The Trails of Rachel

In today's episode, we will discuss the attribute and qualities of Rachael. Rachael was the beloved wife of Jacob who could not bare him any children.  Queens, your worth doesn't come from your acts. Your worth comes from God and His words of love about you.

💖Highlights💖

- Sometimes we are delayed by things unseen.

- There is protection in the delay

- You are blessed and highly flavored

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Transcript

The Trials of Rachel

Betty 00:01

Hello Queens. Welcome to the She Speaks Love Women of the Bible series. We're so excited to share these incredible women of the Bible and highlight their personal story and their legacy. These podcasts will encourage, inspire, and share wisdom from God's word as it relates to women in our unique circumstances.

let's get into their phenomenal story and the power of their voice. Today's woman of the Bible is Rachel, presented by Queen Domonique

Domonique 00:43

I'm starting with Rachel, and Rachel is actually one of the wives of Jacob. And if you are not familiar with Jacob, Jacob is actually the most important thing I think, is that you should know that Jacob actually ends up tricking his father into getting his brother's birthright.

Because Jacob was Jacob in Esau. I said his name right? Esau were brothers and he was holding onto his brother's foot. I just find how crazy his birth story is of how he was holding his brother's foot when he came into the world or his heel. And then he ends up taking his brother's birthright, cuz he wasn't the firstborn and he was actually the second born.

But he tricks his father. And deceives him. And then his father gives instead of Esau getting everything and inherited everything Jacob ends up inheriting everything. And one of the first notes that I wanna read. But anyway, his father tells him to go and he wants him to marry, to go fi fine. Let me read this correctly.

I'm in Genesis  28th Chapter. When we see Jacob, he's going out, and this is right before his father asked him not to marry K nine, but to go to a specific place, the House of Bethel. Your mother's father and marry one of the daughters of Lavin. And so that's in Genesis the 28th, first, and then in Genesis, the 29th, not verse, y'all chapter.

In Genesis 29th chapter when Jacob actually meets, he fol. He does when his father tells him. And he goes, he goes and he meets Rachel during it in this chapter it says Jacob resumed his journey and went to the eastern. He looked and saw a well in the field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well.

But a large stone covered the opening of the well. The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the water. And water the of the well and water, the sheep, When all the flocks were gathered there, then they would return the stone to place. They would return the stone to his place. Over the will's opening.

Jacob asked the men, Well, my brothers, where are you from? We're from hearing, they answered, Do you know Lavin? Do you know Lavin? Grandson of Naar? Jacob asked them. They answered We know him. He is. Well, Jacob asked. Yes, They, they said, I mean, is he, Well, Jacob asked. Yes. They said, And here is his daughter Rachel coming with his sheep.

And I'm gonna stop right here. I'm about to start verse seven. So that was verse six. So, Rachel, I wanna give you a little bit of background about the name. Rachel. Rachel in, Let's make sure I tell you right, cuz I wrote Greek and I think it's Hebrew, but her name I wrote down Greek and Greek Isah.

and I might be spelling that I was saying that wrong. It's new to Her name actually stands for the female sheep. And so part of her job was taking care of the sheep of her father's sheep. But that's what she's doing right now. She's getting ready to bring the sheep up the hill, and this is how she meets Jacob.

All right. And one says, I'm gonna if you wanna continue to read that chapter you can. So, Once he finally sees her, they eventually go back and she's, he's overwhelmed when he sees Rachel. And he actually gives her a kiss, or no, he doesn't give her a kiss. He weeps. I'm sorry. He weeps. And then she escorts him back to her father's house and, he introduces himself to layman and he in layman is excited, immediately puts him to work when he finds out.

That's his relative in verse in. Chapter 29. 14 Laman said to him, Yes, you are my own flesh and blood. After Jacob had stayed with him a month, Lavin said to him, Just because you are my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be. Of course, Jacob wants to marry Rachel. He ends up working seven years.

