Topical Bible: Industry: Rachel

◄ Industry: Rachel ►

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Rachel is a significant figure in the Hebrew Bible, known for her beauty, her role as a matriarch of Israel, and her enduring love account with Jacob. Her life and experiences are primarily documented in the Book of Genesis, where she is portrayed as a woman of deep emotions and profound influence.

Family Background and Marriage to Jacob

Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban, the brother of Rebekah, making her a relative of Jacob. Her account begins in Genesis 29 when Jacob arrives in Haran and meets her at a well. Captivated by her beauty, Jacob falls in love with Rachel and agrees to work for her father Laban for seven years to earn her hand in marriage. The Bible describes Rachel as "lovely in form and beautiful" (Genesis 29:17), highlighting her physical attractiveness, which plays a pivotal role in Jacob's affection for her.

However, Laban deceives Jacob by substituting Leah, Rachel's older sister, as the bride on the wedding night. Jacob confronts Laban, who justifies his actions by citing local customs that favor the elder daughter marrying first. Despite this setback, Jacob's love for Rachel remains steadfast, and he agrees to work an additional seven years to marry her, demonstrating his deep commitment and love (Genesis 29:18-30).

Rachel's Struggle with Barrenness

Rachel's life is marked by her struggle with infertility, a significant theme in her narrative. While Leah bears children for Jacob, Rachel remains childless, which causes her great distress. In her desperation, she exclaims to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die!" (Genesis 30:1). This plea underscores the cultural and personal pressure she felt to bear children, a critical aspect of a woman's identity and status in ancient times.

In response to her barrenness, Rachel gives her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate, a common practice of the time, resulting in the birth of Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:3-8). Eventually, God remembers Rachel, and she conceives and gives birth to Joseph, saying, "God has taken away my disgrace" (Genesis 30:23). Later, she bears a second son, Benjamin, but tragically dies during childbirth (Genesis 35:16-19).

Rachel's Legacy

Rachel's legacy is multifaceted. She is remembered as the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Her account is one of love, rivalry, and divine intervention, reflecting the complexities of family dynamics and God's providence.

Rachel's tomb, located near Bethlehem, becomes a significant site in Jewish tradition, symbolizing maternal sorrow and intercession. Her life and experiences continue to resonate as a testament to faith, perseverance, and the fulfillment of God's promises amidst human struggles.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 29:9
And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she kept them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Way to the Sea
... If Rachel were with Israel she had joined it after he had left Goshen. ... It was a
considerable distance inland, and the chief industry of the people could have ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xliv the way to.htm

Chapter xxix
... the elder was Leah and the name of the younger Rachel; and Leah's eyes were weak,
but Rachel was of ... His faithfulness and his industry were immediately apparent ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxix.htm

Chapter thirty-one
... if He were here today as a part of our age and commercial industry, feel nothing ...
He saw Rachel Winslow and Virginia Page going on with their work of service at ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter thirty-one.htm

John i. 15
... cultivate bring forth no fruit, if we have shown all industry, the Lord ... there a voice
heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xiii john i 15.htm

The Land and the People.
... Bethlehem, the town of Judaea where Jacob buried his beloved Rachel, and a ... from the
wretched villages of modern Palestine by comparative industry, thrift, and ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 17 the land and.htm

Tee Advice of Hotep
... "Go we to On?" Hotep asked plaintively, after a long interval of industry for him ...
He remembered the story of the wrong of Rachel's house, and it came home to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xvi tee advice of.htm

Assurance
... Assurance will not (as the Papists say) breed self-security in the soul, but
industry. ... Rachel was more fair, but Leah was more fruitful. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/6 assurance.htm

The Wailing of Risca
... through all the land and smote the firstborn; as the wail of Rachel when she ... Thou
mayest rebuke thy soul, but thou canst never bemoan thy excessive industry. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the wailing of risca.htm

The World, Created by God, Still Cherished and Protected by Him. ...
... Thus, too, another prophet upbraids the profane, who ascribe it to human industry,
or to ... Hence the words of Jacob to Rachel, "Am I in God's stead, who has ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 16 the world created.htm

The Lord's Supper
... therefore, of self-examination being so difficult, requires the more impartiality
and industry. ... I rather fear, we are like Rachel, who was fair and well-sighted ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 5 the lords supper.htm