Genesis 29-30; Matthew 8
I forgot to post this yesterday!
Genesis 29
The lessons I learned today are based on Leah - a character that I’ve not paid much attention to in the Bible, and one from whom I always assumed there wasn’t much to learn.
Leah is presented as a pretty unfortunate character: had weak eyes, was unattractive, undesirable, foisted onto an unsuspecting man by force, unloved by her husband. But the admirable quality I discovered about Leah is that she communed with God.
We aren’t told this explicitly,but this chapter gives clues: the Lord noticed that she wasn’t loved. He gave her a child to compensate for this. She then said that the Lord had seen her misery as an unloved woman. She said this same thing about her first three children, naming them accordingly. The question for me was: how did Leah know the Lord was concerned about her being unloved/unwanted? And that this was why he gave her these children? My conclusion is that she only could’ve known because she kept praying about her loveless state and God must’ve told her what he was going to do to compensate. Reminds me of Abraham’s Communion with God. I want that sort of communication and relationship - the kind where we talk to each other. One talks and the other replies.
Also, Leah learned (or at least seemed to learn in this chapter) the importance of focusing on the journey, rather than on the destination. She wanted her husband’s love and attention to the point of obsession. Obsessiveness is very distracting and blinding. All her children were named based on her obsession, until she had Judah. Then she finally said, ‘This time, I’ll praise the Lord.’ This time, I’ll acknowledge your own love for me, Lord. This time, I won’t let my ‘unanswered’ prayer requests becloud my vision and make me overlook all the wonderful things you’ve done. After going on this endless pursuit, I’m finally ready - or I’ve finally learned - what really matters. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me!
‘Though the fig tree does not bud
And there are no grapes on the vines
Though the olive crop fails
And the fields produce no food
Though there are no sheep in the pen
And no cattle in the stalls
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord
I will be joyful in my savior
The sovereign Lord is my strength
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
He enables me to tread on the heights (Hab 3:17-19)
Genesis 29
The lessons I learned today are based on Leah - a character that I’ve not paid much attention to in the Bible, and one from whom I always assumed there wasn’t much to learn.
Leah is presented as a pretty unfortunate character: had weak eyes, was unattractive, undesirable, foisted onto an unsuspecting man by force, unloved by her husband. But the admirable quality I discovered about Leah is that she communed with God.
We aren’t told this explicitly,but this chapter gives clues: the Lord noticed that she wasn’t loved. He gave her a child to compensate for this. She then said that the Lord had seen her misery as an unloved woman. She said this same thing about her first three children, naming them accordingly. The question for me was: how did Leah know the Lord was concerned about her being unloved/unwanted? And that this was why he gave her these children? My conclusion is that she only could’ve known because she kept praying about her loveless state and God must’ve told her what he was going to do to compensate. Reminds me of Abraham’s Communion with God. I want that sort of communication and relationship - the kind where we talk to each other. One talks and the other replies.
Also, Leah learned (or at least seemed to learn in this chapter) the importance of focusing on the journey, rather than on the destination. She wanted her husband’s love and attention to the point of obsession. Obsessiveness is very distracting and blinding. All her children were named based on her obsession, until she had Judah. Then she finally said, ‘This time, I’ll praise the Lord.’ This time, I’ll acknowledge your own love for me, Lord. This time, I won’t let my ‘unanswered’ prayer requests becloud my vision and make me overlook all the wonderful things you’ve done. After going on this endless pursuit, I’m finally ready - or I’ve finally learned - what really matters. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me!
‘Though the fig tree does not bud
And there are no grapes on the vines
Though the olive crop fails
And the fields produce no food
Though there are no sheep in the pen
And no cattle in the stalls
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord
I will be joyful in my savior
The sovereign Lord is my strength
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
He enables me to tread on the heights (Hab 3:17-19)
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