Genesis-103-Water Sprinkled on Ice

And this is the word of the Lord, Genesis chapter 29, verses 31 to 35.

 

“When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 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.” Amen.

 

The Birth and Myth of the Nation of Israel

The passage we read today is a story about Jacob's marriage and the birth of his children. However, this is not just a simple family tale, but one that runs through the entire Bible, dealing with the very genesis of the nation of Israel. This is because Israel's twelve tribes began with Jacob's twelve sons.

 

When a nation or state is established, we often encounter numerous myths. Like the myths of Park Hyeokgeose or Dangun, they deify or equate their founders with gods, and their history is glorified to appear exceptional.

 

However, the Bible describes the beginning of Israel with astonishing realism. At the time of its formation, this nation was steeped in envy, jealousy, deceit, rivalry, pain, and despair. It was precisely from this place of despair that God called the nation of Israel and established the twelve tribes. In our terms, its beginning was rooted in sin.

 

Our Faith: Fruit or Root?

We often think that Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob had some extraordinary qualities that we don’t, which is why God loved and blessed them.

 

Even after we come to believe in Jesus, we often fall into this trap. At times, we speak as if our ancestors' faith is the foundation of our own. "My family has been Christian for four generations" can be a wonderful and proud statement. But it cannot be the reason God gives you more blessings today. We also tend to evaluate our faith based only on how much we obey, how often we read the Bible, or whether we are living according to God's will. While this self-examination is not necessarily bad, it can hide a secret arrogance that says, "Now that I am a child of God, I must have some outstanding qualities that others don't." This prevents us from tasting the true fruit of faith.

 

In a parable you know well, Jesus emphasized the importance of being attached to the vine. A branch cannot bear fruit on its own if it isn't attached to the vine. Yet, we focus on 'why my vine isn't bearing fruit' and forget where our calling began.

 

Israel's twelve sons were born from a place of envy, jealousy, despair, pain, and rivalry. It is the same for us. God did not love and call us when we were clean or had repented; He called us when we were at our most wretched and when we realized we were sinners.

 

Leah's Life: A Woman Starved for Love

This is the most crucial starting point of your life of faith. If we lose sight of this truth, we may spend our entire lives missing the true joy, assurance, and the thrilling grace and mercy that the Bible speaks of. That's why we constantly try to measure our faith by 'what we are doing and how well we are doing it.' Instead, we should be looking at how much we have received God's grace and how much He loves and holds on to us. Even in all our weaknesses, we can rise again without despairing because the Lord called us when we were sinners.

 

God called Israel in the same way. This fact is a testament to what happens when God's promise meets our sin, weakness, envy, jealousy, and lies.

 

This story begins with a woman who, by all accounts, was truly unfortunate. On her sister's wedding day, she was secretly sent into the bridal chamber in her place. Furthermore, her soon-to-be husband had no interest in her and loved her sister instead. It's a situation almost like a soap opera. The Bible says her eyes were weak, and given that sparkling eyes were a standard of beauty at the time, scholars speculate that Leah's eyes were probably 'dull.' What's more surprising is that while the genealogies of Abraham show only the most beautiful women of their time, like Sarah and Rebekah, Leah is the first woman who is not a beauty to appear. This also gives us an important message. Quiet in nature and not beautiful, Leah was a woman who wasn't loved but didn't complain much about it. Thus, we can assume she had a similar calm, home-loving personality to Jacob.

 

We often think Leah was forced by her father to marry Jacob. However, remembering the story of Laban and Rebekah, it's quite plausible that Leah might have agreed to it. When Eliezer went to fetch Rebekah, she was asked if she would go and answered, 'I will go now' of her own accord. Since there was a democratic element in that family, it's possible that Leah was not dragged by force but was implicitly complicit in Laban's deception. Jacob likely held a significant grudge against Leah for this.

