Okay, so it usually isn’t so grammatically correct, it usually goes more like, “God don’t like ugly.” You know, when someone is not giving you your way, “God don’t like ugly.” When someone who has been rude gets their just desserts, “God don’t like ugly.” When you were a little kid, being a brat and your parent warned you, “God don’t like ugly.” But, the other day, I was reading about Leah in the Bible, and I started to question whether or not this statement, “God don’t like ugly,” that we throw around as gospel is really true.
I have no idea what Leah looked like as there were no cameras or sketch artists back then. All I know is that every time I hear about Leah, she just wasn’t as attractive as Rachel (at least, not to Jacob). And, she must not have been to her father either, as Laban, under darkness of night, passed her off as her sister, Rachel to Jacob. I’m not sure what Leah thought of it whether she was grateful to her father for helping her get a man or whether she felt deeply insecure that her father had to trick a man into marrying her. Imagine waking up from your honeymoon night, and your new husband says, “Seriously, Laban! What the heck? I didn’t want this one! I want the pretty one! I’ll work another seven years for Rachel.” Okay, so maybe I took a little creative license there, but you get the gist.
Amazingly, and this is not a man-bashing statement just the truth of what actually happened, Jacob loved Rachel so much more, but had no problem having babies with her sister, Leah. Many people would say, “Well, that’s just how they did things back then.” True enough, but notice how Leah kept having Jacob’s babies hoping that he would love her more than her barren sister. That is something that still happens today. We, yes I am including myself, sometimes throw ourselves at men who do not want us, and give them all our goodies (whether we are trying to get pregnant or not), in the hopes that they will fall in love. NEWSFLASH: It didn’t work for Leah and it still doesn’t work. You might get a baby, but that does not guarantee you will get your boo.
Back to the, “God don’t like ugly” statement. In The Message Bible, it says, “Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful.” It sounds like one of those compliments where you are searching for something nice to say. “Oh, your…hair is so cool.” “I really like your…dress.” “You are so…sweet.” Poor Leah, whether she actually was unattractive or not, she had to feel unappealing and we know she was unloved because the Bible says that is why God opened her womb. Now, here is the great part, not only did God open her womb, but He used her wounds, the ugly part of her life; having children for a man that would never love her. Leah had Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. All of those names should sound familiar, but the last one, Judah, which means Praise God, is the line from which Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior came.
Outer beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you ask ten people what beauty is, you will get ten different answers. I know that most of the time when we say, “God don’t like ugly,” we are referring to behavior. But, whether you feel unpleasant on the outside, or you are in a situation that is ugly, even if you cause the situation, God can still make something beautiful out of the situation when you surrender to His Will. God doesn’t like ugly behavior, especially if it is malicious, but He can and will use it for His glory. There are many examples of that throughout the Bible. Ms. EV
I have no idea what Leah looked like as there were no cameras or sketch artists back then. All I know is that every time I hear about Leah, she just wasn’t as attractive as Rachel (at least, not to Jacob). And, she must not have been to her father either, as Laban, under darkness of night, passed her off as her sister, Rachel to Jacob. I’m not sure what Leah thought of it whether she was grateful to her father for helping her get a man or whether she felt deeply insecure that her father had to trick a man into marrying her. Imagine waking up from your honeymoon night, and your new husband says, “Seriously, Laban! What the heck? I didn’t want this one! I want the pretty one! I’ll work another seven years for Rachel.” Okay, so maybe I took a little creative license there, but you get the gist.
Amazingly, and this is not a man-bashing statement just the truth of what actually happened, Jacob loved Rachel so much more, but had no problem having babies with her sister, Leah. Many people would say, “Well, that’s just how they did things back then.” True enough, but notice how Leah kept having Jacob’s babies hoping that he would love her more than her barren sister. That is something that still happens today. We, yes I am including myself, sometimes throw ourselves at men who do not want us, and give them all our goodies (whether we are trying to get pregnant or not), in the hopes that they will fall in love. NEWSFLASH: It didn’t work for Leah and it still doesn’t work. You might get a baby, but that does not guarantee you will get your boo.
Back to the, “God don’t like ugly” statement. In The Message Bible, it says, “Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was stunningly beautiful.” It sounds like one of those compliments where you are searching for something nice to say. “Oh, your…hair is so cool.” “I really like your…dress.” “You are so…sweet.” Poor Leah, whether she actually was unattractive or not, she had to feel unappealing and we know she was unloved because the Bible says that is why God opened her womb. Now, here is the great part, not only did God open her womb, but He used her wounds, the ugly part of her life; having children for a man that would never love her. Leah had Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. All of those names should sound familiar, but the last one, Judah, which means Praise God, is the line from which Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior came.
Outer beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you ask ten people what beauty is, you will get ten different answers. I know that most of the time when we say, “God don’t like ugly,” we are referring to behavior. But, whether you feel unpleasant on the outside, or you are in a situation that is ugly, even if you cause the situation, God can still make something beautiful out of the situation when you surrender to His Will. God doesn’t like ugly behavior, especially if it is malicious, but He can and will use it for His glory. There are many examples of that throughout the Bible. Ms. EV
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