Are you a LEAHder?

POV: The mind of Leah, Genesis 29 and 30

“There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.”

- Genesis 29:17

Projections, opinions of others thrust upon another person as fact.

Sometimes, unique beauties, like Leah, are told what our insufficiency is and thus what our capabilities are. Most of the time, we don’t perceive ourselves in that way, we don’t embody these traits… at least initially. After years of being told how delicate her eyes are and repeatedly having this feature being the reason she is denied access to engage in certain activities or discouraged from pursuing certain activities; it makes perfect sense that her eyes wouldn’t still “sparkle”. Also, by what scale is Jacob using to determine if Leah’s eyes sparkled? With his overwhelming love for Rachel, was Jacob even observing Leah’s features? If Jacob had truly taken notice of Leah he may have seen the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled, or laughed or was engaged in conversation with her loved ones. A lot of treasures go unnoticed in this world because they are “hidden” in unusual vessels. An astute author could be hidden in an individual diagnosed with dyslexia. They remain reluctant to write because of years of being told this is not a skill they can easily master. A wonderful voice with poignant thoughts could be hidden in a non-verbal person with autism. Access to the right digital speech aid could remove the barrier and make their thoughts audible to the world. Just as the sparkle was hidden behind the delicate eyes of Leah, who needed to know she was accepted and validated in this world.

Backstory: Jacob, son of Issac, was commanded by his father to marry (take a wife) from Laban’s House, his mother did not want him marrying a Hittite. As a shepherd, Rachel had a chance meeting with Jacob by the watering well. Leah, her older sister, is simply described as having weak eyes - no profession, no statement of her interests, just her unique feature - which by societal standards made her less desirable. Rachel is further described as having a lovely figure and beautiful face with eyes that sparkled. Because of his great love for Rachel Jacob worked for 14 years on Laban’s estate to finalize his marriage to Rachel, her bride price, if you will. Tradition threw Leah into this love story; because the custom of the day was that the older daughter must be married first. Laban, being an opportunist, used Jacob's interest in Rachel to secure a future for his unique daughter Leah as well.

Genesis 29:30 “So Jacob slept with Rachel too, and he loved her much more than Leah”. Can you imagine how Leah must have felt? Unloved, undesirable, but still required to fulfill marital relations with Jacob. So many of us can relate to this feeling. When you are an altruistic, non-scripted, non-agenda having individual in this opportunistic world. The revelation that the interest you have in someone is not mutual and the relationship is not reciprocal, the other party is simply “using” you; this truth can be devastating. But God calls us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, not to always “match” energy. Never forget - God nah sleep!! Translation: Your heavenly Father is always watching over you, and He is your defender and protector. Genesis 29:31-32 “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, (because she thought) The Lord has noticed my misery and now my husband will love me.” Leah went on to conceive 6 more children for Jacob. In total Leah added 9 children to Jacob’s lineage. Leah named her first 3 children from a place of self-pity and longing for Jacob to love her in the same degree that he loved Rachel.

Her mindset shift can be observed in how she praised after naming her children.

Reuben - Hebrew name meaning behold a son; Leah’s declaration: “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

Simeon - Hebrew name meaning He (God) has heard; Leah’s declaration: “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.”

Levi - Hebrew name meaning joined/attached/to accompany/ to escort; Leah’s declaration: “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.”

Judah - Hebrew name meaning praise/to give thanks; Leah’s declaration: “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.

Gad - Hebrew name meaning luck/fortune; Leah’s declaration: “What good fortune!”

Asher - Hebrew name meaning happiness/blessedness/reflecting the desire for a fulfilling and fortunate life; Leah’s declaration: “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.”

Issachar - Hebrew name meaning there is a reward/He will bring a reward; Leah’s declaration: “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”

Zebulum - Hebrew name meaning dwelling of honour; Leah’s declaration: “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.”

Dinah - Hebrew name meaning judged/vindicated; Leah’s declaration: The was no specific declaration noted, but it is my belief she was still filled with praise, since her perspective on her importance to God had now changed.

Last thoughts: It requires determination and discipline to reach beyond the present and to press forward to a glorious future in God [Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus; Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”]. If God is able to look beyond human imperfection to bring about His plans and purposes, Can you learn to trust in Him more for the future?