Genesis-119-Its origin is in eternity

Genesis 35:16-20

 

“Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear, for you have another son.’ And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called his name Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day.” Amen.

 

Jacob’s Golden Age, and Bethlehem

Last time, we learned about the precious history of God restoring Jacob with the Gospel, by calling him again through the Bethel incident 30 years prior and the Peniel incident 10 years prior. At that time, for the first time in the Bible, God directly called Jacob 'Israel'. Of course, it is the same God who calls us. Interestingly, the word 'God' does not appear even once in Genesis 34, but in Genesis 35, it appears more than ten times.

 

In this light, Genesis 35 can be seen as Jacob’s golden age. He walked with God, God called him by name, and God renewed His covenant with him. It was a truly amazing event of restoration. God speaks to Jacob similarly to how He spoke to Abraham at Bethel, but He says not only, “I met with you,” but also, “I spoke with you.” After this face-to-face conversation with God was over, the Bible uses the expression that God left Jacob, disappeared from the stage, and went up. Our Bible expresses this as ‘He went up,’ which is also one of the expressions used for Abraham. This is the last part in Genesis where God appears, and in a way, it concludes a phase. So Jacob leaves Bethel and goes down to the land of Canaan. Since Hebron was far to the south and Isaac was living there, Jacob and his family headed down towards it.

 

On the way down is Bethlehem, which you all know well. Jerusalem and Bethlehem were not far apart. Jacob passed through Bethlehem on his way down. Bethlehem’s name at the time was ‘Ephrath’. This account was written by Moses much later. On the way there, Rachel became pregnant. She embarked on the long journey while pregnant and gave birth on the way. The story today begins quite somberly, as it describes her death. However, there is a reversal. Today's story may be one of the most difficult parts for you to read. But the Bible, in revealing God's Word in this way, wishes for you to understand God's history of salvation from the beginning to the end of the Bible. So I hope you follow this part well.

 

Rachel's Hard Labor and 'Ben-oni'

Rachel gives birth to a child but goes through very difficult labor. The midwife encourages her, "Don't be afraid, you have another son now," but it was no help to Rachel. She eventually came to the moment of losing her life, and at that point, she named the child she had just given birth to. This name is written as ‘Ben-oni’ in our Bible, which is a combination of ‘Ben’ (son) and ‘oni’ (tears, suffering), meaning ‘son of my sorrow’. The mother gave him this name and then passed away.

 

The word "death" had, in fact, been following Rachel. Do you remember her complaining to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die"? Because of this phrase, some people think she actually died because of her reckless words. But if you think about it, this story is a bit different. The word death appears once more for Rachel. When Laban chased Jacob, Laban asked, "Why did you take my belongings?" and Jacob responded, "If you find your belongings with anyone, that person shall be put to death." But it was Rachel who had brought Laban's belongings—the household idols, or teraphim. If she had been caught, she could have died. Some Bible scholars interpret this as Rachel's sin and that she died because of it, but this seems a bit of an excessive interpretation. The idols had already been cast away, and there was no reason for her to die in the middle of a journey toward spiritual restoration. Nevertheless, it is clear that death came to Rachel.

 

In this situation, Rachel is going through every possible pain we can imagine, on the day that should have been her happiest. Do you remember what Rachel’s wish was? Was it to become rich? Was it to live long? It was to have children. She had Joseph, and how happy she was then? The meaning of the name Joseph is 'to add,' as in, 'may the Lord add to me another son.' But now, after more than 10 years, she gets pregnant again and gives birth. On the day when her wish should have been fulfilled and her greatest happiness should have come, she meets her death.

 

How unfair and sorrowful it must have been? Her own death was probably a source of sorrow. Death is not something that is easy to overcome. We don't think much about it when it seems far away, but when it's right in front of us, the first thought is to want to avoid it. This is not so much due to an attachment to the world, but because death itself is frightening. Because we cannot be certain of what lies beyond, many people fear death. This is why even those who seem to transcend death often go through a lot of pain and suffering when it's time to die.

