Rebecca Who Was Isaac Wife
Did you know that Rebecca was a woman who was not a prophetess but still spoke to God?
Yes, Rebecca was not a prophet, she was the mother of a prophet, but still she spoke directly to God. This is the incident when two children were fighting in Rebecca’s womb and it hurt a lot. Then she asked God that there is a kind of war going on in my stomach, why is it happening? Then God told her that instead of one you have two sons in your womb who are fighting each other and the younger son will rule over the older one. This suggests that God spoke directly to Rebecca.
Introduction
Rebecca was an important part of Abraham’s family. She was the daughter-in-law of Abraham and Sarah. Rebecca was the wife of Isaac. Isaac was the elder son of Abraham. Rebecca played an important role in the life of Isaac, Esau and specifically for Jacob. Rebecca is considered as a wise woman in the Old Testament because she played a very important role in Jacob’s life. She made some plans that were beneficial for her family. After getting married, Rebecca got to know that she would birth two children. One was named Esau and the other’s name was Jacob. Jacob was younger than Esau but he was chosen by God. Both have different personalities; Esau was energetic and loved to hunt but Jacob was lazy and enjoyed living at home. Due to energetic personality, Isaac loves his son named Esau while Rebecca loves her younger son, Jacob. Rebecca loved him because she knew that God had chosen Jacob instead of Esau. That was a really important and interesting story. Let’s explore more.
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Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebecca. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67)
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Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebecca became pregnant. (Genesis 25:21)
Early Life of Rebecca
Rebecca was a perfect daughter-in-law for Abraham‘s family because she was chosen because of her characteristics. When Abraham was thinking of Isaac‘s marriage Abraham was looking for Isaac’s wife, he asked one of his slaves to find a girl who would be perfect for Isaac. Abraham’s slave went out to find Isaac’s wife. He had thought that he would choose a woman who would be merciful, kind and understanding. Once he went to the well and was thirsty. At that time Rebecca was standing at the well. She drew water and gave it to him so that he could drink and quench his thirst. This characteristic of Rebecca impressed Abraham’s slave and he thought that he would choose Rebecca as Isaac’s wife. In this way, Rebecca was married to Isaac and proved to be the best part of Abraham’s family.
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Before he had finished praying, Rebecca came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar. “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” (Genesis 24:15-19)
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So they called Rebecca and asked her, “Will you go with this man?“I will go,” she said. So they sent their sister Rebecca on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men, And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.” Then Rebecca and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebecca and left. (Genesis 24:58-61)
Role of Rebecca as a Mother
The most important day in Rebecca’s life was when she became pregnant. Rebecca wanted to be a mother, so she prayed to God to become a mother. When God told her that she was going to become a mother, she got extremely happy and thanked God. Later she realized that some kind of war was going on in her womb, so she asked God what was going on. God said that you will not have one but two sons, an older son named Esau and a younger one named Jacob. Moreover, the younger son will rule over the older son. After that, Rebecca knew that she was going to give birth to two sons. Because of these words of God, she loved Jacob more, but Isaac did not know this, and he loved Esau more because of his qualities.
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The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:22-23)
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When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebecca gave birth to them. (Genesis 25:24-26)
Plan of Rebecca
Jacob was the younger son and Esau was the older son. Because of this, Isaac wanted to give a blessing to Esau. But Rebecca wanted Jacob to be blessed instead of Esau because God chose Jacob to rule over Esau. Rebecca made a plan for this. She knew that Isaac’s eyes had become weak in old age and she can take advantage of this weakness. She told Jacob to act as Esau and go before Isaac and ask for a blessing, that way you can get a blessing. Jacob did the same. He went to his father to fulfill his mother’s plan and assured him that he is Esau. In this way, Isaac also gave that blessing to Jacob. When Esau came to know that Jacob had got blessing cleverly, he got very angry and decided to kill Jacob.
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Reference: (Genesis 27:5-10)
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Then Rebecca took the best clothes of Esau, her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. (Genesis 27:15-17)
Rebecca’s Wisdom
Rebecca was a very clever and wise woman. She told Jacob the ways by which he could receive the blessing, and Jacob succeeded by doing it. Esau got very angry at this act and thought of killing Jacob. Rebecca knew that Esau would kill Jacob now. Therefore, she had already told Jacob to leave his house and go to his uncle’s house and spend his life there. Jacob did the same; he left his house and went to his uncle’s house. This suggests that Rebecca was a very sensible and wise woman.
Verse
Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” When Rebecca was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. (Genesis 27:41-45)
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Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebecca, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 28:5)
Influence of Rebecca on Jacob
Rebecca advised Jacob in all his affairs, which greatly benefited Jacob. Even when Jacob was living at his uncle’s house, Rebecca advised him to find a good girl and get married. Because of this advice, Jacob married Rachel and Leah. Because of these two wives of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel came into existence.
Verse
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. (Genesis 28:1-2)
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Reference: (Genesis 29:14-30)
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Rebecca has a very important role in Christianity. Rebecca made very wise decisions. This greatly benefited Abraham‘s generation. Rebecca did what God wanted. To fulfill God’s will, she had to do tricks. Rebecca was a very wise woman. He made thoughtful decisions for the good of his family and the result was that his son became the leader of the 12 tribes of Israel.
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Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebecca, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 28:5)
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Reference: (Genesis 25:21-23)
