More Than Skin Deep: Rachel's Choices and Character

Good morning, everyone! Today, I want to spend a little time digging into the character of Rachel. What we discover about her is, frankly, quite a negative picture. She's initially introduced as an extremely beautiful woman, but as we follow her story, we begin to see her character flaws and the choices she makes.

Let’s start in Genesis 29:17. We're told, "Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. And Jacob loved Rachel." It seems Jacob's love for Rachel was primarily based on her beauty, and it appears he overlooked Leah, whose character was, in many ways, more righteous, simply because she wasn't as outwardly beautiful as her sister.

The Problem of Envy

However, when we get to Genesis 30:1, we don't see such a great picture. "When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister." Right off the bat, we encounter envy or jealousy – a clear violation of one of the Ten Commandments. Her response is equally troubling: "And she said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or else I die!'" Jacob's anger was justly aroused against her. He replied, "Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of your womb?"

Here, Rachel is angry with her husband without cause. She attributes blame to him even though he can't give her children if she is barren. What's interesting to note at this point is that the text doesn't tell us Jacob prayed for his wife.

Contrast this with Isaac and Rebekah's story. In Genesis 25:20-21, we read, "Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived." Perhaps that would have been a better example for both Rachel and Jacob to follow, rather than the angry exchange we just witnessed.

Deception and Idolatry

Rachel's story continues to unfold with more troubling details. She stole her father's idols, another clear violation of God's commands. In Genesis 31:19, it says, "Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s."

Then, to cover up her theft, she also lies and deceives. In Genesis 31:34-35, we find: "Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, 'Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.' And he searched but did not find the household idols."

While she doesn't directly lie in so many words, she is certainly deceitful to both her husband and her father. Jacob, who had tried so carefully to be righteous in his dealings with Laban, now finds himself in a difficult position, essentially being an accessory to Rachel's misdeeds.

Lessons from Rachel

So, what can we learn from Rachel's story? Outward beauty can be fleeting and even deceptive. It's not always a reflection of inner beauty, which is what we truly ought to seek – not just in a marriage partner, but in our friends, acquaintances, and in ourselves. We don't know why Rachel took those idols, but it seems she hadn't fully embraced the God of her husband, Jacob. Her story reminds us that character runs far deeper than outward appearance.