“The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel.”
— Ruth 4:11b
Eventually all the people blessed Boaz with an interesting blessing. They said, “The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel” (Ruth 4:11). At this I would be insulted, for although Rachel means sheep, Leah means weary or tired. This is like saying, may your bride be like a sheep and like being tired! These, however, are the two who built the house of Israel.
If we desire to build up the Lord’s testimony, we must experience what is signified by the names Rachel and Leah. On the one hand, we are Rachel, a lamb consecrated to the Lord for His purpose. Sometimes we strongly declare we are for Him. On the other hand, we are Leah, so weak and weary that it seems we cannot rise up at all. But because of our submission to the Lord, our weakness is that of a consecrated lamb. Because we know Him and because we know ourselves, the Lord has a way to build up His kingdom through us.
The Lord’s kingdom is not primarily established through prevailing exercise. No. More often, the Lord’s kingdom is built up as we are trusting in Him in the midst of our limitation and weakness. Although we are weak, we are His lambs. Praise the Lord for Rachel and Leah!
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 85.
Tomorrow: “Breaking Forth”