To we Rachel and instead Labban had two daughters. He had Rachel and then he also had Leah and I'm, somebody has already done Leah, but of course we know you got the older sister and the youngest sister, but he. He really likes Rachel. It said Rachel had, she had a nice body, Leah. They said she had some good, she was good with her eyes, , so of course he was naturally attracted to Rachel.

That's what he wanted. He said, I want Rachel. Let me marry Rachel. And so of course he works up those seven years to try to get her hand in marriage. And after he works his father layman, not his father. I'm sorry. Labban actually ends up deceiving Jacob and I find it ironic cuz you know Jacob has already deceived his father and his life and now he's getting that back a little bit.

And I wanna kind of stop right here. One of the points that I wanted to make right here, layman deceives. Jacob by allowing him to marry Leah instead. And then he gets her or actually I guess they're partying. Don't even realize it. Maybe he's drunk. But they, he sleeps with her. And then in the morning he was like, Oh, oh no, this is Leah.

What in the world? This is not Rachel. This is not the woman you promised me. So it goes back and he talks to. And he talks to layman and layman says, Oh no, at my house you not gonna do that. I have to marry off my eldest daughter first, and then you can marry my other daughter. And he says, Okay, well let me work seven more years.

So he works seven more years in order to receive Rachel as his wife. So that's what ends up happening. Jacob, getting deceived. I wanted to put out a point right here that sometimes your struggles or delays can come from other people's sins because you're gonna see in a minute that Rachel ends up going through some struggles.

And not only is it one person, but it's two people that she's connected to that. Ended up deceiving other people. I, I know that's what God spoke to me when I was studying. Sometimes it's not even about you and why you're getting delayed. So and you know, of course if there are two women, so we have Leah and Rachel, two sisters, other things arise as we continue to read.

So after Layman now he's officially married to Leah and Rachel. They both end up getting maids. Their father gives them two maids. Leah gets Zil as her slave and then Rachel. Gets end up getting maids or servants or slaves, whichever way you wanna say it. And I'm gonna skip down to chapter.

I'm in chapter 29 still, and I'm in verse 31. When the Lord saw Leah was unloved, he opened her wound, but Rachel was unable to conceive. Leah conceived, gave birth to a son and named him Ruben for she said, The Lord has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me. Now, of course, Leah being the first, and I'm pausing, of course, Leah getting.

And to Jacob. Jacob didn't even want Leah, so of course he does not love her, and we know that. He, he was very attracted to Rachel. That's who we wanted in the beginning, but she was able to bear children. I'm gonna keep reading. I'm in verse 33. She conceded again, gave birth to his son and said the, Heard that I am unloved and has given me this son also.

So she named him Simon. She conceived again, gave birth to his son, and said at last my husband would become attached to me because I have born three sons for him. Therefore, he was named Levi. She was conceived again, gave birth to his son. This time I will praise the Lord. Therefore, she named him Judah.

Then Leah stopped having children. Verse chapter 30, When Le when Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister, Give me sons or I shall die. She said to Jacob, Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, Am I in God's? Who is withheld offspring from you? Then she said, Here's my maid Bill hat.

Bill Hay. Go sleep with her and she'll bear children for me. So that through her I too can build a family. So Rachel gave her slave bill Hay to Jacob as as a wife. She slept with her. He slept with her bill Hay concedes and bore Jacob's son. Rachel said, God has been dicing me. Yes, he has heard me and given me a son, so she named him Dan Rachel Slave.

Bill Hay conceived again and bore Jacob, a second son. Rachel said, Am I wrestling with God? I have wrestled with my sister-in one, and she named him Ne Nalley. When Rachel saw that, Had stopped having children. She took her slave zippa, so they in competition. Now you having your slave have some children. I been to have my slave, have some children and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

Leah, Slave Z Zippa Bo Jacob, a son. Then Leah said, What? Good fortune, and she named him God. When Leah Slave Zippa bore Jacob, a second son, Leah said, I am happy that A, the woman called me happy. So she named him Ashley. Ruben went out during. The wheat harvest and found some man drapes in the field when he brought them to his mother.

