February 9, 2020
While doing my Bible reading, I came to Moses’ account of Jacob, Rachel and Leah in Genesis. I have always been taught (and frankly, have just plodded right along without thinking very much about it) that Leah was the ugly duckling and Rachel was the beautiful damsel whom Jacob loved. While this is probably true, let’s dig a little deeper. Leah must have felt like she was a forgotten outcast. Notice her words in Genesis 29:32-34. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. Look at one more verse, Genesis 30:20. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” I underlined those words so they would stand out. While Jacob may not have “loved” Leah in the same way that he “loved” Rachel, God blessed Leah. In fact, God’s Son and our Savior will come through the lineage of Judah, who was the son of Leah! If you read the rest of the story, you will discover that Rachel, Jacob’s beloved, died while giving birth to Benjamin and was buried by the roadside as they were traveling. Ironically, when Jacob died, he was buried with Leah (Compare Genesis 49:31 and 50:13). There is one more nugget that stood out to me during this trip through the lives of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Jacob might have loved Rachel, but Rachel loved idols (Genesis 31:19). I wonder how Rachel’s divided heart influenced her husband’s walk with God? My big takeaway from all of this is that God always blesses and shows mercy to the forgotten and the outcast. As we are called to be lights to the world around us, let’s not neglect those on the fringes. The outcast. The forgotten. The unloved. They may be on the outside looking in as far as the world is concerned, but they are being held firmly in the palm of God’s hand.
Be blessed and be a blessing….. Bro. Andy
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