Rebekah (Woman of the Week)

When I started doing this study for the year my goal was to dig deep.  This week's study really challenged some of my thoughts on Rebekah.  Again, there is just SO much here.  I hope I can do her story justice.  I should have written about Jacob and Esau yesterday, but I'm going to put it all in this single post.  Warning:  It's a long one!

Verses:  Genesis 24:1-67, Genesis 25:20-28, Genesis 26:6-11, Genesis 27:1-46

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
Her father was Bethuel, the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother.  She had at least one brother, Laban.  Married Isaac and gave birth to Esau and Jacob.  Part of the lineage of Christ.

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?
There is so much to learn about Rebekah.  Theirs is the first recorded arranged marriage. When she became Isaac's bride she was literally an answer to prayer!  Dr. Morris pointed out in The Genesis Record that one major characteristic of Rebekah was her ability to make quick decisions.  When Abraham's servant urged them to leave immediately (her family wanted her to wait at least ten days) she quickly agreed. "Her decision was right. One should not go ahead of the Lord’s will, but neither should he lag behind, once that will is known."

In chapter 25 we learn that Rebekah has been barren for the first twenty years of their marriage (verse 26).  After Isaac entreated the Lord, "Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger." (Genesis 25:21-23)  From The Genesis Record:

Rebekah was so puzzled and disturbed by this situation, which apparently neither Isaac nor her nurse, nor anyone else, was able to explain, that she finally, in desperation, called on the Lord for an answer. Marvelously, the Lord did give her an answer! Whether through a prophet, or dream, or theophany, we are not told, but in some way God spoke to her, so clearly that she could never forget the remarkable revelation which she received. 

The twins in her womb were of two utterly different and antagonistic temperaments. The nations which they would establish would inherit these tendencies. The struggle which had begun in her womb would continue throughout their lives and throughout the histories of their respective nations.

Which, then, would prevail? The Lord was most specific in His reply: “The elder shall serve the younger.” The younger son would become stronger than the older, and would finally prevail. Since one of the two must carry on the Messianic line and must inherit the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, it is crystal clear that God here told Rebekah that His covenant would be with the younger son, not the older. 

This promise from God, that the elder would serve the younger, I believe, played a large role in how the two sons were raised.  I've always been troubled by how Isaac and Rebekah each had favorites.  Verse 28 says, "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob."  More from the Genesis Record:

For some reason, most people think the attributes of Esau commendable, those of Jacob distasteful. Exactly the opposite is the truth of the matter. What, for example, is good about being a “cunning hunter”? Esau’s family was not in the least endangered by wild beasts, nor did they, with their extensive flocks and herds, have any need to slaughter deer and other wild animals for food.

The translators have done Jacob a disservice by calling him a “plain” man, or a “quiet” man. The Hebrew word is tam, which means “perfect” or “complete” or possibly “mature.” It is exactly the same word God used to describe Job when He called him “a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8).

Jacob had learned of God’s promises from his mother and father, and no doubt also knew of God’s word that he, not Esau, was to be the inheritor of those promises. He took them with all seriousness and desired to see God’s will accomplished. He was a “mature” person, not a carnal, immature playboy like his brother. Rebekah also, who had been attracted to Isaac in the first place because of her desire to follow God’s will, had a strong desire to fulfill this part of His will as well. She and Jacob were of kindred minds, spiritually, and so “Rebekah loved Jacob.” 

Unfortunately for the cause of family harmony and spiritual growth, Isaac became partial to Esau, and indeed encouraged him in his irresponsible activities, for the highly unworthy reason that “he did eat of his venison.” Eating venison might have seemed exciting in some way to Isaac, possibly because he was proud of the athletic prowess of his son, but it could hardly have been solely because of its delectable taste. Rebekah, in fact, could prepare goat meat in such a way that he couldn’t tell it from venison.

There is so much that could be said about Jacob and Esau and I'm trying to stick with Rebekah and her role in their lives.  Understanding who they were does give some insight into how their parents treated them, not that I agree with having favorites!  These sons both needed the love and guidance of both parents.

