Changed in His Presence - Sam Hinn
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Praise From the Heart<br />
As the K<strong>in</strong>g James version puts it: "Behold, it<br />
was Leah."<br />
What a sight! It was she, the one with the<br />
tender eye. In anger he confronted Laban. "What<br />
is this you have done to me? Was it not for<br />
Rachel that I served you? Why then have you<br />
deceived me?" Laban made excuses but the<br />
bottom l<strong>in</strong>e was this: If Jacob wanted Rachel, he<br />
had to serve another seven years.<br />
Jacob served seven more years to get Rachel,<br />
and all dur<strong>in</strong>g that time he was married to Leah.<br />
But he really didn't care for Leah. She was like<br />
never wak<strong>in</strong>g up from a bad dream.<br />
Jacob f<strong>in</strong>ally fulfilled his obligation to Laban,<br />
and Rachel became his wife.<br />
Let's stop for a moment and look at all this<br />
from Leah's perspective. Can you imag<strong>in</strong>e what<br />
Leah must have felt like? She knew Jacob didn't<br />
want her. It wasn't her decision to marry him <strong>in</strong><br />
place of her sister. Rachel probably hated her,<br />
too. I cannot imag<strong>in</strong>e the pa<strong>in</strong> she must have<br />
suffered dur<strong>in</strong>g those years. But though all those<br />
around her rejected her, the Lord did not.<br />
And when the Lord saw that Leah was<br />
hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was<br />
barren (Gen. 29:31, KJV).<br />
God gave Leah four children, but He<br />
orig<strong>in</strong>ally gave Rachel none. Dur<strong>in</strong>g Bible times,<br />
children were a great honor for a woman. The<br />
Lord honored Leah.<br />
With every birth, Leah cried out to God. The<br />
first boy was named Reuben, and she said "The<br />
Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now my<br />
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