When You Can’t Get What Your Heart Desperately Wants: The Story of Leah
If you’ve ever felt less-than, not enough, over-looked…if you’ve ever been frustrated that what you want so much seems to come so easily to others, keep reading. You’re not alone, and there’s more to your story. Here’s some encouragement for you.
The love triangle of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah rolls off the pages of the Bible like some kind of big screen movie up for the latest Academy Award. Two sisters in love with the same man. Lies. Deceit. Jealousy.
Except it’s not a movie. The story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel is a true story, and an especially painful one for Leah, overshadowed by her sister, cast as the supporting role rather than the star. However, that’s not what God had in mind for Leah. While, on the surface, she appears to have gotten the broken side of the wishbone, the underlying beauty in Leah’s story earns her a top spot in God’s hall of celebrities.
Two Sisters + 1 Man + 7 Years = A Big Mess
We jump into the story in Genesis 29, and the way the story unfolds is like this:
Jacob, the son of Isaac, the grandson of the patriarch Abraham, is no stranger to getting himself into one deceitful episode after another. In his latest shenanigans, he cheats his brother Esau out of his patriarchal blessing, which is no small deal. Esau is out for blood, and to protect him from Esau’s wrath, Jacob’s mother Rebekah sends him away to ‘find a wife’ from her family line.
As Jacob arrives in his mother’s land, he approaches a well and sees the beautiful Rachel, who ‘happens’ to be a relative and a perfect match for Jacob. Rachel’s family is overjoyed at Jacob’s arrival, and Laban, Rachel’s father, agrees to give Rachel in marriage…if Jacob will work for him for seven years.
Well, Rachel must have been stunning to behold because Jacob is smitten and commits to this agreement. And the Bible tells us in very romantic way that seven years seemed “like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (vs. 20).
Finally, the time has come for Jacob to marry Rachel, and here’s where the story gets juicy. Jacob finally gets a taste of his own deceptive medicine: On his wedding night, Laban secretly gives Leah, the older sister, to Jacob as his wife. not Rachel (don’t ask me how Jacob didn’t catch on to that one). Infuriated, Jacob confronts Laban, who tells him that the older daughter needs to be married first. (That information might have come in handy prior to the big night, don’t you think?) However, Laban says that Jacob can have Rachel, too, – if he works another 7 years, which Jacob agrees to.
Enter the happy home of Jacob and his two sister wives.
This is part of a guest post at Experience His Freedom. Click here to continue reading!
Great wisdom and insights here. Thanks so much for sharing. I love how oftentimes the story of each of us is so much bigger than what we have the privilege to see. God can use it all to show Himself to us…and to make Himself known to others. Love that. Am thinking He’s definitely using your story and am so thankful for being one who is encouraged by reading it through your blog. Carry on, Kate…and here’s to a Mother’s Day hope of having a few extra hours of sleep <3
Thank you so much, friend! And thank you for reading. That is a reality I’ve been thinking of so much lately….our lives, the ripple effect down through years after us…we have no earthly clue why God allows things to go as they do, but there’s no way we can see into the future and see why things have to be the way they do. But they do. We just cannot possibly know all the outcomes that will come from just one tiny (or huge) event in our lives. And that gives me a measure of peace knowing I’ll see the reasons why (and agree) from the eternal side. Thank you again so much for coming back to read! Pray you have a great Mother’s Day as well!!! xoxo
xoxox right back…for you AND those sweet active,rambunctious adorable gift of your boys!
xoxox love and hugs right back to you and your sweet, fun, and rambunctious gift of your boys 🙂
You KNOW my thoughts on the Leah and Rachel saga. At least they bonded much much much later. Jacob I still have mixed feelings about : )
This story always gets me in the pit of my stomach. As much as I believe that Jacob and Laban really deserved each other, I always feel sad that Leah and Rachel got caught in the crossfire of all the deception and trickery. And the next generation did not escape the scourge.
Yes! I sometimes have to work a little mentally to realize these aren’t just stories but histories and little biographies. Leah’s life isn’t just an object lesson for her – she really lived it and went through all those emotions just the way any of us would. But God is so gracious to use so many imperfect stories in His plan. (Ours included!) Thanks so much for coming by, Michele! 🙂