love. God is attracted to the weak because of his gracious nature and he wants the ones that no one else wants.
Though we may look like Leah, to Jesus Christ we look like Rachel. That's the gospel. We might look like Leah in ourselves, but to Jesus Christ we look gorgeous. And that is exactly what God does here.”
Sisters, doesn't this just give you goosebumps?
I have been there, I have been a Leah. I have had all those feelings of rejections. I know how it feels. And, sometimes when things seem bleak, I am right there again, feeling weak and unwanted. But Praise the Lord! My Lord cherishes me and He sees me “lovely in form and beautiful” like Rachel.
The next time you feel self-doubt, or rejected remember the story of Leah and know that you are loved and treasured.
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1 comment:
Ah this is exactly what I needed today.I know that God lead me to read this today.!!thank you
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