Scripture References
Genesis 29; Genes30; Genesis 49:31; Ruth 4:11
Name Meaning
Wearied or faint with sickness (often translated as cow eyes)
Family
Daughter of Laban
Sister of Rachel
Wife of Jacob
Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and Dinah
Introduction
Leah’s story is a rough one to read. She is often eclipsed by her younger sister who was beautiful, but barren. The circumstances surrounding her life are frequently overlooked, but her story is important and deserves to be told. Once you begin to see the story of Leah unfold, you will find it heartbreaking at times. Leah suffered much in her marriage. But she also demonstrated great character development as time went on.
Lesson
Leah’s story does not begin with her, but rather with her sister and their future husband Jacob, who was a cousin. Jacob fell in love with Rachel immediately and wanted her for his bride. He agreed to work for his uncle Laban for seven years, for the hand of his love.
Unfortunately, Laban deceived Jacob. Rather than giving Rachel to Jacob on their wedding night, he instead gives him Leah. Jacob was not aware that he had been duped until the next morning when he awoke to Leah, not Rachel. Jacob was rightfully upset. But Laban explained it away saying he couldn’t give away the younger daughter until after the eldest was married.
Can you imagine what Leah must have felt? She knew Jacob loved and desired Rachel, yet she was the one presented to him on the wedding night. And then the next morning she saw the shock and anger on his face when he saw her face, not Rachel’s. It must have hurt deeply to witness the disappointment in his eyes.
And then she had to share her husband with her sister. She had to watch her husband choose his second wife over her.
Yet she was still a devoted wife. God saw that Leah was unloved and He opened her womb. She bore him numerous children. With each subsequent child, she chose names that show us the growth she was making as a wife and mother. Their names and meaning:
- Reuben – Behold a son
- Simeon – God heard I am unloved
- Levi – now my husband will be with me
- Judah – thanks
- Issachar – God has given me hire
- Zebulon – now my husband will honor me
Leah provided quite the brood for her husband. Yet he still preferred Rachel over Leah. And because of this tension in the marriage, the sisters struggled to get along. Rachel was jealous of the fertility of Leah since she herself was barren. Everything was a competition between the sisters, including giving their maids to Jacob in order to provide additional children.
One day Reuben returned home with mandrakes. Rachel begged for some mandrakes which were said to cure barrenness and acted as an aphrodisiac. Leah’s response: “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes, too?” But she agreed to share the mandrakes in exchange for sleeping with Jacob that night.
We never discover whether Jacob ever loves Leah. We know he loved Rachel, but nothing is said of his feelings for Leah. It is doubtful he ever developed feelings beyond the duty of a husband. The pain Leah must have experienced at his passive response to her.
But, unlike Rachel, Leah was buried in the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah were laid to rest. Though she did not feel loved by her husband, God saw her and cared. He blessed her as a mother and it was through her lineage that Christ was born.
Final Thoughts
Leah’s story is difficult to read, but God uses all things for His glory. Though unloved, she was blessed with child after child, which was a highly valued attribute of a woman in those times. Though she was not a beautiful woman like her sister, her heart was, and she was blessed by the Lord for it. The outward appearance should not matter. The inner person is far more attractive.
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