Genesis 29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.
We saw last month that God saw how Hagar was mistreated by Sarah and made sure she was cared for. We find a similar scenario here when it came to Rachel and Leah. Jacob adored Rachel and neglected Leah. To compensate for this, Leah bore a child first, removing some of her scorn. Leah understood that it was not something she had done, but that the Lord saw and looked upon her situation and was moved with compassion to do something about it. This passage also makes the transition to the next phase of our study with what Leah says next: Because the Lord has heard that she was hated, she named him Simeon, which in Hebrew sounds like the word for heard. God both sees our condition and hears our petition. Even if it is called out silently from within our hearts, God hears as well as sees and He acts.
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