Rebecca did not marry Isaac for love, nor did she marry him for money. She married him because she believed it the will of God, and she did so quickly, as if she was waiting for God's calling. As I said in the first post on her character, she was like the disciples who willingly left all to follow Christ. Here was her first allegiance, loving God more than husband; therefore, it is hard to imagine her keeping her opinion to herself on the matter of Esau's unfitness as Isaac and Abraham's heir . . . for forty years. She had God's word, most importantly, that should have ended the discussion, and she had the evidence of Esau's character to prove it.
Rebecca was the one committed to God before her own affections, while Isaac had let his affection and love for Esau lead him astray. The story of Isaac and Esau and Rebecca and Jacob is not some Focus on the Family tale about parental favoritism, sibling rivalry, and a difference of opinion about whose son gets the best from the family, except as it demonstrates the nearly disastrous favoritism of Isaac for Esau.
Isaac must have been a tremendously stubborn man, a character flaw not befitting a patriarch. His stubbornness is most clearly demonstrated by Rebecca's actions in advising Jacob to fool him into giving him the Blessing. Rebecca knew this old man (he was sixty when the boys were born) would not listen to reason, or this godly woman would not have considered it necessary to resort to deception.
Consider her tremendous faith. When she advised Jacob to seek the Blessing by dressing up as Esau, he says he fears that he might receive his father's curse, another demonstration of Isaac's stubbornness, btw. Yet, Rebecca, fully confident of what she was doing, her motive for doing it, and the importance of doing it, says, "May his curse rest on me." She knew no such curse could rest on her, for the curse causeless shall not alight, according to Proverbs. And, as it happened, there was no curse. Isaac was fully capable as a patriarch of cursing Rebecca and Jacob after he knew what had happened. Isn't it evil to deceive and steal? Isn't that a sufficient basis for a curse? Yet, Isaac affirms that Jacob will be blessed, and he says not one word to Rebecca. There's only one explanation. He knew he was wrong, that his wife was the one following God, and that God Himself had made a fool of him.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The character of Rebecca I
Rebecca's character gets swallowed up in our opinion of her after she instructs her son to deceive his father, Isaac, and pretend to be Esau to obtain the Blessing. This is an injustice and helps color our view of her in the wrong way. When you understand more of who Rebecca is, then you understand better the Isaac deception. I'll explain some history in this post and will comment on that history in another post.
The first discussion of Rebecca is in Gen. 24, where Abraham instructs his servant to find his son Isaac a wife from among his own people, not the Canaanites. The servant prays for a sign - when the servant asks water from a woman who comes to the well, that she says, "Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink." Rebecca shows up as he finishes the prayer and when the servant asks for water, she says she'll draw for the camels also. It doesn't say how many camels came with the servant, but it must have been a significant number for the watering of them to be a sign from God. This act demonstrated a coincidence with his prayer that was amazing and the servant attitude of the young girl, Rebecca, who had a heart of generosity, service, and hospitality. Hospitality was a most important character quality among the godly people of the middle east. It still is.
The scripture also mentions that Rebecca was very beautiful and a virgin. Abraham's servant pulls out a golden nose ring and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold. It was Laban who was impressed by those gifts. Rebecca's family gave permission for the servant to take her to marry his master's son, but they wanted to delay a few days. The servant was in a hurry because God had prospered his way. When asked the next morning if she would go with the servant, Rebecca said, "I will go." She didn't say, "I'll pray about it."
Rebecca was a servant, but she was also ready to do God's will without hesitation. She was like the disciples who left all upon Christ's command to follow Him.
Rebecca was barren, but Isaac prayed for her and God opened her womb. Then the children within her struggled, and she inquired of the Lord, who told her that the two children would become two nations and that "one people shall be stronger then the other, and the older shall serve the younger." She knew this before either had gained her affection. Isaac was sixty years old when the children were born. What reason would Rebecca have to hide from Isaac the message God had given her about the children.
Was Isaac's preference for Esau partly based upon the fear that Esau would lose his position as the oldest, perhaps?
When Esau was 40, he took two Canaanite wives, which were a grief to both Isaac and Rebecca.
The first discussion of Rebecca is in Gen. 24, where Abraham instructs his servant to find his son Isaac a wife from among his own people, not the Canaanites. The servant prays for a sign - when the servant asks water from a woman who comes to the well, that she says, "Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink." Rebecca shows up as he finishes the prayer and when the servant asks for water, she says she'll draw for the camels also. It doesn't say how many camels came with the servant, but it must have been a significant number for the watering of them to be a sign from God. This act demonstrated a coincidence with his prayer that was amazing and the servant attitude of the young girl, Rebecca, who had a heart of generosity, service, and hospitality. Hospitality was a most important character quality among the godly people of the middle east. It still is.
The scripture also mentions that Rebecca was very beautiful and a virgin. Abraham's servant pulls out a golden nose ring and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold. It was Laban who was impressed by those gifts. Rebecca's family gave permission for the servant to take her to marry his master's son, but they wanted to delay a few days. The servant was in a hurry because God had prospered his way. When asked the next morning if she would go with the servant, Rebecca said, "I will go." She didn't say, "I'll pray about it."
Rebecca was a servant, but she was also ready to do God's will without hesitation. She was like the disciples who left all upon Christ's command to follow Him.
Rebecca was barren, but Isaac prayed for her and God opened her womb. Then the children within her struggled, and she inquired of the Lord, who told her that the two children would become two nations and that "one people shall be stronger then the other, and the older shall serve the younger." She knew this before either had gained her affection. Isaac was sixty years old when the children were born. What reason would Rebecca have to hide from Isaac the message God had given her about the children.
Was Isaac's preference for Esau partly based upon the fear that Esau would lose his position as the oldest, perhaps?
When Esau was 40, he took two Canaanite wives, which were a grief to both Isaac and Rebecca.
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