Much of the end of Genesis is focused around one of the more divisive characters in the
bible - Jacob. From the very beginning of his arc, we’ve seen him as both the hero and the villain,
performing noble gestures to serve his Lord, whilst also supplementing these gestures with
tricks, diversions and deceptions. Unlike his father or his father before him, Jacob adopts a
more realistic relationship with God - one that is perhaps more reflective of the relationship
anyone might have today. Unlike Abraham and Isaac, Jacob does not follow the word of God blindly and
though he is given specific direction from God, he often falters and decidedly trusts himself and his
schemes. Like any person today, Jacob questions his faith and when he does not feel content
with the offerings of his God, he takes it upon himself to do what he believes needs to be done.
He tricks his brother for his birthright, he plays Laban in an effort to achieve freedom, he lies to
his brother and ends up retreating from him - many of his deceptions spawn from his need for safety,
but they also come from a lack of trust in a higher power - perhaps, something we can all
relate to at some point in time. Indeed, Jacob is one of the more complex characters from Genesis
and whilst he doesn’t get it right all the time, his journey to finding himself
as well as finding a more concrete relationship with his God sets the pattern that many
characters beyond Genesis come to experience. In Jacob’s final chapter, he finds himself on
the move to Bethel after having been told by his God to head there. Bethel was the location that
God had always had in mind for Jacob, but because of Jacob’s lack of trust and faith, he hesitated
and continued to put the destination off. It isn’t until here in Genesis 35 that he finally commits
to God’s will and after having received the name ‘Israel’ from his God - a sign that God was now
satisfied with his allegiance - does Jacob finally get it. He is seen to tell his people to get rid
of their false idols, to purify themselves and their clothes and to hurry on their way.
Seeing Jacob’s loyalty now fully realised, his God actually sets fear into the surrounding towns
so that no one would follow or bother Jacob on his journey to Bethel.
When the time came to leave Bethel, (we are left to assume that the journey here was a success
and that Jacob did build the altar for his God), Jacob sets Ephrath as his destination.
However, on this final journey, Jacob learns that his trials are far from over,
for it would seem that unfortunately for Jacob, this last endeavour would take more from him
than it would give. We are told, “Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still
some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty.” (Genesis 35:16)
It would appear that whilst at Bethel, Jacob and Rachel had gotten pregnant again!
You might remember that both Rachel and Leah had once competed against each other in the archaic
‘sport’ of who can produce the most babies. The friction between both sisters back then was
volatile and their toxic rivalry to produce the most sons resulted in one giant family for Jacob.
But it would seem that none of this friction was present at Bethel as Rachel gets pregnant and
this is likely due to the fact that Rachel and Leah had now reconciled their differences, or
because they were both so old now that competing against each other was no longer necessary.
Competition was likely the last thing on either sister’s mind at this stage anyway considering
the difficulty of the pregnancy. We are told, “And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth,
the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” (Genesis 35:17) In a society
where bearing sons was more favoured and perhaps even deemed as a great honour, the midwife’s words
may have been a small comfort for Rachel. She was likely more worried for the child inside
of her than anything else, but by reminding her that she already had a son in Joseph,
she may have been telling Rachel that her work was done - she’d already given Jacob a son and so,
she shouldn’t have felt bad about not being able to deliver a second one.
But Rachel doesn’t give up and she is able to deliver Jacob another son which she named Ben-Oni.
The delivery however, came at a cost, for we learn that whilst the child was no longer in jeopardy…
Rachel was dying. It is here in Jacob’s final chapter that his wife breathes her last breath.
Some see Rachel’s death here as an indication how much she loved Jacob,
that despite giving him a son already, she gives her own life in order to provide him
with a second one. There’s also something to be said about Rachel’s strength as a mother,
for she quite literally gives her own life so that her son may be born.
However, others do see a more selfish side to Rachel in her dying moments in that the effort
to deliver the baby was not for Jacob’s benefit, but instead to finally declare victory in the
competition over her sister Leah. Indeed, as I’ve already said, it’s probable that this competition
was long dead in the water by now and because both sisters were now essentially in the land
promised by God, they had no need for their rivalry anymore. But as we’ve seen with Jacob, old
habits die hard and so there is some speculation here that Rachel really did want to win.
But of course, if this was the case, the victory came at the greatest cost. This may be why Rachel
named the child ‘Ben Oni’, thought to mean ‘son of my sorrow’, for after all her battles with her
sister, the victory she now possessed was hollow. There was no triumph awaiting her in this final
moment, only sorrow. In some ways, believers might see a lesson here in Rachel’s sorrow
in that rivalry amongst family is a futile thing, because in the end - no one really wins.
But if you thought Ben-Oni was a nice name and a testament to Rachel’s sacrifice…
well, don’t get too attached. Because Jacob hears this name
and thinks, ‘That’s lame.’ So he changes it to ‘Benjamin.’
