D 4 WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: RACHEL
Read Gen. 29:9-14
- This recounting of the life of Rachel details a love story with its challenges and its blessings. Such is our married lives. It has challenges and it has blessings. Through Rachel’s troubled times and in her blessed times, she trusted in God and thanked Him for His goodness to her. We can follow her example.
- The marriage situation is compared to the believers as the bride and Christ as the groom. The difference is that Christ was sinless. This is not so with mankind. What is similar is that we have principles to live by that make a marriage good. Such is the case with the believers who need to live by the principles of Christ.
- Rachel had a difficult father, to whom wealth was very important. In the custom of that age, a child (boy or girl) was considered part of the wealth of the family, contributing to getting food and clothing for the family.
- Rachel was a dutiful daughter, tasked with caring for her father’s flock. As Rachel was waiting for the other shepherds to come and help roll the large stone of the entrance to the well, Jacob came by, met her, was attracted to her and rolled away the rock so she could water the sheep. This encounter resulted in Jacob meeting Laban, his mother’s brother.
- In that time, a prospective husband was to pay the potential bride’s father money or items, according to how valuable the father thought the daughter was. Jacob had no money or valuable items so he arranged to work seven years as a dowry payment in order to have Rachel as his wife.
- Rachel and Jacob worked for her father during these 7 years. As they loved each other so much, the time went fast and they looked for the day they could be husband and wife.
- Laban was deceitful. Leah appeared to be less attractive or less likely to be wanted for anyone as a wife. On the marriage night, Laban took Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel. Deceit brought anger, resentment and difficulties. As in their situation, so deceit is destructive to us and anyone we are with.
- When Jacob and Rachel were eventually married, it became apparent that Rachel could not bear children. She was angry and bitter, yet prayed to God for a baby boy. Leah had birthed four boys. Rachel thought her handmaid could bear children that Rachel could take as her own. As a result, the family eventually had 12 boys and one girl.
- God knew Rachel’s sorrow, He had compassion on her and made it possible for her to birth a son, Joseph. She felt so blessed that she praised God and told of her confidence she would bear another boy. She did later. This story shows us that God does understand the yearnings of our heart and responds to our deepest prayers.
- Rachel was blessed in that Jacob loved her very much. He valued her, he protected her and she was his main wife.
- Rachel also was greatly blessed in being the mother of God’s chosen people, the Nation of Israel.