Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have another son." As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb." Genesis 35:16-20
There will come a day when we all will pass away. Although we live in an uncertain world, this is one certainty we can all count on. But although we all know we will pass away, none of us know the time or the place or the day. It could happen at anytime at any place and in anyway. This might leave us distraught and overcome by perpetual worry if we didn’t know that there awaits an eternal future at the end of this finite earthly life. For those who have their salvation secured, need not worry about death being the end because it isn’t…in fact, it is only the glorious beginning of eternity with the Father and His Son Jesus…our Savior. Keep in mind that there is no one perfect…not one less Jesus. I say this to remind you that heaven welcomes the imperfect, the sin-stained yet redeemed, the battered and bruised, the diseased, the forlorn, alone and unloved…heaven accepts all the broken and makes all things new again. What an awesome assurance we have…all we need to do is believe and trust in Jesus as our Savior. Do you know Him? Have you professed Him with your mouth and believed in your heart that He came and died for you on the cross…bearing the price for your sinfulness? Have you considered the death of His love for you…a love that would cause Him to stretch out His arms and accept nails through His hands for you…a love that would cause Him to hang and die for you…a love that would have Him defeat death and rise from the tomb so you and I could one day follow? Listen…this is the good news of the Gospel and you should not delay in accepting it. You could miss your very chance at salvation.
Now to our scripture…and the connecting point to the opening paragraph. You see, I’m sure Rachel never thought for a moment that she would be breathing her last breaths as she delivered her final son. And yet, she did. The new life that emerged from her womb replaced the life she left behind. Out with the old…in with the new. It’s the perpetual renewing and rejuvenation of God’s kingdom here on earth.
Ironically, do you remember Rachel’s words to Jacob as she angrily yelled at Jacob, jealous because her sister Leah was bearing children while she could not? She said, "Give me children, or I'll die!" and unfortunately she would die giving birth to a child. You’ll also recall Rachel saying this after her last son, Joseph, was born. Rachel stated, ""May the LORD add to me another son." God honored Rachel’s request with a son who she named Ben-Oni which meant "son of my sorrow", such was the depth of her sadness that she would not get to nurse or raise her new son. Jacob, not wanting that name to stick around with the newborn boy, quickly renamed him Benjamin which meant "my good fortune." Benjamin would be the twelfth son of Jacob, rounding out the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The passage ends with Jacob setting up yet another pillar, in honor of the one he loved so much…the shepherd girl who stole his heart away by the well…the woman he would labor an additional seven years to have…his wife Rachel.
So what lesson can we take away from Rachel? I think the main one is the fact that we don’t know the time nor the place nor the circumstance when our Father will call us home. There are countless people that die every day that certainly didn’t bank on it happening when they awoke. In fact, how many people go to sleep and never wake back up? Trust me when I say they are many. As I said earlier, you don’t need to worry yourself over whether today is your last day or not. Come to Jesus…come to Jesus right now…do not delay any longer in believing and trusting that He is your Savior…for scripture tells us that whosoever believeth in Him will never perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) and God’s Holy Word is truth. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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