“Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son.
She named him Judah, for she said, ‘Now I will praise the Lord!’…”
Genesis 29:35
Leah was Jacob’s first wife, but his second love. As their first morning dawned, it was clear that Jacob wanted Rachel more than Leah. But God saw Leah’s misery and enabled her to bear children, while the loved sister waited.
As Leah gave birth to her first four sons, it’s interesting to note her interpretations of the names she chose. Reuben, “The Lord has noticed MY misery, and now my husband will love ME.” Simeon, “The Lord has heard that I was unloved and has given ME another son.” Levi, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for ME…” Finally, as Judah was born Leah exclaimed, “Now I will praise the LORD!”
Leah spent years with a ME focus, trying to prove she was lovable, but that focus only produced competitions with her sister in which neither won. Don’t we do the same, waste time engaging in ME races, not realizing that all the finish lines have the same label: disappointment.
Let’s remember that the one time when Leah turned her focus from herself to the LORD, she had given birth to Judah, the son through whom our Savior came. Perhaps when we change our self-focus, we too will see our Savior coming, not just in the future, but right now!
