In this chapter, we see the plight of a young woman Leah, given in marriage to a man Jacob, who is in love with her sister Rachel. Verse 31 says, “Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” She names her first-born Reuben, her second Simeon, and her third Levi, saying, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me, because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, now therefore my husband will become attached to me.” For years she is yearning to become the object of her husband’s affection and love, to no avail until she gives birth to her fourth child, and resigns herself for a moment to turn her attention toward God, and praise the Lord. She names the child “Judah,” which means “Praise.” Judah is the one who intervened in the life of his brother Joseph so that his brothers would not put him to death, but instead sell him into slavery, and through this act the whole nation of Israel, and the then known world, was spared.
Jesus came to us through the lineage of the tribe of Judah, also intervening to God the Father that our lives be spared until He redeemed us from bondage. There are so many years that can be swallowed up in anguish and pain, as Leah’s was, because our attention is focused on the earthly, rather than the Divine. Not until we submit to and turn our desires toward Jesus, Redeemer and “Son of Praise,” do we enter in to the place of complete contentment. Psalms 37: 4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” As we submit our needs and emotions to the Lord, He is able by the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to become steadfast in Him. Circumstances and people can change in a split second, but Jesus is the Rock of ages that never changes. He is the only consistent factor in our lives. It is imperative that we direct the focus of our attention to Him, so that when changes come, and come they will, His UN-changeableness and Strength are what hold us up. Jesus releases power toward us, as His Name is “praised.” He is Immanuel, “God with us,” and “within us” to perform through praise what He intends for His people. 1 John 4: 9 says, “God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.”
Dearest Holy Lord Jesus: Thank You for being the only “True Son of Praise,” through which we may live our lives. Thank you for the Mercy You have poured out in transferring us from a life of languishing and strife, to being the object of Your infinite love. Come by Your Holy Spirit, and capture the affection of Thy people who have bartered for things that leave them void and disillusioned. May You be greatly glorified through the Praises welling up to Your Name, today and forever. Glory to You alone!
