April 27, 2011
Leah the Wife
Genesis 29:25-30:21
"Victor Frankl was a Viennese Jew who was interred in German Concentration camps, during WWII. He was moved from one camp to another over the 3 year time period. He even spent several months in Auschwitz. Many years after the war was over, he wrote these words in his memoirs, "The experiences of camp life show, that a man, does have, a choice of action. There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that apathy could be overcome and irritability suppressed. Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom and independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical distress.
We, who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked throughout the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: the last of his human freedoms------which is----to be able to choose the attitude, that we want to have, in any given set of circumstances….. and that attitude can allow us, to see the face of God"
If I translate this in my own words---what it means to me, is something that I know you have heard me say a million times-----and that is, that we have to take our focus off of our circumstances and put our focus on the Lord------we have to behave our way into a feeling rather than to feel our way into a behavior. Our circumstances may not change, but if our focus, is where it should be----on the Lord----- then our attitude, about the circumstances, will change. In my opinion, that is exactly what Leah did-------she had all the reason in the world to be discouraged and resentful, but instead of giving in to her negative emotions she chose to embrace an attitude, that lifted her up out of herself and her circumstances and that put her in a place, that God could use her, for His purposes. If we are so focused on ourselves, that all we can think about is our small little place and position, in the world, then God can't use us, the way that He wants to, and we will miss the blessing that He wants us to receive.
(Last Wednesday, after we had had the lesson, about God showing up, in places where we aren't expecting Him-------after I had said been so emphatic about our learning to expect Him to show up-------He made me, put my money where my mouth is, and showed me that He has, such a much bigger plan for His children, than we can even conceive of-------- I went with Mary Kathryn to her church, in Durham (now you know that I should have been expecting God to show up at the 1st Baptist Church in Durham) but the truth is, I had an attitude of timidity and uncertainty and even fear because she had asked me to tell the Easter story, to the adult ESL class, that she orchestrates. Out of 35-40 people there are only about 3 Christians in the group------ and since the intent of their program, has been, to build relationships first, the Gospel, had not really been presented to the class, as a whole, yet. (So I was going to be the person to share it with them for the first time.) The class is made up mostly, of men and women from Asia and India but there is one family from Iraq----a husband and wife and their 2 little girls. This man, was the one I was afraid of. My focus was totally on what his reaction might be, and not, one little bit, on what the Holy Spirit might decide to do. To make a long story short-----after feeding them an Easter meal, complete with ham and deviled eggs stuffed with bacon---which he could not eat, because Islamic dietary rules, prohibit it------I told them the story of the Gospel, using plastic Easter eggs, filled with crackers and a sword and an angel and a rock and crown of thorns and nails etc. y'all have all seen it done, I'm sure--------but those adults, were as mesmerized by it, as little children are------we had to pass everything around, for them to touch and to examine---it was so sweet----but the real blessing for me, was the Iraqi man and how God used him to change my attitude------he was sitting to the left of me, and as I started to talk, I could see him out of the corner of my eye------I could see him nodding, affirming everything I said, and with a big smile, he was translating everything, to his wife, who speaks no English------the more he nodded, the more confident I got with the story and the more emphatic and bold I got, with the truth about sin and forgiveness. When I finished, everybody broke up into their small groups, but he came up to me and very excitedly, in broken English, told me that he knew the story I had told, and he placed his hand on the Bible and said that he had read the book-----I asked him what he thought and he just repeated that he knew the story and that his little girls had seen the Jesus film and that they knew the story------I told him that the story was true and he shook his head yes------ and then he told me that his friends had asked him why did he go to a Christian church to learn English, because he is Muslim------and he grinned at me and put his hand on his heart and patted it and said, "I not listen to them, I listen to my heart." I told Him that it was God speaking to his heart----he said, "….One God, for all mankind, I understand!" Then his little girls came and pulled him away--------I was stunned and humbled and elated-------God had taken the very one who was creating my fear and used him, to change my attitude-------I had gone, thinking that I was going to be giving a blessing to those less fortunate than me, and God pulled me up short, and showed me, that He didn't need me to do anything-------that He can draw people to Himself, all by Himself, but----- He graciously, gave me the privilege of seeing first hand, how His Spirit works, as He woos a man's heart.) It is amazing what God can do with our attitudes, when we turn our focus on Him.
