Articles
Rachel Weeping For Her Children
Rachel Weeping For Her Children
A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children and will not be comforted for her children, because they are no more." (Jer. 31:15).
Rachel 'weeps' as she is dying in childbirth. She names her son Ben-oni which is said to mean 'son of my sorrow'. Jacob however named him Benjamin, meaning 'son of the right hand' indicating not sorrow but blessing. Thus we see Benjamin becomes the father of Ephraim / Manasseh - such weeping gave way to joy and fulfillment.
In reading Jeremiah we must keep in memory that Rachel has been dead since the days of the Patriarchs and thus this is not a literal statement of events. In chapter 31:15 Jeremiah uses this picture of grief for the tragedy of the people of Israel but applies the weeping to the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the children of Israel to Babylon. The New American Commentary states: " It describes the lamentation of Jacob’s wife Rachel as she watches her descendants carried away into exile and fears that they will never again be a nation (“her children are no more”; cf. Gen 42:36). Her wails could be heard in Ramah, where the Judean exiles were gathered before deportation to Babylon (40:1)."
As with the story of Rachel and Benjamin, such tragedy is NOT the end of the story. Jeremiah THEN writes that YET such weeping will give way to rejoicing as God gathers them again (vs. 16f). God replies to her tears: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work" (vs. 16). He continues: "There is hope for your future and your children shall come back to their own country" (vs. 17). There can be hope even in tragedy WHEN God is part of the picture.
As we move another 600+ years down through time we find Matthew uses this same picture but applies the weeping to the killing of the babies by Herod. Again such weeping will give way to rejoicing as the Christ gathers the people into the kingdom of God and later will raise the innocent ones to life again. The tragedy foretells the coming hope for their future.
8/23/13 reading 8/24
