Today’s reading is Genesis 39:1-41:16, Matthew 12:46-13:23, Psalm17:1-15, and Proverbs 3:33-35.  At the beginning of Chapter 37, we find that Jacob once again settled in Canaan, where his father had lived.  The word “settled” caught my attention in verse one.  He was finally settled.  He had his 12 sons of promise, had grieved the death of Rachel, and was living in the land God had promised his ancestors.  Life was good.  However, more grief was coming and Jacob had unknowingly contributed to its entrance.

It started with the common problem of sibling rivalry.  With twelve sons, it makes sense that this would be an issue at times.  However, Jacob exasperated the problem greatly by opening preferring Joseph over the others.  He said it was because Joseph was born in his old age.  But he was not that much younger than some of his brothers.  And he was not the youngest.  But at this time, Benjamin would have been very young—maybe even still a baby or a toddler. Not quite old enough to really catch the attention of a busy father.  And even if he had, surely Jacob was grieving the death of Rachel.  Perhaps Benjamin still conjured sorrow, even though Jacob had wisely overridden the connotation of the name.  But Joseph!  He was pure joy.  The long-awaited son by the beloved wife of his youth.  And in his weakness, Jacob openly favored Joseph over all the others.   And as a side note to parents and even grandparents.  This is a bad idea.  A terrible idea.  One that leads to heartache and insecurity.  Thankfully, our heavenly Father loves us equally, as seen by the fact that He sent Jesus for all of us, each of us.  If only one had sinned, He still would have sent Jesus, so precious and individual is His love for us.

But Jacob was human.  Jacob was flawed.  He had grown up with the element of favoritism.  His mother favored him, his father favored Esau.  And he brought those old habits into his own family.  He wove an atmosphere of jealousy within his family, which hit a tipping point when he decided to give Joseph a colorful coat.  This coat would have represented a princely status and should have been reserved for the firstborn.

And Joseph, perhaps having been spoiled by his father since birth, understandably fell into the pattern of a self-centered son.  As we look at yesterday’s reading, we see several negative patterns of behavior coming from Joseph.  Genesis 37:2 we find that Joseph “reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.”  What do you call that?  A tattle-tail.

And then there was the telling of the dreams.  Now, the dreams were from God.  They were prophetic dreams.  And they eventually came true.  But let’s contrast Joseph’s immature reaction when he received a grand prophesy about himself with Mary’s reaction when she received the most amazing news of all—she would give birth to the Son of God and the Savior of the world; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  She surely could have boasted.  But instead we see humility.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.

“May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.    

Luke 1:38

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

  Luke 2:19

Mary believed and waited.  She believed and acted like a servant.  She believed but she did not boast.  She saw the words of God to her as a treasure and she pondered them.

In contrast, we see 17-year-old Joseph, who was 4 years older than Mary when her prophetic news came and who should have known better, anxious to brag to his brothers and even his father about the whispers of God about his future.  What do you call that?  Arrogance.  An arrogant tattle-tail.  No wonder his brothers didn’t like him.  Their anger was understandable, but so very dangerous.

“When you are angry, do not sin.” (Psalm 4:4)

But even still, there is no excuse for what happened next.  In a mob-type mentality, his brothers—these that were of the 12 sons of promise—hatched a plan that would set in motion a series of events that only God could redeem.  At first they wanted to kill him.  Rueben tried to intervene, but not with the integrity of a righteous one.  He succumbed to peer-pressure and instead of defending Joseph, he simply hatched a different plan.  He was going to go back and make it right, but did not have the opportunity to do so and suffered the consequences greatly for it.  And so it is with us.  Sometimes we plan to go along with sin for a season, thinking we can make up for it later.  Often we can’t, and always there are consequences.

Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, and sold for silver coins. Remember Ishmael?  He was also Abraham’s son, but through the manipulative scheme of an impatient woman.  Sarah gave her servant, Hagar, to Abraham because she was tired of waiting on the Lord’s good plan.  Ishmael was not the son of promise and here the consequences of not waiting on the Lord’s plan shows up two generations later. It is a bit confusing that this tribal group was referred to as Ishmaelites as well at Midianites.  The Midianites were descendants of Midian, a son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2). It is thought that all desert wanderers were referred to as Ishmaelites at the time, and points to intermarrying of the other sons of Abraham.  Regardless, it was the sons born outside of the righteous line who now brought Joseph into slavery.

