We read Genesis 29. Jacob travelled a long distance to Haran. It would have taken him more than a month. It’s not difficult to imagine the excitement that he felt when he saw that the people gathered in the village in Haran. Genesis 29:1-2;

1 ‘So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East.
2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. ‘

For a traveller, when He comes upon a village, especially when he comes to a well, that would be a very welcoming sight. He could take a rest, wash himself up in water, and quench his thirst. The well is like a source of life. That’s why even in the Bible we see people fighting over wells - if you can’t get the well, you’ll stop others from getting it. Water is an important source of life.

In that whole notion, he saw Rachel. He asked around, “You people are from Haran, do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” In v5. Then he spotted Rachel. When he saw Rachel, he was overwhelmed with emotions. In v11;

‘Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. ‘

We don’t know if it was love at first sight, but this had a big impact on him because she was the very first of his kinsman that he saw after travelling for more than a month. Later on, she became his wife.

In ancient times, it was the woman’s chore to draw water from the well that’s why Rachel came and he saw her. We look at Genesis 24: Here talks about when an old servant of Abraham went back to his hometown to seek a wife for Isaac. In v11-13;

11 ‘And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ‘

It’s an assumption that women would come to draw water from a well because it was a chore for women. Even in the time of Jesus when He sat at Jacob’s well, it was a Samaritan woman who drew water. If we read that incident, we knew that Jesus sat there to wait for the women to come. So women drawing water from the well is something very expected. You’ll see this every day, just like you see women washing clothes by the river. In the Bible, you see quite a few ancient well-known men finding their wives by the well. You see Abraham’s servant - he went to the well and found a wife for Isaac. In chapter 29 here, you see the same thing happening to Jacob. Later on in Exodus, Moses also met his wife at the well. When the speaker went to teach theolo in China and he told them about this, then there was a testimony session where a brother found his wife-to-be. He titled his testimony “Chance-Meeting by the Well”. In the Bible, a wife is also likened to a well. We read Songs of Solomon 4:12,

‘A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed.’

15;

‘A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.’

Here you see the writer of this song talks about his wife like a well within a garden that is shut up. In v15 - the well of living waters. The Bible also charges men to drink exclusively from his own well and no other can drink from his own well. Surely this cannot be the physical well because it’d be a very selfish act. It’s talking about one’s wife. In Proverbs 5:15-18;

15 ‘Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.’

Here tells us that the wife of one’s youth is like a well, and you’re supposed to only drink from that well and not share this well with others. Since we say that the well is like a spring of water and source of life, like in Proverbs 10:11;

‘The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.’

In fact the Proverbs in many occasions talks about this, but we’ll just look at one verse. Here says that the well is like a source of life. Why does the Bible links one’s wife to the well? The well is water, the water of life. What has that got to do with your wife? Is your wife a source of life?

In a way, yes, your children comes from her and you. But the Bible says you drink from your own well. How is a man’s wife enriching his life, like a well does? We turn to Proverbs 18:22;

‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord .’

Here tells us 2 very important things.

1. There’s only one place you can get a good wife - from the Lord. You won’t be able to get a good wife from elsewhere. If you want a good wife, you must find from the Lord. If a man wants to seek a wife, pray to God that he wants a good wife. He must pray for God to guide him because a good wife ONLY comes from GOD. A man can get many things from God, but a good man ONLY gets a good wife from the Lord.

Why can you only get a good wife from the Lord? The second part of this verse says that a good wife helps you obtain favour from the Lord. A good wife is like a fountain - helping the husband have access to the good things of God. The husband and wife is joint in one unit. She is like a well to him, getting him to get access to the abundant blessings from God. At the same time, they are joint heirs to the grace of life. We read 1 Peter 3:7;

‘Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.’

A very important reason for marriage is to become heirs of the grace of life together. While the wife is like the well, helping the husband access to God’s abundant blessings of eternal life, the husband must treat the wife with honour. Why? That’s because you must have the right knowledge.

In English it says treat your wife with understanding, meaning treat your wife with the correct knowledge. You must have the correct knowledge to treat them properly, knowing that she’s the weaker vessel.

We look at the next section in Genesis 29. Look at how Jacob treats his wives - his relationship with his two wives.

