21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. –Genesis 25:21-28
Like her husband Isaac, Rebekah has a limited role in the Genesis narrative and yet what we know of her is significant in many ways. As we are introduced to her as a young woman, we immediately see that God’s sovereign hand was at work in her life in order to prepare her for use in His sovereign plan.
Genesis 24 begins not with an introduction to Rebekah, but with a conversation between her future father-in-law, Abraham, and his servant whom he entrusted with the task of returning to the place where his family was dwelling in order to find a wife for his son. The servant agreed to do this for his master and as the chapter unfolds we come to see that he was successful in achieving his goal. Throughout these events, however, it is Yahweh who is recognized as the one who “will send his angel before” the servant (24:7), who is entreated to give success to the servant (24:14), and who is worshipped for showing faithfulness to Abraham and answering the prayers of the servant (24:26). In fact, Yahweh is referenced no less than fourteen times throughout the chapter demonstrating the faith of Abraham and his household which Rebekah will be marrying into
As we consider Rebekah herself, the text sets her apart from those of the cultures of the land of Canaan in that she is both chaste (24:16) and hospitable (24:18-20). Abraham was right to look amongst his relatives for a wife for Isaac and Rebekah’s family was quick to agree that the marriage was of the Lord (24:50). It was Rebekah, however, who agreed to go immediately with the servant to the land of her new husband. Once there, she became his wife and comforted him following the death of his mother (24:67).
With the sovereign hand of Yahweh evident in her marriage, Rebekah must have been hopeful regarding her future. In Genesis 25, however, we find that she and Isaac struggled for nearly two decades with infertility. After years of praying, God granted to them to become pregnant. For Rebekah, however, what should have been a joyous time was incredibly difficult for her physically (25:22). Her response to this difficulty was to say, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” If God is for me and desires to bless me and my husband, then why are things happening this way? Her faith is shown in that she did not simply ask the question in a despairing way, but instead inquired of the Lord in prayer (25:22).
God responded to her prayer, the Word of the Lord coming to her and informing her of the struggle that was taking place within her and that would one day take place before her in the form of a conflict between her two sons. Following the record of their birth, we are told that Rebekah favored Jacob, the younger son while Isaac favored Esau, the older boy. This was perhaps because the Lord had informed her that the younger would serve the older, but we cannot be certain of that.
In Genesis 27 we see that she encouraged Jacob, the son whom she favored, to deceive his father and to steal his brother’s blessing. Her actions are an example to us of the human tendency to seek to accomplish God’s will in our own way. Though perhaps she was attempting to bring about what the Lord had predicted, she did it in her own sinful way, lying to her husband and encouraging her son to disrespect both his brother and father. The consequence of this for Rebekah was the loss of the son whom she loved as he was forced to flee to the home of her brother where he remained for many years.
Like the patriarchs and like God’s people today, the life of Rebekah included times of faith and obedience as well as sin and folly. The Scriptures, however, are concerned not primarily with the actions of individuals, but with the will of God. He showed Himself faithful to keep His promises to His people in spite of their sin and their foolishness. His promises to the patriarchs came to pass in spite of their sin and in accordance with His faithfulness to them as His people. He is the source of hope for all of us who are prone to act rashly rather than to trust in our Father.
Join us this Sunday as we gather to worship Him and to fellowship together with one another.
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas