Rachel's Worth Original Brand Story

Hey! This is Cornwell's Girl and thank you for visiting Rachel’s Worth platform! To get you to understand the meaning of Rachels’ Worth and the slogans "I love my Jacob," which essentially means I love my man, "Imperfect by Nature, but Perfected by Love," "Complex Situationship," and "I have Rachel's Worth," you have to know the Biblical story between Jacob and Rachel.

The Push Behind Rachel's Worth

Like many of you growing up, going to church was not a choice, I had to go!  With that said, one of my favorite Sunday School stories was about Jacob and Rachel. It was intriguing to know that a man loved a woman so much, he was willing to work 14 (XIV) years to have her as his wife. Who works 14 years for a woman?!

Walk with me as I tell you how the story goes….

How Jacob Met Rachel

Jacob left his home in Canaan to find a wife. He chose to go to the city of Haran where he had relatives. When he arrived, he stopped at a well where shepherds were watering sheep. He asked if they knew his Uncle Laban, his mother's brother, and they did. As the conversation went down, Rachel, who was a shepherdess, approached the well. When Jacob saw her, Rachel’s beauty captivated him, and the man instantly fell in love! 

Jacob decided in that moment to spring into action! He became a gentleman by helping her water her sheep. Afterward, Jacob kissed her! Now, I realize that sounds (Awkward), but Rachel was Jacob’s cousin because she was Laban’s daughter (Yes…that was normal back then). Ok, moving on.... After the encounter, Rachel went home and told her daddy of Jacob's arrival, and Laban invited him to the house to stay. 

After staying a month, Laban offered Jacob a job and asked what he wanted to be paid. How do you think Jacob replied? Jacob said, "I will work seven years in return for Rachel." So, they struck a deal, and Jacob worked with no pay for seven years. But as are the realities of life, Rachel and Jacob eventually married but not without obstacles….

Jacob's Background

First things first, Jacob and Rachel both came from dysfunctional homes. Jacob's momma and daddy were Rebecca and Isaac, and he had a twin brother named Esau. Rebecca favored Jacob over his brother; Isaac favored Esau. That dynamic automatically set the scene for messiness and conflict. 

Because Esau was born first, his birthright dictated that he would be the leader of the family and receive twice the inheritance Jacob would get when Isaac died. Unfortunately, Esau did not value his birthright. Because of that, Jacob was able to manipulate Esau out of the birthright by trading for a bowl of stew. Yes, you heard that right… food! Regardless of the trade, Esau knew Isaac still had to bless the decision. 

The time did come that Isaac's health started deteriorating, so he was ready to give the birthright to Esau. Of course, you know Rebecca did not want this to happen. This woman was conniving and knew she had influence over Jacob. As a result, she convinced Jacob to betray his daddy by pretending to be Esau to get the birthright. He was able to pull it off because Isaac could not see well. Oh, the impact momma’s have on their boys! 

Esau was pissed with Jacob, so he was going to murder him as soon as Isaac died. Because Rebecca knew this, she convinced Isaac it was time to send Jacob away to find a wife. In the meantime, she thought the distance between the boys would allow Esau to calm down. In a nutshell, when Jacob met Rachel, he was a scheming, deceiving manipulator running for his life! 

At this point in the story, it is important note two things. First, on Jacob's way to Haran, God visited him in a dream and told him He would watch over him wherever he went. That should be a comforting reminder that God is with us when we falter or create self-made storms. Secondly, Jacob was not where he spiritually needed to be when he met Rachel. Again, that is a reminder that you or your man may not be spiritually ready when you meet. However, with God, you can expect the transformation!  

Rachel's Father Deceit

As previously stated, Jacob agreed to work seven years to have Rachel as his wife, but scheming runs in the family, so you know Laban did not keep his end of the deal. Instead, he hoodwinked Jacob into marrying Rachel's older sister Leah, who was less attractive with tierd-looking eyes. Laban was able to do this because it was tradition for a woman to cover up during the wedding. When Jacob discovered the conspiracy, he was outraged! Laban excused his deceit by saying it was against tradition for the younger daughter to marry before the older one. He told Jacob he would let him marry Rachel as well if he worked another seven years. That man loved Rachel, so an agreement was made. Jacob and Rachel married shortly after he married Leah. 

