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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Leah: Finding Joy During Sorrow


Sorrow can encompass our lives if we let it. It can blind us so we do not see the joyful events that surround us. However, we should be thankful for the periods of our lives in which we experience sorrow, it makes our blessings that much more precious. Would a blooming flower be more appreciated in a forest or in middle of the dessert?

Leah, whose name means “wild cow” was not as beautiful as her lovely sister Rachel. Jacob has fallen head over heals in love with Rachel from the monment he laid eyes upon her. However, being young and from a distant land, he could not afford the price to pay the bride’s family. Jacob had to work for Leah and Rachel’s father for seven long and hard years before he was allowed permission to marry Rachel.

The day that Jacob would marry Rachel was finally upon him. Laban, Rachel and Leah’s father through a grand celebration with much wine and beer. Laban had gotten Jacob quite drunk. This would explain why he was not suspicious of his wife-to-be wearing a long, thick veil which covered her face very well. Jacob did also not notice that the woman’s virginity he took that night was not his beloved Rachel, but her unattractive sister Leah. Jacob was very upset. He went to Laban furious that he would trick him so. Laban told Jacob that if he wanted to marry Rachel, he would have to work another long and hard seven years to pay the bride price once again.

Jacob did not love Leah, even though Leah was manipulated by her father to trick to Jacob in thinking that she was her sister Rachel. Leah tried to make her husband happy by providing him with many children; she bore him six sons and one daughter. Rachel on the other hand had difficulty in getting pregnant, and ultimately died during childbirth to her son, Benjamin.

Even after Rachel’s death Jacob did not love Leah. God noticed Leah’s misery and bless her. God gave Leah many strong, beautiful children who formed the line of Judah, ultimately the lineage of Jesus Christ. While you may be in the mist of misery and sorrow, God will still bless you. These blessings may come in various forms such as a good job, supportive friend, a loving husband, or the comfort of a close-knit church. Be thankful that are going through hard times, because it will be easier to see how God is working through your life.

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