The Unloved Wife
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Leah was given to a man who was tricked into having her as his wife.
Therefore she was neglected by Jacob.
The word Sa-ne means to scorn, to decrease in status.
The Lord see’s her hurt, he see’s her pain.
Fathers Must Protect Their Daughters
Fathers Must Protect Their Daughters
Laban is the one who put her into this position when he tricked another man, and wed her to him.
It may have been that there wasn’t another good suitor. Therefore Laban was trying to make sure she was provided for.
I’m not excusing Laban, I’m just saying we don’t know the whole situation.
Fathers, Grandfathers
We have a responsibility to protect our daughters.
We must make sure that when they marry, the men they are marrying see that they are valuable. They are precious.
Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
An excellent wife is worth more than her weight in jewels!
For one, we must be training our daughters to be excellent.
To be faithful, submissive wife.
To be knowledgeable.
Who will be able to train and school children.
Who will use her gifts to build her family and be a great help meet to her husband.
Then we must make sure that whomever marries her, sees that she is excellent.
See’s that they are marrying a jewel, and treat her as such.
Husbands, do we treat our wives as a treasure?
Husbands, do we treat our wives as a treasure?
Do you realize that the wife you have is more precious than jewels?
That she is a treasure that is beyond measure?
1 Peter 3:7
1 Peter 3:7
As the head of the household, we are to be lifelong students of our wives.
We are to give them honor.
Do your realize that she is a treasure to be valued, and do you value her as such.
To those who are not valued
To those who are not valued
To both husbands and wives.
Being not valued in the eyes of a spouse is not something that is only for women. But sometimes the husbands are as well.
The Lord knows the pain that you suffer, he knows what you are enduring.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
If you are someone who feels despised by your spouse. You feel the weight, the animosity.
Lean in to God, ask Him for strength and for help in the midst of your distress.
He loves you, and you are valuable in His eyes.
Ephesians 1:3-6
Ephesians 1:3-6
You have been bought and chosen by God, before the foundation of the world.
Naming the Children
Naming the Children
Through naming her children, Leah shows her thought process, her attitude throughout.
Reuben
Reuben
His name means “behold a son!”
A statement coming from a woman who has been neglected.
Her desire is that her husband seeing that she has given him an heir, that he will begin to love her.
It’s a statement saying, “Look what I have done for you! Please love me!”
Isn’t this the thing we push forward to when you feel neglected?
What do I have to do for you to love me?
Simeon
Simeon
Simeon mean “hearing.”
She see’s Simeon being born as a sign that God is listening to her.
He hears her crying at night, He see’s her anguish.
I love that both of these names show that Leah understands that God is close. She see’s the Lord drawing near to her in the midst of her suffering and anguish.
The Lord looked, the Lord heard. The senses of the Lord are attentive to her.
Levi
Levi
His name means attached.
The hope of Leah being that because she has bore her husband three sons, her husband will finally love her.
I have finally done enough, there are three. Now he must love me.
With Leah, it wasn’t that she hadn’t done enough.
It wasn’t that she needed to be a better wife, or that she needed to earn the favor of Jacob.
The problem was with Jacob.
She could do everything in the world, but there will still be problem becasue of his heart.
The Lord must change him.
What should she have done when she was unloved, what should you do when you are unloved?
The right thing in the eyes of God.
Husbands, you give up of yourselves and love your wives.
Study her and look for ways to show her she is cherished.
And pray that God changes her heart.
Remembering that you are loving Christ, in loving your wife.
Wives, you must submit to and honor your husband.
Not gossip about him to your friends behind his back, that’s not honoring.
You need to let him lead the family, and find ways to show him honor as he does so.
Praying that God will change his heart.
Remembering that as you honor your husband, you honor Christ.
God was hated by His betrothed
God was hated by His betrothed
Israel, who he had made a nation.
Who he had brought out of Egypt.
Who God had loved.
Jeremiah 3:2-3, 12-14
Jeremiah 3:2-3, 12-14
God was despised by Israel.
He knows the pain of being unloved, of being despised.
This is why he is near to the broken hearted.
If you are “In Christ,” God gives us a way to deal with the pain.
Judah
Judah
His name means praise.
Leah’s statement was “this time, I will praise the LORD.”
Leah comes to the point where her life isn’t about her husband…it’s about the Lord.
No matter what her husband would do, she would praise the Lord.
The realization being that it was enough to be loved by God, to be cherished by Him.
Asher
Asher
v.13
Asher means happy or blessed
She names him Asher becasue despite all of the ugliness. All the hardships she is facing. She is happy.
For she has the Lord. She is loved by the Lord.
Rather than focusing on the ugliness, she is focused on praising God. This brings joy in the trials.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Leah was choosing to dwell, to think on the good and beautiful things in this life.
You will notice that Rachel is not as happy of a person.
She was loved, but she was barren, and that became the focus of her life.
Striving with her sister.
Naphtali
Naphtali
v.8
Her focus was on battling with her sister.
Even though she was the one who was loved, she was unhappy.
Contentment is about what you choose to dwell on.
Did Leah continue to be the less valued? I don’t know.
Genesis 49:28-29, 31
Genesis 49:28-29, 31
We see that Jacob has had Leah buried in the family tomb.
In death, Jacob desired to be laid next to Leah.
Let us strive to honor God, in the way that we honor and love one another. Choosing not to dwell on the hurt and hardships, but on the blessings of God.
Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May your life be full of joy and contentment as you rest in Him. Go with the Lord this week.