Though it was cultural to have multiple wives, there is no doubt there was jealousy and contention between Rachel and Leah, let alone being sisters. It was very apparent that Jacob loved Rachel, but it was at the expense of Leah's feelings of pain, insecurity, and lowered self-esteem. Can you envision how you would feel in the shoes of either sister…. 

Meet Leah - The Unwanted One

Leah began having children hoping to be validated and gain Jacob's love. She had four boys: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (Remember that name Judah). During this time, Rachel was jealous of Leah because she was struggling with infertility. In fact, Rachel was in her feelings and told Jacob she would die if he did not give her babies. Because of not getting pregnant, Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to sleep with Jacob. In return, Bilhah could have children for Rachel to raise. Again, this was culturally accepted. Bilhah had two sons: Dan and Naphtali. After this, Leah struggled with infertility. She followed Rachel's strategy and gave her servant Zilpah to sleep with Jacob. Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher. 

Get this: Rachel was Jacob's much-loved wife; hence, it is not a stretch of the imagination that he spent more time with her. She wanted her own children so badly that she agreed to allow Leah to have a "night" with Jacob in exchange for mandrake plants that Leah's oldest boy could give her. Rachel believed that mandrake plants would help her with fertility. Just like Esau, she made a desperate decision.  Because of that traded night, Leah got pregnant again. She had a son name Issachar, later a son name Zebulun, and lastly, a daughter Dinah. Then, finally! Rachel got pregnant and had a son named Joseph. You should not be surprised that Joseph was Jacob's favorite kid, and you know that caused problems, right? Did these women compete for Jacob's attention through children?  

After working under Laban for 20 years, Jacob noticed Laban's attitude toward him started to turn sour. With this, Jacob decided to return to Canaan. Laban was upset but agreed to let him leave with his wives, children, and property. Unbeknown to Jacob, Rachel decided to steal from her daddy before leaving. As you can see, she had issues just like Jacob. It is true that the most significant behavioral resurrection, moral or immoral, will rebirth in our children. 

Rachel did become pregnant again. However, on the way to Canaan, she went into a difficult labor. Sadly, the beginning of her second son Benjamin's life was the ending of her own because she died giving birth. Jacob grieved for her, and even years later, at his death of 147 years old, he still had overwhelming sorrow in his heart. 

Many layers surround the story of Jacob and his beloved Rachel. The intricate details are in the Book of Genesis, specifically, chapters 25-50: In the Bible, you will learn about Jacob's grandmother Sarah and her struggle with infertility, how her choices shaped history and today's time, how Jacob's grandfather Abraham was willing to kill his own son Isaac as a show of obedience to God, and how Esau and Jacob eventually reconciled. You will also see how jealousy caused Joseph's half-brothers to sell him into slavery, yet he became a powerful ruler in Egypt. I encourage you to Go read!

Over time, Jacob went through a spiritual change. During the transition, God changed his name from Jacob, meaning a man who struggled with God, to Israel, meaning a man who prevails with God. Like Jacob, we all will or have experienced moral or spiritual failures, yet grace covers us repeatedly but God will allow our failures to produce painful consequences when molding is needed for a desired effect. Embedded in the love of Jacob and Rachel were terrible decisions, to say the least. Point blank, it was a HOT MESS! However, God's purpose still manifested out of what I consider truly to be a complex situationship. The twelve sons that Jacob had between the four women became the twelve tribes of Israel or the "House of Israel." It is there...a Nation..., God’s beloved Israel, was formed! In fact, Jesus Christ came out of Jacob's lineage through the tribe of Judah. Do you get the connection?

God uses our physical experiences for us to gain understanding and an appreciation for things in the spiritual realm. In its imperfect form yet still an example of love in action, Jacob sacrificed because of "Rachel's Worth." Now, I want you to think about that intense love that drives you to make sacrifices. You should gain perspective of the immeasurable, perfect love God has for us. That love is so perfect and sacrificial that He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to cover our sinful, imperfect nature to provide us with salvation. In its simplicity, we are imperfect by nature, perfected by love. Jesus is that love!

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