“This time...”

Sunday, August 15, 2021

When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. (Genesis 29.31-35)

Leah, through no fault of her own that we can discern, found herself in in a disagreeable position—her father pushed her into a marriage with a man who wasn’t at all interested in her; then her new husband and her father agreed to add her younger sister Rachel to the mix—the bride Jacob had really sought in the first place.  The result was a twisted mess, a corruption of what God designed marriage to be.  Who could blame Leah for feeling inadequate and rejected?  God saw her affliction, and blessed her with a healthy child to raise and love.  What did Leah see, though?  She perceives the situation in terms of her relationship with Jacob, saying, “now my husband will love me.”

Yet it is clear from the story’s progression that little Reuben didn’t bring about her desired effect.  Leah was still dissatisfied, even though Rachel remained unable to conceive.  It’s apparent that Jacob continued to obviously favor his second wife over Leah, because when God blessed her with a second healthy son, her response was again to focus on the shortfall in her relationship with her husband.  She said that God had “heard” of her plight, and given Simeon, whose name is tied to the Hebrew word for heard, to improve her lot.  Once again, God gave her a blessing of tremendous value, one that should have brought her immeasurable joy—and all she could think about was how another person in her life didn’t live up to her expectations or treat her well.  She had a steadfast rock for a foundation—a Lord who clearly loved her and watched over her.  But while she appreciated his blessings, she viewed them primarily as tools for improving her standing before her husband, who constantly disappointed her.

It happened again: God provided a third son, whom she named Levi (“attached”) in the hope—by now obviously deluded—that this one would produce a different result and bring Jacob to value Leah more highly.  She’s looking the gift horse in the mouth, to use a modern proverb.  Her frustration with another person’s ill treatment of her has kept her from simply appreciating the incredible blessings God kept showering upon her, conspicuously singling her out above her sister.

But God doesn’t give up.  He gives Leah one more son, and this time, she has learned the lesson.  She doesn’t expect her husband to love her, to treat her with greater kindness or dignity, or to feel more closely attached to her.  She has come to accept that Jacob will persist in favoring his second wife over his first.  How does she respond?  She names this boy Judah—“praise”—saying, “This time I will praise the Lord.”  Instead of looking around her on earth for the meaningful relationship she desires, she has finally learned to look upward, to God.

The story isn’t over—Rachel ups the ante some time later and pulls the same foolish trick Abraham and Sarah tried when they brought in Hagar to bear children by proxy.  When Rachel’s servant Bilhah has borne two sons to Jacob, Leah is drawn back into the competition, and gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob in order to do the same thing.  Eventually, after many years of this struggle and conflict, God blesses Leah with three more kids, before finally allowing Rachel have two—although she died in the process of birthing her second son, Benjamin.

It’s not as if the birth of Judah ushered in a new age of joy and bliss for Leah, but at least for a little while, she’d learned to just be grateful and give glory to God, rather than diminishing the value of his blessings over the failures and offenses from other people.

This is a lesson each of us ought to learn.  No matter our expectations of other people; no matter how hard we strive; no matter how carefully we scheme, God’s plans are the ones that really matter, as Solomon reminds us: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Pr 19.21).  If you live by fleshly desires and plans, how will it work out for you?  It’s nearly guaranteed you’ll be disappointed far more often than not in this life, and absolutely certain you’ll face nothing but disappointment in death and beyond.  Your friends and family will disappoint you.  You’ll disappoint yourself.  The world will disappoint you—but God will not.  He gave his Son not only to redeem and restore you, but as a pledge that “He will not leave you or forsake you” (De 31.6).

Whether you’re just at the beginning of your walk with God through this life, or struggling and stumbling along the way, learn to be content; to trust him; to appreciate his blessings; to take human failure in stride.  Learn to be confident that

for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8.28)

Jeremy Nettles

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