But God was not finished weaving the story.  Throughout the story of Joseph, throughout the stories told throughout the Bible, for that matter, we see a gracious, patient God weaving a tapestry of redemption.  I am thankful that this is true in my own life, as well.

Today’s reading includes Genesis 37:1:38:30.  However, I am still studying back in Genesis 35-36

After Jacob buried the idols of his household, he moved forward in the directive God had given him to move to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar to God.

6 Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.

                                                                                                            Genesis 35:6-7

“Eventually” (Isn’t that usually the case!  Sometimes it takes a while to see the fulfillment of God’s plan but even the travel and the wait is part of the plan!) Jacob and his household arrived at Bethel, the place where he first met God face to face, now the place where he renewed his relationship with Him.  Jacob built a stone altar and once again called the place “El-Bethel” which meant “God of Bethel”.

And in this time of renewal, God reminded him of some very important things.  God reminded Jacob that had a new name, Israel, which means a prince of God. And then God revealed to Jacob one of His own names, El-Shaddai, which means “God Almighty” or “All-Sufficient One”.  El-Shaddai has a great depth of meaning.  El is the word for God and what follows after is indicative of the nature and character of God.  In the Old Testament El Shaddai occurs 7 times.  (There is that holy number of completion and perfection!)  According to the resources from Blue Letter Bible study references, many scholars believe the word Shaddai is derived from the Hebrew word “shad” which means “breast”, representing nourishment as well as being close the heart, as well as derived from another ancient language, Akkadian, with the word Šadu, meaning “mountain,” suggesting strength and power. This refers to God being completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. In addition, He is all powerful, the holy One whose strength is all sufficient.  Connected with the word for God, El, this denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, He is our sustainer and our strength.

And then we see for the third time that God symbolically goes back to the beginning.  He gives the same command to Jacob that He had given to Adam and then to Noah.  “Be fruitful and multiply.”  In future chapters, we will continue to see how Jacob was indeed fruitful and his descendants did indeed multiply.  Abraham and Isaac (and even Adam) each had one son of promise.  But Jacob was a game changer.  At this point he had 11 sons and right after this important event, his twelfth son was born.  Remember the holy numbers?  The number twelve encompasses the family of God, representing all God’s people, and reminds us of the covenant or unending promise of relationship between God and his people. Jacob would have 12 sons of promise, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel.

Before Jacob left Bethel, we see Jacob marking this spot with a stone of remembrance.  He set up the stone and anointed it with oil, which signified the holiness of the moment.  He did the same thing when he first met God at Bethel when he was fleeing from Esau.  This time, he also poured wine on the stone.  Why did he add the poured-out wine?  Perhaps it was a symbol of his wealth and the acknowledgement of the faithful care and prospering the Lord had provided him.  When he first poured out oil on a rock at Bethel, he was all alone, fleeing in fear.  On this second meeting with the Lord, he was surrounded by a large family and an abundance of possessions.  God had indeed been faithful to him and he intended on being faithful to God.

Later, in the days of Moses, drink offerings were required with every bloody sacrifice.  Numbers 28:15 indicates that every bloody sacrifice was to be accompanied by grain and wine offerings. Perhaps Jacob was acting in a prophetic way, not only as a symbol of the future days of Moses, but also pointing toward the Ultimate Bloody Sacrifice, Jesus, the Lamb of God, who Himself declared that the wine represented His blood shed for us.

