God has ordained us to have our natural choice, but not according to our way and our time. You may wonder why God bothers us like this. His one purpose in doing it is to bring forth Christ. God has ordained you to have a wife, but He will not allow you to have her in your way and at your time. His purpose is not to make you suffer. God is not cruel. His purpose is to bring forth Christ. God has also ordained you to eat, but not to eat in your way. Even in this, God's purpose is to bring forth Christ.
Some of you know that I am very fond of dessert, especially ice cream. But God has sovereignly placed me under the controlling hand of my dear wife. When I do get to eat ice cream, it is not according to my way or at my time. My wife can testify that many times I long to eat ice cream at noon, but she tells me to wait until dinner. By this I have learned the lesson of not getting my natural choice in my way and at my time, but according to His way and His time. His purpose in this is not to make me suffer; it is to bring forth Christ. Whenever my dear wife tells me to wait until dinner time to eat ice cream, I simply return to my study. I never quarrel with her about it. This example from my experience illustrates the principle.
Suppose, being a man and having the strength to fight, I would say to my wife, "This is my home, this is my family, and you are my wife. Serve me ice cream right now! I refuse to wait until dinner time!" If I lived like this, there would be no bringing forth of Christ. There would be no Benjamin and no Joseph.
Recently I encouraged the young people to gain the highest education. Many now have this ambition. I know some young lovers of the Lord who made the choice to get a good education. Although they did get the education they desired, they did not get it according to their way or according to their time, but according to God's way and God's time. Apparently, this caused them a measure of suffering. But God's purpose is not to cause suffering—it is to bring forth Christ, to bring forth Benjamin and Joseph.
We all must learn that we are not in our own hands. Rather, we are in the hands of the Lord. As long as we are His chosen ones and we love Him, we are in His hands. He will bring us to Bethel, and we shall stay at Bethel under His hand. Sooner or later, we shall journey on, and at His time His hand will take away our desire, our choice, that Benjamin may come forth.
The book of Genesis issues in Joseph on the throne with power and authority to administer the life supply to all people. This issue proceeds directly out of Jacob's experience with Rachel. Without Jacob's experience with Rachel, neither Benjamin nor Joseph could have come into being. I repeat, the consummation of the whole book of Genesis comes out of Jacob's relationship with Rachel. The proper experience of Jacob with Rachel is that our natural choice, ordained by God, is not given to us according to our way and our time, but according to God's way and God's time. Whatever our choice is—whether it is related to marriage, eating, or manner of dress—it will be given in the Lord's way and in His time.
Even as you are dressing yourself, you need to say, "Lord, what is Your way? What is Your time?" Young people, all your daily needs and necessities have been ordained by God. But do not expect to get anything according to your way and your time. That would never bring forth Christ. If you would be used by God to bring forth Christ, your necessities must be given you, not according to your way and your time, but according to God's way and God's time.
The Bible does not say that Jacob mourned after the death of Rachel. Jacob was clear that the loss of his wife was under the sovereign hand of God. Instead of being disappointed, he was greatly encouraged, immediately changing his son's name from "the son of sorrow" to "the son of the right hand." In this matter Jacob was not weak; he was very strong, knowing that Rachel's death was of God. This is confirmed by the fact that the Holy Spirit called him Israel in verse 21. This proves that he was fully transformed.
Prior to chapter thirty-five, Jacob had passed through many dealings, especially during his twenty years with Laban. But those dealings were not as deep and as personal as the loss of his dear wife. This dealing was deep and personal, and it touched the very depths of his being. After you have known the church life to a certain degree, you also will have such an experience. Something will happen that will touch you, not superficially, but deeply. Your heart's choice will be taken away so that you may bring forth Christ as Benjamin and as Joseph. Thank the Lord for this clear picture and for this word. I believe that a good number of us need this message just at this time.