At Zelzah, by Rachel's sepulcher, Saul would meet two men, who would say to him, “The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?” The man who had been laboring in vain would thus learn that everything had been done apart from him, and should also be assured of his father's yearning after him, and this at the place which spoke of death and resurrection. When Rachel was dying she called her son Benoni—“son of my sorrow” for she saw the death side of things, but Jacob called him Benjamin—“son of my right hand”-speaking of life and power (Gen. 35:1818And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin. (Genesis 35:18)). He who would rightly serve God must first suffer these lessons to penetrate his soul.
Our own works are worse than futile-God calls them “dead works”-the death and resurrection of Christ is all-sufficient to meet our deepest need, and the Father's heart yearns over every lost one as Luke 15 assures us. These are the great fundamental principles of Christianity.