After he met Rachel, he went home with her and met with his uncle, Laban. Jacob worked for him some years. Laban said, “Jacob, I cannot let you work with me for free. Name me your wages and I’ll pay you.” Because Jacob had already fallen in love with Rachel, he said, “Okay, you pay me by giving me Rachel to be my wife.”

V18 says he will work for him 7 years for Rachel. By the standard of those days, it’s a very generous offer because it’s a long time. Jacob was willing to pay such a high price for Rachel to be his wife. On the wedding night, after working for 7 years, Laban gave Leah, the older sister, instead of Rachel. In the morning Jacob realised that it wasn’t Rachel and he asked the uncle why he did this to him. His uncle said the older one has to be married first and he had to work another 7 years for Rachel. Jacob didn’t mind because the Bible said that he loved Rachel so much. He married Rachel after marrying Leah and worked another 7 years for Rachel. This was how much he loved Rachel.

What about Leah? V13 says, “He loved Rachel more than Leah.” He loved Leah so little that comparatively, his love for him is a like hatred. V31;

‘When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. ‘

Here uses the word “unloved”.

V33;

‘Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. ‘

“Unloved”.

Actually the word is not unloved but “hated”. Meaning to say that comparatively, the love given to Leah and Rachel was so vastly different. So different that comparatively, it’s like hatred to Leah. Wouldn’t Leah, the weaker vessel, be injured in the spirit? This is no way to treat your wife. God was fair to Leah. God was the comfort. In v31, He opened the womb (of Leah) while Rachel was barren. Leah was very appreciative of what God had done to her, and she showed her appreciation in the naming of her sons. V32, when she gave birth to her first born son, she named him Reuben;

‘So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” ‘

It means “See! A son”. “See” because the Lord has seen her afflictions. She acknowledged that God saw her afflictions, and therefore gave her a son. When the second son was born, she named him Simeon. Simeon means “heard” because she acknowledged that the Lord heard she was lacking in husbandly love.

Sometimes when we’re in suffering, we doubt that there’s anyone that understands. Sometimes we feel that no one even knows, but God sees our sorrows and hears our cries. Leah understood this and she had faith in God. What Leah experienced later on, Israel would experience as a nation. We look at Exodus 3:9;

‘Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ‘

This was a conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush. The burning bush was a spectacular sight at that time. Not because there were no burning bushes at that area - it was full of burning bushes because it was dry. That bush Moses saw was like any other thorny bush, it could catch fire easily. The difference between this burning bush and the other is this: It’s not burnt up. The other buses were burnt up. For this, there were big flames but the bush was intact. Why? Because God is there.

When God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin, the ground grew up thorns. Thorns and fires always come together in the Bible. What does the burning bush represent? It represents this place that God has burnt and the fiery trials we have to go through but because God is in the midst of our trials and tribulations, we are not burnt up.

This reminds us of the burning furnace Daniel’s three friends were thrown into. The furnace was made 7 times hotter. The servants of the king who threw the three men died because of the fire because they were near. Yet these 3 friends, devout worshippers of God, bound and thrown into the fire, were loose in the fire and walking around freely. There was a fourth man, and the king saw that the fourth man looked like the son of God.

Today we also have the fourth man in the fire. We’re in the fire, because we live in the place God has cursed. But because there’s the fourth man, the Son of God, who came down to be like us, we are not concealed. In that burning bush when God spoke to Moses, “I have seen the afflictions, I have heard your cries.” God is the real benevolent saviour who sees and hears.

The Buddhists have one god that will see and hear the sufferings of the earth (观世音), but God is the real one.

Before Israel went through the trial, Leah in her sufferings realised that God sees and hears. She kept her faith even up to the third son. Perhaps reading it right now, has Jacob already loved her a little more than before? From here, we don’t know. But when she gave birth to her their son, she named him Levi, v35. Levi means “attached”, “joint”. When God instituted marriage, he says therefore a man shall live his mother and father and be joint with his wife. Over here, she felt that she was so detached from his husband. Although they were married legally and also had children, she felt detached. When she gave birth to a third son in Genesis 29:34;

‘She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. ‘

She remained faithful. Will Jacob henceforth really become attached to her? From here we don’t know but this attachment that she yearned for, even if it doesn’t happen, she would still hold on to her faith in God. What is more important to a person - to be loved by other humans? Or to be loved by God?

Later on, the Levi became a whole tribe, called the Levite. This tribe is so special. How special are they? We look at Joshua 13:33;

‘But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.’

When land was distributed among the twelve tribes, there were twelve portions but the Levite were not one of them who received the portions because Joseph became two tribes. Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephriam, became two tribes and elevated to be the sons of Jacob’s. Each child had a portion of the land, and the Levite was not one of them. They didn’t receive any land for inheritance and it seems that they’ve lost our right but they haven’t. Because here says that the Lord is their inheritance.

The Levite’s inheritance is not the physical land. Look at the physical land today, they’re no longer divided by tribes. Look at Israel today, is it a piece of land everybody wants? The Jews live there because of some ideological reasons, not because it’s a nice place. They live in danger. Land will not always be there. They’ve lost that piece of land how many times? But the Levite has God as their inheritance.

Let’s reflect on this today: do you want the physical blessings from God or God Himself? The Levite has God Himself as their inheritance. They had a privileged ministry and were close to God. Some of them were priests and could minister in the holy place. The people of the Levite were in charge of the holy objects and their livelihood was that they lived on the tithes of the people. Tithes are holy and only the Levite had the right to the tithes because they’re holy to God. This is the position of the Levite’s then. They’re attached and bound to God, and that becomes the significance of their name.

Likewise today, when we’re baptised into the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re bound to Him forever. No matter what we lose or don’t manage to obtain in this life, it doesn’t matter because we already have the best. Jesus Christ is the best. Let’s not be attached to the dust of this earth.

After this, God gave her a fourth child. In v35;

‘And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord .” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.’

Judah. For the first three sons, “The Lord heard and seen my afflictions.” Third was “attached”. But now she said nothing about her husband, but that she’ll praise the Lord. It seems that things didn’t get much better, yet she still said praise the Lord. Things didn’t get better because when she bore her sixth son, she named him Zebulun. Zebulun means “dwelling”, “I hope my husband will dwell with me”. She continued to yearn for her husband, she continued to have her needs unfulfilled, yet she still praised the Lord.

Later on Zebulun had a prime position. This is the true blessing God gave to her. We read Genesis 49:8, this is the blessing Jacob gave to his 12 children;

‘“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.’

God has built that from Judah will come the everlasting kind. V10 says;

‘The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.’

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah. The sceptre is the king. Shiloh is the Messiah. There will be an everlasting kind from the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born from the tribe of Judah. This is the Son of Leah, Judah. He became the father of the tribe of Judah.

We read Proverbs 31:30-31;

30 ‘Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord , she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.’

Rachel was the more beautiful one among the two sisters. This is one important reason why Jacob loved her. The Bible said that she had meek eyes. But here the Bible says that charm is deceitful. We’ve seen how Leah showed her faith and her godliness. Not only will Judah be praised, here says that she who fears the Lord will be praised. Her two sons, Levi and Judah, one of them became the tribe of the priestly line and the other one comes the royal line, the line of David. This was how God blesses Leah. This was how God gave her honour. Her works shall praise her. She continued to yearn for her husband, but she’s comforted by God.

A wife yearning for her husband and her husband ruling over her is part of Eve’s punishment. Some sisters may complain “Why is God so unfair? Why must the wife submit to her husband?” If we read carefully, God didn’t create Eve to be his servant but to be his helper. But Eve became his stumbling block instead, and so it became like this. We see Leah yearning for her husband like mad but in her birth pangs came comfort. God gave her comfort through the four children and gave her glory. We look at 1 Timothy 2:15;

‘Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.’

What is “saved through child-bearing”? One meaning is that she’ll have a smooth labour because that’s supposed to be her punishment, to experience pain during labour. If she’s godly, God will protect her in child bearing. There’s one other important meaning, it is that through child-bearing, a godly woman will gain favour in the Lord. We see this in Leah. Her offspring became the royal and priestly line.

Whatever is it, brothers and sisters, our godliness and our yearning to have God in our lives will bring us good. While God’s kindness to Leah shows us how Jacob could have treated her better, Leah’s behaviour is an example for women and all of us to find our true love is God. When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, He knew that she had many broken marriages, five husbands, and now she doesn’t bother getting married anymore and lived with a man out of wedlock but Jesus wanted to give her a precious gift that would become a precious fountain.