Leah's Children Part One

12/27/2006

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Leah’s Children Part 1

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 29:31-35

            Message of the verses:  “31 ¶ Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.  32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me."  33 Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also." So she named him Simeon.  34 She conceived again and bore a son and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore he was named Levi.  35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.”

            Leah bears four sons and these verses describe that.  Leah is said to have been loved less that Rachel, and therefore the Lord is said to look down upon her and cause her to conceive and have these four sons.  Ruben means see a son, and sounds like the Hebrew word meaning “God has seen my affliction.  Simeon means “one who hears,” and this could subject that she had been talking to the Lord.  Levi means attached, and Judah comes from the Hebrew word meaning praise, and this could subject that Leah was beginning to be content in her roll. 

            There was much competition in Jacob’s family between all of his wives, and probably more so because he had married sisters, which would not make things very happy in his household.  Jacob’s first two sons would eventually be replaced by Joseph’s two sons because of sin in their lives, and the next two sons would both be very important in the nation of Israel, as Levi would be the priestly tribe, and Judah would be the kingly tribe to whom the Lord Jesus Christ would be born into.

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  I would think that Leah is the one that most people have the most feeling for because of the situation that she found herself in, and it seems like that she did find contentment in the life that the Lord had given to her, and in the end she was the one who was buried in the cave where Abraham, Isaac, and eventually Jacob would be buried in, and so it seems that Jacob may have figured that Leah was the wife that was actually most dear to him.

The Word of God has challenged my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  The Lord seems to be speaking to my heart a lot about contentment, and therefore as I read the Scriptures I have been looking for contentment and the lack of it in the lives of the people that I read about and therefore as I read this story about Leah it seems to me that she would eventually begin to find contentment in her lot that God had placed her into.

            I want to continue to have the Lord teach me contentment, and to continue to direct my path.