Leah. Rachel asked, Please give me some of your son's man drapes. And man Drake Belia replied to her. Isn't it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my, my son's man drapes. Well, then Rachel said he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's man drapes. When Jacob came in the field that, that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, You must come with me for, I have hired you with my son's, me and Drake.

So Jacob slept with her that night. God listened to Leah and she concedes and bore Jacob, a fifth son. Leah said, God has rewarded me for giving my my slave to my husband. and she named him Isaac. Then Leah conceived again and boy, Jacob is six son God. God has given me a good gift. Leah said This time my husband will honor me because I have born six sons for him and she named him Lon.

Later Leah, a daughter named and named her di. Then God remembered Rachel. Then God remembered Rachel I in verse 32, then God. Or I'm sorry, 22. Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her wound. She conceived and Bo's son, and she said, God is taking away my disgrace. She named him Joseph and said, May God, may the Lord add another son to me.

And I'm gonna stop right there. I can keep going. Woo. Leah was basically, and I know we're not talking about Leah, the focus is on Rachel tonight, but I just want, you know that Leah was the unloved wife, and Rachel was the beloved wife. Rachel was shapely and beautiful, and Jacob loved her for the, the second that he saw her bringing those, the, the flock of sheep.

And we can see that. And that was Genesis 29, 9 through 18. But although Leah was fertile, Rachel was there, so Rachel had her husband's heart and Leah had her husband's children. And so we kind of. The unloved Leah and then the childless Rachel. And back in those days, you know, it was women were supposed to have children and if they didn't have children, then that was basically.

That was the worst. So Rachel kind of felt like, I'm not worthy. I feel worthless because I, even though she knew her husband loved her, she still didn't feel that worth because she wasn't able to bear children. She felt like God. She when she even went to him like, Give me some children or I'm gonna die.

And he is like, I'm not God. You know, you take that up with God. I don't know why God's not giving you any children or why God's in I'm gonna go back. He said, Why who has withheld offspring ring? So God, that means God's not allowing her to have children. And so she's just, Eventually. Okay. Have my maid at least let my maid have your children for you.

She's, she belongs to me. Have my maid let, let's let her have my children. I really wanna stop and just say this part. This is exactly what God spoke to me when I was reading, and I had that kinda revelation of just like, But she was the one that was loved. But then, okay, she didn't see her worst. And my question that I wrote down is, why don't you see what others see in you?

Going back to the delay, like the delay is protection, can sometimes be protection against something. Protection from pride, from false idols, devil worshipers, false prophets, false teachers, false witness betrayal, your own disobedience. And I know that God, God caused us and that I have another scripture just know.

Even though you might be going through something like, God, why can't I have this? I just need this. God, this is what I'm longing for. She desires, she wanted children and I don't know. I'm single and I am 29 years old and I've been, I think this year, cuz when I hit 29 I was like, Lord , I've been single and I.

There have been times when I have been doing exactly what I'm supposed to do and I, Lord, I, I wanted a husband 25. I said I gave myself 25. I said, I wanna get married, I wanna have children. And then I, now I'm like 29. So of course when I'm like, Okay, I'm 30 next year. I done went way past , my due day, Lord, what are you, Where you at

Where he at? I'm ready to pop these babies out and you know, When I was re studying Rachel, I was like, Okay, Lord, why you this? Why you gave me Rachel? Cause you know, I was just upset about X, Y, Z, and now I'm up here studying about somebody they can't have children. or that you, even the fact that she was favorite.

And I had to think back to myself, Oh my gosh, Dominic, you are so favored . Like, I, you have so much stuff you can't even compare. I'm about to cry y'all. Okay. You can't even compare yourself to everybody else. You are beloveds. Like I, I have things that people still don't have. And I look back, I'm like, Oh, I just, you know, I just bought a house, , you know, and I did, I forgot how old I was, was I 24?

