When the LORD saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She said, "The LORD has seen my trouble, and now my husband will love me"; so she named him Reuben. She became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, "The LORD has given me this son also, because he heard that I was not loved"; so she named him Simeon. Once again she became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She said, "Now my husband will be bound more tightly to me, because I have borne him three sons"; so she named him Levi. Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She said, "This time I will praise the LORD"; so she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

Unattractive and foisted on a husband who did not want her, Leah wanted a kind of love she never received. Her heartache is revealed in the names she gave her sons. Reuben means "see, a son." Simeon means "heard" which meant the LORD had heard she was unloved. Levi meant "unattached" and it was supposed to show that her husband would become attached to her, but he didn’t. Judah means "praise" in which she then said she would love the LORD. Jacob never loved Leah the way he loved Rachel. But in the end her longing for love was satisfied by the LORD and His perfect love. Today, He has that perfect love for us.

Devote yourself to knowing God and loving Him. If you feel unloved, don’t run from your pain or try to get love through the wrong means. Instead, devote yourself to knowing God and loving Him. Allow Him to meet your deepest needs. Then give Him all the praise!

Though people may not love you, God will never leave you.

Our Daily Bread – September 27, 2002