 

Rachel, too, must have been afraid and sorrowful of death. So it seems she named her son 'Ben-oni,' the son of sorrow. But there's something a little strange about this. If you think about it from a mother's perspective, she is dying from childbirth, but her son has been born. Usually, wouldn't a mother feel grateful that her child is alive, even if she loses her own life? But she gave her son the dark name, 'son of sorrow.' This name, which can also be interpreted as 'son of suffering,' clearly shows that this story contains a deeper meaning than just her sorrow over her own death.

 

Benjamin: The Completion of Salvation History

By giving birth to 'Ben-oni', the twelve tribes were finally completed. All twelve were born. In other words, Jacob's clan, the twelve tribes, at last became a nation. Yet, she was sad. Perhaps she was thinking, "Without me, how much will this child be looked down upon and live without protection?" Was this sorrow the reason she named him 'son of sorrow, son of suffering'? However, if we think about the completion of the twelve tribes, there could be another meaning.

 

Until now, Rachel's life had been with Jacob. If we look back at her life, was there a time when she said, "I am so happy, I got married well, I have lived a joyful life"? In her youth, she constantly quarreled with her sister over children, was often looked down upon and scorned, and must have spent countless days in tears. After her middle years, she had to live having everything taken away from her by her father, and she never received fair compensation from him until the end. As she had to share her husband with other wives, what happiness could she have had? It was only now that her life was finally starting to feel happy and peaceful. It was the same for Jacob. After suffering because of Laban, then at Shechem, and living in constant fear of Esau, just when life was finally becoming bearable, the moment came to lose her life.

 

Didn't this woman think, 'Life with Jacob is truly difficult'? Jacob himself later says, "I have lived a wandering life, but the years I have lived have been very difficult." Therefore, it is possible she named her son 'son of suffering' thinking, 'Now my children will also live with Jacob, will they have peace?' There is another basis for this interpretation. If Rachel had known about the covenant with Abraham, she might have remembered the words, "Your descendants will become strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will be enslaved for 400 years and afflicted." So she might have thought, 'Will God also make my children become enslaved for 400 years?' and named him 'son of suffering.' However, this is a somewhat exaggerated interpretation to think that Rachel considered all of this in her dying moments.

 

What Rachel clearly knew in this event was three things: First, that she was dying. Second, that she was sorrowful as she looked at her son. And third, that she thought her son would suffer. But she likely did not know exactly what that suffering would be. However, Rachel's story does not end here; it appears again. The name she gave him, 'Ben-oni', becomes a very significant part of history. The one who brought out this meaning was the prophet Jeremiah, who appeared later.

 

Jeremiah's Prophecy and Rachel's Tears

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15:

 

“Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children.”

 

Ramah is a city between Bethel and Bethlehem, known as the location of Rachel's tomb. Jeremiah says that Rachel is weeping for her children because they are gone, and she refuses to be comforted.

 

Jeremiah is now speaking about the event of Rachel in Genesis. He says that Rachel did not weep out of fear of her own death or out of concern for her son's future suffering. He says Rachel is weeping because her children are gone. Rachel did not know what would happen a thousand years later, but God’s Word shows how that prophecy is being fulfilled through Rachel’s declaration. The children Rachel is weeping for here are her descendants, the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim was Joseph's son, and Joseph and Benjamin were Rachel's sons. The nation led by the Ephraim tribe was Northern Israel. Since all the kings of Northern Israel were from the tribe of Ephraim, they are referred to as Rachel's children.

 

But that nation was destroyed by Assyria. Jeremiah is talking about that destruction. He uses Rachel's anguish to describe the destruction of the nation of Ephraim, her descendants. He says, 'Before, she might have been sad because she couldn't see her children, but this time, her children are completely gone.' In fact, Benjamin did not die or get destroyed, but Jeremiah talks about Rachel's weeping as he looks at the destroyed Northern Israel.

 

We are made to think here about why they were destroyed. It was because they sinned, did not serve God, and worshipped idols. The prophet clearly shows through Rachel's weeping that the day thought to be the most blessed day—the birth of a child—would, because of sin, become the most painful day.