There are some ideas as to why Jacob changed his name and chose not to honour his dead
wife’s choice. Indeed, he simply might not have liked the name and the motivations for changing
it were superficial. But some suggest that Jacob didn’t want this to be a ‘son of sorrow’,
and he may have believed that naming the son after was essentially the death of his wife
would have been too painful of a reminder of what he had lost. Some scholars also interpret
Benjamin as meaning ‘Son of my right hand’, and it may be possible that Jacob wished to associate
Benjamin with strength and dominance (on the account that most people were right handed).
The bible continues, “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath
(that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar,
and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.” (Genesis 35:19-20)
Rachel’s death can be seen in several different ways; was it circumstantial?
Was it an act of God? Was it a punishment or a mercy? If we look at the first idea,
her death may have simply been due to a complicated pregnancy. The conditions of
childbirth were only so great in these ancient times and labour related deaths were not exactly
uncommon. So, it’s easy to chalk up Rachel’s death to circumstance. But some scholars argue that this
was a punishment for either Rachel (for having maliciously competed against her sister) or a
punishment for Jacob, implying that God was still kinda bitter over Jacob’s prior lack of trust.
Another idea is that her death was a result of Jacob’s own doing.
You may remember in Genesis 31 that when Jacob takes Rachel and Leah and flees from Laban,
Rachel takes with her her father’s gods. Laban, in a mad temper,
tracks Jacob down and when he finds him, he demands that his gods are returned to him.
Naturally, Jacob had no idea that Rachel had stolen the gods (which she hid beneath herself
in her camel’s saddle), so he told Laban that “If you find anyone who has your gods, that person
shall not live.” (Genesis 31:32) Because Racahel was guilty of having the gods (and perhaps even
using them to pray to), Jacob’s declaration here becomes something of a fulfilling curse.
Jacob moved on after burying Rachel and we are told that he pitched his tent at Migdal Eder.
However, whilst he was here, we see that Jacob is met with more heartache for he is betrayed by
his very own son in the most damning of ways. We are told, “While Jacob was living in that region,
Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah,
and Jacob heard of it.” (Genesis 35:22). Now, upon first glance, this seems like a pretty random
occurrence to have transpired, though it does convey the realism of family drama - at least,
the type of drama that might have occurred back then. It also shows us that Jacob’s older sons
(at least what we’ve seen of them so far) are likely not eligible to share in the covenant.
It’s especially surprising of Reuben to have sinned in such a manner, for he was the oldest
of Jacob’s sons and thus was assumed to have known better. Yet, still he sins in a most terrible way,
betraying his father’s trust and violating his concubine. Indeed, you might say that Jacob was
guilty of betraying his father’s trust by impersonating Esau to obtain the blessings
and it’s true that some might see this as karma. Jacob couldn’t understand how much Issaac was hurt
by his deceptions until he was a father himself and despite having reconciled with his God,
it seems that Jacob was still paying for the sins of his own past. This isn’t the first time
his sons have disappointed him, for we saw Simeon and Levi essentially void themselves of attaining
the grand blessings of Abraham by committing mass murder against the Schemites. In some way, Reuben
is cast into the same vein as his brothers, no longer worthy of the covenant that had been passed
down from generation to generation. Once more, you might say that Jacob had not been worthy either
and given his antics when he was young, he surely should have been disqualified too.
But the difference is, Isaac only had two sons to choose from and if you really think about it, God
had favoured Jacob before he was even born. So, in that sense Jacob had more leeway in what he could
get away with. The same luxury is not offered to Reuben, Simeon or Levi and so with their
first strike, they forfeit their stake in both the inheritance of the physical and the divine.
Luckily though, Jacob had a few sons left to choose from: The bible tells us that:
“Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born
to him in Paddan Aram.” (Genesis 35:23-26) The final section of Jacob’s story ends on a
touching note, albeit a sad one. Jacob finally comes home to Mamre to visit his father Isaac,
and we are told that Isaac lived a full life of one hundred eighty years. Nothing is told to us of
how Isaac received Jacob, whether he was overjoyed that his son had returned, whether he was still
in two minds about him, whether he was proud or sorrowful or a mixture of everything in between.
The complexities of their relationship are never really ironed out and so, one can only assume
what the nature of their conversations were like. Heartache does not end for Jacob in his homecoming
for it is once he has returned to Mamre does his father breathe his last breath. Genesis tells us,
“Then he (Issaac) breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,
old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” (Genesis 35:29)
The death of a parent is always going to be a hard pill to swallow, but for Jacob it may have
been eased by the gratitude of actually getting to see his father again. When he first left Mamre to
flee his brother’s vengeance, it’s probable that Jacob never expected to see his father again.
Through what some may deem as the ‘grace of God,’ Jacob is able to be with his father in
his final moments and perhaps, in some way, that may have been of equal comfort to both characters.
It is the final section that is perhaps the most touching though,
given that despite their earlier differences and despite never quite being able to reconcile,
Jacob and Esau are brought together again and though it is in their father’s death,
they are united as they commit him back to the earth.
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