Whatever the reason, Jacob obeyed God and built the altar.  Some scholars believe that the first altar stone he anointed twenty-years prior would have been inserted into the new stone altar.  This could symbolize his acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness in the past, present, and future.  Jacob would need that symbol of God’s faithfulness, as the next step of his life involved grief.  His beloved Rachel died giving birth.  In her pain and grief she named the baby, Benoni, son of my sorrow.  How wise of Jacob to override that name and call him Benjamin, son of my right hand.  What devastation Benjamin could have endured if he was forever seen as son of sorrow.  Jacob, Benjamin’s earthly father, saw so much more in his son.  The right hand of the father was a place of great honor, not normally given to the last son, but to the firstborn.  And yet Jacob was reflecting the nature of our Heavenly Father.  No matter the sorrow we have endured or caused, He calls us His own, beloved child.  He sent His firstborn away from His right hand for a season, that we may become children of God.  Praise to our El-Shaddai!

Today’s reading is Genesis 35:1-36:43, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 15:1-5, and Proverbs 3:21-26.

In today’s reading we find Jacob continuing his journey back home.  And he walks down memory lane when he goes to Bethel, where God had first met and spoken with him when he was fleeing from Esau.  The two accounts have a lot of similarities, yet we see this time Jacob’s reaction to what God said is different.  He is more mature.  He has seen that God is trustworthy.  He has reconciled with his brother and seems more free to listen and carefully follow God’s instruction.  He is not fearful as he was when he stopped at Bethel twenty years prior.  He is not running away; he is heading home.  He is not fleeing in fear; he is going forward with the mission to listen and follow God’s instruction.  Matthew Henry had this to say:

Beth-el was forgotten. But as many as God loves, he will remind of neglected duties, one way or other, by conscience or by providences. When we have vowed a vow to God, it is best not to defer the payment of it; yet better late than never.

God was mercifully taking Jacob back to a place and an experience he had forgotten.  And his return to this place sparked important action.  Let’s look at the verbs in this passage.

Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”

2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Get ready, move, settle, build.  There are a lot of things on that to-do list.  And of course, it had to be done in that order.  And what was Jacob’s reaction to God’s instruction of action?  Immediate obedience.  “So Jacob…”  It was a simple response but had a powerful impact on Jacob and his whole family.  Jacob’s simple response was a great act of leadership. He told his whole household and they followed his leadership.  They were going back to Bethel, a place of holy and personal interaction with God.  When Jacob was there before, he was all alone.  But this time he was leading his whole household to this holy place and to a holy experience with the living God.

So, as the leader what did Jacob tell his household?  Look at the verbs in that account.

Get rid of, purify, put on the clean, go, build.  And for what purpose?  To honor God who had been faithful and true.

So, how did they complete these actions?

4 So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.

They gave it all up.  All the idols they had held on to for so long.  All the earthly, worldly things they had held back from the Lord.  And what is the next action verb?  He buried them.  As unto death.  And so it is with us.  We must bury our idols before we can move on into all that the Lord has for us.  We can’t carry them with us if we want to honor God and go and build the life He is calling us to build.

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

                                                                                                            Romans 6:4

What is the significance of Shechem?  This location, in the middle of the nation, provided the most important crossroads in Israel.  Because of its central location and because of the three main crossroads it contained, Shechem saw a lot of traffic in its history. So, Shechem seems to be a great location for many of the patriarchs of our faith.  Shechem had great spiritual significance for Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Joshua.

Let’s take a peek back at Abram’s time at Shechem, and as we go forward in our Bible reading we can recognize the importance when others stop at Shechem.  Genesis 12:6-7 finds Abram continuing on his journey:

            Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Abram was on the road to Bethel, but first he made a pit stop at the great oak at Shechem. This was a famous sanctuary, and a large tree was often a landmark feature at such holy places.  But Abram worshipped God there, not the local false deity.  Many other famous events took place at the oak of Shechem. There the Lord appeared to Abram and confirmed His promise by saying, “To your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7).  This was quite a statement, since in the previous chapter, we found that Sarai was barren.  So how did Abram respond?

            He built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.                                                                                                                                                          Genesis 12:7 

This time at Shechem was a time of renewal of religion.  Abram had already had a “revelation” back in Mesopotamia.  This revelation led to a healthy religion.  Abram believed in God.  But Abram’s journey was not over, just as our journey is not over when we believe in God.  It is not about religion, not even about what we believe.  It is about relationship.  And that is what Abram got a glimpse of when he stopped at Shechem.