 

The Fundamental Problem of Our Lives

This story, pointed out to us through Jeremiah, is not just Rachel's story but also the story of all of us. Rachel's greatest wish and happiness was to have a child, but that child seemed to disappear with her death. What is your happiness? What do you truly want in this life? Some desire success, others health, and some just want to live peacefully without major problems. But as you know, 'living without major problems' is the hardest thing to do. There are always countless things happening in our lives, and because of them, we get tired, hurt, angry, and sorrowful.

 

And so, 'Ben-oni' is not just another person; it is also about ourselves. All of Israel becomes 'Ben-oni,' a people of sorrow. The nation was destroyed, and they lost everything. You see, in the face of death and sin, everything disappears. The honor you've built, the many things you've made, your abilities, your achievements, even your children and family that you are proud of, are actually nothing in the face of death and sin. Even the big problems that you are struggling with right now are nothing compared to sin and death.

 

There are times we suffer because of a great wound. We may worry, 'Why do I get angry so easily?' Sometimes we think that we are struggling today because of childhood trauma or low self-esteem. Of course, that might be true to some extent. But as you know, even if a person is filled with an immense amount of confidence, they don't all live happy and joyful lives in this world. I used to think my parents didn't give me confidence, so I tried to build it up myself, but I am still living like this.

 

Think about the quite big problems we consider and hold onto so desperately—problems with our spouse, our children, our success, and our failures. If we face these problems with an honest heart, anyone can see that they are not actually caused by external circumstances. Do you truly believe that you are unhappy because of your parents, your children, or your spouse? Is that the real answer?

 

If so, isn't the solution too obvious? Just 'cut them off.' Is it that we are unhappy because we can't do that? No. Think a little more deeply about all the external problems you are facing. At the core of those problems is the question, 'Why am I not happy?' The root cause is not your spouse, children, success, or failure. It's because we are distant from God, the source of all happiness. We cannot enjoy His blessings because we are separated from the One who holds all good interests and blessings. No matter how much we strive for happiness, when we gain one thing, emptiness and void are sure to find us from another direction, and difficulties arise instead of joy.

 

There is a brother in our church who recently got married and is the happiest person right now. He always brags about his wife so much that he's become a public enemy to many. But does that mean everything in his life is happy? Not at all. Recently, he was so terrified about his job that he shared a lot of prayer requests. Do you think that if one thing is good, all of life will be solved? We all know that's not the case. Our fundamental problem is not that we lack something, or that we have something, or that something is bad or a failure. The true root of all our problems is our relationship with God, and our joy is not simply because of success or because we possess something. As long as this problem is not solved, we can only put a temporary Band-Aid on it by saying, 'It's okay,' or by thinking, 'How joyful is this one thing,' but in the end, we won't know what true blessing is, and everything will inevitably disappear.

 

Benjamin: The Completion of Salvation History

So Rachel said, "What comfort is this to me?" If Rachel's life had ended there, what would her life have been? But Rachel's story does not end in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 31:16-17 declares:

 

“Thus says the LORD: 'Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.’”

 

The tone is distinctly different. Now God is speaking. "Yes, you have lost everything. The tribe of Ephraim is destroyed, and all of you have fallen into destruction. But do not weep anymore. Do not wail. Stop your tears. They will return."

 

But do you know what happened then? Were they happy to have returned? No. Historically, they were not. They did not return in joy; rather, they faced great difficulty with the Jews. This was the beginning of the Samaritans. They returned to Israel, but because they had been driven out and had lived among the Gentiles, they were not recognized as orthodox Jews. They became Samaritans, and as you know, Jews thought of Samaritans as lower than animals. At times, they were treated worse than Gentiles. So what does Jeremiah’s message, "They will return, stop your tears," really mean?

 

The Cross of Christ and Eternal Victory

This prophecy of Jeremiah does not end here; it continues in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 2 records for us that Herod, knowing he had been outwitted by the wise men, was furious and sent people to Bethlehem. 'Where is the place where the King of the Jews is born?' As we know, it is Bethlehem. Herod sent men to Bethlehem and killed all the male children who were two years old and under in that area. This event was not recorded on a large scale historically, because the population of Bethlehem at the time was only about a thousand people, so the number of children was likely ten or so, not hundreds or thousands. But Herod did this.

