When it comes to tradition lunch menus, I prefer a Club Sandwich. Meanwhile, my wife Leanne enjoys a hot Reuben sandwich from time to time. However, as I was reading Moses’ summary of the life of Jacob, I stumbled upon the biblical meaning of the name Reuben. When Leah gave birth to her first child, Reuben means “see a son.” For Leah, this child gave her hope of a loving husband.
And when the Lord saw that Leah was despised, He made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah became pregnant and bore a son and named him Reuben [See, a son!]; for she said, Because the Lord has seen my humiliation and affliction; now my husband will love me, Genesis 29:31-32.
Moses’ description of Leah reveals an average looking woman with a birth defect. Perhaps, Rachel’s amazing physical features magnified Leah’s deficiencies. Nonetheless, Leah developed a belief that if she was able to bear children, maybe Jacob would start to look at her the way he gazes upon her sister Rachel. The one thing Leah had on Rachel was the ability to bear children.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their distress and troubles. 18 The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent, Psalm 34:17-18.
As revisionist historians rewrite American textbooks, the spiritual foundation of North American in the form of the Magna Carta have been erased. Meanwhile, biblical names like Reuben have been forgotten, replaced by a popular lunch menu. However, for Leah, the birth of Reuben was an answer to prayer, “the Lord has seen my humiliation and affliction.” In the back of Leah’s mind, Reuben’s presence had the chance to transform her marriage. While this never happened, the boy named Reuben is absolutely more than a sandwich.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 