Leah- Genesis 29:31 - 35 (NIV) - "When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, It is because the LORD has seen my misery, surely my husband will love me now. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, He gave me this one too.
So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons. So he was named Levi. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, This time I will praise the LORD. So she named him Judah.
Then she stopped having children. The King James version said that Leah “left bearing”."Leah decided to stop bearing. The word bear has several meanings:
a. to support
b. to carry
c. to endure
d. to produce
e. to give birth to
Leah “left bearing” in terms of giving birth to children but God has a question for you. What do you need to stop bearing? We as humans bear all types of things:
a. We bear other people’s problems
b. We bear negative thoughts
c. We wear burdens
d. We bear other people’s pains
e. We bear wounds of abuse
f. We bear misuse
g. We bear un-forgiveness
h. We bear the reverberations of mistakes and bad decisions
Leah came to a decision. She decided that her husband, Jacob as never going to love her so you know what she said? She said that it was time to stop bearing. I don’t know what it was that drove her to that decision. But I do know this. She had son #1 and realized that Jacob still did not love her; he loved his other wife, her sister Rachel. She then had son #2 and to her dismay, Jacob still did not want or love her.
Then she purposely got pregnant with baby #3, thinking that by having three boys by him, surely he would start to love her. Guess what? It did not work. He still did not want her!Next, we find Leah pregnant with baby #4. Scriptures do not share with us what happened but we know that she came to a decision regarding her life. She decided to “stop bearing” and to “start praising”. In fact, she named son #4 Judah which means “praise” and “rejoice”. She gave him a name to remind herself to praise God!
Someone reading this sermon-article has been bending over backwards to get recognition at work. Guess what? Your boss will NEVER acknowledge your hard work. He or she will ALWAYS give the praise and recognition to your co-worker so you know what? You need to stop bearing and start praising. Stop bearing anger and resentment of your boss who is ignoring you. Rejoice in the Lord and if necessary, transfer. Absence makes the heart grow fonder! You are not making the type of money you deserve there. Find another job and get out of there...and rejoice! God inhabits the praises of His people!
Someone reading this sermon-article has been trying for years to get her family to accept her and love her as an equal. Guess what? You cannot buy love and no matter how much you lick their feet, their shoes, their behinds, they will never accept you and your husband and children as a full part of the family. So you know what you need to do? You need to stop bearing! Yes, ma’am. Stop bearing the scars of your family’s rejection. Stop harboring negative thoughts against them. Stop bearing those migraine headaches and ulcers that stem from your rage that they continue to treat you and yours as second-class step-children. Stop bearing! And after you stop bearing, start praising! As the praises go up, the blessings come down. I know that’s the truth!
Someone has been trying to get the pastor to recognize their hard work. Trying to get the neighborhood director or condo president to acknowledge their hours and hours of service but to no avail. Someone has been trying to get recognized by the head of their church group or ministry. Guess what? They will never recognize you from their hearts. So do you know what you need to do? You need to stop bearing and start praising! Stop bearing negative thoughts about them. You are only hurting yourself. God saw what you did and He is more important. Stop bearing and start praising!
They can’t promote you anyhow. Only GOD can promote you! So go ahead and start praising. Jacob never wanted Leah. He wanted Rachel. He worked 14 years for Rachel and he was clear from day #1 that Rachel had his heart. Jacob never changed. He wanted Rachel from the beginning and he wanted her in the end. Jacob never pretended that he wanted Leah. Never told her or her father that he wanted her and in fact, he did not want her!
Sister, what specifically are you bearing today that you need to come to terms with and let go? Are you bearing anger at the fact that the pastor won't give you credit for creating that committee after hours and hours of hard work? Question: Where was your heart when you put that sophisticated training seminar or notebook together? Was it to gain the pastor’s recognition or was it for God? If it was not for God, you got yourself into this mess. Therefore, you need to stop bearing and start praising!
Keys Points from the life of Leah:
- The Seed (Jesus Christ) was found in her Genealogy and not of Rachel.
- Leah entered the Promised Land with Jacob not Rachel.
- The Lord opened her womb, when he found that she was not loved.
What about you? Come on. You read this entire sermon article so what in it do you need? What are you bearing that you need to release? Stop bearing and start praising!
By Lynn Burrow