 

At that time, Matthew testifies to this event:

 

“Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”

 

Matthew says that this event was fulfilled there. It was not fulfilled at first with Rachel, nor with Jeremiah who heard Rachel’s story, nor when Jeremiah told her, ‘Don’t cry, it’s okay, God will bring them back.’ But at that time, it was finally fulfilled. This means that a true return finally happened at that moment. Why did a true return happen? Because Jesus Christ had come. When Christ came to this earth, everyone was dying and disappearing, so Rachel’s story, ‘Where are God’s people? Why did these sons die? Why were their lives taken? What hope do we have? O Ben-oni, son of sorrow, you are still sorrowful,’ seemed to be continuing. But Matthew says, 'No, now this word has finally been fulfilled.'

 

Herod committed a terrible act in Bethlehem. But Matthew calls this the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Rachel already knew that she was not weeping because of her own death. She was weeping for her children, because her children were being destroyed and dying. This story is, in fact, included with the story of Moses. Pharaoh killed all the male babies when Moses was born. But Moses alone survived. So where is our interest? 'God saved Moses.' Isn't that right? It is also our human nature. 'While others were having a hard time, God protected only our family.' This is our testimony. 'There was a fire in this neighborhood, but our house was not burned.' This is our testimony. It becomes proof of God's work.

 

You and I strangely always try to have such things as 'proof that God is with us,' and that is actually true. But is that what the Bible is really about? Is it that 'Moses survived alone'? Or is the original story that 'Moses survived to save Israel'? Jesus survived because He went to Egypt when all the children were dying. 'Jesus is different. He saved Him in the midst of it all and sent Him to Egypt.' That is not what it means. Jesus was on His way to Egypt to die. He didn't go there to live. He was on His way to the cross. He was going there to die. In other words, He was going there to bear all that pain, all that death, and all your self-esteem, all your failures that you think you have lost, and all your wounds and pain, and to die for them. That is Christ. That is why Matthew says it was 'fulfilled.' This was not fully accomplished in Moses. While it is true that Moses made a great sacrifice for Israel, he was not the Messiah who would die for Israel. But here, finally, Christ appears.

 

Jacob's Proclamation: Benjamin

This is shown by Jacob. Jacob also loved Rachel so much that he couldn't stand up to her. When she kept pressing him, he once got angry and said, "Am I God? Why do you keep asking me for children?" but he quickly calmed down. He couldn't stand up to Rachel because he loved her. But when Rachel died and named her son, Jacob changed his name. What did he change it to? Benjamin. The meaning of this name is 'son of my right hand'. To the son who was to be the son of sorrow, the son of suffering, who would suffer in the future, Jacob said, 'No, my right-hand son.'

 

Perhaps at that time, Jacob did not like the name, or he thought, 'No, the right hand means this child will be my strength. This child is my power. This child is my protector, and this child is my blessing.' As you know, when the Bible talks about the right hand, it appears very often in the Psalms. "Your right hand upholds me." The right hand refers to the hand that protects and upholds us. Furthermore, Moses, who wrote the same book, says in Exodus:

 

"Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power" (Exodus 15:6)

 

This is after they crossed the Red Sea. Did God’s right hand part the sea? Or did the east wind part it? The wind blew and parted it. But the Bible calls it 'God's right hand'. The psalmist also says later, "God's hand parted the sea." God's hand, this hand, is what Jacob is now referring to as the right hand.

 

We generally assume that Jacob couldn't have known all of this, so he probably just wanted his son to be his strength and power. But God's history of redemption was far more immense than Jacob and Rachel had imagined. They may have said what they said simply thinking of their son, but God takes this story and leads it into a history of salvation, about how His chosen people would accomplish a certain history and how Christ would bring that history to completion. In the Exodus, Moses appeared. Moses left his parents' hands and went to the princess of Egypt. As I said before, the point is not that 'only Moses survived,' but rather the author of Hebrews says that although he could have had all the treasures of the palace, he did not regard them as treasure and chose to suffer for Christ. That's a profound interpretation. Moses had fled after killing a man, but God uses that event to lead the story in a way that shows he was thinking of Christ.

