Genesis 29:31-35: a reflection

31The LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because the LORD has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Simeon. 34She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

In the sad rivalry between the sisters, Leah is the unloved one; but God sees her affliction and gives her children, and in time she moves from longing for her husband's love to simply praising God. When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, the account says, he opened her womb. Leah, unloved by her husband, was seen by God, who noticed her affliction and gave her sons. At first she named them in the hope of winning her husband's love; but by the fourth, she names him Judah, saying, this time I will praise the LORD, moving from pining for the love she lacked to praising the God who saw her. God saw the unloved one and met her; and Leah found rest in praising him. This shows that God sees the unloved and overlooked, and that we can find rest in praising him. God sees the affliction of the unloved and overlooked. God noticed Leah, whom others did not love. Leah moved from pining for love to praising God. Find rest in praising God rather than pining for what you lack.

Notice two things in Leah's story: that God saw her, and that she came to praise him. Leah was the unloved sister, overlooked in favor of the beautiful Rachel; her husband's love went to another, and she bore the pain of being unwanted. But the account says the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and acted for her, opening her womb, giving her sons. God saw the one others overlooked; he noticed her affliction and cared for her. This is a comfort to any who feel unloved, overlooked, unwanted: God sees them, notices their affliction, cares for them, even when others do not. And notice Leah's movement. At first she named her sons in the hope that they would win her husband's love; her heart was still fixed on gaining the love she lacked. But by the fourth son, something has shifted: she names him Judah, praise, saying, this time I will praise the LORD. She has moved from pining for the love she could not get from her husband to praising the God who saw and loved her. There is a rest here worth finding: turning from anxiously pining for what we lack, whether love or approval or recognition, to praising God who sees and loves us. God sees the unloved and overlooked; you are seen by him. Move from pining for what you lack to praising God who loves you. God notices those others overlook. Find rest in the God who sees you, rather than in what you lack.

That is worth resting in, for God sees the unloved and overlooked, noticing their affliction, and there is rest in turning from pining for what we lack to praising him, as God saw Leah and she came to praise the LORD. We can feel unloved, overlooked, unwanted, and pine anxiously for the love or approval we lack; but God saw Leah, the unloved one, and cared for her, and she moved to praising the God who saw her. God sees us. When you feel unloved or overlooked, remember that God sees you, and find rest in praising him rather than pining for what you lack. Rest in the truth that God sees the unloved and overlooked, noticing their affliction and caring for them, and that there is rest in turning from pining for what we lack to praising the God who sees and loves us, as in the sad rivalry between the sisters Leah was the unloved one, yet the LORD saw that she was hated and opened her womb, giving her sons, and Leah, who at first named them in the hope of winning her husband's love, by the fourth named him Judah, saying, this time I will praise the LORD; for God saw the one others overlooked, noticing her affliction and caring for her when others did not, which is a comfort to any who feel unloved, overlooked, or unwanted, since God sees them and cares for them, and Leah's movement, from pining for the love she could not get from her husband to praising the God who saw and loved her, shows a rest worth finding, turning from anxiously pining for what we lack, whether love or approval or recognition, to praising God who sees and loves us, so that when we feel unloved or overlooked we can remember that God sees us and find rest in praising him.

Lord, in the sad rivalry between the sisters, Leah is the unloved one; but you see her affliction and give her children, and in time she moves from longing for her husband's love to simply praising you. When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, the account says, he opened her womb. Leah, unloved by her husband, was seen by you, who noticed her affliction and gave her sons. At first she named them in the hope of winning her husband's love; but by the fourth, she names him Judah, saying, this time I will praise the LORD, moving from pining for the love she lacked to praising you, who saw her. Show me two things in Leah's story: that you saw her, and that she came to praise you. Leah was the unloved sister, overlooked; her husband's love went to another, and she bore the pain of being unwanted. But you saw that Leah was hated, and acted for her, giving her sons. You saw the one others overlooked; you noticed her affliction and cared for her. This is a comfort to any who feel unloved, overlooked, unwanted: you see them, notice their affliction, care for them, even when others do not. And Leah moved: at first she named her sons in the hope of winning her husband's love, her heart still fixed on gaining the love she lacked. But by the fourth, she named him Judah, praise, saying, this time I will praise the LORD. She moved from pining for the love she could not get to praising you, who saw and loved her. Take that to my heart, for you see the unloved and overlooked, and there is rest in turning from pining for what I lack to praising you. When I feel unloved or overlooked, help me remember that you see me, Lord, and find rest in praising you, who see and love me, rather than pining anxiously for the love, approval, or recognition I lack.