Genesis chapter 26 takes a little detour. "And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar."   Here we see Isaac repeat one of his father's mistakes by telling the men of the place that Rebekah was his sister (which wasn't nearly as true as when Abraham said it.)  This time God let Abimelech see for himself their true relationship when he saw them "sporting."  They were not playing tennis, but Isaac was "showing some familiar sign of love, by which it might be known that she was his wife." (from 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes)

Chapter 26 ends with these two verses: "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:  Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah."  This was not a minor thing that Esau did.  Matthew Henry's Commentary said, "Here is, 1. Esau's foolish marriage - foolish, some think, in marrying two wives together, for which perhaps he is called a fornicator (Hebrews 12:16), or rather in marrying Canaanites, who were strangers to the blessing to Abraham, and subject to the curse of Noah, for which he is called profane; for hereby he intimated that he neither desired the blessing nor dreaded the curse of God."

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?
Now we come to chapter 27.  I can't say that Rebekah actually reset, but she set some serious things in motion.  Isaac calls for Esau to make venison before he bestowed on him the blessing.  "Isaac’s deliberate intent to thwart the purpose of God was motivated primarily by his personal love of Esau, and that was “because he did eat of his venison” (Genesis 25:28). It is hard indeed to comprehend how such favoritism, on the part of such a presumably spiritual man as Isaac, could have been based on such a carnal and unworthy motive.  It is significant that Isaac was not doing this with Rebekah’s knowledge. She only happened to overhear the conversation. This secretive nature of Isaac’s plans can only be explained on the assumption that he was ashamed of what he was doing, knowing that Rebekah would not approve but hoping that he would get it accomplished before she could interfere." (The Genesis Record)

Here again, we see Rebekah's decisive nature.  She immediately jumps into action.  From Matthew Henry's commentary:

Rebekah knew that the blessing was intended for Jacob, and expected he would have it. But she wronged Isaac by putting a cheat on him; she wronged Jacob by tempting him to wickedness. She put a stumbling-block in Esau's way, and gave him a pretext for hatred to Jacob and to religion. All were to be blamed. It was one of those crooked measures often adopted to further the Divine promises; as if the end would justify, or excuse wrong means. Thus many have acted wrong, under the idea of being useful in promoting the cause of Christ. The answer to all such things is that which God addressed to Abraham, I am God Almighty; walk before me and be thou perfect. And it was a very rash speech of Rebekah, “Upon me be thy curse, my son.” 

This one act of Rebekah turned their family upside down.  Jacob received the blessing and Esau was furious.  Genesis 27:41-46 "Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.  And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;  And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;  Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?  And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?"

Eve had no warning that Cain was going to slay Abel.  But Rebekah is warned and steps in to prevent it.  She possibly saved Jacob's life that day, although Isaac lived about another 45 years, so Esau's anger may have cooled on its own.  Again, from the Genesis Record:

However, her “few days” turned out to be over twenty years! So far as the record goes, she never saw Jacob again after that day. Her stratagem did indeed prove costly to her, but it would have been worse had Esau actually slain Jacob. He would probably in turn have been put to death in some fashion, or at least would have become permanently alienated from the family. In that way, she would really have lost both her sons. She, no doubt, had counted all these costs, and believed the issue was vital enough to require her to do what she did. As a matter of fact, later events proved that she was correct. Esau did soon forget his anger, and he did prosper quite adequately in a material sense, which was really all he cared about (Genesis 33:1, 4, 9). Isaac repented and gave Jacob his sincere blessing, instructing him to marry a woman of their own people, not a Canaanite, as Esau had done (Genesis 28:1–4). Rebekah was never able, however, to “send and fetch” Jacob from Laban, as she had planned—for what reason we are not told. We do not know when Rebekah died; all we know about later events concerning her has to do with her burial in the cave of Machpelah, along with Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac (Genesis 49:30, 31).

I can only imagine the regret that Rebekah lived with in her latter years.  She never saw Jacob again.  God said "the elder will serve the younger."  She should have trusted that.  She should have believed that even if Isaac gave Esau the blessing, God was still going to accomplish His plan.  The bottom line, deception may accomplish God's plan, but He doesn't need our help!