Gen 35:18 And as her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. (19) So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Acts 2:32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we all are witnesses. (33) Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God...
Rachel's child was given two names, one from his mother and one from his father. Benoni means "the son of sorrow." Rachel gave him this name because she was suffering and in sorrow. But Jacob immediately changed his name to Benjamin, which means "the son of the right hand." In this whole universe there is only One who is both the Son of sorrow and the Son of the right hand--and that One is Christ. On the one hand Christ is Benoni, and on the other hand He is Benjamin. Christ is a wonderful Person with these two aspects. No one has suffered as much sorrow as Christ, and no one has been exalted as high as Christ. Isaiah 53:3 describes Him as "a man of sorrows," Acts 2:33 says that He has been "exalted to the right hand of God," and Hebrews 1:3 says that He is seated "on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Firstly, Jesus was the Son of sorrow, the Son of suffering. Rachel was not the only one to experience this sorrow; Mary, the mother of Christ, also experienced it. According to Luke 2:35, her soul was pierced by the sufferings of her son. But after thirty-three and a half years, in resurrection and ascension Christ became the Son of the right hand of God. Hence, no one can deny that Benjamin was a type of the suffering and exalted Christ.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Genesis, 1987, pp. 1157. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
