Seeking Seen

Seeking Seen

Genesis 30: ¹⁷ And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. ¹⁸ Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar. ¹⁹ Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. ²⁰ And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. ²¹ Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

 

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Unwanted and alone in marriage, Leah gave Rachel the mandrakes Reuben found. She sought time with Jacob, who loved her sister Rachel. That night, they conceived a child. When the child was born, she named him Issachar, meaning wages. Sometime later, she conceived another child and named him Zebulun, meaning dwelling.  Then she conceived a daughter and named her Dinah, meaning judgment.

 

My Observations:

• Leah sought to have a relationship with a husband who was forced to marry her.
• Leah bore Jacob seven children, one of which was a daughter named Dinah.
• GOD saw and heard Leah’s heart as she tried to make a bad situation good.

 

After becoming barren, there seemed no reason for Jacob to keep trying to have kids with Leah. He kept trying to have kids with Rachel to no avail. Leah gave her maid to Jacob and two kids were born. But this did not satisfy Leah’s desire for more children. GOD saw Leah’s attempts to have a relationship with Jacob and blessed her with three more children.

 

Leah conceived half of the sons Jacob would have. She conceived them through difficulty and pain. She praised GOD for being able to give birth to children. But when she had a daughter, she named her judgment. GOD saw Leah’s broken heart and blessed her seeking efforts.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD tells Moses about Leah’s desires?
• Have you ever had a desire and wondered if GOD was even listening to you?
• Have you placed all your desires before the LORD, believing that HE will give you what is best for you?

News of Value

News of Value

Genesis 30: ¹⁴ Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

 

¹⁵ But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”

 

And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

 

¹⁶ When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

 

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Reuben was old enough to go out a forage by himself. He was supposed to pick wheat, but he pulled up a plant with a strange root that looked like a human. He brought the strange plant to his mother and probably asked about it aloud. Rachel must have overheard the conversation between Reuben and Leah. She bargained for the mandrakes.

 

My Observations:

• This is the first time wheat and mandrakes were mentioned.
• Rachel believed the mandrakes could cure her infertility.
• Leah bargained with Rachel to have Jacob for a night.

 

Determined to have another child, Rachel and Leah seemed to become desperate. Rachel demanded that she be given mandrakes that were rare and believed to have medicinal power to cure almost anything. Leah used the mandrakes as a bargaining chip to “hire” Jacob.

 

After working in the field, Jacob was met by Leah. She told him, he was purchased for a night and explained the great price she paid. Jacob, having four wives, went in with Leah. She showed him the value. GOD saw this situation that I would label as “messed up” and used it for HIS purpose.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD told Moses about the bargaining between Rachel and Leah?
• Are you bargaining with GOD for something you want?
• If you have a desire, will you ask GOD to align it to HIS purpose?