Today, I am going to jump forward a little to Abraham and Sarah’s grandson. Isaac had a set of twins, Jacob and Esau. When Jacob went to find a wife, he fell in love with Rachel. But Rachel had an older sister, and when it was time to marry her, her father brought Leah, the older sister, to the marriage tent, and Jacob woke up the next morning realizing that he had Leah, not Rachel. It’s an interesting story in Genesis 28-29.
Leah was described as not being that attractive. Scripture says her eyes had no sparkle or were weak. So I guess that would be today’s equivalent of “she has a great personality”!
She was not sought after, pursued, or even “wanted” by men, unlike Rachel, who was beautiful in figure and features. But their father said it was their custom for the older sister to marry before the younger. (I feel like this was his way of getting Leah married off so she would have someone to take care of her.)
I imagine Leah’s self-esteem is pretty low. And as someone who has struggled with that her whole life, I think I have a good idea of what was going through her head.
Because Jacob wanted Rachel, Rachel was loved. Leah was not. Which brings me to what I wanted to share today. Genesis 29:31 says, “When the LORD SAW that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.”
Here is El Roi. He SAW her. We are about to follow Leah’s journey of realization through what she names her four sons.
- Reuben – who sees the son or “seen”
vs. 32 “The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.” - Simeon – that hears obeys, or has heard
vs. 33 “The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son - Levi – who is held and associated/attached
vs. 34 “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!” - Judah – the praise of the LORD
vs. 35 “Now I will praise the LORD!”
If we look at the meanings of the names, we see that Leah moves from being seen, heard, and held, to then, praise. Her feelings move from looking for the attention of a man to praising the One who saw her to begin with.
Once we stop seeking the attention and acceptance of others to realizing that we already have One who SEES us and loves us, our attitude moves from striving to resting, from longing to gratitude, and from pain to praise.
Leah didn’t suddenly become loved by Jacob. Her circumstances didn’t immediately change. But she changed. By the time Judah is born, her focus shifts. She no longer names her son based on what she hopes a man will finally give her. Instead, she names him out of what God has already done.
“Now I will praise the LORD.”
There is freedom in that moment. Freedom from needing to be chosen. Freedom from proving worth. Freedom from tying our value to how others treat us. Leah teaches us that being seen by God is enough. El Roi was never waiting for her to become more desirable; He saw her exactly where she was, in her loneliness and rejection, and He met her there.
And maybe that’s the invitation for us today: to stop naming our lives after what we lack and start naming them after who God is. Because when we truly grasp that we are seen, heard, and known by Him, praise becomes our natural response.
Have a great day with Jesus!
Life on E Street 