Genesis 35 reveals the death of Rachel, one of Israel’s wives. She gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin, and through her maidservant Bilhah, also supplied to her husband Dan and Naphtali. Leah and her maidservant Zilpah were responsible for the other eight sons of this ancestor of the nation of Israel. “Also God said to him [Israel]: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land’” (Genesis 35:11-12). In verses 17-18 of the text, we read of Benjamin’s birth: “Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear; you will have this son also.’ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin” (Genesis 35:17-18). So, Rachel died in childbirth, giving Israel his last son. An interesting aspect of this passage is the simple way her death was described, “And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died).”
It is interesting how much difficulty that modern medicine has in defining death. Here there is the same problem that troubles so much of our society. Because of the political discourse of our day, some find it difficult to define “what is a woman?” The same thing is true with defining death. Does it mean stopping breathing? (Even those who can’t breath can be kept alive through mechanical means). The same is true with the stoppage of the heart. Scientists have talked about brain death, though the heart may keep pumping. Others speculate about “near death” experiences, and some say that they have “come back” from death itself. All of this denies what the Bible clearly teaches about death. Here is a quick rundown.
First, death is a departure of the soul from the body. This is what Genesis 35:18 says, and this truth is repeated in James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Second, this is not a merely medical question. Instead, the question of life and death is simply and fully answered spiritually. There are two parts to man: 1) The body, which is merely temporal (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:20). 2) The spirit or soul of man, which is eternal in its nature (cf. Matthew 16:26).
Third, death is final. You only die once (Hebrews 9:27). The only temporary exceptions to this are those who are resurrected by the power of the Lord, and the One, the firstfruits, Jesus Christ, who was raised never to die again (1 Corinthians 15:20-29). It’s simple. Question answered!
