Leah, the subject of her father’s deception, was to live out her life married to a man who did not love her. Her husband, Jacob, did not choose her, nor did he want her. Every day Leah faced the grim reality that her husband loved and desired her younger sister Rachel.
Rachel was physically beautiful, and Jacob was drawn to her immediately. Although Jacob never loved Leah as he loved Rachel, this did not shake her firm foundation in the Lord and what He had done for her.
God heard her prayers.
We can read about Leah’s story in scripture and observe how she truly loved and served the Lord despite her circumstances. Leah was a woman who relentlessly prayed about her unfortunate situation and God heard her prayers. God responded to Leah with the utmost compassion. Genesis 29:31 scripture states, “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” We can see how God rewarded Leah for her faithfulness and blessed her with the first-born son of Jacob.
A misplaced focus
Leah eventually went on to conceive more children and gave birth to her first three sons.
With each new birth, her hope was focused on winning Jacob’s love. Genesis 29:34 states, “Now, at last, my husband will become attached to me.” However, after the birth of each child, Jacob continued to take no notice of Leah. But God continued to bless Leah’s womb. It was after her fourth birth that something amazing and life-changing happened inside of Leah’s heart. God was showing her that her focus was misplaced on the temporal and on man. Three times she had turned to a weak man for love and approval but this time she was turning to her strong God. When she conceived for the final time she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” (Genesis 29:35). Leah eventually gave birth to six sons and one daughter and ultimately found her joy and favor with the Lord.
Two types of beauty
We can conclude that Leah was not as outwardly attractive as her sister Rachel. However, what Leah lacked in beauty by the world’s standards, she made up for as a loyal wife, a dedicated mother, and a true obedient servant to Our Mighty God. God was certainly attracted to Leah’s beautiful heart and inward beauty. This is the type of beauty that God desires in each one of us. As physically attractive as Rachel may have been, she most certainly lacked the inward beauty where God is looking for. As we can see there are two types of beauty. The first type is a beauty which God gives a person at birth and eventually withers like a flower. And the second type of beauty is one which God grants when by His grace women are born again. This kind of beauty never vanishes but blooms eternally.
You are loved
So to all the woman out there who are lost, suffering, hurting, and who feel unloved, and abandoned here is a word of hope and encouragement:
You are indeed loved, and your suffering has not and never will go unnoticed. God Bless you all!
Read also: Broken but beautiful
