What Can Leah and Rachel Educate Us about Safety in God?

After Laban asks Jacob what his wages ought to be, it’s famous that ^“Jacob was in love with Rachel and stated, ‘I’ll be just right for you seven years in return on your youthful daughter Rachel.’” (Genesis 29:18).

When these seven years are over the daddy then performs an enormous switcheroo on Jacob and provides him the older sister, Leah, as a substitute on his wedding ceremony evening. After determining what occurred, Jacob is then married to Rachel per week later however solely after he guarantees to work one other seven years for Laban.

There are various classes we are able to study from this story, however to me, it is the emotional undercurrent that I’m most fascinated with. The rejection, jealousy, and the need to be pursued are feelings which are nonetheless acquainted on this modern-day. Let’s check out 3 of the methods Leah and Rachel’s story can educate us in regards to the safety we are able to solely discover in God.

1. What God Considers Unfading Magnificence

Have you ever ever felt omitted, regarded over, or rejected? It may be clear that Jacob’s adverse response to waking up with Leah as his bride, and never his desired decide Rachel, was taken by Leah as a flashing neon signal of rejection. To be honest, it was Laban that’s accountable for this spouse swap, however I do know in addition to you do this Leah felt regarded over.

Within the Bible, she is first described as having “weakeyes, however Rachel had a beautiful determine and was stunning.” (Genesis 29:17) If the one adjectives used to explain me in a narrative have been that I had weak eyes, nicely, I wouldn’t really feel excellent about myself.

How does this sit with you? Will we nonetheless are inclined to prioritize the qualities we discover about ourselves or others on bodily traits first? ^“Your magnificence mustn’t come from outward adornment, equivalent to elaborate hairstyles and the sporting of gold jewellery or nice garments.Moderately, it ought to be that of your interior self, the unfading fantastic thing about a delicate and quiet spirit, which is of nice price in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

I’m grateful for this verse because it jogs my memory that what God sees as better price to the dominion will not be the outward magnificence however the coronary heart inside. I prefer to handle myself and, whereas I do know that magnificence is within the eye of the beholder, I additionally know that my physique and bodily energy will fade with time. As we’ll see as this story unfolds, the sister with the extra outward adornment isn’t as robust on the within as she hoped.

So, what will we take from this? Safety solely present in our outward look with no inside energy of religion and endurance is not going to final the great struggle.

God makes no errors and though our human eyes will discover pleasure in a single particular person greater than one other, and for good purpose (ex: marriage), we should not financial institution on our attractiveness to be all that we stand on.

As we’ll see for Rachel, the safety one would count on an individual to have that’s deemed pretty and delightful was non permanent as her jealousy grew.

2. Jealousy Blinds Us to God’s Blessings

Jealousy is an unsightly emotion and one thing that all of us can, sadly, relate to. Jealousy can creep up into any sort of scenario and doesn’t simply have an effect on one sort of particular person greater than one other.

Within the case of Leah and Rachel, I feel it’s secure to say that each of them needed to cope with the ugly aspect of jealousy by feeling it themselves and being on the receiving finish.

Beginning with Leah, we see on the very starting that she will not be solely described because the much less engaging sister but in addition that her father used the actual fact of her being the oldest and nonetheless single sister as purpose to trick Jacob into marrying her first.

I can’t put phrases into her mouth or ideas into her head, however I feel it will be secure to say that Leah could have had some jealousy on the consideration that her youthful sister obtained over her.

It was famous that Jacob’s “…love for Rachel was better than his love for Leah.” (Genesis 29:30).

Due to this, God gave particular consideration to Leah, and enabled her to have 4 sons.  

Due to Leah’s blessing to bear Jacob kids, this in flip, created jealousy inside Rachel. “When Rachel noticed that she was not bearing Jacob any kids, she turned jealous of her sister. So she stated to Jacob, ‘Give me kids, or I’ll die!’” (Genesis 30:1).

Does this resonate with you? You pray for one thing, wait earnestly, obtain the blessing, after which the ugly monster of jealousy says, “It’s not sufficient!”

God did bless Rachel with conceiving a baby however as a result of she needed extra, as jealousy had its manner, she turned pregnant once more. Sadly, Rachel died in childbirth.

Did jealousy finally kill Rachel? That’s between her and God, nevertheless it does appear her rage to one-up her sister in heirs took her life in an terrible downward spiral.

We study from Rachel that if we aren’t grateful for the blessings we’ve got, and belief that God is sufficient, jealousy will all the time make us need extra, insatiably.

3. God Pursues Us, even when No One Else Does

As a lady, we’re designed to be pursued. It’s by God’s design that our hearts race once we are pursued in a romantic relationship by a person that our coronary heart additionally wishes.

As we see in Jacob’s deep need for Rachel to be his bride, he labored for Laban not simply 7 years, however 14 years even with an enormous switcheroo performed on him within the center. I’m positive that made Rachel really feel just like the queen of the ball {that a} man desired her that a lot.

On the other aspect, we are able to solely think about the deep longing that Leah needed to be needed by Jacob. She bore him a number of kids and it was clear that every time she would hope that he would lastly need her as he did Rachel. “Once more she conceived, and when she gave beginning to a son she stated, “Now ultimately my husband will turn into hooked up to me, as a result of I’ve borne him three sons.” (Genesis 29:14)

This most likely hits fairly near lots of our single hearts. Watching different ladies being pursued, taken care of, and liked by a person that’s the bodily manifestation of affection right here on earth may be exhausting.

Feeling neglected or not ok could be a deep damage and may snowball into emotions of being lower than, forgotten, or the concern of not being needed simply since you haven’t been picked but.

I like how God had a particular place in his coronary heart for Leah. You see, God enabled Leah to have 4 sons as a result of “… the Lord noticed that Leah was unloved…” (Genesis 29:31). God noticed the rejection that Leah confronted, and knew what having sons would imply to her.

He noticed how she was not liked as she deserved to be and due to her age or lack of suitors she was married to a person that desired another person… her personal sister. Her safety ultimately turns from a human to her heavenly Father. He stills pursues her coronary heart, even when nobody else did.

The blessing we see in Leah’s life is that her dependence on Jacob’s love and a focus slowly turns towards God.

We see this when she was naming her fourth little one, Judah, “She conceived once more, and when she gave beginning to a son she stated, “This time I’ll reward the Lord.” (Genesis 29:35).

God’s Plan for Safety – What We Can Study from Leah and Rachel

On this story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel we see how God labored by means of this household to result in His will by their sons ultimately making up the twelve tribes of Israel. What stands proud to me is that issues aren’t all the time as they appear.

Within the case of Leah, she was rejected, handled the feelings of jealousy, and deeply desired to be pursued. What she realized was that although her personal sister Rachel was needed and pursued, Rachel herself had her personal demons to cope with together with jealousy and anger. A husband didn’t repair that.

Leah discovered her safety in her Lord and nobody might take that away.

Could we be reminded that God’s plan for our lives doesn’t all the time find yourself with us being the star of a romantic comedy, being the preferred, or named probably the most stunning.

We received’t be promised a ache free life however what we’re given is a lot extra. Safety in God’s love, His pursuit of us, and the need to make use of our lives for His glory can manifest right into a love story that’s much more particular than something you may see on the silver display.

And on that we may be safe.

Mandy Smith is a joyful 30-something single dwelling in GA. She is a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist. Her loves embody Jesus, her household and mates, creativity, taking part in guitar and singing, espresso, laughing, and naturally, writing! You may learn extra of her writing on  her web site www.myjoyousheart.com and join along with her on Fb, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Photograph Credit score: ©GettyImages/Ridofranz