In the Old Testament, Leah was the older sister of Rachel and the unloved first wife of Jacob. When Jacob worked seven years for the right to marry Rachel, her father Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah because she was the older sister. But the Bible states that “there was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes” and Rachel “had a beautiful figure and a lovely face” (Gen. 29:17).  When reading about the story of Leah, as a woman, my heart hurts for her. She was not notably beautiful, she was unloved by her husband, and she faced this rejection her whole married life. There wasn’t a time that Jacob expressed his love and affection for her. Yes, he provided for her and yes, he shared children with her, but she was not the one that his heart desired. To think about her living everyday feeling this rejection and comparison to her younger more beautiful sister, to never be chosen and loved like that, it must have been so hard.

  After the birth of every child she gave to Jacob, the names and words she spoke reflected what was in her heart at the time. Her first son she named “Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.” (Gen. 29:32 NLT) She so wanted to be loved by Jacob, but never experienced it. Her next son was named “Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.” (Gen. 29:33 NLT) Again, her pain for not being loved was evident. The next son born was “Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!” (Gen. 29:34 NLT). In this verse she seems to have given up on feeling loved and would settle for any form of affection at all. When reading the exclamation at the end of that last verse, we can almost feel the exasperation in her words. As if to say, “What else do you want from me? I have given you so much, isn’t that worth any affection?” Her next son, “She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” (Gen. 29:35 NLT). Her focus was no longer on Jacob, or not feeling loved by him, her focus was now on the Lord. She knew that she had been blessed far beyond the mere feelings of love from her husband. She had been craving love, but she now saw that God was the One all along that was loving her and she praised Him.

She may never have felt the love of a husband, or even the feelings of being chosen and wanted compared to her sister, but God was not ignoring her. “Leah was the mother of two tribes that played significant roles in Israelite history. The tribe of Levi was the tribe of the priesthood, and the tribe of Judah became the tribe of royalty through which the promised seed (3:15; 12:2-3; 2 Sam 7:16; Matt 1:1) came in the person of Jesus Christ.” (NLT Study Bible (2017). P. 79. By Tyndale House Publishers. Carol Stream, Illinois, USA)

Through her life and her place in history, God was working to bring about the path to the Savior of the world in Jesus. Leah may have felt immense heartache and pain during her life, but God had not abandoned her, He blessed her. Her name and lineage will forever be tied to Jesus Himself and that is the biggest blessing of all.