And so did Jacob, Abram’s grandson. He led his family in burying the past, the idols, the things upon which they had emotionally depended.  He buried them before he moved on.  What about you?  Is there anything you need to spiritually bury, to lay down and walk away from, so that you may go forward into the good future God has for you.  Bury your idols, honor God, and move forward into great peace, perfect love, and unfailing security.

And what was the result?  They received an extra measure of peace, comfort, and protection.  They walked in an added measure of covering.  Today, ask the Lord if there are any idols in your life which need to be buried unto death, so that you can move forward toward all that God has for you.

Today’s reading includes Genesis 32:13-34:31, Matthew 11:7-30, Psalm 14:1-7, Proverbs 3:19-20.

Jacob had been sent away by Isaac to avoid the revenge of Esau.  He was away for twenty years.  For twenty years, his distance physically allowed him to avoid dealing with the emotional distance between himself and his brother.

But then God said, “Go home.”  God saw that Jacob’s home near Laban was no longer a healthy place to be.  It was time to go home.

Jacob knew he would have to face Esau and made the first move toward him by sending a friendly message. This new, mature Jacob knew to confront with truth and peace rather than to deceitfully manipulate.  But then the fear set in. He found out his estranged brother was heading his way, along with 400 of his men. Instead of ignoring his fear, or fleeing because of his fear, he went to the Lord

Genesis 32:9-11

 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home, and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.

He sent his family on ahead in groups until he was finally alone.  It took him being alone with God before he could really wrestle through who he was, who he had been, and who he was becoming.

Who was the man he wrestled?  Jesus.  This encounter is symbolic of our wrestling in prayer.

Did Jacob win?  Yes, but Jesus led him to victory.  In the night watches.  Alone.  There are many times we need to get alone with Jesus.  Be honest.  Wrestle through the fears and insecurities and doubts.  He is God, the creator of your emotions, your mind.  He can handle it.  He knows it anyway.

Did Jacob really win?  Yes, but his win was because Jesus led him to victory.  Jacob had victory in this process of wrestling with God, coming boldly to the throne of grace, hoping and believing for blessing—for freedom from fear and past, for boldness to step into the future, for grace to be humble enough to reach out to his brother, though both were surely bitter.  After 20 years, it was time.

After the wrestling, came the reminder of the fight.  The injured hip.  Some say it was injured for the rest of Jacob’s days, though there is no mention of it hurting him or handicapping him.  Perhaps it was simply a thorn in the flesh, like Paul had.  A reminder that God’s grace is sufficient for each day and that power is perfected in weakness.  As a child, it concerned me that Jacob won over the Angel of God, who I now know to be Jesus.  Wouldn’t the heavenly always be stronger than the earthly?  Yes, of course.  Unless the heavenly willingly lets the earthly be stronger for a season, for a great purpose.  And so, it was that Jacob fought the One who would one day return to the earth through the seed of Jacob and his descendants.  He let Himself be defeated for a season and for a purpose.  It does not appear that Jacob felt he had actually won something, but rather that he had been allowed to receive a great honor.  As Matthew Henry said, “He (Jacob) does not say, ‘In this place I wrestled with God, and prevailed;’ but, ‘In this place I saw God face to face, and my life was preserved;’ not, ‘It was my praise that I came off a conqueror, but ‘it was God’s mercy that I escaped with my life.’”

26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

When Jesus, the man, said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking,” it was not due to fear of the light, for He is the light of the world.  The dawn was the start of a new day, the beginning of the rest of Jacob’s life, the first day of his new identity as Israel, the prince of God.  It was time to stop the wrestling and start walking—walking toward reconciliation, walking toward the future God had for him.

When Jacob, now Israel, offered the gifts to Esau, he was relinquishing his right to act like the first-born, to exert his birthright authority over Esau.  He walked forward in humility, which sparked a moment of forgiveness between them.

