Every family has its struggles and Jacob’s was no different. The second half of Genesis 35 is filled with sad events for this man and his family. He has just come off a spiritual high with God at Bethel. Now, in verse 16, we see the family on route to Ephrath, which we know as Bethlehem. And Rachel begins to give birth. Remember, she had only one child, Joseph, though when Joseph was born she had longed to have another, second son (Gen 30:22-24). And remember also, Joseph’s name means ‘May He Add’.
We can see in verses 16-18 that Rachel had great difficulty in the birth of this second son. We know that childbirth is hard today, even with modern medical wonders. Imagine what a difficult birth would have been like way before any medical knowledge had been achieved by man. She must have suffered. What does the midwife say to her to encourage her. This midwife could possibly have been present at Joseph’s birth and heard Rachel’s comment about the Lord giving her another son. We do not know, but she was assuring Rachel, here, that she now has another son. God has answered Rachel’s prayers.
As Rachel was dying, she named her son Ben-Oni, which means ‘son of my trouble’ or possibly ‘son of my sorrow’. She is naming her son after her sorrow, or suffering. How sad she must have been and how sad for the child. But then we see Jacob renamed the child Benjamin, which means ‘son of my right hand’. Jacob is naming the child after someone who meant the world to him. Rachel had been his one true love, his right hand, and this name is a tribute to her.
This is the only child that Jacob named. Names were surely important to Jacob. When his relationship with God changed, so did his name, to Israel. Now he changes his son’s name from one of sorrow to one which honored an important, right-hand relationship. This is the opposite of what God did when His Son Jesus was born. God had reversed Jesus’ identity from being the Son on His Right Hand to being the Son of Sorrows (Psalm 116:3). This name, Ben-Oni, is often associated by Biblical scholars with the ‘Man of Sorrows’ in Isaiah 53 and is considered to be Messianic in nature. Isaiah devoted this entire chapter 53 to describing the coming Messiah as a Man of Sorrows.
Verses 19-20 tell us that Rachel was buried there on the way to Ephrath. We would expect her to have been taken to the family tomb, the cave where Abraham and Sarah were buried, but she was not. The Bible tells us that Jacob set up a pillar to mark the spot of her tomb. Rachel had lived a difficult life and one that was not always obedient to God. She competed jealously with her sister for her husband’s attentions and she stole her father’s household gods, later lying to her father about it. But she was an important player in the establishment of the nation of Israel and she was well-loved. And the Bible tells us that the pillar remained and she was not forgotten by the people of Israel (I Sam 10:2).
Verses 21-22 tell us of yet another sad event in Jacob’s life. Jacob had left Ephrath and settled just beyond the tower of Edar (KJV)/Migdal Eder (NIV). This "Tower of the Flock," is a two-level watchtower near Bethlehem which ancient shepherds used for protection. It is cited in Micah 4:8 as a site where Jesus, the Messiah, would be revealed to the daughters of Jerusalem. This term, daughters of Jerusalem, is often used in the Bible to refer to the people of God. It is at this place that Jacob’s eldest son, Reuben, decided to sleep with his father’s concubine, Bilhah.
Why would Reuben do this? We don’t know as the Bible doesn’t say. But, before we are tempted to balk at the possible age difference, remember… Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son and came from his eldest wife. Bilhah was the handmaid of Rachel, the youngest wife, and probably was very young when brought into this family. She might not have been as much older than Reuben as we might think. It could have been lust.
As Leah’s oldest son, Reuben may have been avenging his mother’s humiliation in marriage by taking one of Jacob’s other wives/concubines. He may have been challenging his father’s leadership of the family through sexual dominance. Whatever his motivations, this was a serious challenge to Jacob’s authority (Lev 18:8) and a sin against the God who tells us to honor our father and mother (Ex 20:12). And the Bible makes sure to tell us that Jacob learned of it.
Verses 23-26 list the sons of Israel. There were 12 of them. These sons became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In verses 27-29, Jacob returned to his father, Isaac’s, home in Mamre. Isaac, at 180 years old, died. Jacob and Esau then buried their father in the family grave, the cave in Machpelah where Abraham, Isaac, and Rebekah were buried (Gen 49:31). We really don’t hear much about Israel and his life past this point in the Bible. He has already done what God had called him to do… establish the nation of Israel, the nation which God chose to use to deliver a Messiah to the world.
Responding to God: Praise God and thank Him for His wonderful gift of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who takes away our sin. Thank Him for medical advances and modern medical knowledge which make our lives better. Thank Him for parents and ask Him to show you ways in which you should honor them. Pray that He will show you where you can be of service to those who are going through times of sorrow or to the widows/widowers in your acquaintance. Pray for a closer personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Messiah.
Further Research: Study the Man of Sorrow (Jesus Christ) by reading Isaiah 53 and see the descriptions of the coming Messiah.
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