<\/p>\n
Laban had two daughters: Leah and Rachel. <\/span>The first had no outward beauty, while the second was beautiful and attractive. <\/span>In this way, Lia spent years in Rachel’s shadow, as she was the center of attention, the pampered and <\/span><\/span>everyone’s favorite<\/span><\/span><\/a> .<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n One of the meanings of the name \u201cLia\u201d corresponds to the one who is \u201cfatigued\u201d or \u201cweakened\u201d. <\/span>This could show not only an unfavorable physical appearance, but also some physical defect. <\/span>This idea is reinforced in the contrast presented in Scripture between one sister and another (Gen. 29:17).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, Rachel was so beautiful that soon after Jacob saw her at the well, he was willing to work seven years to pay the dowry and thus marry her.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n God had a project in Jacob’s life and it was Lia who was part of it. <\/span>Although she entered the patriarch’s life through Laban’s cleverness, she would spend all her years being Jacob’s helper that he needed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We learned from this that what we want is not always what we need. <\/span>We are deceived by the physical eyes, and many times, we seek <\/span><\/span>our own suffering<\/span><\/span><\/a> . <\/span>Jacob could have married Leah without submitting to fourteen years of servitude and also avoided so much family hassle.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n However, at first, he didn’t understand and rejected Lia in every way. <\/span>Furthermore, she was still humiliated and envied by her sister. <\/span>However, she remained faithful to God, loving and submitting to her husband.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Lord has a predilection for the despised in this world, so while all the affection was given to Rachel, He favored Lia by opening her womb and making her extremely fertile. <\/span>The more Jacob diminished Leah by withholding affection from her, the more children she bore him, whereas Rachel was barren.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For many, many years, Lia lived afflicted with the pain of contempt, but she managed to focus her eyes on the future. <\/span>Her children’s names revealed her faith and <\/span><\/span>trust in God<\/span><\/span><\/a> , so she was not destitute by Him.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Most High felt the pain that Leah suffered when she was humiliated, so he made her the mother of six of the men who headed the tribes of Israel. <\/span>Among them are Levi, the tribe that Moses, Aaron and the entire priestly class would be born. <\/span>Furthermore, she gave birth to Judah, the tribe for which the Lord Jesus was born, called the \u201cLion of the tribe of Judah\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n