Esau in his own right had become confident and successful—a prince in Edom territory. He had become a tribal prince, while Jacob had just been declared a prince of God. However, Jacob submitted to Esau and gave him gifts which would normally be the right of the firstborn.  Jacob treated his brother as one would treat a prince.  And he could confidently do so because in his wrestling with the Lord, wrestling with his past, he had truly become a prince of God.  Jacob was now Israel, meaning “prince with God.”  He knew he was and the confidence that brought allowed him to reach out in reconciliation, and be generous to the point of forgoing what was rightfully his.

Now, Esau was still of an unrighteous line.  Who were the Edomites?  Enemies of God’s people.  Ezekiel 35:5 and Amos 1:11 speak of the Edomites’ “perpetual hatred” and “wrath forever” toward Israelites. Esau became the founder of the Edomite nation on the mountains of Seir.  Through his grandson, Amalek, came the Amalekites, who attacked the Israelites at Horeb as they came out of Egypt under Moses (Exodus 17:8.)  The evil Haman, who tried to destroy the entire race of the Jews during the days of Queen Esther, was on Agagite.  Centuries back, King Agag was the ruler of Amalek.  So Agagite was another way of saying he was an Amalekite. Some historians also conclude that King Herod was an ancestor of Esau.

Jacob instinctively had the wisdom to live in peace with his brother, but not be influenced by him. But it appears they were able to forgive, reconcile, and live in peace with each other, which is further revealed by the peaceful interaction when they came together to bury their beloved father.

And think of the blessing that was for Isaac.  Few things break a parent’s heart more than when their children do not love each other.  Estrangement between brothers breaks apart families and especially breaks the heart of the parents.  How precious was God’s faithfulness to Isaac that in the end, his Jacob came home and lived near him, both brothers reconciled and lived in peace, and both came together to honor and grieve the one that held them together—their father Isaac.

Today’s reading includes Genesis 31:17-32:12, Matthew 10:24-11:6, Psalm 13:1-6, and Proverbs 3:16-18.  But my studies today find me back in Genesis 29.  At this point in our study of Jacob we see that he was beginning to mature. He was beginning to change from a self-centered young man to one willing to work hard for others. We are beginning to see fruit from his Bethel experience.

Jacob worked so hard that his uncle Laban came to him and said, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

And then Leah enters the scene for the first time. Take a moment to read Genesis 29: 16-30.

We have already met Rachel. Rachel had stirred in Jacob acts of service and unusual strength. But poor Leah. What do we learn of her as she enters the scene?

1. She was the eldest.

2. She had weak eyes. This information was followed by “but Rachel …,” as in a comparison, which most likely had occurred for most of Leah’s life. “But Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful.” Even their names called out to the world their differences: Rachel’s name meant Ewe. Leah’s name? Cow! Now, these types of names were common among a herdsman’s family, but come on! Cow? Poor Leah! I saw a secondary meaning for her name in Hebrew: Tired and weary. A weary and tired cow! Poor Leah!

We can only imagine what that means. Rachel had a beautiful figure, lovely skin, shining eyes. Rachel was beautiful. And in comparison, Leah was not. Did she have a weight problem? Acne? Oddly-shaped body? Seems to me “weak eyes” could be overlooked if she, too, had been lovely in form and beautiful.

What does “weak eyes” mean anyway? Prone to infections? Near-sighted? Far-sighted? Both—like I am now? Obviously in a world without contacts or glasses, that problem would hinder Leah’s contribution to the family. She certainly couldn’t be put in charge of the flocks; they could lose some of their sheep, their livelihood.

Yes, Leah had problems. And we see that the family’s propensity to favor Rachel could not have helped her sense of worth or self-esteem.

What did Jacob want in the payment for all his hard work? He wanted Rachel. It is hard for us to imagine why that would be so complicated. It is after all, a great love story, if we are looking at it only through Rachel and Jacob’s eyes. But it is hard for us to imagine the complexities because we don’t have the same customs and traditions that were so important in that day.

