Super-Faith Sunday Answer (3/27)- Who is She??

 -He charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my [departed] people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, In the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field of Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a cemetery. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I (Jacob) buried Leah (Genesis 49:29-30)

Hey Neighbor!

It’s Tuesday 3/29/2022 and I have Your Super-Faith Sunday Answer From 3/27:

Who is She?? 

She was Leah and Here is her Story!!

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In the dark of night, she was smuggled into the marriage bed by her Father, Laban.  But what would be her new husband’s response, at daybreak when he found the ‘other sister’ lying next to him instead of Rachel?? 

In the morning, Jacob was angry and he took his wrathful complaint to Laban, who promised him his youngest daughter to wife also – the sister that Jacob adored and had labored 7 years for. Yes!! Rachel was that sister that Jacob’s heart yearned for- She was the much prettier, and preferred sister. 

Now Scripture tells us that Leah, the older sister, had ‘weak eyes,’ yet they were strong enough to look upon her husband adoringly. You see, Leah loved Jacob, but he despised her. She had been humiliated by him, causing the light in her eyes to grow dimmer – day by day; But God saw her affliction and blessed Leah with a strong and fertile womb.

Rachel was indeed beautiful, but she was yet barren. God had closed her womb and Rachel could not understand this. She was quite unhappy and she blamed her husband, quarreling and faulting Jacob – even calling for death upon herself!!

 -WHEN RACHEL saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die!  (Genesis 30:1)

Instead of approaching God in prayer for deliverance, Rachel made undue demands of her husband, but Jacob emphatically reminded Rachel that it was God Who had prevented her from bearing children- not him!! 

Still, Rachel grew more and more envious of Leah’s fruitfulness and She was tormented as Leah bore Jacob more children – one after the other!!

First came Rueben- See a Son! 

Then came Simeon- God hears!

Still seeking to acquire Jacob’s love and attention, as her true marital partner, Leah then bore him Levi- Companion! 

Unfortunately, Leah was yet despised and still humiliated!! 

Next came Judah!! 

Why Judah?? 

• Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, Now will I praise the Lord! So she called his name Judah [praise]; (Genesis 29:35)

Judah means Praise!! 

You see Leah learned to redirect her focus- she had been desperately seeking the love of her husband, which had not profited her. 

So now, Leah sought after God!! 

The One who had Seen her tears in the dark and Heard her cries in the night!!

In her Praise, Leah found that she had now acquired contentment, and she was able to focus on the joy of motherhood!! 

For those who are familiar with this story- these two ‘sister-wives’ go back and forth – in the spirit of competition, trading and exchanging Jacob like he was a Breeding Stud!! – even exchanging their handmaids as surrogate mothers.

From that union- Jacob produced 4 more sons. Two each, with his wive’s handmaids- Bilhah and Zilpah. These sons were named, Dan and Naphtali (Bilhah); and Gad and Asher (Zilpah).

Leah once again returns to the Lord in prayer, and the Lord blesses her womb and she bore Jacob a 5th son- Issachar (Hired) 

Where did she get that name?? That’s another story for another day- Yes! We will need hot tea for that one…🫖

Now, at some point in the marriage, Jacob begins to spend more of his evenings, after work in Leah’s tent with the boys.  Maybe God had begun to soften his heart towards Leah.  

Jacob had obviously taken more of an interest in Leah- beyond her beauty- or lack thereof, because Leah become pregnant again!! 

She bore Jacob a 6th son, and she called him -Dwelling (Zebulun.)

Still Jacob must have continued on, hanging around @ Leah’s tent. Was she beginning to grow on him?? 

Well maybe so….because Leah was pregnant again!! This time with their 7th child!! 

Together, Leah and Jacob finally had a baby girl. They called her Dinah!! 

Yes! The Lord does finally open Rachel’s womb and gives her a son by Jacob. This was Jacob’s beloved son, Joseph-‘the son of his old age,’ and Rachel called him- ‘May He Add.’

God does indeed add one more son to Rachel, at her pleading- but unfortunately, Rachel dies in childbirth, having their 2nd son, Benjamin whom she calls- son of my sorrow!!

Jacob and Leah grieved and mourned for Rachel and they buried her in Bethlehem.

Rachel had lived her life threatening and demanding that her womb be filled- even desperately using her maid as a substitute and a surrogate so that she might bear Jacob a son and to finally prevail against her sister, Leah. 

Leah copied Rachel’s ungodly tactic, but Leah had been watching her husband on those days when he dwelled in her tent.  And through those ‘weak eyes,’ she saw Jacob’s prayer life and she learned much about Jacob’s God. 

Through Jacob, Leah learned how to pray and how to Bless God for His overflow!!

She realized that God had blessed her with each of her 7 children, and she was grateful to Him. She even remarked, after Asher and Gad were born; that she was Happy that Victory and Fortune had prevailed in her life!! 

 -And Leah said, I am happy, for women will call me blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied); and she named him Asher [happy]. (Genesis 30:13)

Leah believed that God had called her, Blessed!! 

And she believed that others would call her, Blessed of Women!!

Indeed she was- and though Leah was not directly listed as a Matriarch of the Messiah, she was the Mother of ‘Praise’-Judah, through whom the The Christ Child, called Savior would someday descend and thus Bless the World!!

Leah had fought a long and arduous battle for the love of her husband, Jacob…and we may never know if she truly won that battle, But instead, and Better yet- She Indeed Gained the Love of God!! 

Leah fought the Good Fight of Faith!!💕💕

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Thanks For Stopping By!!

Until Next Time, Remember…

God Loves 💕You and So Do I!!

-Tam

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