When the Lord saw that Leah was hated…Genesis 29:31
And God listened to Leah…Genesis 30:17
Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her…Genesis 30:22
My wife does this amazing thing when I go on trips. It just happened again last week when I traveled to Dallas for a training. She sneaks little notes in my bag and places post-it-notes with sweet messages on my books that I take with me. It is a wonderful way to remind me that I am not alone, that I am loved, and that I have someone waiting for me to come home. There is great power in being reminded that I am not alone and that I am seen and valued by her. I have a great wife!
The two wives of Jacob lacked this kind of loving reassurance in their marriage. (Hint: it was never supposed to be 1 man and 2 women in marriage!) Instead, one wife was unloved but could have children, while the other was loved but couldn’t have sons. It was a soap-opera level mess of a family!
In spite of the mess, they made God say that He saw, heard, and remembered them. These are critical words that show that God is a covenant keeping God and is faithful to His faithless people. Join me as we learn this truth in the story of the Presence of Tribes (Genesis 29:31-30:24) this Sunday.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Pastor Nate Newell