Jacob was an unusual man. His intense love for his wife Rachel teaches us something about God’s love for us.
Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing meant for his brother Esau. Because of this, Esau hated him and threatened to kill him. Jacob fled to Haran, to the home of Laban, his uncle, who received him warmly. After Jacob had been at Laban’s home for a month, Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.
Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. Seven years of hard work, taking care of the flocks, seemed like just a few days because Jacob loved Rachel so much.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.” And Laban gathered all the men of the place, and made a feast. Now it came about in the evening that he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?”
But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place, to marry off the younger before the first-born. Complete the bridal week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.” And Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Genesis 29:15–28.
After marrying Rachel, Jacob worked another seven years for her, and then six years for his flocks. But the time finally came that Laban’s attitude toward Jacob changed because he prospered more than Laban did. In obedience to a dream from the Lord, Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels; and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s. And Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, by not telling him that he was fleeing. So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. Genesis 31:17–21.
Later, during Jacob’s wandering in the land of Canaan, God met him again and gave him the same promise that He had given to Abraham: “And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.” And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a libation on it; he also poured oil on it. So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (which means “the house of God”).
Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. And it came about when she was in severe labor that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” (Joseph was Rachel’s first son.) And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni (“the son of my sorrow”); but his father called him Benjamin (“the son of the right hand”). So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Genesis 35:12, 14–19.
In Jeremiah 31:15 we find the prophecy concerning Rachel “weeping for her children, because they were not.” Jeremiah was referring to the sorrow caused by the dispersion of the Jews one hundred years earlier, when the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who were descendants of Joseph, were taken into exile by the Assyrians. This prophecy was also fulfilled with the weeping of the mothers in Bethlehem when all the male infants were slaughtered by Herod (Matthew 2:17–18).
The tomb of Rachel is an important place of pilgrimage for the Jews. This has been especially true since World War II and the devastation of Jewish people in concentration camps. Today the Orthodox Jews can still be seen facing the walls, bobbing their heads and praying. Although the inscription on the tomb of Rachel reads, “Rachel weeping for her children because they were not,” the Jews are reminding her, “We are here.”
The story of Rachel is very interesting, even though it is a simple story. For years she was barren, but Leah, her sister, was very fruitful. (She became the mother of five tribes of Israel.) Rachel was jealous of Leah and demanded of Jacob that he give her children also. This made Jacob very angry and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Genesis 30:1–2.) Nevertheless, later God heard Rachel’s prayers, and gave her two sons. She died when the second one was born.
Perhaps no woman in the Scriptures was loved more deeply than Rachel, as we see by the acts of Jacob. But do you think she realized how much Jacob loved her? In this day we are continually being exhorted to love one another, but some of the greatest miracles are wrought when we become aware that we are being loved. What God is doing for you would often be helped a great deal if you would follow this simple step: Instead of seeking ministry and help, just open your heart to the fact that a great amount of love and concentrated faith is already flowing to you.
Rachel died in childbirth and was buried on the way to Bethlehem. Do you ever wonder about someone like Rachel? Why didn’t she make it? She was a beautiful woman. Her husband loved her so much that he worked seven years for her, and it seemed like just a few days. Then he was deceived by Laban and given the wrong woman. He married Rachel a week later, but he had to work another seven years for her. How deep was his love for her! Very few men would work fourteen years for a wife.
When it came time to leave the land of Haran and go to Canaan, a very interesting thing happened. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and slipped them in the camel’s saddle. Jacob put his wives and children on camels and they began their journey. Laban pursued and overtook them. Only God’s intervention kept him from killing Jacob. God had warned Laban to speak neither good nor evil to Jacob. So Laban said, “It is not enough that you take my family away; why have you taken my idols also?” Jacob was furious at this accusation, because he was not an idolater; he worshiped the Lord. He said, “The one with whom you find your gods shall be killed.” Laban searched all the tents and did not find them. Rachel made the excuse that it was the time of her menstrual period, and she could not get off the saddle. So no one knew that she had the idols.
