Leah must have laid awake all night thinking of the moment when her new husband would awaken. She knew that it was not her face he expected to see, but Rachel’s. Jacob had been a victim of lies and deceit. When he realised that a ‘switch’ had occurred, he quickly made a new deal with Laban to marry the woman he had been promised (Gen. 29:25-27).

Have you ever felt insignificant or second best? Leah felt that way. It’s seen in the names she chose for her first three sons (vv.31-35). Reuben means “See, a Son”; Simeon means “Heard”; and Levi means “Attached”. Their names were all plays on words that indicated the lack of love she felt from Jacob. With each son’s birth, she desperately hoped she would move up in Jacob’s affections and earn his love. But slowly Leah’s attitude changed, and she named her fourth son Judah, which means “Praise” (v.35). Though she felt unloved by her husband, perhaps she now realised she was greatly loved by God.

We can never ‘earn’ God’s love, because it’s not dependent on what we do. The Bible tells us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). In God’s eyes we are worth the best that heaven could offer—the gift of His precious Son.

Author

Cindy Hess Kasper

Topics

Our Daily Bread