Rachel's Tomb

"In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping,and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children,and would not be comforted, because they are not." Matt. 2:18

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. In the Christmas story we read of the angel who told the shepherds, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10 We also read of the wise men who came to worship the newborn King of the Jews who saw the star on their way to Bethlehem and "rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Matt. 2:9,10

But not everyone is rejoicing at the first advent of Christ. Herod does not understand the true nature of the newborn king of the Jews and sees Jesus as a threat to his throne and power. In his maniacal, jealous rage he commands the slaughter of the innocents and murders all the baby boys in Bethlehem and vicinity,...and causes Rachel to weep bitter, inconsolable tears, Matt. 2:18 .

This verse of scripture may be the most overlook passage in the Christmas story. After all, we know all about Joseph and Mary, the wise men, and the shepherds but quickly gloss over the weeping Rachel. So, in this study we will try to answer three questions:

1. Who was Rachel?

2. Why was she weeping?

3. What was her consolation?

Rachel was the favored wife of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac. Rachel is also the mother of Joseph (whose name means "let there be another), and Benoni (which means "son of my sorrow). However Rachel dies while giving birth to Benoni and Jacob changes his name to Benjamin ("son of my right hand"). Jacob then buries Rachel near Bethlehem (Gen. 35:18-20). Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, and although she does not give birth to all twelve sons, Rachel is considered the mother of the twelve tribes because she is the one that Jacob loved the most.

Rachel's life was accompanied by great sadness. As her sister Leah and their concubines were having children, Rachel was unable to have children which caused her embarrassment and sorrow because that a seen as a sign of God's disfavor. Rachel begged God for children (Gen. 30:1) but she died giving birth to her second son, who was named Benjamin by Jacob.

In Jeremiah 31:15 we read, "Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children and refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." Hundreds of years after the death of Rachel, in 586 B. C. (I refuse to bow to the gods of Political Correctness and use B.C.E. and C. E.) King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded and defeated Judah. Many Jews were killed and practically all the rest were rounded up and deported to Babylon and were in exile seventy years. This was such a momentous event that the Jews would never forget it, and when Matthew gave the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one the exile is used to date the generations of Jesus' ancestors (Matthew 1:11,17). The prophet Jeremiah had foretold the coming invasion as a punishment from God because the Jews had fallen into idolatry and had forgotten God. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was God's chosen instrument of judgment and punishment.

Ramah, was one of the conquered cities of Judah which was used as a POW camp and a staging area for the deportation. In his pronouncement the prophet Jeremiah poetically portrays Rachel although long dead by now to be weeping for "her children" the Jews for this terrible calamity. She refuses to be comforted at the death and deportation of her children because they were not, or because they were not with her anymore.

One of the principles of Old Testament Bible prophecy is this, "When the prophecy becomes history, then history becomes prophecy." My Old Testament professor, Dr. H. Leo Eddleman, used to call this double futuristic, which means that the prophecy had an immediate application for that day and time, but could also be applied to a future event as well. (Another example is Isaiah 7:14).

In the next two verses, Jeremiah 31:16,17, the prophet gives words of comfort as God promises to restore and even reward Judah in the future.

Now fast forward the tape almost six hundred years to the birth of Christ where in Matthew 2:18, Matthew applies these words as the fulfillment to Jeremiah's prophecy. Now the history has become prophecy. Rachel's tomb is located between Ramah and Bethlehem, and Rachel who wept toward Ramah in Jeremiah's day at the death and deportation of the Jews is now seen as weeping toward Bethlehem at the slaughter of the innocent children by Herod. These murdered children essentially become the first Christian martyrs. They died because of Christ, but later on Christ would die for them assuring their salvation and becoming the consolation of Rachel. By His death and subsequent resurrection Jesus would comfort Rachel and wipe away her tears. Rachel wept uncontrollably and would not be comforted because she could not have foreseen and realize the true and full purpose of Messiah.

We are never told in scripture to refrain from weeping. After all, God gave us tear ducts to use from time to time. Tears help us to express grief and relieve emotional pressure. However, True faith will keep us from cursing God and questioning His, foresight, and power. Sorrows will come to all because we live in a fallen world. Bad things do happen to good people, and we are tempted to ask such questions as, "Where was God?. God, don't you love me? or, God couldn't you have prevented this terrible thing from happening?"

No matter what happens God does love us, and He sent His Son to prove it. We should look at our troubles against the backdrop of the cross. Because it was there that God's love was proven to us once and for all,and no matter what happens we need never wonder about whether God loves us or not.

God's nature is that He is a Redeeming, Restoring, and Rewarding God and His promises hold for the believer in our darkest hours. Because of Christ at the death of a child, or a loved one who has died in the faith we can be comforted and know that we haven't lost them,...they have just gone on before us.

In His first sermon Jesus declared that He had come to heal the brokenhearted (Lk. 4:18); at the tomb of Lazarus He proved that He is "The resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:25,26). And the comfort for Rachel, and us, is that God is sovereign over every situation and will overcome our trials for our ultimate good and His glory (Ro. 8:28); and He will redeem, restore, and reward His faithful followers. Soli Deo Gloria!