Genealogy of Jesus: The Different Faces of Rebekah

Rebekah was very beautiful and the woman God sent the servant to marry Isaac.

Isaac, son of Abraham, needed a wife but did not want to find one among the Canaanites, where they were living.  A servant was sent to find a wife.  When he arrived in Abraham’s homeland, the servant prayed for guidance.  Rebekah appeared before the man finished praying. She offered water to the servant and his camels.  Then they followed her home and made the proposition of marriage to Isaac.

Rebekah comforted Isaac in the death of his mother and he took her into his tent as his wife

She and Isaac were married twenty years before having children.  They had twin sons, Esau and Jacob.

Isaac favored Esau, while Rebekah favored Jacob.  She helped Jacob to trick Isaac and receive his brother’s blessing.

What lessons can we learn from Rebekah?

1. Rebekah was very beautiful—the first thing we are told after she appeared, is that she is beautiful
   

   Years later, Rebekah helped her favorite son, Jacob, deceive her husband for a blessing

2. She was considerate of others—she thought of not only the servants but also the camels and their thirst.
3. She was adventurous—she was willing to travel to an unknown land and marry a man she had never met
4. She was conniving—she helped Jacob trick his father into receiving his brother’s blessing
5. She was separated from her favorite son—because of the deception she and Jacob carried out, she sent her favorite son away to her brother, Laban. She would never see her son, Jacob, again or meet his wives and children.

Rebekah shows many sides of her personality in the stories we are told about her.  Maybe more so than any other woman in scripture.  We see the good, bad and ugly in her actions.

Which part of Rebekah do you connect with most?