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.