JOY "Rachel" May 4

May 4, 2011
Rachel
Genesis 29-31

I         Relationship with Jacob
II        Relationship with Leah
III       Relationship with her children
lV       Relationship with Laban

"It was advertised that the devil, was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed on tables, for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price. They were a treacherous lot of implements: hatred, envy, jealousy, doubt, lying, pride, fear, anxiety, bitterness and misery ------there were so many tools laid out, you couldn't really even count them------ laid apart from the rest of the pile, was a harmless looking tool that was well-worn----it didn't have a name tag, but, it was priced higher than any other tool.

"What's the name of this tool?" asked one of the purchasers. "Oh, the devil said, "that's discouragement!" "Why have you priced it so high?" the buyer asked him.

The devil paused for a minute, and then he said, "Because, it's more useful to me, than the others. I can pry open and get inside a person's heart with it, when I can't get near him, with any other tools. And once I can inside his heart, I can make him do, whatever I want him to do. It's a badly worn tool, because I use it on almost everyone, even Christians, because nobody, really recognizes, that it belongs to me."

The devil's price for discouragement, was so high, that he never sold it------and the truth is, it is still his major tool------he still uses it on God's people, any time he gets the chance." Charles Swindoll

Every spring, during Passover, Jewish people celebrate, their ancestor's deliverance from Egypt, and their hope of future blessings, from God, with meals and symbols and songs and special services, in their synagogues. In one traditional  song, each verse adds the record of God's work, followed by a chorus, consisting of the single Hebrew word, "Dayenu", which means "It would have been enough" or "We should have been satisfied." It goes like this:

"Had He supplied our desert needs
and not fed us with manna,
Dayenu, Dayenu, Dayenu

Had He brought us to Mount Sinai
and not given us the Torah
Dayenu, Dayenu, Dayenu

Had He given us the Torah
and not led us to the land of Israel,
Dayenu, Dayenu,Dayenu

Had He led us to the Israel
and not built us the temple,
Dayenu, Dayenu, Dayenu

The question is, would any of those intermediate blessings, really have been enough? On the one hand, from God's perspective, they wouldn't have been, because there is so much more, that He wants to give us. But on the other hand, they should have been enough, because God's blessings, no matter how simple, or intermediate, they are, always, far exceed, our expectations.
But, unfortunately, we are almost never satisfied, or content, with God's goodness like we should be. There is nothing that we can do to earn even the smallest of God's favors, but we inevitably, find ourselves wanting more than he has chosen, at the time, to give us.
How many times, do we rejoice in the words of Jesus from John 4:14, "Whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst." and never pause, once, from guzzling the water, long enough to thank Him for it?
We can quote Psalm 42:2, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God"; but when we get right down to it, which do we want more-----His presence, or the gifts that He gives us?

We don't usually think of simple discontent as a precursor to, or a manifestation of, dishonesty------ but, it can be an early warning sign, of deeper trouble down the road, which leads to dishonesty, with ourselves, and with other people. .
In Rachel's story, the reasons that caused her early dissatisfaction, were never dealt with in a positive way. Her emotions always seemed to be festering just under the surface, sometimes, they were flashing hot and sometimes they bubbled up unexpectedly, until they finally erupted as the full-blown sins of, disrespect to her father, her sister and her husband---- and stealing and lying. She was a lovely and very loved woman who had a husband who adored her and two beautiful adopted children, and two precious boys, of her own-----but that doesn't seem to have been enough for her She spent her life, always looking for what was greener, on the other side and she never really found it. We can learn a lot from her about how to deal with disappointment, resentment, and bitterness, and we can learn alot, about how not to deal with it.


I  Her relationship with Jacob:
We know that when Jacob fled from the wrath of his brother Esau, that he followed his mother's advice and went to Haran, in search of his uncle Laban and a bride. We know that he saw his cousin Rachel, at the well, and was so moved by the experience, that he moved the stone away from the entrance, single handedly, watered all of her sheep, kissed her and then burst into tears.
Can you imagine what Rachel must have thought? I wonder if there was a family resemblance, so that she kind of suspected who he was. I wonder if she thought he was a nutcase. I wonder if she was drawn to him in the same way that he was drawn to her. I wonder if she was just glad to have unexpected excitement, to alleviate the humdrum of her day. There is no way, this side of heaven, to really know what she was feeling, but what we do know, is that after Jacob introduced himself to her, that she ran from the well, to get her father, so that he would come back and welcome Jacob, into their home.

Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful and it wasn't long before Jacob fell in love with her, and offered to work for Laban, for free, to earn her brides-price. They were 1st cousins, so they would have known all about each other's families. There is a lesson here, for us to teach our children and our grandchildren, on how important it is for love relationships, to have their roots in deep and abiding friendships, that are based on kindness and respect  and a genuine concern for the welfare of the other person.
In this day and time, of pre-marital, sexual lifestyles-----its interesting to see, that Jacob shows us that "True Love Can Wait." He worked for seven years to be able to marry Rachel and then, after he found out about Laban's deception------he finished Leah's bridal week, married Rachel and worked another seven years. He worked for fourteen years without any pay or any compensation, just to be married to Rachel.

The scriptures says that "he loved her more than Leah." From the very beginning, Rachel was Jacob's 1st choice. He may have given Leah the key to his house, but Rachel, always, had the key to his heart. Leah seems to have influenced his judgement and decision-making, but Rachel held his love. Leah gave Jacob six strapping sons and Rachel only gave him two, but those two were more precious to him than any of his others, which, we know, is evidenced later on, in his story. Jacob was careful to place Rachel and her two sons, at the end of the caravan, to protect them, as he confronted Esau, when he took his family home to Canaan. And his favoritism for them, is played out again, when Joseph is sold into slavery, by his brothers, because of their jealousy, of the relationship, that Jacob had with him------ and again, when Jacob refused to let Benjamin travel to Egypt, even though, the older sons made it clear to him, that they couldn't get any more food, for the family, unless Benjamin was with them. 

Unfortunately, the only person who seems to take Jacob's love, for granted----the person who couldn't seem, to recognize or rest in it, was Rachel, herself.

Jacob stands out in the scripture, as the perfect example of what a husband's love should be for his wife------true and romantic, deep and abiding, sacrificial and understanding and protective and responsible. We aren't told anywhere in the scripture, though, that Rachel reciprocated the deep, ardent love that he had for her. There is no record of her feeling grief, at how she was deceived, and there is no record of her being frustrated, that she had to share Jacob, with her sister and 2 concubines. It seems like, that all her resentment, was tied up in the fact, that the more time that he spent with Leah, conceiving children, the less time there was to spend with her, conceiving children.
For us, having to share our husbands, with another woman, would be totally unacceptable---------but in their culture, even though God didn't ordain it, they didn't see polygamy as a wrong choice, for their lifestyle.They had been raised in a culture, that practiced polygamy, without a thought, for the conflict, that it created for everybody concerned.

I know, that polygamy is not practiced, on a wide scale, in our country, but I can't help but think, that all the divorces and remarriages, in our country represent a type of polygamy, because of the problems that they bring, for the wives and the children and even the husbands, too, as they try to please everybody and keep them all happy and satisfied.
I cannot imagine how Jacob was able to maintain the peace that he did, between the four women and the 13 children in his life.

Rachel reached the point, that her barrenness was more than she could take, as she saw Leah, have four babies, in a row. She cried out to Jacob, to give her children, so that she wouldn't die. Her outburst and implied blame, of him, seemed to anger and frustrate  him----------he fired right back at her, with the strong suggestion, that there might be something wrong in her life, since God hadn't judged her worthy enough to be blessed with children. Even though he loved her with all of his heart, he knew that there was nothing he could do----his love wasn't enough to satisfy her-----only God could remedy her dissatisfaction---she should have cried out to Him, not Jacob. It had to have created some discord between them, that Jacob's love was all he had to give her, and it didn't seem to be enough.