I think I was 24 when I bought my, I was 24 or 25 when I bought my house. And I was like, I, I just bought a house. , Independent . I did it by myself, , and my auntie. She would still say, Girl, you've got your house and a. With no cosigns. , I say, Yes ma'am, . And I don't, you don't realize how blessed you are. You know, there's a reason behind the delay.

Let me go back to my notes, Verse 22. So I'm in chapter 30, Genesis chapter 30, verse 22. and it says, then God remembered Rachel and this, this really got me. Cuz I was like, Okay, Lord. What you mean? Remember you forgot about sis? You know what I'm saying? What do you mean you forgot about her? I actually did some research and I felt that I'm gonna read exactly from what I wrote.

If God remembered Rachel in verse in, in Genesis 30 22, Had he forgotten her sometime before then, And if God had never opened her womb, would he believe he'd forgotten her entirely? Or would we believe he had forgotten her entirely. But when you read Genesis, we discovered this isn't the first time that God remembered one of his children.

He remembered Noah and his creation, saving them from the flood. He remembered Abraham and saved light lot from the destruction of Sodom, Sodom, and Gamora in Genesis 1920. When God remembers someone, it's always followed by a beneficial act, and you never read where God has ever forgotten anybody in the Bible.

Instead, you're gonna see things like in Psalms verse 98. I mean, chapter 98 verse three, where it says he re, he has remembered his love and faithfulness to the House of Israel, and in Isaiah 49 16, he says, Look, I have inscribed you on the palm of my hands. Your walls are continually before me. So, you know, did God forget about Rachel?

No, he didn't. . Did he ever forsake Rachel? No. He he treasured her this whole time all along. He was treasuring her. Her worth was not her worth was in his eyes, but her worth came from God and I think sometimes. Like I said, when I go back to, Okay, I'm single Lord, cuz y'all, there are times where I'm just like, Okay, Lord, I'm ready.

And then I'm like, No, I'm not. I got all this stuff I gotta fix about me, Uhuh Lord. I'm not ready. I start backing away , but I, I have to go back. Okay. Why are you feeling like this? Why, where is this desire coming from? Of even of marriage, of even having children? I gotta go back to what's the most important thing and that's always gonna be Jesus and God and his love.

He where's my worth coming from? Just like Rachel had a problem with her worth coming from the world and having children like that was where she thought her worth was gonna come from. Nevermind that Jacob favored her and loved her even though her sister was having babies. You know, that's just hard.

When you sit there and got that competition and you start thinking about, okay, well this person got married and this person got married and they've had children. Okay, that's that comparison. Just like Leah and Rachel, they were constantly sitting there comparing each other and I don't know if I could live back in those days and sit there and have my husband have, you know, many wives, cuz I'm gonna sit up there.

I know, I, I would be jealous. No, you can't sleep with my servant and have no children. I don't know if I would be. Spirit. Oh, just to sit up there and have kids, but in the end, Rachel does have children. She ends up having two of Jacob's children and she ends up, and this is where I see just a generational thing, she ends up deceiving her father when he gets when Jacob gets ready to leave Lavin.

Cuz again, her father deceives her husband and he hasn't been doing what he's supposed to do. As far as. We just gonna say, Jacob gets to see you by layman again, and he ends up leaving and fleeing. And then Rachel ends up taking one of her father's one of their, like their idols, or something simple like a statue from her father's house.

And he, he stops them and they ended up searching everything and she has. Underneath her, Dr. Or she sits on it underneath her dress, I think, and it turns out that she tells her a story like, Oh, it's that time in the month. I can't get up. Y'all are gonna have to search for it. Believe me, it's not here.

And they end up leaving. But because she lied, she ends up dying during child childbirth. So, you know, she gets these two children and ends up passing away. And it's really a sad story. But we remember Rachel and she does contribute, but I can't imagine how many more. Children she was supposed to have how, you know, if she had been faithful or even just a, you know, understood, you know, she, that she was loved and that she was worthy and been patient.

Thank you, Queens,

Betty 22:28

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