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Genesis 29-30 – Praying through the Bible #17 – A Prayer of “Lovelessness”
Leah’s story is the story of many women. If single, accept it’s better to be alone and unmarried, than married and alone. Leah is alone but married. Happiness is easier to find by yourself than despite someone else. If single and pregnant, don’t think “doing the right thing” equals getting married. Years ago, such might have been “righter” when the divorce stigma might be second only to the stigma of an unwed mother. While Leah doesn’t get pregnant while unmarried, she does lead the life of an unintended, unwanted marriage. If married and alone, don’t think having kids will solve all your marital problems. Bringing children into a loveless marriage might bring you a child’s love, and might build a bridge of marital love, but what if they don’t? “Lovelessness” is not an English word, but fits Leah’s unrecorded, “off-stage” prayers. Unheard by us, they are heard by God, forever etched in the name of her children.
Desperately trying to earn her husband’s love, Leah fights the only way she can, with the battle of the womb. Reuban (Gn 29:31-32) means “See, a son;” as in, “The LORD has seen my affliction; surely my husband will love me now.” Simeon (Gn 29:33) means “He hears;” as in, “The LORD heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also.” Levi (Gn 29:34) means “Attached to;” as in, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” The name Judah (Gn 29:35) leaves this theme of seeking a man’s praise, and gloriously means “Praise;” as in, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Issachar (Gn 30:17-18) comes after the battle of the handmaidens wombs and means “Wages; as in, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband.” Zebulun (Gn 30:19-20) returns to the haunting emptiness and means “Honor;” as in, “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him.” After six sons, Leah still longs for her own husband’s love.
Eventually both wives die; Rachel first in giving birth to her second son. How many years elapsed between Rachel’s death and Leah’s is untold. But over the next several years, it appears something changes in Leah’s relationship to her husband. Genesis 49:29-31 suggests her least-favored-wife status changes. Upon Leah’s death, Jacob buries her in a place of honor next to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah. Later, when Jacob himself is about to die in Egypt, he asks his sons to bury him not with Rachel, but with Leah! In his final years, perhaps Jacob recognizes the worth of his first wife, a treasure found within an initially unsatisfying relationship. The greatest irony is God chose this unwanted wife to bear the lineage of King David and The King, Jesus.
Prayer Challenge: First, don’t try to earn someone’s love, whether God’s, family, or friends. Just praise God for any already loves us. Second, stay committed even if our marriage is not fulfilling. Who’s to say even our most unsatisfying relationships might not be part of God’s plan to redeem us and future generations? Third, remember God answers prayers even if His answers don’t lead to our answers.
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