 

The Cross of Christ and Eternal Victory

Why is this possible? Because all of these things—Moses' failure, Rachel's failure, Jacob's mistakes, their wounds, and their pain—do not define their entire lives. Do you think Jacob himself would say his life was a success? He said to Pharaoh, "My years have been few and difficult." Yet what does he do? He blesses Pharaoh. Blessing is what a better person does to a lesser person. What was the reason Jacob could bless Pharaoh despite his difficult life? It was because his life did not end in his failure, just as Rachel's life did not end in her death, and the lives of all God’s people did not end in their disappearance. Their lives were completed in Jesus Christ.

 

God calls Jesus Christ 'Ben-oni'. He makes Him the son of sorrow. Instead, you and I become 'Benjamin'. And what happened? He sits at the right hand of God. With Christ, God speaks to us through Jacob and Jeremiah. "Stop your tears. Your descendants will return. Ben-oni will not end as Ben-oni, but will become Benjamin. Israel will return to Canaan. They will also return from Babylon." But that is not the end of it all. They will return from sin. They will return from death. "Jesus Christ, My Son, will liberate them from death, and will liberate not only their lives but also their souls from the sin that held them captive."

 

He will release them. Bethlehem, the city of death, is where Rachel was buried. The city of tombs, Bethlehem, will not disappear. But "O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."

 

Look at how your problems are being resolved. Where does God lead this problem? Just to Canaan? To the story of Rachel's son? To Benjamin? No. To eternity. This problem goes to the One whose origin is from eternity. It goes to the eternal Shepherd. It goes to the One who can truly wipe away the tears of Rachel who lost her child.

 

Christ's Victory: Eternal Healing and Joy

With your wounds and tears, you might be stuck in your life, still unable to forget many pains, wounds, and other things from the past. But as you know, our pain will absolutely not last for 150 years. I can confirm this. No matter how great your pain is, it will not last for 150 years. Do you know why? Not only because our lives are finite, but for believers, there is another reason. It is because there is one who has overcome your life. Because there is one who has overcome your wounds. With what did He overcome them? He says to me about my small wounds, pains, and failures, "I will heal you eternally. I will be your eternal success. I will be your eternal joy." Therefore, rise up. Therefore, it would be strange if your face, life, and destiny did not change.

 

If you have heard this truth, if you know this, if you know this voice of God, you will know the One who truly fills your emptiness. The life that thought, 'I am the problem,' and believed, 'failure is inevitable because I am separated from God' is not a life that just covers up failure after failure, saying, 'It's okay, anyone can fail. Failure is the mother of success.' Edison was the one who said that failure is the mother of success, but he also ended up a failure. Although we know he was a great man, he was also a pitiful man in his life. We know him as a great person, but his life was not a happy one.

 

My dear friends, we are not people who cover up failures. Your failure is Christ's eternal success. My pain and tears are within Christ's eternal joy. That joy will overcome you. At the very last moment of your life, if you know Christ and know God, you will surely confess before the Lord: 'The Lord has overcome my life, and my life is not one that will fall into ruin, be cut off, and collapse, but one that will be enjoyed and joyful in the kingdom of God, at the right hand of God, in Christ.'

 

My friends, God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, and with unfailing kindness, I will draw you. I will build you up again. You will again take up your tambourines and go out in joyful dancing. Are you not my dear child, my delight? As often as I speak against you, I do remember you still.” Every time you receive a lash, every time your life is in pain, the Lord thinks about you more deeply than you do. "My heart yearns for you; I will surely have compassion on you. I will surely love you. I will surely save you. I will surely be with you. I will surely, with this Gospel, with the cross of Christ, overcome your life." Therefore, be with that Lord. This is the word of the LORD.

 

Prayer

Lord, if You will surely accomplish my life according to Your promise, how can we just sit back? Please let us know Your will. Teach us Your heart. We will love You. We will live according to Your will. Remembering Your grace, we will make Your word a reality in our lives. Lord, help us to live with You. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.