Who Was Rachel?

History seems to repeat itself here. Twice a town well at Haran was the site of significant events in one family's story. It was here at the well that Rebekah met Elizer, Abraham's servant, who had come to find a wife for Isaac. Now some 40 years later, Rebekah's son Jacob returned the favor by serving his cousin Rachel and her sheep from the same well. The relationship that developed between them not only reminds us that romance is not a modern invention, but also teaches us lessons about patience and love.

Jacob's love for Rachel was both patient and practical. Jacob had the patience to wait seven years for her, but kept busy in the meantime. His commitment to Rachel kindled a strong loyalty within her. Her loyalty to Jacob even got out of hand and became self destructive when she was frustrated by her barrenness and desperate competition with her sister for Jacob's affection. She was trying to get from Jacob what he had already given, his devoted love.

Rachel's attempts to earn the unearnable are a picture of a much greater error we can make by trying to somehow earn God's love. Apart from God's Word, we end up with two false ideas. We either think we have been good enough to deserve His love, or we recognize that we are unable to earn His love and assume that it can not be ours. If the Bible makes no other point, it shouts out the fact that God loves us! We need to respond and not try to earn what is freely given. God has said in many ways the He loves you. He has and will continue to demonstrated His love for us by all He has done and will continue to do. He even sacrificed His Son Jesus, to pay the price for your sin so you could be reunited with Him. All He asks in return is that you respond to His love by loving Him, not as a payment, but because you want to.

Religion is people trying to reach out to God to earn His love, while the truth is that God is reaching out to His people to accept the love that is already there. It doesn't come by how many hail Mary's you say or how often you go to church. It's not by how many times you do something right. It's by accepting it! Don't allow yourself to be caught in the trap of thinking that you have to do something to get something. True love is accepting a person no matter what they have done. God knows you better than you know yourself. Churches are not filled with perfect people but with sinners. Sinners who have accepted God's forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus.

Have you accepted God's love for you? Do you know God? Do you know Jesus?

Are you certain that you are going to heaven? If the answer is no or your not really sure and there is something stirring inside you at this very moment to do this, then all you have to do is say a small prayer and you can be assured of your name being added to the Book of Life. Go to the prayer of salvation and pray the words out loud and believe in your heart and you will be saved.

Rachel's story is told in Genesis 29 - 35, 20. She is also mentioned in Ruth 4:11.

Content provided in whole or part by IBS-STL Global Life Application Study Bible, NIV.