When she gives Bilhah, her handmaid to him, as a surrogate, for her, it was clearly out of desperation! Rachel wasn't like Sarah, who gave Hagar to Abraham because, she, was misguidedly, trying to help God. Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob, because she didn't think she could go on living, if she didn't have a child. She was also unlike Sarah, in that, she loved Bilhah's children, and treated them like they were hers, she didn't send them into the wilderness, like Sarah did Ishmael.
Rachel's desire for children, became an all-consuming force, in her life, and superseded everything else. She was oblivious to the wonderful things that she did have and wound up missing the joy and contentment, that they could have given her. We need to make sure, that there is nothing, in our lives, that can make us so desperate, that we would be willing to sacrifice and compromise anything, in order to get it.

God's gifts, of love, or beauty, or intelligence, can only reach their full potential, for His glory, when they are acknowledged and received, by the individual, to whom they are given. The extent to which these gifts can be developed depend, in a huge way, on the person's attitude and response, to them. In the same way, a woman can be loved by a man, but she will only radiate that love, by the degree, that she chooses to receive and rest in it. Love is a decision, its a choice-----we may be attracted physically, or we may not be, to our husbands, but the decision, to love them and to accept their love for us, is a conscious choice, and it is a choice that pleases God.

Rachel was more beautiful and more beloved than Leah, but Leah learned to find peace and satisfaction through focusing on God, in the middle of her very difficult circumstances, and I don't think that Rachel ever did. God's blessings and Jacob's love, were never enough for her. We should never let discontent, rob us, of our joy in the Lord, and the gifts that He has blessed us with.

II  Her relationship with Leah:

To an unusual degree, Rachel's relationship with her sister strongly affected her marriage relationship with Jacob, since Leah, was his first wife, and in their culture, there was a hierarchy of legal and domestic privileges, that only the 1st wife could claim.
There truly was, a war going on, between the two sisters, that Rachel was determined to win, whatever it took-----and  Leah didn't look too pretty, during the baby war, either, she did her own share, of throwing her weight around. There was an intense competition between the two women over their rights to Jacob's sexual attention. First, Rachel insisted that Jacob sleep with Bilhah, so that she could build a family through her. And two sons were born-------and Rachel, to her credit, gathered them to her, like they were hers.
When Leah stopped bearing babies, for a time----- she didn't want to be outdone, so she gave her maid, Zilpah, to Jacob, to have babies with, and two more sons were added, then. This just made Rachel even more jealous!

The whole incident, with the mandrakes, was born out of desperation from both women. The mandrake is a small, orange-colored, berry-like fruit, that was highly valued, in ancient times, as an aphradesiac and a fertility aid. It has always made me sad that Rachel involved Reuben, a little boy, who was bringing home fruit, to his mother. And for Leah, to send her son out, to pick fruit, that she was probably going tho use, as an enticement for sexual favors, from Jacob, in a desperate atempt, to win the baby war, is inexcusable, in my mind. This was an ugly, ugly thing for the sisters to do and they were both at fault------they traded something that is precious and sacred and above being traded-----they bought and sold time with Jacob, which essentially, was no better than prostituting themselves-----one did it, out of her desire, for a man and one did it, out of her desire, for children.

It is clear to see, in this passage, how Jacob abdicated, his own authority, over his household, and played right into the hands of the sparring sisters. We can see how Leah was ready to drive a hard, but selfishly, petty bargain, when she had the opportunity, just like her daddy, Laban. And, we can see the extent, that Rachel went to, to guard her territorial claim to Jacob, against her sister. She was not the older sister, nor was she the  1st wife, but she was, with out a doubt, the more dominant woman. Even though she granted Leah, a night with Jacob, in exchange for the mandrakes, she would have to have answered no, to her question, "wasn't it enough that you took away my husband?"
It doesn't seem like, she batted an eye, at Jacob's seeming disregard, for Leah's feelings, as he chose to be with Rachel, instead of her, over and over again.  Because, sadly, discontent, smouldered in her heart-------it didn't seem like there was anything that would be enough to satisfy her.