I told you last week, that Laban must have used, the veiling of the bride, and the lateness of the hour, and the tradition of the bride and groom not speaking to each other, until after the marriage is consummated, and probably, a little too much wine, to make the switch. We have no idea what Laban did, to restrain Rachel or to coerce Leah, but we do know, that whatever he did, it worked like a charm! And we do know that girls, in the Middle East, even today, do not readily defy their fathers, so both of the girls may have been forced to be obedient. Plus, like I said last week------we don't really know how the girls individually felt about Jacob--------scripture never tells us, that Rachel loved him, but it does tell us, that Leah craved, for him, to love her------so I think, maybe that their true feelings, played a hand, in how, they participated in Laban's sneaky scheme. Whatever it was------the deed was done and God was able to use it, for his purposes.
The next morning, when Jacob woke up and looked, at who he thought, was his beloved bride, and realized that he'd been deceived, we can only guess at what he must have said to poor Leah. Even if she had been a willing participate in the deception, it could not have been a pretty scene for her------I imagine, that words were said, that left lasting scars on her heart. The fact that he was married to the wrong girl couldn't be changed or fixed or undone--------the consummation of the marriage couldn't be reversed.
When Jacob demanded an explanation from Laban and Laban went through his spiel about the younger child usurping the older child's rights and privileges, Jacob must have realized that the deception that he had received was exactly what he deserved----- hopefully, he would, finally, have understood, what it felt like, to be on the receiving end of betrayal. Jacob was basically, from what I can discern from the scripture, a pretty contemplative, low key, kind of guy, so his rage just seemed to quietly fizzle and he agreed to finish out Leah's wedding week celebration and then marry Rachel and work another 7 years, for her brides-price.
That wasn't what Jacob wanted------I am sure it wasn't what Leah wanted------and we have no idea what Rachel wanted-----but it certainly was not God's best for them. God would never advocate polygamy or condone it, but He used it to mature Jacob, into becoming a man who could control his attitude and who could accept responsibility for his own actions and into a man, who could learn from his mistakes. And, God used it, to teach Leah, that her confidence should rest in Him alone and that she could trust Him to supply her every need.
Leah knew, that the love of her husband's heart, was focused totally on Rachel and not on her, but she genuinely loved Jacob and stayed faithful to him until he buried her in the Cave at Macpelah, beside his grandparents and his parents. The fact that Jacob buried her in such a special place and that he instructed his sons to take his bones, out of Egypt, and bury them beside her, speaks volumes to me, about the respect that he must have had, for the person that she was, and the value that she held, as the mother of 7 of his children. (I've told you before that my mother died when I was 2 years old and family members have told me that my daddy never really got over losing her-----that he continued to grieve for the rest of his life----people would see his truck at the cemetery at all different times of the day or night, even after he had been married to my stepmother for 20 years. Bless her heart, living with a ghost, must have caused her so much pain! But, the night before my daddy passed away, my stepmother told me that he told her he loved her and he thanked her for raising his children and for caring enough about him to stay with him even though she had had to live in my mother's shadow. She said that in that instant, the years of accumulated, hidden pain disappeared and forgiveness flooded her soul and she was able to accept his death, with the comfort of knowing, that she was respected and valued.) I think that Leah must have ended her days with that same kind of knowledge and peace.)
The real lesson that we need to learn from Leah though, is that she allowed God to change her attitude--------and the names that she gave her children, have become a testimony to the miraculous faith, that God had planted in her heart. And as each child was born and we hear her name them, we can see her faith growing deeper and deeper.
Jacob didn't love her like a wife deserves to be loved by her husband, but the Lord loved her, and remembered her. In spite of the polygamous marriage, she became the mother of 6 of Jacob's sons ----and they became the fathers, of 6, of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The names that Leah chose, revealed her sincere trust and belief in God's provision:
She named her first son Reuben----it means "Behold a son, the Lord has seen my trouble…" she believed that the birth of the boy would make her husband finally love her.
She named her 2nd son, Simeon----which means "One who hears----- the Lord has heard my trouble and because I'm not loved, He has given me another son." She had recognized that God was not only watching, but He was also listening.
The 3rd son's name was Levi----which means "cleave"-----she thought that surely the birth of 3 sons would bind Jacob to her -----she thought it would make their connection strong, that it would make him want to hold her close.
