Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
Genesis 35:17
Their family was complete. They were the parents of 12 sons but one had been lost. His beautiful coat of many colors had been found bloodied. No doubt some fierce animal had stolen their young son away. Jacob and Rachel had been nearly broken with the tragedy. Soon another son had been conceived and surely God would heal their hearts with the birth of another son. But, life was hard. They were nomadic people, always on the move. They were “on the road” when Rachel felt her labor begin. This was not like before. She was older and traveling made the labor harder and more intense. Soon it was apparent that this birth would not go well. As her strength was ebbing and her life was flowing away, in despair she named her new son “Ben-oni”, “son of my suffering.” Then as a message from God her midwife leaned into her and said, “Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.” Rachel’s hope for the future would be restored. She traveled from the “house of God” (Beth-el) (vs.7) to the “house of bread” (Bethlehem) (vs. 19) God promised her that her family would be alright. He would oversee and provide for them. Nearly 1800 years later another young mother –to-be would be passing Rachel’s grave and wonder what her son’s fate would be. Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem and God provided bread, the bread of life for every person.
We worry about the future. What kind of world would we want bring our new born into. The words of Rachel’s nurse speak to us. “Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.” Our children will live and know God’s protection and God’s provision as they journey from the house of God to the house of bread.
