12/02/2023
WHO IS REBECCA
Rebecca was the daughter of Bethuel. Bethuel’s parent are Milcah and Nahor. Nahor was Abraham’s brother. So Rebecca was Abraham’s great niece; granddaughter of his brother Nahor. Rebecca’s brother was Laban. They are both children of Bethuel and grand children of Milcah and Nahor. She was Shepherdess and a very diligent one at it. She was stunningly beautiful and a pure virgin. She never misuse her youthful age. I believe in her days too there will be many immoralities around her but she never yielded herself to it. She derived Joy in what she is doing. She carries the countenance of Joy everywhere goes. She is ready to serve.
“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.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Genesis 24:18-20
I want us to understand that Rebecca is actually a woman who knows the Lord. She made enquires about the babies in her womb and the Lord revealed to her.
Note that the revelation about these children were only made known to Rebecca. This revelation influenced Rebecca's attitude in their upbringing.
"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.” 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 Rebekah gave birth to them.
Genesis 25:22-26.
WHAT WAS HER STRENGTH.
1. She is Attractive and a Virgin.
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.
Genesis 24:16
2. She is kind and humble
“Drink, my Lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
Genesis 24:18
3. She is strong
4. She has a Servant’s heart
5. She is Diligent
6. She worked Wholeheartedly
After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Genesis 24:19-20
7. She is Hospitable.
And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” Genesis 24:25
8. She is Bold and knows what she want.
So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. Genesis 24:58.
9. She is Modest.
Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
Genesis 24:64-65.
10. She is a prayer addict.
The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. Genesis 25:22
WHAT WAS HER WEAKNESSES.
1. She practiced favoritism between her children. This could happen because of what God have spoken to her about the two children, but as a mother, regardless of what the Lord has revealed to us about our kids must not reflect in our attitude to them.
Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Genesis 25:28
2. She has poor mothering skills. Her poor mothering skills were so evident in the lives of her children. Esau's marriage was a grief to them. If Rebecca had been able to love Esau the way she loved Jacob, probably she wouldn't have married wrongly.
"When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Genesis 26:34
3. She is Manipulative, unsubmissive and disrespectful to husband to get her way. She did all her best to convince Jacob to do her wish.
"Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”
Genesis 27:6-12.
4. She does not mind her words, she is rash in her speech; In order to satisfy her utmost desire and assure his son of her plan work.
"His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” Genesis 27:13.
5. She is deceitful and thought she is wise in her own eyes. She thought she knew what was best to the point that she caused her son to sin to get it. She was holding on to the prophecy she received from the Lord about them and thinking her best would help in bringing it to pass.
"Then Rebekah 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.
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF REBECCA
CHAPTER 24
Rebekah was not looking for a husband, as far as we know. She was just doing her daily tasks when suddenly, God arranged a marriage for her. God is able to provide life partners in unexpected and quick ways, when His timing is fulfilled. All you need is to keep focusing on the area he has called you into. Be diligently it and work with all your heart. Your God ordained helpmeet can only be found in the place of your assignment.
Rebecca truly served with all her heart and beyond what is expected of her. Servanthood is not just doing what we are asked to do, but going above and beyond to serve in ways that are difficult and take us time and effort.
When God calls you to do something, you should do it without delay. Rebecca didn't delay in doing what us expected of her. She came to the well at the right timing. She wasn't the only one who came to the well but she instantly did what she was asked to do. She never said" wait for me till I come back, she did it now. So never delay whatever the Lord has laid in your heart to do.
CHAPTER 25
Rebecca knew Children are gifts from God, so she seek for their future in the place of prayer. Children are given at God's discretion and in His timing.
Never to prefer one child to another.Preference and comparism brings nothing good but strife and hatred for each other. It promotes jealousy and a competitive spirit between siblings. Yes! Some kids can be superb and wonderful than the other, yet we should never compare them. Every child is born with one uniqueness of the other. Let learn to over look the fault of the child and embrace the uniqueness in him/her.
CHAPTER 26
Our involvement in every area of our child's life will determine the decisions they make. God has bestowed upon every woman the power of influence. We can positively or neg*tively influence our children's decision. The gap in between Rebecca and Esau influenced his choice of marrying the unbeliever and later married two. This decision brings nothing but sorrow for Isaac and Rebecca.
CHAPTER 27
We should be very careful in the example we are setting for our children. Every mother is expected to teach their children to be respectfully submissive to their fathers. When mothers are unsubmissive we are giving our children permission to be disobedient.
God is a covenant keeping God. God had already vowed to make Jacob more greater than Esau, and He will surely do it. God ways is different from our ways and his thought from our thought. We cant “help God” keep His promises. When God says He will do a thing, wait for Him to do it His way in His timing.
Rebekah as a mother manipulated everything to make it happen.She was the only one who knew what God told her about the two kids, and it is her utmost desire to see it done. Though she got her wish by her manipulative way, she created strife between her sons to the point where one wanted to kill the other. The most painful part is that she never got to see her favored son again after he left.
GENESIS 28
Just like I said earlier, God has endowed us with the power of influence. So we must be careful how we use it. We must be careful how we influence our husband as a wife. Rebecca influenced her husband to send Jacob away by criticizing the wives of Esau in order to manipulate her husband and this made Esau sinfully marry another wife.
Leaving God out of the equation of our life will only yield to struggles and troubles. Rebecca seek God concerning the babies in her womb and God reveal to him what will become of them but she never seek God in the fulfillment of it but rather strive in her own way.
