January 21 - Rebekah

January 21 - Rebekah

Rebekah was Isaac’s wife.  She was also the sister to Laban – remember him?  He was the man who made Rebekah’s son, Jacob work for 14 years before he could marry the woman that he loved.  I guess family issues have always been stressful.  You can’t even trust your uncle or the father of your bride – even when they’re one and the same, can you!

Rebekah was a beautiful woman and Abraham’s servant found her when he returned to their home to find a wife for Isaac.  Genesis 24:58 tells us that she chose to leave with the servant (not that she was sent by her father and brother) to go back to Isaac.

The story of Isaac’s first look at her is found in Genesis 24:62-67.  He went out one evening to walk in a field and saw camels approaching.  Rebekah saw him, slipped off her camel and inquired of the servant who had come for her, who he might be.  When the servant told her that it was his master (implying Isaac), she covered herself with her veil.  The servant then told Isaac everything about her.  Isaac took Rebekah into his mother, Sarah’s, tent.  Sarah had died and Isaac was still mourning her loss.  But, that night, Rebekah became his wife and he loved her.

When they discovered that she couldn’t have children, Isaac prayed and she conceived.  When the pregnancy was difficult, she prayed and was told by God that she would give birth to two sons – two separate nations.  He also told her that the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob).

As the boys were growing up, she loved Jacob much more than Esau while Isaac was more fond of his oldest son.  One day she heard Isaac telling Esau that he was going to give him a blessing, which would give Esau a great deal of power.  She and Jacob conspired to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing, infuriating Esau.  She sent Jacob to her brother Laban.

This is the last we see of Rebekah in the story and we don’t read anything of her death.  We do know that in Genesis 49:31 she was buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Leah.

Rebekah was quite brilliant; she was conniving and understood people.  While we might consider these things to be evil, they did insure that the Lord’s word, given to her during her pregnancy was fulfilled.