You see, back then, the place of the first-born was very important. First-born children had certain rights and responsibilities and, in turn, privileges. In Jacob’s dealings with his elder brother, Esau, we see that he was prone to try and buck the system. And here he goes again! He asked for Rachel as his wife. He knew that Leah was the eldest. He knew that custom required that the eldest marry first. He didn’t really care about those traditions. He didn’t care about how Leah might feel. He just cared about his love for Rachel. And he would do just about anything to get what he wanted.

So, he offered to work for Laban seven years “for your younger daughter, Rachel.” He knew he was requesting outside the box of tradition. Remember that seven is the number of completion and perfection. Maybe they all thought surely in seven years they could find a husband for Leah. But no! Poor Leah!

And so the one whose name meant Deceiver was himself deceived. The morning after their wedding, he found that he had actually married Leah. Can you imagine how humiliating it must have been for Leah to have to participate in the trick? We find out soon enough that Leah loved Jacob. Her greatest, deepest desire was for him to love her back. But he didn’t. He loved Rachel.

As we read further, we see that this battle between Leah and Rachel for Jacob’s love, attention, and children went on for many, many years. The one thing that Leah did have over Rachel was that she could have Jacob’s children.

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

Genesis 29:31, NIV

We must take note of the three simple words in this verse that are filled with truth and meaning: “the Lord saw.” He saw the situation clearly—all the ins and outs, hurt and deceit, bitterness and pain. He saw it all. And He understood it all. He came to the rescue with great blessing and comfort, but Leah didn’t seem to recognize it. Just like us, Leah’s obsession with what she did not have overruled her enjoyment and acknowledgment of what she did have. We pick up on the truth of this by looking at what she named her children.

Her first-born she named Reuben, which meant “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” (Genesis 29:32)

Her second born was named Simeon, which meant “Because the Lord heard that I am unloved, he gave me this one, too.” (Genesis 29:33)

She named another son, Levi, saying, “At last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” (Genesis 29:34) But it was not to be. The focus of these children was not the children, but the focus was trying to win Jacob’s love. How sad is that?! Then throw in a bitter sister, Rachel, who had the love that Leah so desperately wanted, but didn’t have the children that Leah had. I suspect that both would have traded places with the other, so desperate was their longing for what they didn’t have.

We all know the story. God did give Rachel children eventually, both physically and through her servant. One of her sons, Joseph, was greatly used to fulfill the plan of God on behalf of His people. But the struggle continued between the sisters, back and forth, child after child. In my Sunday School knowledge of Leah, that is where I had always left her: still in the struggle. But if we take the time to study just a little bit, we find that Leah wasn’t so forgotten after all. God was orchestrating a great plan and legacy for Leah. The forgotten one, in the end, was the matriarch. The ugly duckling may not have changed physically, but in the spiritual realm she was greatly honored even above the beautiful Rachel.

How do we know this? Because of the generations that came through her. It was through Leah that the Levites, the holy priests of the Lord, came. And most importantly, it was through Leah that Jesus came. In Genesis 29:35 we find that she had momentary peace when she gave birth to her fourth son. She named him Judah, which means “This time I will praise the Lord.” Period. She basically said, “I will just praise God, without trying to change my circumstances, without trying to make things good and right, without trying to win love. I will just praise.” I believe this peace and praise came because deep in her spirit the Lord was whispering, “With this One, I will make all things new.” And so it was. It was through Judah that Jesus, the Savior, was born.

Even after Judah, Leah struggled back and forth with her desire for human love. But in the end, it was Leah that was buried next to Jacob, just as Isaac was buried with Rebekah and Abraham was buried with Sarah. God saw. And He did something about it. And though it took time to see, He was working all along the way.

Where are you today? Do you relate with Leah’s struggle? Do you want something you can’t seem to obtain? Do you struggle with making idols out of good, God-given things, forgetting that the true God is the giver of those things? Do you feel unloved and misunderstood? God sees. He sees all the complexities of your life and He understands. So like Leah, when she got a tiny glimpse of the Savior to come, why don’t you say, “This time, I will praise the Lord.”

Praise has great power. Angels surround the Throne of God in constant praise saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; Who was and is and is to come.” Let’s praise Him like that, no matter our circumstances, trusting that He sees and has done something about it.