“When the Lord saw that saw that Leah was not loved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.” (Genesis 31:31 NIV)
Rachel wrestled with conception her entire adult life. Her husband, Jacob, seemed to have no trouble conceiving with his other wife. But Rachel remained childless for a terrible long time, despite her status as beloved wife. She eventually confronted Jacob, demanding children, and he reminded her that God is the One who opens and closes wombs. Determined to start her own family, she hands over her handmaid; Bilhah, who births two more sons to Jacob. In a countermove, Leah responds in kind, offering Jacob her own handmaid and another set of sons.
I feel deep sorrow for Rachel. Infertility is a painful and lonely road. Leah conceived two more times and Rachel stood on the sidelines of motherhood, longing to make her own contribution. God eventually heard her heart, and granted her Joseph.
At this point in the family history, Jacob finally summoned the courage to leave Laban’s lifestyle of deception, he shared his plan with his wives. This is the first time we read of these two women agreeing upon anything, they have been in competition at least since the initial wedding week. As preparations begin for the family to make their escape and amidst the upheaval, Rachel stole the household gods.
“When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods.” (Genesis 31:19 NIV)
The irony is not lost on me. God was calling Jacob’s family out of codependency on Laban and into a life wholly dependent on Him. Rachel gave lip service of support, but then pilfered the family idols on the way out the door. Was it fire insurance? Like, if Jacob’s God fell through, perhaps these lesser gods would do. Was it a jab at Laban? Household gods represented ancestors and were typically part of an inheritance. It is clear from the text that Jacob felt cheated by Laban, perhaps this opinion was shared by his wives. The theft of the gods might have been one last grab at inheritance. Was it an attempt to cover their tracks? We know that Laban relied on divination and the household gods were a part of that process. Maybe Rachel though that stealing them would slow the old man down and buy the family some time to put distance between them and Padan Aram.
Scholars can argue about it, but Rachel’s reasoning doesn’t really matter. The reality of her action was she didn’t trust God to be enough for their family going forward. And she carried the curse of idolatry into their family’s fresh start. She had opportunity to come clean, when Laban caught up with them, but instead she buried herself even further in lies, leaving the household gods in their possession.
“Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent and found nothing. Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, I can’t stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.” (Genesis 31:34-35 NIV)
What Rachel stole as insurance actually heaped curses upon her and her family. Jacob seals her fate that day with Laban:
“But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.” (Genesis 31:32 NIV)
We may read on and forget about the household gods as the plot thickens for Jacob’s family. Jacob wrestled with God all night and is left with a limp. The very next day he had an epic encounter with his brother, Jacob promised to follow Esau home, yet he didn’t. He settled – physically and spiritually – near Schechem – in a place of compromise with the Canaanites. His only daughter, Dinah, was captured and raped by a local prince. While this violation was awful, it was not unforeseeable in a pagan land where sex was mingled with worship and a virgin was a valuable sacrifice.
Jacob was still afraid of confrontation and while he was still stewing over what to do next, his sons took matters into their own hands. Simeon and Levi avenged their sister’s honor in the cruelest way possible, they wielded the covenant of circumcision as a weapon and slaughtered the entire city as they lay compromised. Jacob responded with outrage and packed up his family to flee to Bethel. It is in this hasty stake pull that we are reminded, Rachel still had the household gods.
“So Jacob said to his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God who has answered em in the day of my distress and who has been with me everywhere I have gone.”” (Genesis 35:2-3 NIV)
The household responded in obedience; turning over all evidence of idolatry. They set out to Bethel and it was there that Jacob renewed his covenant to the One True God and experienced a name change; Israel. Shortly after this, as they passed through Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel went into labor pains and began the difficult labor that would ultimately take her life.
We credit Jacob as a God-wrestler, but as we bury Rachel in Bethlehem, I wonder if she wasn’t also in a lifelong tussle with a holy God? Rachel was loved, but she lived in lack: always competing for her husband’s complete affection. Was her idolatry a cause or an affect?
Rachel struggled to completely commit to the One True God. Her life and death wore the evidence of that struggle. Her family bore the consequences of that struggle.
Idolatry still exists today, though it is not as obvious as little carvings of stone and wood. Anything we bow before has the power to pull us in the wrong direction. Anything that eclipses our love for God has the potential to interfere with our obedience and His blessing. Friends, we are responsible for what we bring into our household and what we allow to reside there. Recognize that idolatry will bring destruction, and ultimately death. Root out the idols that seek entry into our hearts and home, expel them and protect against their return with diligence.
“Now then,” said Joshua, “Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (Joshua 24:24 NIV)
Dear Lord, we read Rachel’s story and search the pockets of our own for household idols. Reveal them to us today. Give us holy disgust. Embolden us to take them to the trash and guard against their return from this day forward. We want to worship You only. Amen.