Leah could not win Jacob's heart by bearing him sons

Last week we dealt with the fact that Jacob became Israel. We looked at the fact that a selfishly driven man became a man driven by God.

This week, I want to celebrate that Israel has a son named Judah.

Even though Judah came to be out of a relationship that was not perfect, God permitted His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to come out of the lineage of Judah.

What should this tell you? It should tell you that God is not looking for you to be perfect. God is looking for you to simply be a part of His family.

Judah was the fourth son born to Leah and Jacob. Leah had made the mistake that so many of our females make. Leah thought that if she could give Jacob a son, she would win him from His true love, Rachel.

How many of our females use their womb as a place of bargaining? How many women use their womb in the hopes that what is conceived will bring about a relationship?

No, that will not happen. Relationships should be well in place before the production of children.

Isn’t it interesting that the more time rolls on, the more time repeats itself? Leah had three sons and still had not won Jacob’s heart.

She may have won his body, but the most precious place was his heart and Leah was nowhere near to possessing Jacob’s heart.

How sad. Yes, how sad when innocent children are birthed into absurd and abnormal associations.

Leah’s sons were named according to where she found herself.

• Son number one: Reuben. His name means “to see”, as she acknowledged that God saw her and she was hoping that Jacob would see her.
• Son number two: Simeon. His name means “to hear”, as she acknowledged that God heard her and she was hoping that Jacob would hear her.
• Son number three:  Levi. His name means “to be joined”, as she acknowledged that God was joined to her and she was hoping that Jacob would be joined to her.
• Son number four: Judah. His name means “confessing praise” and Leah finally got it and confessed that in all of her efforts to win Jacob she has failed, but that now she would give God total praise.

Judah

Jesus would emerge out of the Tribe of Judah as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Yes, Judah is an indication that in spite of a winless situation, you can come out a winner. Judah lets you know that even when you have been disappointed by man, God will appoint you as the heir of all blessings.  Judah will remind you not to get stuck in your failures, but to focus on the fact that you are about to birth an ultimate blessing.

After Leah gave birth to Judah, she rested or she “left” from having more children for a season. No longer was Leah trying in vain to capture the heart of a man who was knitted to another.

Leah thanked God for what He had done for her, in opening up her womb in a marriage that was not the best.

 Let me encourage our young ladies to value your body and to value yourself.  Also, young ladies of Bermuda, do not rush to do things in your youth that you will regret in your years of maturity.

Whoever is to love you should love you for who you are and you should never settle for anything or anyone less.

You are precious and the children that you will carry in the future are precious cargo. Let us birth children into beautiful and blessed relationships and not simply “because….” Respice finem.

Dr. Maria A. Seaman is the Pastor of Shekinah Worship Centre, located at 98 North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish CR 01.