Chosen Not Rejected: Leah & Rachael

Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her ~ Genesis 29:16-20 ESV

Jacob was a man in love. He loved Rachael who was his cousin from his mother’s side. Rachael is described in the above scripture as a woman who was beautiful in form and appearance, while the only thing we are told about Leah is that her eyes were weak. I believe that I am justified to say that one of the major reasons why Jacob fell for Rachael so helplessly was because of her physical beauty. He wanted to marry her and Laban allowed him. He was supposed to serve his uncle for seven years before he was allowed to take her as his wife, and he did. To him, it only seemed like just a few days because of the love he had for her. Here’s what happened next;

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn ~ Genesis 29:21-26 ESV

It seemed that Jacob’s labor for the woman he loved was all in vain because he didn’t get her. He, instead, was given Leah, the firstborn daughter. But, his heart was not with Leah and so he confronted his uncle about it. He explained the circumstances surrounding the whole predicament, but he still wanted Rachael. He was advised to complete one week as was required by the culture and traditions of the day, and after that, he could have Rachael and serve for another seven years. He accepted.

Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years ~ Genesis 29:28-30 ESV

Jacob loved Rachael more than Leah. But God was watching all this so here is what He did;

When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren ~ Genesis 29:31 ESV

At this point, Leah, as a woman must have felt unloved, rejected, left out or disregarded. Who wouldn’t feel that way? As a first wife and her husband still alive, she was expecting love and attention from him, but it’s clear that his heart belonged only to Rachael. And so once God opened her womb and she began to conceive and give birth, she said;

“Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi ~ Genesis 29:32-34 ESV

From all these statements she was making, it’s clear that Leah thought that by giving her husband sons, she would attract him like a magnet and have him all for herself. But it never happened. This must have lowered her self-esteem a bit and affected her sense of security as a woman.

Understand this as a woman; you are never supposed to do things to please a man, trap him for whatever reason, or keep a man who doesn’t care about you. Sadly, this is becoming very common in our modern society. It is a totally wrong motive when we do things to be accepted, loved more, or affirmed by others especially at the expense of our own joy and peace of mind. There are many women who are treading on this path and at the end of the day, we are the ones who get hurt.

Leah must have been blinded by the fact that Jacob was ignoring her and not giving her enough attention and love like Rachael, to have realized that God had favored her big time.

Their physical looks have been described to us to tell us that Leah was not as attractive as Rachael. Most women will confess that they don’t consider themselves beautiful enough. A major reason why some have resorted to “correcting” their body parts, lightening their skin, and doing all manner of things just to become “more beautiful.” I believe that this is an insult to God because we are created in His image and likeness.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them ~ Genesis 1:27 ESV

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well ~ Psalm 139:13-14 ESV

God does not hate anybody because of their looks; He loves us the way we are. If He did, He will be hating Himself because we came from Him and we are created in His very own image and likeness. We are a part of Him and so He loves and accepts each one of us regardless of our physical looks. And what is your definition of beauty if I may ask? How do we look at someone and conclude that they are more beautiful and attractive than we are? I believe that one of the greatest deceptions of the enemy where a woman is concerned lies in her physical looks. The moment he succeeds in convincing you that you are not beautiful enough, he has destroyed your image and identity in God. And you will be doing things you shouldn’t do to make others accept you.

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4 ESV

Leah must have realized that she was giving her husband priority and ignoring the God who had favored her, and so in her fourth child, she praised God and called him Judah. Rachael, on the other hand, became jealous of her sister. She was desperate for a child yet instead of looking up to God, the giver of children, she took it all out on her husband. I believe that she was one woman who was full of herself for the mere reason that Jacob loved her and she was beautiful and attractive. Her jealousy must have been rooted in the reality that a woman who was not beautiful like her was more fruitful than her. To her, it was like a competition.

There is one reason why I believe Rachael was not favored by God. Watch this;

Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods ~ Genesis 31:34-35 ESV

She clung to the gods of her father and refused to let them go. She had the audacity to steal and carry them away, and even when his father came looking for them, she deceived him. Yet she knew that she was the one with them. Her heart was far from God. One of the things God demands from us as His children is separation. Your walk with God will demand that you separate yourself from whatever or whoever is not acceptable before Him.

Separate is defined as “apart from (the rest); not connected to or attached to (anything else); not together (with); not united (to); to disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect; to set apart; to select from among other, as for a special; use or service.

When Esther and the young women were brought to Susa in the royal palace, they were literally disconnected from the outside world. Their separation was important for the job ahead of them. The role they were going to play to the king and the kingdom demanded that they be separated from the others. In our calling as believers, God demands us to be separate from the world and whatever is contrary to His will for our lives. This does not necessarily mean having no contact with unbelievers. Like Jesus, we should befriend the sinner without partaking in their sin (Luke 7:34). Paul expresses a balanced view of separation in 1 Corinth 5:9-10. In other words, we are in the world, but not of it. We are to be light to the world without allowing the world to diminish our light.

Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty ~ 2 Corinthians 6:17 ESV

“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” ~ Genesis 17:1-2 ESV

Rachael was Jacob’s heart desire and he gave it all to pursue and be with her, but Leah was God’s chosen. Unattractive, rejected and disregarded as she was by her husband, God chose to favor her so much so that she was more than three times fruitful than Rachael. He opened her womb and through her, produced a legacy of inheritance. She was the firstborn, and a firstborn is always significant to God which is one major reason why God did not overlook her. Her womb produced another womb, Dinah. Not only that, she produced deliverers; from Levi, Moses; from Judah, David; and from David’s lineage, Jesus.