Leah: Lesson 2

So we find Leah, who is married to Jacob, who is ALSO married to Leah's sister, Rachel. Can you feel the tension? I would think so! Leah is feeling pretty helpless. I mean, her sister is better in every area in life, from beauty to talent. How can she win Jacob's love if she has nothing he wants?

Back in the beginning of the world, men valued women who could give them sons. The more sons, the more generations to carry on the family name. Well, Rachel was unable to have children of her own, but Leah was. For once, Leah was ahead. She thought that by having more sons, SURELY Jacob would love her more.

Her first son she named Reuben(Look-it's-a-boy!). She thought that it was a sign from God, saying that He had seen her misery; and that Jacob would love her now. But he still was madly in love with Rachel, who couldn't have children. Leah's second son was named Simeon(God-Heard). She named the 3rd child Levi (Connect), thinking that her husband would finally connect with her. Finally, she became pregnant with a fourth son, who she named Judah(Praise-God), because this time instead of living life all about HER, she was going to praise God for the children she had been blessed with. Even after all this, Jacob still didn't love her.

You see, Leah was looking in all the wrong places to find love. She was obsessed with herself and what she wanted, Jacob's love, that she was forgetting the most important thing, God. Doesn't that sound so familiar? But it wasn't all unintentional. The first three times, Leah acknowledged God and His role in the blessings she was receiving. But since she didn't praise God, her focus remained on Jacob. When Judah was born, her focus turned toward praising God. I think we need to find a place where we don't just acknowledge God, but praise him for the things he does.

Thoughts?