And then came the 4th boy, and Leah must have realized, that nothing that she could do, would make Jacob love her, so she turned her focus away from Jacob and she turned it to the Lord and she named the baby Judah, which means "This time I will praise the Lord," Leah finally realized, how great were the blessings, that God had lavished her with. She finally turned to the Lord, realizing, that she couldn't change Jacob and she couldn't change the circumstances, but that she could change herself. Instead of blaming God for what she didn't have, she began to praise Him, for what she did have. She took her focus off of herself and put it on Him. The remarkable thing about the birth of Judah, and his name, and, it coinciding, with Leah's leap of faith, is that Judah's family line, is the one, that Jesus came through. God blessed her with His presence and He blessed her, by making her, one of the mothers, of the children of promise. As much as we admire Joseph, who was Rachel's son and as wonderful as he was------it was Judah, Leah's son that God chose to bear His royal seed. The Lord blessed Leah, in her life on earth, and He immortalized her faith, for all eternity
Everybody has to come to that place, that "Leah place", where we recognize that God is enough; that He is sufficient to meet all our needs, not just somehow but abundantly! It is a place where God, alone is enough, where His grace is enough, where his love is truly enough.
Leah's childbearing days stopped for awhile and then she bore Jacob 2 more boys and 1 daughter--------
Her 5th son was Issachar--which means "God has rewarded me, for giving my maidservant to my husband. Other than the fact that polygamy was a reality of their culture---she was misguided to think that the Lord would condone the practice of it. But, what we need t see is that her praise was clearly for Him.
And her 6th son was names Zebulun which means, "God has presented me with a precious gift. She believed that the birth of that boy, would encourage Jacob, to treat her with honor-------not love but honor----Leah seemed to have become more and more content.
And then she had a daughter named Dinah------which is another story for another day.
In her book, our author has listed 3 truths, that we can learn from Leah:
1.) "She resisted the urge to whine----Even though its risky to teach from silence-------from what's not in the Bible rather than what is there--------it's worth noting all the things that Leah didn't do. She didn't complain; she wasn't irritable or demanding and she didn't become an embittered woman, taking out her resentments and frustrations on other people. She may have pleaded, but she didn't whine. Nor did she speak ill of her father or her sister. We can see Paul's words in Romans 12:12, lived out in Leah-----"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer." Leah deserves our respect, because she endured her troubles with hope and faith, showing us how a godly woman, can live her life, no matter what her circumstances are, offering up praises to God, rather than offering Him, protests and discouragement."
Proverbs 31:26 " She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."
2.) " Beauty is in the heart of the beholder----- The longer we look at Leah, the more attractive she becomes, as the picture God's word paints of her, changes from a sketchy,colorless abstract, to a handsome oil portrait done, in warm, vibrant hues. Jacob judged the sisters' outward beauty and favored Rachel over her sister. But in the dark of night, he still went to Leah's bed. Was it marital duty? Perhaps. Yet Leah's enduring love for him, her patience with him, her tender eyes and her fertile body, must have had their appeal for him. Things are no different today: we're still judged by our appearance. Yet the people that we most admire, most want to be like, most enjoy being with, are often those, who the world calls, plain…and God calls pleasing. Some of the Jewish historians have said that "Leah grew more beautiful as the years went by. Her hair turned white like the clouds, but her face took on a wondrous look of strength…and her eyes became clear. Whether that is true or not, we know that God found Leah beautiful."
"Your beauty…should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4
3.) "Our sin cannot stop God's grace from flowing. Laban may have shoved Leah into Jacob's tent against her will, showing himself to be one of the baddest boys in the book. Or she may have tiptoed in gladly, more than earning, her "slightly bad girl" title. In either case, "the God of Jacob, brought good out of evil, and caused His grace to abound over all the sin and folly." However bad Leah's behavior might have been, God forgave her completely, and graced her womb with 4 sons in a row. Again and again, she honored the Lord, boosting not of her goodness, but of His mercy. We find in Leah, a role model for every woman who feels less than beautiful, less than loved, less than wanted. And we can give her a name and it is: Chosen by God."
"He Chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-----and the things that are not----to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." 1st Corinthians 1:28-29
When we first met Leah, in the pages of scripture, she lived in the shadowy background, of her much more flamboyant sister, but, after having studied her, we realize that we can see her, as God saw her: a daughter who needed mercy, a wife who needed love and a mother who needed a reason to sing-------and God provided her with all 3, when she allowed her attitude to be tuned to His. God will bless us, when we choose to act in obedience, to Him, regardless of our circumstances.
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