"When morning came, there was Leah!" — Genesis 29:25
In the dirty tricks department, this has to rank as one the cruelest deceptions in the Bible. I’ve often thought about Jacob’s dismay, but today I’m thinking about Leah. What pain she must have suffered! Her wedding night should have been one of the happiest moments in her life. Instead, she was trapped in her father’s deception, forced to receive the affections and attention that she knew were intended for someone else.
And so began a lifetime of misery, knowing that she was unloved, that she would always live in the shadow of her younger sister, never measuring up.
God gave Leah six sons and a daughter. Without her husband’s love, it seems that her children were all she had. The last time Leah is mentioned, she and her children are being used as a human shield to protect Rachel and Joseph from Esau. Like so many other people, Leah lived a broken life.
Where do we find happiness when our dreams are dashed to the ground like broken pottery?
I catch a hint of the answer in 29:31, "When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren."
Perhaps Jacob didn’t have enough sense to love Leah at first — or maybe at all — but the LORD loved her.
We sing this little song: "Jesus loves me, this I know."
How do we know? We know God’s love with our logical minds because the Bible tells us so. But we need to know deep inside, so we have something big enough and strong enough to carry us through the deep hurts of life. How? There is only one way. We must bring all of those unloved places in our hearts to God, and let Him love us back to peace and joy.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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Visit DwightClough.com for more information. Dwight and his wife Kim are active members of Lake City Church in Madison.