We are now in chapter 29 of Genesis with our word for today שְׂנוּאָ֣ה from the root word שָׂנֵא hate, scorn, decrease in status, enemy, dislike intensely. It is used 146 times in the Old Testament. You might be thinking didn’t we already look at this word? We have a different Hebrew word for hate than the one with Jacob and Esau we looked at earlier. In our chapter this word shows the challenges with polygamy. Jesus clarifies this in answering the question about divorce the religious leaders brought to him. Matthew 19:4-6 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. The original idea is one man and one woman. But sinful fallen people go outside of God’s direction for their lives. When they do it makes everything worse. As we see in our passage today with Jacob who marries both Leah and Rachel.
Genesis 29:30-31 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was שְׂנוּאָ֣ה hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
This is not a good situation as we will see just how bad it gets in the days to come. But even in a bad situation that we ourselves may have had a hand in creating, God can bring good out of it. I think we can see how God is starting to do this in the naming of Leah’s children. Genesis 29:32-35 And Leah conceived...she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.
Did you see the progression with each name? Leah names her son Reuben because she thinks now my husband will love me because God saw that I was unloved. She is looking for Jacob to fulfill her thinking that the purpose of God’s gift was to satisfy her need to be loved by her husband. Then Leah names her second son Simeon for the same reason because God saw that she was hated and this gift would bring Jacob around this time. Then Leah names her third son Levi because she thinks now her husband will be attached to me. She again is looking for Jacob to complete her life. So Leah names each of her three son’s names that are referenced to her relationship with her husband Jacob not giving her what she needs from her life. But with her next son this all changes. Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Now this is what I find interesting that she picks a name that is not referenced this time to her painful unfulfilling marriage. Who is the name referring to none other than the only one who can fulfill any of our needs completely. God himself. “This time I will praise the LORD” she now will enjoy the gift of her son and the one who gave her the gift in the first place God himself without any other reason or expectation that this son will do for her and her relationship with her husband or any other person. That is powerful. God allows us to feel the emotion of loneliness because he wants to move us to intimacy. That is why we experience it so we will recognize that we have this need to be connected that we are lacking and in desperate need of God himself. I love how God in his word reminds us of this over and over again. Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. God will lead us from loneliness to the path of life.