Family and friends contribute greatly to our earthly joy, but it isn't realisitc to expect them to meet all our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Only God has the resources of the world, at His fingertips and only God knows what we truly need. We need to trust Him. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

III. Her relationship with her children:

Rachel was barren, for thirteen years. And we know that the social stigma attached to barren women in their culture was heartbreaking and debilitating, so you can't help but feel some of Rachel's pain. She must have suffered terribly, whenever Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah became pregnant (it happened 11 times, counting Leah's pregnancy, with Dinah). Instead of taking it to the Lord in prayer, which is what she should have done, she vented her frustration on Jacob. That didn't accomplish her anything, except to stir up frustration in his heart toward her, because of his helplessness in being able to give her, what she craved, so desperately.

God's participation in the miracle of life is especially evident in this passage of scripture:
Genesis 29:31 "When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren."
Genesis 30:17 "God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a 5th son."
Genesis 30:22 "Then God remembered Rachel; He listened to her and opened her womb."
Rachel had to wait a long time for God to bless her with children. Maybe He was waiting to see whether her attitude would improve or not----it didn't seem to------She seems to have been the kind of a person, who always looks at a glass half-empty, rather than a glass half-full. Even with the birth of her surrogate children and her natural boys, she persisted in looking on the negative side of her situation.
When Bilhah had her first boy, Rachel named him Dan, which means, "God has vindicated." Rachel recognized, that God had heard her prayers, but she chose to regard his gift, as a vindication-----she seems to have seen it, as something that was owed to her, to make up for, her past suffering, rather than, as a provision and a blessing, given to her out of God's love.

When Bilhah's 2nd son was born, Rachel named him Naphtali, which means, "my struggle". She made the statement, that she had struggled with her sister and won. She saw the birth of Naphtali, as a sign of victory, over her sister, in compensation, for her years of unhappiness.

Even the birth of her natural son, Joseph, didn't seem to fully satisfy her-----she was clearly grateful that the Lord had taken away her disgrace and allowed her to birth a son. She named him Joseph which means, "take away", but she immediately asked God for another one. Some commentaters say, that she was just prophesying, that she was going to have another son, but based on her past attitude and behavior, it seems more likely, that she still wasn't content. (I love children and I would have had a hard time with just one child, too, so I feel for her), but Joseph was really her 3rd child, based on their cultural laws-----and he didn't seem to be enough.

I do have to commend Rachel for one wonderful thing though------she must have been a good mother-----first, she loved Bilhah's boys like she had born them herself and most importantly, she must have raised Joseph, with godly training, in his boyhood years, because he had such a great reverence for God, from a very young age. Joseph, of all of
Jacob's children, became the godliest and the greatest. He became the savior of his people and with his forgiveness and his wisdom and his quiet trust, in God's provision, he seems to be, more like Jesus, than anyone else in the bible.

It appears that Rachel calmed down, after the birth of Joseph, and the baby war subsided.
-------the sisters must have been more on the same page, than we think that they were, or that we give them credit for---- because when Jacob consulted them about packing up and traveling to Canaan, they agreed, in unison, to move their whole big  family there. They knew that Laban had not dealt ethically with Jacob or with them-----and they were willing to go, wherever God led Jacob.

So, Jacob built up his herds and left Laban. He came face to face with God, on the banks, of the Jordan river and surrendered his life to Him and he was reconciled with Esau in a very emotional reunion. He settled in Shechem, where his older sons, underhandedly, killed all the men and plundered the city in revenge for the violation of their sister, Dinah. God told Jacob to move his family to Bethel, where He renewed His covenant with him.

 Rachel became pregnant again but died, in childbirth, on the way to Bethel. The last word that she ever uttered, was to name her newborn, little boy, Benoni, which means "son of sorrow, or son of my trouble". Jacob, her devoted, loving husband overulled her choice, though, and gave the baby the name, Benjamin, which means "son of my right hand" which suggested, that not only, would he treasure the baby of the family, in a special way, but that Rachel had been like a right hand to him. I wish that, the scripture had allowed us to see more of what Jacob saw in her---a supportive, positive, capable helpmeet, worthy of his love and adoration.

