Man of Sorrows by David Jeremiah

Tuesday, December 4 Man of Sorrows    Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Genesis 35:19    The thread of redemptive history winds through Bethlehem, and the story begins in the book of Genesis. One of Scripture’s greatest love stories ended when Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, died during childbirth and was buried in Bethlehem. Genesis 35:16-20 gives us: (1) the longest account of the death of a woman in the Bible; (2) the story of the first woman in Scripture to die during childbirth; (3) the first occurrence of the word “grave” in the Bible when referring to death; and (4) the first time in Scripture a gravestone was erected.

Recommended Reading: Genesis 35:16-20

But there’s more. With her dying words, Rachel named her son, Ben-Oni, which means, “Son of My Sorrow.” But Jacob renamed the boy Benjamin, which means, “Son of the Right Hand.” Think of it. A Man of Sorrows, born in Bethlehem, who came to dwell at the right hand of his beloved father. As early as Genesis 35, we have inklings of our Lord’s own story—nearly two thousand years before He came. The whole Bible is about Jesus! You can trust a Book like that, and you can trust the Savior of whom it speaks.