Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis. Tonight is study #23 of Genesis 35, and I will read Genesis 35:16-18:
And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
We will stop reading here. We have been looking at the Bible’s teaching regarding “a woman in travail,” and it led us to 1Thessalonians 5:3:
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
The word “travail” is Strong’s #5604, and it is found four times in the New Testament. It is also found in Mark 13:8, and a third time in Matthew 24, which we were especially looking at, so let me read that verse in Matthew 24:7-8:
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
It is the “beginning of travail.” In our last study we spent some time discussing the spiritual meaning of nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. That was especially in view at the time of the end when Satan was loosed, and he rose up and gathered his forces, and they came as “Gog and Magog” against the camp of the saints. It was the kingdom of Satan against the corporate church, the outward representation of the kingdom of God on the earth. And it said, “and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places,” and we can relate all those things, spiritually, to the spiritual judgment and destruction that came upon the churches at that time.
We went to Jeremiah 10:22 where it said in the King James English, “…a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate,” but when we looked at the Hebrew word for “commotion,” it is the word “earthquake.” And that chapter and passage describe the coming of the Babylonians with King Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Judah. That is the historical meaning, but the spiritual meaning is the loosing of Satan as he came with his emissaries (the nations or Gentiles) at the time of the end against the churches and congregations. It was likened to an “earthquake,” and it fits in with the context of the Great Tribulation period. This judgment began at “the house of God,” and for all intents and purposes, it was the beginning of the “day of the Lord,” and it was the beginning of the end of all things having to do with this world, and that judgment started with those that were called by God’s name, the churches and congregations that had identification with God and the kingdom of God. And that was the “beginning of sorrows,” or the beginning of travail, because it was during that Great Tribulation that God had a plan to save a great multitude of people outside of the churches and congregations.
Keep in mind that judgment began at the house of God, and what are we reading in Genesis 35? They had left Bethel, which literally means “house of God,” and they were going to Bethlehem, which means “house of bread.” They were going to where there was (spiritual) bread. It just so happens that at the time of the Great Tribulation there was a famine in the house of God. There was a spiritual famine. It was not a famine of literal bread and water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord. Since faith comes by hearing, if there is a famine of hearing, it means there was no salvation taking place there.
And there is another historical parable that identifies and matches, and that is the case of the famine in the days of Joseph and of Jacob, who was 130, and there was famine in the land of Canaan, and Canaan is another picture of the house of God, the corporate church. But Jacob heard there was bread in Egypt, so it was the desire for bread that caused them to eventually leave Canaan and go into Egypt under the care and protection of Joseph, a great type of Christ.
So too in our passage. They are leaving the “house of God,” and they are going to the “house of bread.” But in the way, Rachel travailed, and she gave birth to a son that she called Benoni, meaning “son of my sorrow.” Then Jacob changed his name to Benjamin, meaning “son of the right hand.”
Now when we are thinking of Rachel’s historical situation where she died giving birth, there is another historical event in the Bible that matches very well with what happened to Rachel, and that is found in the book of 1Samuel 4, a chapter that is just full of bad news for Israel and the people of Israel because they are in a battle with the Philistines, and they are losing the battle. So they came up with the idea of taking the Ark of the Covenant from its place in Shiloh, and they took it into the battle to help them. It was the idea of bringing God into the battle for them so that God would fight for them, but everything about it was wrong as they violated the Law of God concerning the handling of the ark. It turned into a catastrophe. Not only did the Philistines defeat them very handily, but they also captured the Ark of the Covenant, and the news of this great tragedy came back to Shiloh, and it reached the ears of Eli. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, that were slain in the battle. Let me read 1Samuel 4:12-18:
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
What awful and tragic news! It is no wonder that when the people heard, the whole city cried out, and it was such a loud cry that Eli heard the noise of the tumult. We just cannot imagine the shock to these Israelites to hear that not only was their army defeated by the enemy Philistines, but the ark of God was taken by them. They would have known the tremendous significance and the great importance of the presence of the ark in Israel. For it to be gone was beyond their belief that such a thing could ever happen, and certainly it would be akin to the idea of God abandoning them, and departing from them. How could God allow this to happen? God is the mighty God who brought Egypt to its knees. He had destroyed the greatest power in the world, and the Israelites could recount a great many mighty things that their God had done. And yet He was silent now, and He had allowed the enemy to carry away the ark to their city and nation. It was just beyond their imagination that such a thing could happen, and Eli was certainly hit hard by the news that his two sons had died in the battle, but the greatest shock of all was when he heard the ark was taken, and he fell backwards (and died).
