The death of Rachel signifies the death of our natural choice. The first two pillars we set up are not for us to have a happy life—they are for us to exist to build the house of God for the expression of Christ. Although Jacob had eleven sons, not one of them was a complete type of Christ. Not one of them was the son of sorrow and the son of the right hand. Joseph was excellent, but prior to the birth of Benjamin, he was not a type of Christ. In typology Joseph is the continuation of Benjamin. This implies that no matter how many spiritual experiences we have had, up to this point, not one of them is the expression of Christ. We still need Benjamin. In order for Benjamin to be born, our natural choice, our "Rachel," must die.

God used Rachel to bring forth Benjamin. But by His using her to bring forth Benjamin, He took her away. God will also use the "Rachel" we love. But through His using our "Rachel," He takes her away from us. If you examine your experience, you will realize that God uses your choice, your desire. But by using it, He takes it from you.

Rachel's death was not only a suffering to Jacob; it was also a suffering to Rachel. Matthew 2:18 says, "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she would not be comforted, because they were no more." For many years I could not understand how Rachel, who had been buried for more than seventeen hundred years, could still be weeping. Nevertheless, this verse says that, even at the time of the birth of Christ, Rachel was still weeping over her children, all of whom were descendants of Benjamin. Benjamin truly was "the son of sorrow," and Rachel was right in giving him this name. Benjamin's birth not only took Rachel's life, but also the life of his descendants more than seventeen hundred years later. Because Christ had been born in Bethlehem, Herod slew all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and younger (Matt. 2:16). Rachel was weeping over all her children, those who had been killed by Herod because of the coming of Christ. This means that Rachel suffered martyrdom for the coming of Christ. Rachel's weeping could be heard at Rama. Rachel was buried on the way to Bethlehem, and Rama is just two hundred yards from Bethlehem. Thus, Rachel's grave was close to both Bethlehem and Rama. This region was populated with the descendants of Benjamin, the son of Rachel.

After Rachel died and was buried, she still had to wait for more than seventeen hundred years to pass by. Not even losing her life for the birth of Benjamin was sufficient; she had to weep more than seventeen hundred years later for her descendants who were to suffer martyrdom for Christ. Rachel not only suffered at the time of her delivery; she even suffered more than seventeen hundred years later. The purpose of her suffering was the bringing forth of Christ. Firstly Benjamin, the type of Christ, came, and secondly Christ, the real One, came. Unlike us, God is not bound by the matter of time. For this reason, we need not be concerned about the interval of more than seventeen hundred years between the death of Rachel and the birth of Christ.

Jacob had set up a pillar at Gilead and a pillar at Bethel, but now he had to set up the third pillar on the way to Bethlehem. In our Christian life we also must have the landmark of the third pillar at Rachel's grave, the place where our natural choice is buried. Our love, our desire, and our choice will one day be brought to an end and buried. Upon the grave of our natural choice we must set up a pillar. This pillar is a signboard of the death and burial of our natural choice, the desire of our heart. Some person, some thing, or some matter we love dearly will die and be buried, and a pillar will be set up upon the grave to testify that our choice has been buried. Then we shall journey on to Bethlehem, the place where Christ is born. The pillar on the way to Bethlehem directs people to Christ.