 

A closer look at the biblical text shows that at first, Jacob 'loved Leah less' than Rachel, meaning he didn't hate her but just preferred Rachel. However, after the marriage, the text says Jacob 'did not love' Leah. The Hebrew word used here, 'sane,' is actually closer to 'hate.' While most biblical translations soften it to 'unloved,' Jacob essentially hated Leah. This is a strong expression, even used to describe hating an enemy.

 

Faith that Blossomed in Suffering

Although Leah went through such hardship, she didn't want her life to be this way when she got married. She wanted to be loved. She must have thought that after the marriage, Jacob would love her. But the situation went in a completely different direction from her expectations.

 

Leah and Rachel were women starved for love. Based on various biblical clues, it seems they didn't receive much love from their father, Laban. Their names also hint at this: Leah means 'wild cow,' and Rachel means 'ewe.' Why would a father give his daughters animal names? We can guess the reason from Leah and Rachel's later confession. When Jacob worked for Laban for 14 years and was about to leave, his only wages were the two daughters, and he had no possessions. At that time, Leah and Rachel said, "Our father has sold us and spent all our money; he treats us like foreigners." This shows that the two daughters were treated as property by their father. Since both of them didn't receive their parents' love, it is easy to imagine how starved for love Leah was.

 

It was likely the same for Rachel. This helps us understand why Leah and Rachel competed so fiercely for Jacob's affection. Let's focus on Leah again. She believed her father had sold her. And after being sold, she was not loved by her husband either—a situation of adding insult to injury. She was a woman who came to her husband's home but was not loved.

 

The Reformer Martin Luther expressed that Leah was likely treated like a servant in the household. A more vivid expression of Leah's unloved heart comes from Sophia Tolstoy, Leo Tolstoy's wife: "Life with my husband, Tolstoy, was painful and humiliating. I was a nothing... a useless animal." This confession was probably very close to what Leah felt. She must have felt like a nothing, someone who was despised. After a difficult marriage, with even her husband not giving her love, it must have felt like she had lost everything, and her self-respect was shattered.

 

How much colder would it be if the weather was so cold that ice formed and a strong wind was blowing? Let's say it's cold enough for ice to form. The place with the most ice on earth is the North Pole. The people who live in Alaska, where the polar ice caps are, are called Eskimos. When they go out in the cold, they build a house to endure the cold—an igloo. It's a house of ice bricks. Why is a house made of ice warm when it's cold outside? The average temperature inside an igloo is about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). Outside, it's minus 20-30 degrees Celsius, so it feels relatively warm inside.

 

But do you know how the Eskimos warm the inside of their igloos on a cold day? We would think they would start a fire. A fire would melt the ice, but when they put out the fire and open the door to let in the wind, the ice freezes again, making the house sturdier. But an even more surprising method is to spray water inside the room. When the water freezes, it releases heat, making the room warmer. While water evaporating takes away heat and makes a space cooler in the summer, water freezing releases heat. Just as we think we should build a fire to warm an igloo but instead spray water, God handles Leah's life in a similar way.

 

What Leah needed most was her husband's love. The verses we read repeatedly say, 'My husband will love me.' This is a recurring thought because she wasn't loved. What she most needed seemed to be out of reach. It was as if water was being sprayed on her ice house, not making anything better, but making it even colder. Yet, through this, we see that Leah's heart grows warmer. This is where we can find God's work.

 

The Meaning of the Four Sons' Names

The first son is the famous Reuben. God gives Leah a son. Reuben's name is a combination of 'ru,' meaning 'to see,' and 'ben,' meaning 'son.' 'Ben' is familiar to you from Ben-Hur, which means 'the son of Hur.' 'Behold, a son!' is a phrase that seems to be directed at Jacob. "You don't love me and are only fulfilling your husbandly duty out of obligation, but look, God has given me a son," is what it seems she's saying. However, what Leah truly wanted to say comes after this. She says, "The Lord has looked upon my affliction." Before boasting to Jacob, Leah first confesses, "God has seen my misery."