You know, there is a phenomenon that has been going on in many churches for a few decades now, and it is an end time phenomenon that those in the churches think is a sign, or indicator, that the Holy Spirit is working among them. They think of it as a sign of salvation. And that sign is that they “fall over backwards.” But the truth is, that is not a sign of being a believer, but it is an indication that they are “unbelievers” that are under the wrath of God because “falling over backwards” in the Bible identifies with being under God’s judgment. We see a similar thing in the New Testament in the Gospel of John when they came to take the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in John 18:3-6:
Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
They did not die. They did not break their necks, but the motion of going backward and falling to the ground indicated that they were under the wrath of God. And we know that Satan had infilled Judas at that point, so Satan was under the wrath of God, and the men that came with him (pointing to the ungodly, unsaved of the world) were under the wrath of God. That is what “falling over backwards” indicates. I want to point out that the Lord Jesus should have “called down fire from heaven” because of what we learn from another incident in the Old Testament where men came to lay hands upon Elijah. Their king had sent them, and they came to apprehend Elijah, just as these men came to apprehend the Lord Jesus. But Elijah called down fire from heaven and burned up the first captain and his fifty. Then a second captain and his fifty came, and they were also burned up. Then a third captain and his fifty came humbly and very carefully to Elijah, and the Lord told Elijah to go with them. So the Lord Jesus had every right to “call down fire from heaven,” and to burn up these wicked men because they were intending to do something evil and wicked in seizing Him. But since it was the Father’s will for Him to go to the cross, He had to be captured and be taken before the high priest, and then turned over to Pilot. It was according to the predeterminate counsel and will of God that these things happen. But the Lord Jesus substituted “falling over backwards” for “calling down fire from heaven.” And that is important for us to understand when we read in Revelation that the “beast” was able to do great wonders. It says in Revelation 13:13:
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Revelation 13 is a chapter that completely identifies with the 23 years of Great Tribulation and judgment on the churches. It was especially at that time that the phenomenon of “falling over backwards” came into view, and it was multiplying and becoming well-known. It was happening because Satan does not have power to “call down fire from heaven.” He has no ability to do that. But remember that he was in the garden when they came to seize Christ. He indwelt Judas, and he had first-hand observation of the “substitution” that the Lord performed by causing these men to “fall over backwards.” So God has allowed Satan to do that “trick” at the time of the end because when people “fall over backwards,” it indicates they are under the wrath of God, and God’s judgment is upon them, while it also allows Satan to give the appearance of doing “signs and wonders.” Although not able to “call down fire from heaven,” he does the equivalent thing of causing people to “fall over backwards.”
So let us go back to 1Samuel 4, and resume looking at this terrible day for Israel. It was at that very time as Eli the high priest died that Phinehas’ wife, who was with child, travailed. So let us continue to read in 1Samuel 4:19:
And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
And the word “travailed” is the same word we find in Genesis 35 regarding Rachel. Then it says in 1Samuel 4:20:
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod….
Do you see how similar this is to Rachel? In her departing, she called his name Benoni, “son of my sorrow.” Rachel died, and her child lived.
Likewise, in this account, everything has gone wrong. It was one of the worst days in the history of the nation of Israel. Even when we look at the Old Testament as a whole, we would have to say that this qualifies as one of the worst days in Israel’s history. It is at the very top. You could not have a more terrible day, especially if you were in this particular family. The father died. The grandfather (Eli) died. Then the mother died giving birth. On top of that, Israel suffered a great military defeat, and the Ark of the Covenant, or Ark of God, was taken by the enemy Philistines. How grievous could things get? She did deliver. She travailed. Her pain came upon her. Again, it says in 1Samuel 4:20-22:
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
Ichabod means “The glory is departed from Israel.” And this appears to match up well with the circumstances of Rachel’s death, and their coming out of Bethel.
And in 1Samuel 4, there is no doubt that it is picturing the judgment of God upon the house of God, as Israel typified the churches and congregations of the world. When God’s judgment came upon Israel at that time, the ark was taken. The presence of God is signified by the ark, and it had left Israel, which ties in with the time when the “abomination of desolation” being set up in the churches, and the “daily” being taken away. The enemies of God and His kingdom were victorious, and the people of God suffered one of the worst defeats of all time, historically, in Israel.
So that seems to match better than other things we have looked at, so let us go back to Genesis 35, and let us try to understand this. They came out of Bethel, the house of God, and there was a little way to go to Bethlehem, the house of bread. If we would put this in the biblical timeline of things, maybe it will help. The church age ended in 1988, in the 13,000th year of earth’s history, and there was a famine in the churches, as the Spirit of God had departed out, and there was no salvation. The Latter Rain would not come until 2,300 days later in September 1994, so there was a little way to go from May 21, 1988 (the end of the church age) to 1994. So here, the people of God are on their journey, or we could say they are “enroute,” going from the church age (when the early rain fell and the firstfruits came in) to the Latter Rain when God would bring in the final fruits during the second part of the Great Tribulation, beginning in 1994. But there was this grievous period of 2,300 days in between when there was a severe famine. It affected the whole world, not just the churches. Virtually no one in the world was being saved, and absolutely no one in the churches was being saved.
So Rachel was “with child” as she came out of Bethel. And let us think of the child as the elect that became saved during the church age – that is when they were “conceived,” as it were. They were in the churches at the time the Holy Spirit was still actively saving people, and yet it was right up against the end of the church age. So as they began to make progress toward their eventual departure from the churches and their entry into the world where the Latter Rain was falling and where the Lord had stored up “bread” to spiritually feed His people. But in between there are those people that were spiritually “conceived” in the congregations, and yet they are coming forth in this time of “travail,” or pain, in this period of time before the Latter Rain would come. I think this is how it can be understood. It is an “in between time,” that is being highlighted here with this account of the death of Rachel.
When we get together in our next study, we will look at the fact that Rachel was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and that Jacob set a pillar upon her grave. We will look at a couple of things about Rachel’s grave. First, she was not buried in the cave of Machpelah where Abraham and Sarah were buried, and where later Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, would be buried. Leah was the sister to Rachel, and she was the one that was said to be “hated,” and she ended up being buried in the cave of Machpelah, but Rachel was buried in the way. We will also look at the geographical references to see if we can figure out some other things regarding the location here. Lord willing, we will get into those things in our next Bible study.