(There is a story told about a wealthy New Englander, who went to the bank, near clsoing time and insisted on withdrawing $10,000 in small denominations. He carefully counted the $10 bills. The line behind him grew restless as he meticulously counted the $5 bills. The tellers became impatient as he painstakingly counted the $1 bills. "Well," snapped the manager, "is it all there?" "It's all here," replied the man, "just barely."
How ready are we to recgonize and receive and to rest in God's goodness toward us? Do we see it, as being abundant, to the point, that our cup is overflowing with His blessings? Or does it seem to be just barely enough to satisfy our needs and our desires? Do we compare ourselves to other people and perceive them to be more fortunate than us and do we complain about the things that we didn't have? Do we concentrate on the unfilled portion of the cup and fail to appreciate the filled portion of the cup, giving God all the glory for it? We need to ask ourselves these questions and get our priorities straight. We can all be like Rachel from time to time, but we need to ask God, to help us bloom, where He plants us, and let go of our discontent.

When Rachel died, Jacob honored the tomb, where he buried her, just outside of Bethlehem, on the side of the road, with a pillar------ and to this day, the site remains an important landmark, there. Rachel is remembered in Ruth 4:11, which says that "with Leah, Rachel had helped to build the house of Israel…"
Rachel's cry for children was a prophetic one, because it symbolizes the cries, of the mothers, whose children, were ripped out of their hands, in the slaughter of all those little innocent boys, under 2 years old that were killed by Herod, when Jesus was born.
Jeremiah in 31:15, of his book, pictures Rachel rising up from the grave to weep over the children being carried away to Babylon, never to return. Her mother's cry has been re-echoed throughout the entire history of Israel and has been immortalized, by Jewish historians and Christian theologians.

IV Her relationship with Laban:

Laban was a crafty opportunist. Over the course of 20 years, he switched Jacob's wives, his wages and his livestock, whenever he saw an opportunity, to use them to his own advantage. Rachel's nature and her attitude, seem to have been alot like her daddy's, in her fruitless quest for fulfillment, because she also, was always looking for the next opportunity to protect, or enhance, her own position, by means of some sneaky or manipulative maneuver. Although she resembled her father in this way, Rachel doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for Laban. She agreed with Leah about how their father had cheated them and Jacob----- and she went one step further than Leah--she stole her father's household idols and hid them from everybody, even Jacob. In fact, Jacob was so mad at Laban's accusation that he had stolen them, that he insisted that he search their tents and he threatened to put to death the person, who was found with them. He obviously had no idea that Rachel was the thief.

There are 2 facts, from the culture of their time, that we needs to be pointed out about this incident. First, the household gods represented tokens of inheritance, more than they did, symbols of idolatry. Whoever possessed them, could lay claim to a man's property after his death.
Second, it was considered an act of uncleanness to touch either a menstruating woman or anything that she sat on. Later on Lev. 15:19-23, God spelled this out, as a law, that was for the Israelites, hygenic protection. Rachel counted on that same principle to be abe to cover up her theft. And just like she was banking on, Laban didn't ask her to get up off of her saddlebags. Who knows why Rachel really stole them-------maybe it was just to prove that she could; maybe it was to get back at Laban for all of his deceptive treatment of them, over the years; maybe it was just an expression of her accumulating disatisfactions------but, I don't think that it was because she was an idol worshiper-------because she acknowledged God, with the birth, of two, of her first 3 boys, and, she raised Joseph too well, to not have known, that God was the one true God.     

Imperfect as Rachel was, Jacob loved her. From the moment that thet met by the well, Jacob never stopped loving her. And we have to know, that no matter how flawed Rachel's behavior seems to us, God remembered her and He blessed her and He loved her------and this isn't because of any thing that she did----its because of His great mercy. He has never let any generation forget her and for that reason alone, we need to see her, through eyes of kindness and understanding and compassion, instead of judgement and pity and frustration.

To be lovely and much loved didn't seem to be enough for Rachel. Instead of overcoming her circumstances, she spent alot of her time, giving in to bitterness. Rather than resting, she was restless. Rachel needed to accept God's love, and so do we. We need to believe that God desires to draw us closer to him, through every trial, that we have to walk through. He wants to sustain us with His all-sufficiency, until we realize that He is enough, period---- that He is all we need, ever! Then, we can sing, the refrain of Psalm 118, which is also sung, during the Passover celebration------"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever."