Leah, the unloved Woman

 

Ebu let's be vulnerable for a minute. Have you ever felt unseen? degraded? unloved maybe not romantically but platonically, by family, colleagues? Worked hard to be seen and loved? Went out of your way to feel worthy? Probably done everything in your power to be seen? Well, me too, but what if this time we just praise the Lord? 

I was listening to a sermon a few weeks ago (I'll link it down here) about Leah, the unloved Woman. I'll give a short backstory just to refresh our memory. 

So this kaguy, Jacob goes to his uncle's place, Laban and immediately falls in love with this beautiful girl he meets at the well, Rachel. He works for 7 years!! not 1, not 2 but 7 years to get Rachel. The Bible says "and the time seemed like only a few days to him, because he loved her". Ladies if he wanted to... Anyway, I digress, so he works for 7 years and once he is done, si he expects to be given Rachel but uncle Laban says "Kumbavu zako" and gives him Leah since, allegedly, according to the custom the younger sister can not be married before the older one. But because Jacob loves Rachel so much he accepts to work for Laban for another 7 years to have her. And so Rachel and Leah are not only sisters but also co-wives. This story lays the foundation for the 12 tribes of Israel.

In Sunday school, I remember thinking to myself how Leah was the villain in the story of Jacob and Rachel. How it would have been the perfect love story if Leah was not involved entirely but boy was I wrong! This sermon changed my perception completely and I actually SAW Leah as the unloved woman. I imagined her sitting there watching Jacob working 7 years for her sister's hand in marriage wishing her time would come. Then her father tricks Jacob into marrying her (imagine a guy being tricked so he can marry you weuh!) and as if that's not enough, he accepts to work another 7 for Rachel and the scripture says "...and he loved her more than Leah". 

It is so sad because Leah just wanted to be loved and she did everything she could to be seen not as Leah, Rachel's sister but just as Leah, the woman worthy of love. The part that crushes my soul is even the names she gave her children were based on her need to be loved. 

Her first son- Reuben meaning "The Lord has seen my trouble and now my husband will love me"
Second son- Simeon meaning "The Lord has given me this son also because He heard that I was not loved" 

Third son - Levi meaning "Now my husband will be bound more tightly to me, because I have borne him three sons"

But then at her finest hour, after getting her 4th son, Judah she said you know what 'This time I will praise the Lord'

Sometimes we are Leah, feeling unloved and unseen. Praying to be seen, begging to be loved. It breaks the heart almost to physical pain. 

During these 'pockets' of unworthiness please remember He sees you. The Lord sees you and He loves you. He is a God who cares about the neglected and the unloved. He does not reason like men. The word says " When the Lord saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, He made it possible for her to have children..." The good Lord has plans that will shock you (in a good way of course). This might sound cliche but the plans He has for you are for prosperity. If you think I'm just yapping, listen to how the story ends.

Levi, Leah's son, becomes the ancestor of Moses, mmh! the same Moses who parted the Red Sea, the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. 

If this didn't grip the deepest part of your soul, then this might

Judah, still Leah's son, becomes the ancestor of JESUS! yap Jesus Jesus, like our Savior Jesus, the Lord Jesus. And in Revelation 5: 5 it says " Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals" 

Guys the Lord is very very! intentional with our story, nothing happens without His approval. He sees the bigger picture. The legacy of the unloved woman was always that she was to become the ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was always the secret will of God for His daughter, even when she felt unloved, God still called her 'My beloved daughter". So if you're feeling unloved, if your heart is heavy and your mind clouded remember he calls you by His name, you are His beloved.  You might not see it but your story is beautiful. Trust me. 

As if the tea hasn't tead enough! , Jacob instructed his sons to bury him next to Leah. "That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Rebecca, and that is where I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were brought from the Hittites. Bury me there"

So, my lovelies, in those moments when you feel unseen, please take heart. God sees you, loves you and is weaving a masterpiece out of your life. Imagine let us just declare 'This time I will praise the Lord". Remember, your story is not finished yet, it's being written by the greatest Author of all time.

With love,

Joy 💛


Sermon link:  The Unloved Woman