The Family of Jacob was built more on the desire to be loved, than on anything else. The war between Leah and Rachel to establish their place as Jacob’s beloved wife caused them to do any and everything to win favor. At day’s end 11 children, 2 additional wives and still Leah and Rachel were battling to win Jacob. It seems a shame, really. Jacob, I am sure, never intended to be mean to Leah. She bore him six sons and a daughter. Still, the heavenly Father continued to bless her with a group of sons to love and protect her.
Leah and Rachel needed to know the only one that they needed to find favor with was God. He did love them and provided for them time after time. But their distraction with Jacob never allowed them to rest in the peace and love of the Father. Amazingly, that has been the story of so many. God calls us to simply trust and follow Him. There is simply nothing else that will fill the void in our lives.
There is no number of things, people, or power that can give the peace and purpose that comes from following the Lord. Jesus said it himself, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to You!” Matt 6:33
Like Leah and Rachel, we can become so absorbed with our own stuff that we miss all that God has for us. If we do, then we will miss the amazing things within God’s plan.
God Bless You
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.[a]
7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So, she named him Naphtali.[b]
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[c] So she named him Gad.[d]
12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.[e]
14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”
“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So, he slept with her that night.
17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So, she named him Issachar.[f]
19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[g]
21 Sometime later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph,[h] and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
Walking With God 