This month’s study is on Rachel, the woman Jacob wanted to
marry. He worked seven years for her father and his uncle, Laban, to marry her.
He would be tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah, first and then worked
another seven years to finally marry Rachel. Rachel’s name means ewe as in a
female sheep. For the most part, Rachel was manipulated by her father and had
very little say over her own life. After all she had to share her husband with
her older sister and eventually two servants. However, she learned to be a
manipulator herself. She was a schemer and a victim of schemes. What is her
story? What were her strengths and weakness we can learn from? What does her
story tell us about God’s promises?
Rachel was the cherished wife of Jacob but despite his love
and devotion, she felt she had to earn it. She had captured his heart at the
well when they first met and he worked for her father, for a total of 14 years,
to finally marry her. Despite this obvious devotion, Rachel believes that Jacob
does not truly love her because he won’t give her a child (Genesis 30:1) to
which Jacob would reply that he has nothing to do with it (Genesis 30:2). Her
longing for children ultimately led to her death in childbirth. Her longing and
her need to compete with her sister. Leah had a habit of naming her children in
a way that emphasized her fertility and Rachel’s infertility. When she couldn’t
have children, Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob. Bilhah went on to
have two sons. She would claim that the struggle with her sister was over, but
their battle was far from over (Genesis 30:6). When Leah stopped having
children, she too gave her servant, Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah would have two sons
as well. After three more births, Rachel would eventually become pregnant herself.
She would have a son named Joseph. She would become pregnant for the second and
last time. She would die from childbirth, giving birth to her son, Benjamin.
Rachel’s greatest accomplishment in her story is the birth
of her sons, Joseph, and Benjamin. Joseph would be a particularly important
figure later. However, like her husband and her father, Rachel was a schemer
and was a victim of schemes. She was tricked by her father. She viewed her
children as weapons in her struggle with her sister. The lessons of treachery
and competition were passed to the next generation as Joseph would suffer at
the hands of his brothers (Genesis 37:23-28). Her story is also marred with
weaknesses. Her envy and competitiveness marred her relationship with both her
husband and her sister. She was capable of dishonesty when she stole her
father’s idols and then lied when he looked for them (Genesis 31:34-35). She
failed to realize that Jacob’s devotion was not dependent on her ability to
have children. From her life, we can see that loyalty must be influenced by
what is true and right, not just familial bonds. And love is accepted, not
earned. Her attempts to earn the unearnable is a portrait of us doing the same
with God’s love. Many people believe that they must be good to receive God’s
love. There is nothing we can do to earn it; it has always been there. His love
has no beginning and no end. It is incredibly patient. All we need to do is
respond.
Through the schemes and plots, God remained faithful. Step
by step, in ways impossible for use to foresee, God was using people with their
mixed motives and confused desires to reveal his grace and mercy. Genesis 30:22
says that God remembered Rachel, but he never really forgot her. The word
“remembered” doesn’t mean God suddenly went “Oops! I forgot all about Rachel!”
The Bible used it to express God’s love and compassion for his people. It
serves as a reminder that God’s promise is never to abandon us or leave us
without support or relief. He will never forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:8 says “It
is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or
forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” He will never forget us. Isaiah
49:15-16 says "I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hand I
have written your name." He will always remember us. There is never a
moment that God forgets us. He is present, attentive, and aware of our deepest
desires and concerns even when we are certain he has forgotten us. Isaiah 41:10,
one of my favorite verses, says "Fear not, for I am with you; be not
dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand."
In conclusion, Rachel was a woman of loyalty and love.
However, she let her envy and desire for a child strain her relationships.
While the tragedy in her story is her ultimate death in childbirth, her
greatest joy is that her husband loved and cherished her. Rather than dealing
with a difficult situation with creativity, she behaved like a perpetual
victim, responding to wrongs with more wrongs. It is a common feeling to hurt
others as they have hurt us. It is human nature to retaliate but is not what
God wants. First Thessalonians 5:15 says “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong
for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” We
should do good to those we treat us badly. Love those who hurt us and God will
take care of the wrongs they have done.
Picture Credits
2. William Dyce (1806-1864) Public Domain
3. PAINTING: A BIBLE LOVE STORE BETWEEN JACOB AND RACHEL
Creator: Alex Levin
Copyright: Copyright @ Art Levin Studio, Inc.
Information extracted from IPTC Photo Metadata.
4. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) Public Domain
