When Jacob first met Rachel and fell in love with her, he did not know what trouble she would cause him. It was because Jacob loved Rachel that he was given Leah and the two maids, Zilpah and Bilhah. Without Leah and these two maids, he would not have had their ten sons to cause him problems. The more Jacob loved Rachel, the more trouble he had. Although Leah had given Jacob four sons, Rachel was childless and she complained to Jacob (30:1). To this Jacob said, "Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?" (30:2). Jacob seemed to be saying, "Rachel, why do you complain to me? Why don't you complain to God?" Eventually God hearkened to Rachel and gave her a son, Joseph (30:22-24). At the birth of Joseph, Rachel expected that the Lord would add to her another son. She did give birth to a second son, but as we have seen she lost her life in this childbirth. Thus, she called her second son "the son of sorrow." Furthermore, Rachel even suffered the martyrdom of the descendants of Benjamin for the coming of Christ. If you had been Jacob and could have foreseen all the troubles that would have come upon you for loving Rachel, would you still have loved her? You probably would have said, "Rachel, no matter how lovely you are, I dare not get involved with you. If I do, I will have too many troubles." Jacob of course did not know what was ahead of him. When Rachel died, he had no choice except to bury her and to set up the third pillar. He had set up the first pillar at Gilead and the second at Bethel; now he had to set up the third pillar upon Rachel's grave.

Today you may be very happy in the church life. But one day your "Rachel," the choice of your heart, will die that Benjamin might be brought forth. I am fully assured that Benjamin will be brought forth in the church life. Moreover, we must expect that even long after the death of our "Rachel," we shall still be weeping for her martyred descendants, those who suffered martyrdom for the coming of Christ.

Rachel wept because she was natural. Instead of weeping, she should have rejoiced. If she had exercised her spirit, she would not have wept; she would have rejoiced and exulted, saying, "The one whom I have called `the son of sorrow' is a shadow, a type, of the real Son of sorrow who will be born in Bethlehem." In the picture in Genesis 35 Rachel signifies our natural choice. To our natural choice, the birth of Benjamin is a sorrow. But to Israel it is a cause of rejoicing. The coming of Benjamin was a sorrow to Rachel, and the coming of Christ was a weeping to her. But both the coming of Benjamin and the coming of Christ were a joy to Israel. Certain things will happen in the church life that our natural man will consider a suffering and a sorrow. But to Israel, the spiritual man, these things will not be a sorrow, but a joy. Instead of weeping, there will be rejoicing.

In the first stage of our Christian life we experience God's care; in the second we experience God's house; and in the third we experience the bringing forth of Christ, the expression of Christ. The bringing forth of Christ and the expression of Christ cost us our natural life, our natural love, and our natural choice. Everything natural will eventually die and be buried. However, our natural choice will continue to suffer for a long time.

We all need three pillars, three types of testimonies. Years ago in Taipei in fellowship with the elders I pointed out that most of the testimonies in the church meetings were merely about God's care. Rarely did we hear a testimony regarding the house of God or the expression of God. At that time I did not see the picture of these three pillars as clearly as I do now. Our Christian life must have three sections: the section of God's care, the section of God's house, and the section of the expression of Christ. In the church meetings the younger ones, those who are newly saved, should testify of God's care. This is a wonderful testimony to hear from babes. But we also need some testimonies regarding God's house and the expression of Christ. If we have these three kinds of testimonies, it will be an indication that in the church we have the pillar of God's care, the pillar of God's house, and the pillar of the expression of Christ.

God's ultimate goal is the expression of Christ. This will cost our natural choice, our natural desire, and our natural life. In neither the first nor the second pillar do we see death and the grave. Only with the third pillar do we have the death of Rachel and the grave. But the pillar erected upon Rachel's grave is on the way to Bethlehem. Thus, this pillar is on the way to Christ, and it directs people to Christ. If you would journey onward to Bethlehem, you must be on the way where there is such a pillar. Not even after you arrive in Bethlehem will there be very much joy. Instead of joy, there will be killing. Firstly, just one person, Rachel, died. Even more than seventeen hundred years later, many of her descendants were martyred that Christ might be brought forth.

I believe that in the Lord's recovery this word will be fulfilled and that we shall experience these things. May the Spirit of the Lord interpret this picture to you in a strong, clear way. What I am speaking here is no mere doctrine or interpretation. It must be the record of our life history. Many of us can say that we have the first two pillars. Perhaps soon some will have the third pillar with the death of Rachel and the grave. Along with this death and burial, there will be the coming of Christ. No matter how much martyrdom and weeping there will be, there will also be a wonderful birth—the birth of Benjamin and the birth of Christ. There will be the coming of Christ and the expression of Christ. This is God's goal and God's testimony.