Rachel fell short of reaching her destination; she “died in the way.” If her heart had not been divided, she probably would not have died in her labor and travail. When it comes time to be productive, two things will take you through: First, be aware that you are loved; secondly, do not worship any other gods but the Lord. In this day, beautiful worship to the Lord will come forth, but it must come from hearts that are wholly set on Him.
Where do you stand with the Lord? Do you sometimes wonder if you will be able to make it? Realize that God is constantly dealing with other areas of motivation in your life besides the motivation to serve Him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength. This is what the story of Rachel teaches. When you worship the Lord God and serve Him only, when you love Him with all of your heart, this becomes the key to other relationships. You cannot win if you have any contest of loyalties in your heart. The Lord is a jealous God and Him only shall you serve (Exodus 20:5). And because He is a jealous God, all He wants you to do is love Him and serve Him. When that motivation ceases, then the problems seem to enter in.
When God gave a vision to one of the Kingdom schools at the beginning of a school term, the teachers and pupils were fired up with that vision and with such love that they could not wait for school to open. However, during the year the vision grew a little dim. Then the human faults of the teachers and the pupils could be seen, and problems came up. You cannot say that the problems appeared suddenly. They were always there, but they were obscured when the love for the Lord was pure and whole.
Jacob was able to go through what he did because he had such great love. Rachel did not know how to love, and she died in the way. She never made it. Does that teach us something? We are getting ready for the greatest visitation from the Lord and the deepest worship that any people have ever given to the Lord. Yet how easy it would be for us to set our mind and our vision on the problems. Once the breakthrough comes, we need not worry about many of the problems. Once we can mount up with wings as eagles, we do not have to worry about getting through a snow bank; we soar above it. We do not have to worry about crossing a river if we can mount up with wings as eagles. There are many things we will not have to worry about if we can just rise above them. Most of the problems that we constantly face come because we are flying at too low an altitude. Many of the dangers that we encounter come because we live on a lower level where we are vulnerable to them.
Open your heart to a visitation of love and say, “Lord, I know You love me.” Instead of concentrating on trying to love God, just let Him love you. Appropriate the love and blessing from the Lord. Drink of it until you are completely intoxicated with it.
God never commands anything of you that is impossible. When the Word says, “Be filled with the Spirit,” God means for you to actually be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
When He says, “Drink, and rivers of living water will be flowing from your innermost being,” He means it. If you thirst, do what He tells you and drink of Him (John 7:37–38). It is amazing that almost all of the Spirit’s instructions are not legislating what you should do; they are telling you what you can have from God. That is why the Greek words charis (grace) and charisma (gift) are used throughout the epistles.
When someone is not as blessed as he ought to be, perhaps it is because he has an “older-brother complex” like that found in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). When the father joyfully welcomed his prodigal son, the older brother was probably murmuring to himself, “I’ve been a faithful son, working in the fields and helping my father; but he never killed a calf for me or gave a party for my friends. That prodigal out there—look what he did. Now he even gets a nice ring, and I thought I was going to get that ring. Oh, woe is me. I feel so sorry for myself.”
If you measure your service to God by what you can give Him, it will never be enough. Even after you have done everything right, you are still an unprofitable servant, according to the Lord’s words in Luke 17:10. Even when you strive to serve Him with all your heart, and try to do your very best, your best is not good enough. God is not looking for someone to do His work for Him as much as He is looking for someone to love.
Although this message is very positive, do you find it quite disturbing? Does it seem that you have been giving your walk with God “the old college try,” so that you almost feel as though you need cheerleaders in the church instead of worship leaders, or a program to pep you up so that you can go out and work harder and do more things for the Lord? Just think of all the things that have to be done—books have to be written, songs have to be written. There doesn’t seem to be enough of anything. All of that is true. But isn’t it wonderful when His loving hands break the loaves and fishes, and we see what He can do with them?
I suggest that we become aware of why Rachel never made it. Like Rachel, we could perish in our travail, if we never become aware of how much the Lord Jesus Christ loves us. He gave Himself for us, that He might present us to Himself without spot or wrinkle or any blemish (Ephesians 5:27). That is what He wants to do. Are you trying to get rid of all your spots and blemishes? Christ gave Himself for the Church that He might cleanse her with “the washing of water by the Word.” The flow that He brings will cleanse you. If you try to scrub yourself clean and make yourself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb, you will never make it. Get under the flow of the Living Word and just stand there, as though you were soaking in a long shower.
