Rachel's redemption

Rachel (רָחֵל) is the Hebrew word for ewe. Biblical Rachel appears for the first time in Genesis 29 with a flock of sheep. She was a gorgeous shepherdess who captured the heart of Jacob in an instant and remained his love for life, even long after she died, and she became a matriarch of Israel.

Though Rachel was barren for much of her life, she ultimately bore two sons from whom three of Israel’s twelve tribes descended. Hers is story of trauma and tragedy, but redemption follows. She was made to keep silent whilst her elder sister was married off in her place. She did not receive any inheritance from her father, who spent her share on himself. Perhaps in reaction, she stole from him and consequently fell victim of her husband’s curse which cost her her life.

So where is her redemption? Rachel died upon giving birth to her second son, whom she named “son of my sorrow,” and she was buried on the roadside. What’s worse is that hundreds of years later, the prophet Jeremiah portrayed her weeping in her tomb for her descendants who were slaughtered by ruthless invaders – God’s agents to punish their wickedness. (Matthew quoted Jeremiah in the second chapter his gospel.)

Rachel’s redemption is found in the story of Israel. Her first son, Joseph, became a saviour to his family through his promotion to “prime minister” of Egypt. From his high position, he was able (and gracious enough) to rescue his family from famine. Rachel’s second son, Benjamin, was the ancestor of Mordecai, and thus probably also Esther. It was this pair, Mordecai and Esther, who saved the Jewish people from annihilation in the Persian Empire in the fifth century BCE.

As for Jeremiah’s prophecy, it doesn’t end with Rachel weeping, but with [the LORD] promising reward, return from exile, hope for the future of her offspring. And this redemption is not too late to help Rachel so long after her death because though she died, she lives yet – for her God is God of the living, not the dead (Matthew 22:32).