 

Even though Leah was not loved by her husband, she says God has seen her misery. How many times do you think Jacob mentioned the name 'Yahweh'? Leah mentions it ten times more. Through this, she continuously repeats the covenant name 'Yahweh.' Who is truly blessed? What is God doing in this family? The name Reuben is certainly a name of suffering. She says, 'God has seen my misery.' But it was in this unloved place, where God sees her misery, that the first tribe of Israel was born. God's work happened not in the loved position of Rachel but in the unloved position of Leah.

 

Not the Ready, but the Called

This is a theme we have seen throughout Genesis. We often think that Abraham was chosen because he was special, but he was a foreigner who worshipped idols. It was the same for Isaac and Jacob. In God's eyes, there was no one who was 'worthy of being chosen.' God's amazing work lies precisely in this.

 

When we do God's work, we first think, 'How prepared am I?' While preparing is not bad, relying on that preparation is dangerous. The purpose of preparation is not to rely on our skills to handle the task but to realize that we are nothing without God. No one can do God's work perfectly on their own.

 

Even the great apostle Paul confessed that when he first went to Corinth, he was "in fear and much trembling." He ran away at times. When you think, 'Now it's my turn to do the Lord's work,' that might be when you need to rest. It is very likely not God's timing. Instead, when you think, 'How could God use a person like me? What can a person like me do before God? I struggle just to get through each day; how can I do God's great work?'—that is the very time God will work through you.

 

Arrogance, Humility, and the Reality of the Church

Many people misunderstand the process of becoming a pastor. They think that if a person graduates from seminary, becomes qualified for ordination, and passes the exams, they become a pastor. But that's a big misunderstanding. God calls people to be pastors when they have realized to some extent that they can do nothing and are not worthy of the task. Many pastors testify that they were 'dragged' into the ministry. They say, "I kept saying I couldn't, but God cornered me and led me here."

 

Since I vowed to become a pastor from a young age, I used to think, 'How greatly and honorably God will use a person like me who has walked the straight path without ever wavering!' But God's crushing work was more important. In ministry, I've realized more and more how unprepared I am. The valuable feedback I receive from church members confirms this. Whenever I hear suggestions from members about what I could improve, I think, 'I am truly unworthy.' This feeling, rather than a feeling of, 'I have worked so hard and am so qualified, what do you know?' is a characteristic of those whom God calls. God delights in a humble and broken spirit; He has never called people who say, like the Pharisee, "God, I thank you that I am not like others."

 

The same applies to the church. We often get disappointed even when we try to do good. The church, especially, can be like this because everything is done voluntarily. When we give our time and heart to serve someone or the church, and our efforts are rejected or we are criticized, who would want to continue? So many people give up and think, 'I thought this church would be different, following the true Gospel, but it's just the same.' That is the correct answer. It would be strange if something different came out of a gathering of sinners. If you ever find such a perfect church, please let me know.

 

As Pastor Spurgeon said, "If such a church were ever found, please do not join it. For as soon as you do, it will become corrupt." That is truly the case. When we look at our church, whether objectively or not, it has tremendous flaws. So what should we do? Our flaws and weaknesses are so visible. Is this the end? No. I believe that when we see our flaws, our lack of love, the pastor's insufficient love, and our collective weakness in standing firm for the truth, even risking our lives for it, that is when we should realize we are not meant to despair. That is when we should finally understand, 'Ah, we must now expect God's work, and we are learning to approach Him step by step.' Is this not the time for us to get up on our knees and say, 'Yes, Lord. We now know that we can do nothing on our own, so we will walk with You'?

 

In ministry, I often get disappointed. At times, I think, 'Is this happening because of me?' When a pastor becomes arrogant, he might think, 'Perhaps it would be better for the church if I were gone.' This is the height of arrogance. How ridiculous is it to think that a church rises or falls based on one's presence? But such thoughts do come to mind. But when we realize, 'I am truly like this,' that is when we can expect God's work.

