Rachel
Rachel was the second wife of Jacob and the younger daughter of Laban. Jacob was in love with her, but was tricked into marrying Leah instead. He worked fourteen years for Rachel, "and they seemed to him but a few days." Although Rachel was loved more than Leah she remained childless while Leah had four sons. In desperation Rachel gave Jacob her maid Bilhah and adopted the two sons she had, Dan and Naphtali. Only after Zilpah, Leah's handmaid produced two sons named Gad and Asher and Leah had two more sons by him and a daughter did "God remember Rachel" and gave her a son who was called Joseph. Later she had another son named Benjamin, but died in childbirth. The traditional site of her tomb is on the side of a main road to Bethlehem. Jews and Moslems venerate it as a holy place.
Lessons from the life of Rachel:
- Envy and competitiveness can mar relationships.
- A person's devotion to you is not or should not be dependent on what you can do for them.
- Loyalty must be controlled by what is right.
- Love, especially the love of God, is to be accepted not earned.
Rachel's story is told in Genesis 29:1 through 35:20. She is also mentioned in Ruth 4:11.
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