God will never leave you or forsake you. Your tomorrow will be better than today when you have hope and trust in God. God’s presence is truly enough. God’s love was evident in Leah’s faith, family, function, and formation.
Faith
Leah has a relationship with God. God saw that Leah was unloved and decided to bless her with the fruit of the womb. This is evident in “Genesis 29:31 (KJV) And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.” When you belong to God, He always finds a way to bring good into your life, even when you’re in a rejected and despised situation. Through God’s blessing her with the fruit of the womb, you can see that she had a personal relationship with God. As a virtuous woman, the fear of God is crucial, especially when your beauty isn’t the preferred beauty. This is seen in “Proverbs 31:30 (KJV) Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” Leah’s husband did not prefer her beauty; he loved her sister instead. However, because she feared God, her blessings from Him ultimately led to a favourable and honourable conclusion to her life, as she was buried near her husband in the same burial ground as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah.
Family
Since Leah and Rachel are Rebekah’s nieces, they naturally inherit some of her traits. This is why Rebekah was able to persuade her husband, Isaac, to send her son Jacob to her brother’s house to marry her niece. Rebekah’s reverence for God suggests her nieces also share this trait. As virtuous women, one distinguishing trait is the fear of God. When you fear the Lord, your husband’s heart can be trusted safely in you. This is reflected in Proverbs 31:11 (KJV): “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” Jacob trusts Leah with his heart because she has a personal relationship with God, a trait she inherited from her mother Rebekah. This indicates that the fear of the Lord is part of the family’s spiritual DNA.
Function
Although Leah wasn’t the favourite, she continued to pursue her plan for marriage and a family. After Adam and Eve sinned, one of a woman’s roles is to desire her husband and have children, even amid pain (Genesis 3:16, KJV: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”). Leah embraced her role when her sister Rachel tried to trade Jacob for mandates. This is shown in Genesis 30:16, KJV: “And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.” By desiring Jacob, Leah was living in her purpose, which allowed God to bless her with more children. When a virtuous woman fulfills her role, rewards follow because she obeys kingdom principles. Leah, following these principles, exemplified Proverbs 31:27, which states, “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” Rachel desired mandates, but Leah sought her husband. Because of Leah’s loyalty, humility, affection, and desire for intimacy with her husband, God honoured her faithfulness, blessed her, and increased her household.
Formation
Leah’s journey is truly fascinating. She started as not the preferred wife but ended with God’s honor, as shown by her being buried with the patriarchs. This is clear in Genesis 49:31 (KJV): ‘There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.” Although Jacob was married to both Rachel and Leah, only Leah was buried alongside Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, which indicates that God recognised Leah’s marriage to Jacob. This recognition suggests that God rewarded her with a place among the great. Leah’s virtue is also highlighted in Proverbs 31:29 (KJV): ‘Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.’ Leah’s greatness and virtue shine through her triumph in God’s presence and the reward she received for her constant humility and faithfulness.
In Summary
In a world filled with fierce competition, how do you stand out? You can distinguish yourself through your steadfastness with God. Imagine you marry a man who desires your sister more than you do. What do you do? You bring everything to God; you allow God to build you up through faith, family, function, and formation. Leah was the older sister of Rachel because tradition states that the older sibling must marry before the younger one. This is reflected in “Genesis 29:26 (KJV): And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.” Leah married a man who preferred her sister, and she had to endure this. God saw that Leah wasn’t loved, so He showed up for her. God’s presence illuminates everywhere He is. Leah is a prime example of God’s unwavering love for His children.
Contributor: Min. Adama George
