n The 12 stone memorial that God instructed the children of Israel to erect after they crossed the Jordan was to serve as a reminder of what God had done and what God had brought His people through.
n Each of the 12 stones represented the 12 tribes of Israel. Each was significant in what it stood for in the history of the people.
n To apply today, it is significant to realize what God has brought us through as a church and what He has taught us even in the times of discouragement, difficulty or opposition.
In week 1, we dealt with the foundation of the stones, the women or mothers who gave birth to the 12 tribes. We examined what each mother represents in terms of a type of an era within the church.
Last week and again this week we are looking at 2 of the sons that were born to Leah. Leah gave birth to the first 4 sons and a total of 6 sons altogether.
It is interesting that she was most fruitful, because she is not the one that Jacob truly wanted.
How often do we find our most productivity in the times or things that we aren’t really in love with or interested in having in our lives?
n We must realize that if we ever want to be fruitful with Rachel, we must first be faithful with Leah.
n There are times in our lives where God will put things in our lives that we don’t really want, so that He can bring us to the place that He wants us to be.
n What we can learn in our times with Leah will serve us well when we get to our fruitfulness with Rachel.
Leah
a. Leah was tender eyed. This doesn’t mean she wasn’t attractive, she just didn’t turn a lot of heads. She had her own qualities, but wasn’t highly favored.
b. The name Leah means weary.
i. Over the life of the church, weariness is one of the biggest barriers and obstacles to the life that the church is designed to have.
ii. Weariness will cause you to stop short of the mark. It will cause you to miss out on what is truly available.
c. The name Leah means impatient.
i. The church is often guilty of jumping the gun and going after things before she is ready.
d. The name Leah means grieved.
i. Grief in and of itself is part of life, but the issue with the church is that she often takes on way too much grief and hurt.
ii. A major danger and pitfall in the church is to try and do whatever is necessary to avoid grief and hurt.
e. The name Leah means to be offended.
i. It is impossible to not be offended in life. The issue is how we deal with that.
ii. An offended church becomes quite destructive to themselves and to others around them. Hurting people hurt people.
f. Leah was the one who was ultimately buried with Jacob. The tomb held Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebekah, and Jacob & Leah (Genesis 49:31).
Jacob & Leah’s Second Two Sons:
n Reuben is where in the midst of affliction and difficulty, God gave a gift. We need the fullness of God’s Spirit in our lives if we are ever going to be effective in doing what God has called us to do.
n Simeon is where we learn that God hears us. This is where we learn to pray. God sometimes will allow us to get into a position where our only hope is to call out to Him.
Son #3 – Levi
n Levi means joined to or attached to.
n Leah declared when Levi was born that “Now my husband will be attached to me”.
n Levi speaks of the development of unity. I am not necessarily speaking of unity within the body, bur rather a unity with God.
n The church must learn how to be united with God in true relationship.
n When there is no unity between God and the church, we find the church going after many other things to find their way or their level of success.
n ALL THINGS IN THE CHURCH THAT ARE LASTING AND TRUE ARE BORN AND DEVELOPED OUT OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND NOTHING ELSE!!!!!
n We can try all we want, but we will never learn to be unified with brothers and sisters in Christ until we have become unified with God. Vertically then horizontally.
n God is serious about this. When the tribes were given their inheritance in the Promised Land, Levi was given God. God says about Levi, “I am his inheritance.”
The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.” Numbers 18:20
n True life in Christianity and in the church is found in our connection to and relationship with God as our inheritance.
n That is what true unity is about. Before the church can change the world, the church must learn to be united to God in Spirit and in truth.
Son #4 – Judah
n Judah means praise.
n This is when the church gets to the place of realizing that regardless of circumstances and regardless of what may or may not be going on, God is worthy of praise.
n Judah is a declaration of the goodness of God even in the face of uncertainty.
n It is out of the lineage of Judah that Christ came. God literally came to earth through praise. He truly shows us that He inhabits the praise of His people.
n When a church has learned to really praise, a church has come to the place that nothing will be impossible.
n This attitude of praise is developed in us and doesn’t always happen naturally.
n God wants to produce and develop a praise in your heart that cannot be swayed by situations or tossed by trouble.
n Praise says, “I have decided to follow Jesus . . . No turning back, No turning back.”
