Today we look at Rachel- and to understand her, Leah as well. In a lot of ways, the story of Rachel seems like the Bible's fairy tale- The beautiful princess, the handsome prince (Jacob), the evil father (Laban) and sister. But that's not the reality.
At the risk of making this a Jacob post, I want to point out two things that set a tone for this. Jacob, perhaps you recall, had two encounters with the heavenly- one being the stairway to heaven he saw BEFORE he met Rachel, and the "Man" (preincarnate Jesus) he wrestled on the way back home. The latter would strengthen him for the challenges to come; the first was to wake up his faith before dealing with Laban.
And he needed it woke up, because we find out that Laban was at heart a double dealing snake- like Jacob HAD been- and he would need his faith to avoid becoming just like Laban. But, he didn't wake it up soon enough. Unlike with his own mother Rebekkah, where the servant sent to find her prayed for a sign from God to know he chose rightly, Jacob trusted in love at first sight- and chose wrongly.
So what do we know about Rachel? To separate out the 'fairy tale', I'm going to tell this out of order. She was the younger, prettier daughter (The Jews say they may have been twins) of a man who saw everything as profit and loss. We will see by her attitudes ( "Give me children, or I shall die!" , she tells Jacob ironically) that she is spoiled rotten by her father, and his imprint comes out in her. And yet, when Jacob meets her, she is the shepherdess. Not that it wasn't the cultural thing for the youngest, but I think Laban knew he created a monster, and welcomed the excuse to get her out of the house. My reason for that? Beyond her words, let's look at the 2 maids sent with the daughters when Jacob left. Leah's was named Zilpah, a name that means "Fragrant drippings (of myrrh)", a sign that Leah thought well of the girl. Rachel's maid was Bilhah, meaning "Timid", and is it too much to compare and wonder if she was 'timid' because of constant berating from Rachel? Bilhah also was the one that Reuben (possibly) raped that lost him the leadership of his brethren. Someone used to abuse would be an easy target.
Now, you might ask, "But are you painting Laban right? Just because he apparently pulled a fast one on Jacob..." and that's a valid question, for which I have an answer. Just before Jacob plans their escape, he shares his thoughts with his wives, and their response says it all:
Gen 31:14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house?
Gen 31:15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money.
Gen 31:16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."
While Jacob was getting rich by God's favor from Laban, Laban was robbing his daughters! Even Leah was against her father. But while Leah was willing to let Jacob take care of things, Rachel had to go a step further, being her father's daughter:
Gen 31:19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods.
Now the why of this puzzled the commentators. One at least suggested that it was because she feared that Laban would use their 'divination powers' to find them in their escape. This doesn't ring true, because, when he does find them...
Gen 31:30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?"
Gen 31:31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
Gen 31:32 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Gen 31:33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's.
Gen 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them.
Gen 31:35 And she said to her father, "Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me." So he searched but did not find the household gods.
So if he'd already found them, why not fess up and give them back? She surely knew Jacob would not go through with the threat. Another set of commentators- and the Jews- believe she took them so her father would quit relying on them, and believe in the God of Jacob. But, the story clearly tells us that any faith Laban had came from God Himself:
Gen 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad."
My opinion? She did it to spite him- and her unforgiving heart would not relent even then. I know, my evidence is circumstantial, but let me lay out one more layer of said evidence- plus the one lesson I really learned in studying Rachel. Leah started bearing children first and foremost- which proved, even to Rachel, I imagine, that Leah was God's choice. And the names she picked for them: Reuben, which meant, the Lord has looked on me, and see, I have a son!"; Simeon, meaning, "The Lord has heard me, and in hearing blessed me"; Judah, meaning "I will praise him, and celebrate". Notice I left one out that didn't involve invoking the Lord first, and that was Levi. But look what that name means...
A primitive root; properly to twine, that is, (by implication) to unite, to remain;
By this child, she was hoping to 'twine' her and Jacob together in love. It was right after these births that Rachel exploded at Jacob, and I really think her FIRST step towards God came with Jacob's reply:
Gen 30:2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"
It was then she threw Bilhah at him, and look at how she named these children:
Dan- "God has judged me, and gave me a son"- basically, God, in her mind, had to choose between the sisters.
Napthali- "With mighty wrestlings, I (not God, but herself)I have prevailed over my sister." You getting this? Even with children- Leah had them out of seeking Jacob's love; for Rachel, it was little more than a competition. But dig just a little deeper. Look what the Name Napthali translates to:
A primitive root; to twine, that is, (literally) to struggle or (figuratively) be (morally) tortuous...
Wow. So you can twine together in love and unity with God; or you can twine in struggle with Him (as Jacob was to do soon later). This is the lesson I take from Jacob's second wife. But not the end of the story. The last two boys that Leah bore stayed with the theme: Issachar, who was born when Leah cut the deal with Rachel for the mandrakes, meant "God has brought with Him my payment"; and the next son, Zebulun, meant, "God has given me a good dowry."
Eventually, though, Rachel must have softened for it says God "remembered Rachel, and listened to her", and gave her a son, Joseph. The name, meaning "He is adding", is universally considered by the commentators as Rachel PREDICTING more children- in other words, "I'm not done here." And she was right- but the curse of Jacob was about to fall. Remember, he said the one who stole the idols would not live; and she demanded children, "or I will die!" When one demands of God, one should be careful that God doesn't change one's "or" to His "and".
Gen 35:16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor.
Gen 35:17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, "Do not fear, for you have another son."
Gen 35:18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
Gen 35:19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)...
'Ben-oni' means 'son of my sorrow'; even then Rachel was going to afflict this child with HER pain. Jacob, though, changed it to Benjamin, "son of my right hand"- finally saying 'no' to his willful, yet beloved, wife.
In the end, we see Rachel named in Jeremiah's prophecy about the killing of the innocents by Herod:
Jer 31:15 Thus says the LORD: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more."
Because the blood of these children was spilled in Bethlehem, where Rachel's body lie, and even here she is bitter for her loss. But the prophecy goes on...
Jer 31:16 Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
Jer 31:17 There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.
This was the lesson Rachel needed to learn- a lesson Leah knew all along.
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