Given the Lord was so explicitly clear with Rebekah in Genesis 25:
The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So when she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb
Genesis 25:22-24 ESV
And two peoples from within you shall be divided;
The one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger”
I have some questions I would like to ask them as a couple:
1) Why does it seem like Rebekah never told this to Isaac?
2) Or, if she did, how come it is so evident that Isaac never engaged more actively in the work of raising up the younger in accordance with the word of the Lord? It appears that Isaac’s and Esau’s relevant interactions toward Jacob never involve the truth that the Lord had already spoken. Why is no one mentioning that at all?
3) What can account for the breakdown in communication between husband and wife?
4) Why did Rebekah seek to manipulate in order to help God fulfill this word?
5) Was this a holdover from Laban’s family and the behavior of the descendants of Terah, given we have patterns of conniving, manipulation, and favoritism, all without any inquiring of the Lord in places where doing that would have helped out?
6) I don’t hear many sermons preached on the possibility that Esau was lazy given he was a skillful hunter, and he could have gone without for the rest of the day instead of selling his birthright.
The Lord specifically told me not to address the psychological issues here, but to presently deal with the personal responsibility issues for this post. I am sure that I will write another post to deal with the psych issues at some point.
So, I am curious what y’all think is going on here and why they didn’t deal with these issues. Furthermore, what were the implications that did happen as a result of not dealing with these issues?
This story has always thrown me. The first time I read it, it slammed me. The deception is rampant throughout, overshadowed only by the tenacity of Jacob. Esau is a foil character in the story, totally contrasted with his brother, would Israel trade his birthright for a bowl of stew? I learned a lot about G-d from His response to Jacob after their wrestling match. This story told me I could pray and ask boldly. Humility is the stance most people take in prayer, and many shy away from boldness. I think each has its place.
As far as the deception of Rebekah towards her husband…perhaps she felt justified by her fore knowledge given to her about the twins.
The Bible never softens the actions of humans. Finding blessing in this situation is weird to me, but it certainly sets a standard for the availability of grace.
This has always puzzled me as well. Maybe Rebekah was trying to protect Esau’s pride as the elder son, or avoid stunting his growth (even as she preferred the younger)? Did she want to avoid casting shame on the family, so she kept God’s instructions secret? Did she, as the hyperactive present moment person, just want an explanation for the pain of the present moment, and set the words aside when she didn’t immediately have something to do with them? Did she still buy into the prevailing cultural beliefs, and fail to realize that God was deliberately moving in the opposite spirit for a reason that could only be for the good? By not acknowledging the real plan, did Rebekah decide that ignorance was bliss, that the truth would only add oil to the fire, and attempted smother the conflict? Only to then herself turn on the burner!
Was it a stronger imprint of the pattern that began between Isaac and Ishmael… lack of faith. Sarah proposed a man-made solution, Abraham went through with it. A conflict between brothers and wives begins.
Or before that, more ambiguously, with Abram and Lot (the son of the youngest brother, and thus representing Haran?)—the choice of the right land or left land, the better land or the lesser land? There was a conflict/struggle between flocks. Abram allowed Lot to choose first. Was that the proper pattern?
Maybe it goes back to Adam (the first) and Eve (refined) and the first fall. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
The pattern persists afterward, too. Even Joseph & Benjamin, the “younger” half-siblings, are favored over their brothers, narrowly avoiding murder but perpetuating Esau’s threat to murder. Then Ephraim and Manasseh’s blessings feature a kind of elder/younger reversal with the switched hands, and he blessed them first, before their elders. Did Israel/Jacob attempt (knowingly or unknowingly, perhaps prompted by the Holy Spirit) heal the family history by that action?
“Venus, you will be first in the world. Serena, though you train in your sister’s shadow, you will be the best all-around athlete.” —approximate quote from the movie King Richard
In the movie, Richard kept his plan for his daughters very close to the chest, but at last he confided in them when their faith in themselves and their faith in his love became critical. He and his wife were acutely aware of the dangers of jealousy. A spirit of competition could have blown the family apart. There was also a persistent issue of what seemed like unequal resources. The couple’s allegiance had to be to God first, then one another, and not the other way around.
Like Venus and Serena, both Esau and Jacob had very good birthrights (a nation each?!! first vs best!), even if one had more obvious charisma and “star power” than the other. But those tailor-made birthrights can’t be swapped or mixed.
Fast forward to Christ – 1st Adam, 2nd Adam (Christ). Saul then David; David then Solomon. Moses then Joshua. Elijah and Elisha. Israel then “Church” Bride.
The responsibility is great. The privilege is great. The consequences of failure and not walking with precision—also great.