Leah's story starts with "Leah - Wife of Jacob"

And so Leah entered the competition for her husband's affection.

Leah was the first wife to produce a child. It was a son, whom she named him Reuben meaning, “behold a son” for she said that because the Lord had seen her humiliation, now her husband would love her. - But he didn’t.

Then she had another son and named him Simeon, meaning “God hears” because the Lord heard that she was unloved.

Leah delivered a third son, naming him Levi meaning “companion” in hopes that her husband would be a companion to her.

At the birth of her fourth son, Jacob may have begun to show more affection for her. She named her son Judah, meaning “let Him be praised” and she praised the Lord.

She had a fifth son, Issachar after she bargained with her sister in order to spend the night with Jacob and then a sixth, whom she named Zebulun, meaning “dwelling,” saying that the Lord had given her a gift for her husband so he would dwell with her and regard her as his wife.

Throughout her story, Leah must have been very unhappy and certainly had reason to be bitter. However, she continued to love her husband even though that love was not returned. To her credit, with each birth, the names she chose show her devotion to God and her reverence for Him as the Ruler of her life. - And she was rewarded. Her six sons became representatives of six of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was through her son, Judah’s, line that the Savior was born. Leah is remembered in the book of Ruth in the Bible.

There are not many of us who have the problem of a rival wife but there are many who spend their time trying to win a husband’s attention. Perhaps a lesson that we can learn from Leah is that through unhappiness and strife we must keep our eyes on the only One who truly loves us and gives us our worth. We may make mistakes and fall into traps, but even when we don’t do everything the way God would want it, He sees our heart and rewards our devotion.

The King's Daughter
Becoming The Woman God Created You To Be
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