Rachel
Rachel: Co-Wives
with her older sister Leah. (Women who
gave birth to a nation.)
Key Scripture: Genesis
29-35; Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18
Her name means: "Ewe" Employed
more or less as a title of endearment, just as the word “lamb” is among
ourselves. Laban, accustomed to tenderly nursing the weak ewes as they were
born, thought “ewe” to be a fitting name for his second daughter.
Her Character: It
would seem as if Rachel had all the loveliness of her aunt, Rebekah. She is a
woman who is very at home in the outside world. She is outdoors, taking care of
animals. She has leadership abilities, along with compassion and care.
Her Sorrow:
That she had to share her beloved husband Jacob.
Her Joy:
That her husband cherished her and would do whatever was in his power to make
her happy.
Her Story: Isaac
sent Jacob to Paddan Aram to marry a woman from among his relatives. The first
relative that he sees is his cousin Rachel, a shepherdess, she was standing at
a well where she had brought the family’s sheep to be watered.
Jacob
immediately fell in love with Rachel. A month later he made a bargain to work
for her father Laban, (Rebekah's brother) for seven years in return
for obtaining Rachel as his wife. Jacob was probably 20-21 years of age and
Rachel in her early teens.
On
what was to be Jacob and Rachel’s wedding night, Laban lead a veiled woman to
Jacob. Not until the next morning does Jacob realize that the veiled woman was
not Rachel, but her older sister Leah. Heart sick and angry Jacob confronted
Laban and asked how could Laban have deceived him like this? Jacob wanted
Rachel for his wife, not Leah.
After
the bridal week that Jacob spent with Leah, Laban gave Rachel to Jacob for his
wife. Jacob worked for Laban another seven years to pay Laban for Rachel;
however, she became Jacob’s wife immediately.
As
the years of marriage passed, Rachel did not conceive. She became increasingly
frustrated over her barrenness. At one point, she told Jacob, “Give
me children, or I’ll die!” (Genesis 30:1). Her words sounded accusatory
and perhaps they were because Jacob became angry with her. He responded, “Am I
in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” (Genesis 30:2). We cannot help contrasting Jacob’s
response to Rachel with that of his father’s response to Rebekah’s barrenness.
Isaac’s response was to take the problem to God. He listened to her, and
enabled Rachel to conceive.
Jacob
determined to leave Laban and Paddan Aram; but first he consulted his wives.
Rachel agreed that Jacob and the family should leave. Before the family left
Laban’s camp, Rachel stole Laban’s household gods. It is hard to surmise why
Rachel stole Laban’s household gods. One easy explanation was that Rachel
continued to be annoyed that Laban caused Jacob to marry Leah, a rival that
gave Jacob six sons. Another reason could be that Rachel thought that the gods
would bring her good fortune and in some way cause her father to have ill
fortune.
While
Laban was away from the camp shearing sheep, Jacob and his family left with all
of his belongs including livestock. Laban heard about Jacob’s departure and
found that his household gods were gone. Promptly he pursued Jacob and caught
up with him in Gilead.
Laban accused Jacob of deceiving him by
leaving with his daughters and grandchildren while Laban was away from the
camp. Further, Laban asked Jacob why he stole his household gods. Jacob did not
have a clue about Laban’s household gods being in his baggage. Rachel never
told her husband she stole her father’s gods. If Jacob knew Rachel’s theft he
would have never utter his next words, “if you find anyone who has your gods, that
person will not live” (Genesis 31:31). Then he gave Laban permission to
search through all the belongings of Jacob’s family.
When
Laban came to Rachel’s tent, she was seated on her camel’s saddle. Laban’s
household gods were inside the saddle. Rachel called her father, “my lord” and begged his pardon for not
rising because she was having her period. Although Laban searched other parts
of Rachel’s tent and all the tents belonging to Jacob, Laban could not find his
gods because Rachel was seated upon them.
We
never learn when and what was Jacob’s response to learning that Rachel stole
Laban’s gods; however, Jacob’s curse on whom ever stole the gods may have
played a part in Rachel’s early death. Rachel became pregnant a second time,
but had a difficult childbirth. Although Rachel lived long enough to name her
son Ben-Oni (son of my trouble) she died almost immediately after the birth.
Perhaps, not wanting one of his sons to carry the weight of such a name, Jacob
changed the son’s name to Benjamin which means son of my right hand.
Her Place in God's Divine Plan:
Mother of The Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Her Challenges Along the Way:
That her longing for children led to her death in childbirth. While Leah was
the fertile wife, Rachel was barren. Rachel had to listen to the crying and
cooing of her sister's children, while she had none.
Her Victories: Genesis 30:22 says, "God
remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb," God
had remembered, but He had never really forgotten her. When the Bible says God
members something, it expresses God's love and compassion for His people. It
reminds us of God's promise never to abandon us.
Lesson We Can Learn from Her
Legacy: We read this story and we want to hug Rachel and tell
her, Don’t you see—Jacob loves you! God loves you! You aren’t defined by the
offspring you can or can’t produce! And
perhaps, she’d say sadly back to us, But in my world, children equal worth. Had
God ever forsaken Rachel? No. God had treasured Rachel all along. Her worth in
God’s eyes never came from her ability to give Jacob children, nor did it come
from her beauty. Rachel’s worth may have fluctuated in the eyes of her world,
but her true worth never budged. And neither does ours.
Family Tree: Daughter
of Laban. Wife of Jacob. Mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Lived in the 18th
century B.C. to the 14th century B.C. She lived in Haran. After 13 years they
moved to Canaan.Their People were Aramaeans; Semetic origin (from Shem) Great-grandfather
was Nahor, brother of Abraham. Their first cousins were Esau and Jacob.
Death: Rachel
died in childbirth on the way from Bethel (also called Bethlehem) She was
buried near what is now Bethlehem. Jacob set a pillar up over the tomb as a
memorial to her. Estimating Rachel’s age at death is difficult; likely she was
in her mid-thirties. Although the Bible does not say directly, likely Jacob
deeply mourned her death. Interestingly, the Bible recorded no other children
born to Jacob after Rachel’s death in childbirth. Rachel's grave,
still marked outside of Bethlehem, is the oldest single memorial to a woman
mentioned in the Bible.
Next week we will learn about Leah, combing their stories and God's amazing plan. Women who gave birth to a nation.
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