 

There have been times when our church had more passion and fervor. There were times when we put all our energy into thinking we could establish God's church. We were tired and worn out from clashing and fighting together, only to stumble and fail. Nothing changed, nothing broke through. 'What's different from before? I thought our church would be different, but when I stumble, everyone else is stumbling too.' 'I thought I'd find at least one pastor or elder I could respect my whole life in this church, but there isn't one.' Then you might think, 'What on earth have they been doing in this church?' And if you, the members, feel this way, imagine how I, the pastor, feel. 'What on earth have I been doing?'

 

But if your hearts move forward just a little, we can realize this: 'Ah, God has been humbling us for this very purpose. We are doing something we truly cannot handle on our own.' It wasn't when we thought we were at our best and worked hard to build a true church. It is now, when it seems we have failed and nothing is working, that God is humbling us to do His work.

 

The True Name of Love, Judah

Leah was sold by her father and unloved by her husband. It was natural for her to despair. She named her sons after her suffering. Her second son, Simeon, means 'heard.' It means, 'God has heard how much I am struggling.' This name itself shows Leah's pain, misery, and despair over her unchanging husband. Her third son, Levi, means 'joined,' and she hoped, 'Now my husband will be joined to me.' But Jacob still didn't even look at her.

 

When she had her fourth son, the Bible says, "She stopped bearing children." This doesn't mean Leah couldn't have more children—she had more later. It means that God's first lesson for Leah was over. She passed the first period because the true meaning and answer to the first three names finally came.

 

The name of her fourth son was Judah. Judah means 'praise,' and with this name, she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." All her interest had been in her husband's love. Because it wasn't happening, she had to despair and must have wondered, 'Who am I? Where is God? What is He doing?' But finally, she submitted the correct answer to God and passed the first period. She had now understood. What was it? Not, 'Oh, I haven't been praising God,' but rather, the woman who was trying to get her husband's love realized that God loved her.

 

She realized that God loved her and gave her a son, that He loved her and led her, and that in this unchanging situation, where she thought He was just spraying cold water on her and giving her ice, He was actually making her life truly warm. Think about whose love you are receiving and who you are with. What if the names Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah sounded like this to Leah? 'God sees me. God hears me. God joins me. God is my praise.' Where would her heart and spirit be? She would have tasted true joy in life. She would have learned what it means to praise.

 

In all this, God fulfills His promises. In our minds, nothing seems to be happening. Four sons were just born, and for Leah, her husband still hadn't changed. If he was supposed to change but didn't even after she bore him three sons, she would despair and feel that nothing was happening. But in reality, the most important things in the entire Bible were happening. The nation of Israel was being established.

 

These names were to be placed on the breastplate of the high priest: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, and eight more. Not only were their names on the breastplate, but they would also appear as the same stones in the book of Revelation when the New Jerusalem is adorned. Why? Because Reuben is the name of God's people, your name. Your name is Reuben. God, who sees you with His fiery eyes, His eyes that cannot stop loving you, is your God. You are that Reuben. You are that Simeon. The amazing grace of God, who hears even your groans, your strong voice, and even the cry of your soul that you yourself cannot hear, and who holds you, is your name. Simeon is my name.

 

Levi is our name. It is the name of a child of God who is joined with Christ and with God. Judah! The glorious name where God becomes my praise and we become God's praise is your name.

 

Since we are in that position, dear friends, let us give thanks and rejoice, remembering that your name is in the beautiful jewels on the high priest's breastplate, the names that enter the Holy of Holies to see God, and that your name is in those twelve jewels in the New Jerusalem, the names that express who we are, that will eternally glorify God the Father and live as children of light, basking in His glory.

 

Prayer

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah are our names. The Lord sees only me, hears all my cries, becomes one with me, and becomes my praise. Lord, we will rejoice in You forever. We will rejoice in You forever. We will delight in You forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.