Rachel :(The Beloved Wife)
Rachel, whose name means "ewe," was caring for her father's sheep in Haran when she met an unexpected visitor her cousin Jacob, who was looking for his family. After what seems to have been love at first sight (Gen. 29:11-12), Jacob promised Rachel's father Laban that he would work seven years to earn the right to marry the beautiful shepherdess (Gen.29:20). The wedding ceremony proceeded according to local tradition, allowing the men to celebrate, while keeping the bride out of sight until the groom entered her darkened tent.
Only after it was too late did Jacob realize that Laban had deceived him. He had actually married Laban's older daughter, Leah, whom he did not love. A week after his marriage to Leah, Jacob received Rachel as his wife. Rachel must have suffered agony. Seven years of anticipation were dashed by her father's trickery. The rivalry and jealousy between Rachel and Leah and perhaps a desire on Rachel's part for retaliation against her father for his deception must have greatly strained the family.
Furthermore, Rachel was unable to bear children (Gen.29:31), increasing her jealousy of Leah. She blamed her husband, then allowed her maid to bear children for her. Finally, Rachel became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph, who became Jacob's favorite (Gen. 30:22-24).
Rachel, a woman greatly loved by her husband, gave the world outstanding son; and despite her flaws, she stands as an honored daughter of Yahweh.
Leah: (The Unwanted Wife)
Leah is described as having "delicate" or "weak" eyes (Gen. 29:17), which could allude to poor eyesight or merely to a lack of sparkle. Through subterfuge, Leah, instead of the promised Rachel, became the wife of Jacob. Although Leah may have been at least a willing participant in this deception, she could have been merely an obedient daughter. Nevertheless, she obviously loved Jacob and was devoted to him throughout their marriage, though surely Leah's soul must have shriveled to be the object of Jacob's disappointment and scorn as well as the tool of her conniving father.
Living with the constant comparison to her unusually beautiful sister, Leah was, nevertheless not hidden from God's caring eyes. In His omniscience, God allowed her to conceive even though her sister's fertility was delayed. She had honor of mothering Jacob's oldest son, but she wrongly assumed that it would earn love from her husband (Gen.29:32). Leah faced her second childbirth realistically, but apparently deep desire gnawed at her (v.33) . When a third pregnancy came, she exclaimed, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me," revealing an intense longing for love (v.34).
Leah began her marriage by focusing on what she lacked and being miserable, but she changed her heart and focus to what she had and determined to praise the Lord. Not until the birth of her fourth son, Judah, did this unwanted wife learn to trust Yahweh ("Now I will praise the Lord," Gen. 29:35). Tracing the messianic lineage, the world rejoices with Leah as her faithfulness was rewarded. "The Loin of the tribe of Judah," Jesus the Messiah, came through her offspring Judah and the priesthood through her son Levi (Rev. 5:5).
Leah personified for every woman the crucial need to live primarily for God and His glory. Though she may have been unattractive in appearance, unloved, unwanted, and even despised, God saw in her an inner beauty that equipped her to carry out His plan
(Gen. 29:31). She could not change Jacob, but she could change herself and recognize God's hand in her life (Gen. 30:13). Leah, for her part, did not let the attitudes of others distract her from the task God had given to her.