Here is the bottom line: Learn how to enjoy the Lord. Rejoice in Him. Open up to His love. When the work of the Lord becomes a labor, something is wrong. Where love falls short, the price is always too great. Let the Lord love you as Jacob loved Rachel. Unless you soak in His love, you will never be able to pay the price. Rachel did not soak in Jacob’s love, and so she died in the way; she never made it. Learn how to draw God’s love.
At one time or another we may all feel that we need someone to take care of our need, but if we would just open our heart to see it, we would be surprised at how much of the answer is already flowing to us. There is probably a lot more happening within your heart than you realize. When you focus on your problems, you become isolated. You should not forget that Christ’s blood washes away sins, and that you can walk in the light, cleansed from unrighteousness. There is a washing of water by the Word. Plunge into that flow. Do not concentrate on what you have to do; concentrate on what He can do for you. Then everything you do will flow out of that. Love the Lord back, and it is an overflowing experience.
Rachel did not quite make it. She died a few miles away from the place known throughout the Scriptures as Bethel, meaning “the house of God.” Twice God met Jacob there. He set up a stone pillar in the place where God had spoken with him (Genesis 35:9–15). Later there was a concentration of the sons of the prophets at Bethel (II Kings 2:3). Right after God met Jacob, Rachel became a casualty; she died in the way.
We do not want to see spiritual casualties in this walk with God. Therefore it is important that you open up and receive His love wherever you are. Draw on it. If you seem to prefer one local church over another, remember that the same Lord is over all of them. God speaks His will in every church. Open your heart and say, “I am sure glad You came to church here today, Lord, because I am here too.” Isn’t it amazing that the Lord is always right where you are going to be? He never misses an appointment.
The first time God met Jacob at Bethel, he was fleeing for his life. He had a dream in which he saw the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending. When he awoke in the morning, an awesome fear came upon him. He said, “God was here, and I didn’t even know it!” How terrible it is to be unaware of the presence of the Lord. But how marvelous it is to be aware of His presence and practice it, to become aware of the love of God and draw it. That awareness on your part is probably one of the great keys of living for God.
Doing penance, crawling around on your hands and knees, as it were, lamenting about the way you are suffering for the Lord and what you are giving to Him, is actually only another way of going on a religious ego trip. Any time that you are even counting what you are giving God, you are not giving Him enough. You begin by loving Him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength.
Do you ever become a little weary in your service to the Lord? Then go before Him, open up to Him, and say, “Lord, I know You love me.” Let His love flow to you. Practice developing the awareness of His presence and of His love. It is sweet; it “tastes like honey in the rock.” Get a hold of the promises of the Lord. Do not just be amazed mentally and intellectually by His Word. Drink of the sweetness of the Lord.
One time when Israel kept the Feast of Tabernacles, which represented God tabernacling with His people in the wilderness, God commanded them to eat the fat and drink the sweet, and to send portions to those for whom nothing had been prepared (Nehemiah 8:10). Let us learn to “eat the fat and drink the sweet” spiritually. Let us become aware of the vast amount of love that is beamed at us.
Do you ever feel that you do not love the Lord enough? In yourself, you are not capable of loving Him enough. I John 4:19 pinpoints the solution: “We love Him, because He first loved us.” Who loves the Lord the most? The one who has been drinking in His love the most. God does not want you to love Him with human love, because that always breaks down. The same kind and quality of love that He gives—divine love—is what He wants back from you.
The Lord sheds abroad His love in our hearts, and we look up and say, “Abba Father. Fill me, Daddy. I love You, Lord. I am loving You back with a little of the love that You have been pouring into my heart.” Then you will love your brothers and sisters too, because you also feel God’s love for them. When you stop drinking in God’s love, then you tend to become critical. Criticism begins where reliance on human love begins. When human love starts breaking down, then criticism comes in. But when the divine love flows, then we are all accepted in the Beloved.