雅各在伯特利停留了相当长的时间以后，就从那里起行（创三五16）。表面看来，这次离开伯特利的旅行不是积极的行动。但雅各离开伯特利，并不是离开神的家，反而是在属灵的经历上往前。虽然他到了伯特利，在那里停留下来，并且在那里作了一些事，但他仍必须往前。
雅各从伯特利起行时，经历了非常深刻且切身的对付：他亲爱的妻子拉结，在生雅各末了一个儿子便雅悯的时候死了（创三五16-20）。这经历是一件攸关生与死、得与失的事。雅各失去了拉结，得着了便雅悯。若是你必须选择，你是愿意保全母亲呢，还是愿意得着儿子？一般基督徒的观念是母亲和儿子二者都要。但在神的经纶里，你若要得着末了一个儿子，就必须放弃母亲。没有失，就没有得；没有死，就没有生。生是从死来的，因为离了死，就没有复活。拉结若不死，便雅悯绝不能生。
拉结代表雅各天然的拣选。雅各有四个妻子，但惟有拉结称雅各的心，是他天然、起初所拣选的。他被迫接受利亚，也不得不接受两个使女，辟拉和悉帕，但利亚和两个使女不是雅各心里所拣选的。你仔细读创世记，会看见雅各的心完全放在拉结身上；他对其他三位没有心。
拉结的死记载在三十五章这里，有确定的目的。雅各要起行的时候，知道拉结又怀了孕，必定很喜乐。但是拉结竟在生第二个孩子的时候死了，雅各天然的拣选，心头的愿望，被神取去了。在伯特利的经历以前，神容忍雅各天然的拣选，容许他有心头的愿望。但是在伯特利的经历以后，神取去了他天然的拣选。在我们经历教会生活以前，我们仍有天然的观念，天然的拣选，和天然的愿望。神甚至祝福这些东西。请想一想，以拉结头生孩子约瑟的出生为例：约瑟出生的时候，雅各非常喜乐。然而，雅各在伯特利的经历以后，失去了他天然的拣选。
在你经历了教会生活以后，你天然的拣选必须被丢在背后。在你进入教会生活以前，你仍有天然的拣选，神也容忍。但在经历教会生活到一个程度以后，神不再容忍了。我盼望这不会吓住青年人。当你有了一些伯特利的经历以后会失去天然的拣选，但你会得着便雅悯；他是基督的预表。
信息重点：伯特利不是属灵经历的终点。神还要带雅各继续往前，摸着他最深处天然的拣选。拉结的死带进便雅悯的出生，启示属灵生命中一个重要原则：天然的拣选被神取去，为要使我们更多得着基督。
应用祷告：主耶稣，求你带我在属灵的经历上继续往前。我愿把自己天然的拣选和心头的愿望交在你手中。即使有失去和对付，也求你使我信靠你的主宰，使我更多得着基督。阿们。
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Jacob’s Deeper Dealing – The Death of Rachel (1) — Gen. 35:16
After Jacob had remained in Bethel for a considerable time, he set out from there (Gen. 35:16). On the surface, this journey away from Bethel does not appear to be a positive move. But Jacob’s leaving Bethel was not a departure from the house of God; rather, it was a step forward in his spiritual experience. Although he had come to Bethel, stayed there, and done certain things there, he still had to press on.
When Jacob set out from Bethel, he experienced a very deep and intimate dealing: his beloved wife Rachel died while giving birth to his last son, Benjamin (Gen. 35:16-20). This experience involved a matter of life and death, of gain and loss. Jacob lost Rachel and gained Benjamin. If you had to choose, would you rather keep the mother or gain the son? The common Christian concept is that we want both the mother and the son. But in God’s economy, if you want to gain the last son, you must give up the mother. Without loss there is no gain; without death there is no life. Life comes out of death, for apart from death there is no resurrection. If Rachel had not died, Benjamin could never have been born.
Rachel represents Jacob’s natural choice. Jacob had four wives, but only Rachel captured Jacob’s heart; she was the one he had chosen naturally, from the beginning. He was forced to accept Leah, and he also had to accept the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, but Leah and the two maids were never the ones Jacob’s heart had chosen. If you read Genesis carefully, you will see that Jacob’s heart was set entirely on Rachel; he had no heart for the other three.
Rachel’s death is recorded here in chapter 35 for a definite purpose. When Jacob was about to set out, knowing that Rachel was again pregnant, he must have been full of joy. But Rachel died in giving birth to her second child, and Jacob’s natural choice, the desire of his heart, was taken away by God. Before the experience of Bethel, God tolerated Jacob’s natural choice and allowed him to have the desire of his heart. But after the experience of Bethel, God took away his natural choice. Before we experience the church life, we still have natural concepts, natural choices and natural desires. God may even bless these things. Consider, for example, the birth of Rachel’s firstborn son Joseph: when Joseph was born, Jacob was very joyful. Yet after Jacob’s experience at Bethel, he lost his natural choice.
After you have experienced the church life, your natural choice must be left behind. Before you enter into the church life, you may still have your natural choice, and God tolerates it. But once you have experienced the church life to a certain extent, God will no longer tolerate it. I hope this will not frighten the young people. After you have had some experience of Bethel, you will lose your natural choice, but you will gain Benjamin; he is a type of Christ.
Message Main Points: Bethel is not the terminus of our spiritual experience. God still wanted to lead Jacob further on, touching his deepest natural choice. The death of Rachel brought in the birth of Benjamin, revealing an important principle in the spiritual life: our natural choice is taken away by God so that we may gain more of Christ.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, lead me to press on in my spiritual experience. I am willing to put my natural choice and the desire of my heart into Your hand. Even if there is loss and dealing, cause me to trust in Your sovereignty, that I may gain more of Christ. Amen.