Submitted by Lara Cook
The
Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be
separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the
older shall serve the younger.”
The Bible
is packed full of stories and lessons for us to learn from and to pattern our
lives after; examples of one Godly person after another. But what we often fail to realize is how
human and like us they really were. For
example, take Rebekah. She married Isaac
and their sons were to be the fathers of two conflicting nations. She struggled with motherhood issues just
like the rest of us do and she had a specific problem with favoring one child
over the other.
Rebekah was having twins. She must have been so excited after many long
years of infertility, waiting and hoping that she could bear the children that
she and her husband so desperately wanted.
The twins wore Rebekah out in her womb, wrestling with each other. The Lord told her that they would become two
nations that would be divided and that the older one would serve the younger
one. When they were born, Esau was born first and Jacob was born grabbing the
heel of his older brother.
As they grew, Rebekah favored
Jacob and Isaac favored Esau. I know she
loved both her sons but she must have had a soft spot for Jacob and felt like
he needed a little extra help along the way.
When it came time for Isaac to give the blessing, which usually was
bestowed on the oldest son, Rebekah helped Jacob bribe his brother into letting
him receive the blessing. Then, because
Isaac was old and blind, she helped Jacob trick his father into believing he
was giving the blessing to Esau instead of Jacob. She helped her son lie to get something that
was not rightfully his because she wanted him to be blessed.
Rebekah’s assertiveness and
favoritism caused her to deceive Isaac and her deception also led to a split
between brothers that still causes turmoil today. But if you notice what the
scriptures said above, God told her that this would happen, even while they
were still in her womb. God’s plan for Jacob and Esau was still carried out,
regardless of Rebekah getting in the way.
She tried to control the situation by tricking her husband into giving
the younger son the blessing but God said that the older one would serve the
younger one anyway. She didn’t really need to do anything but trust Him. She
didn’t need to deceive and use trickery to get her son what she thought he deserved. God already had it all under control. This may not have been how God wanted it to
happen but He still lined up His plan for their lives and carried it out.
Rebekah may not have made the best
choice that day as a mother. She may have set a bad example for her sons but I
know she loved her sons – both of them.
I have made many mistakes as a mother.
I have made bad choices and I have set bad examples too. I am pretty
sure we all have. I am so relieved to
know that God has my children in the palm of His hand. This gives me comfort, hope, and faith that
even when I make wrong decisions or bad choices that God still protects them
and I can’t mess up His path for them. I
am so thankful that in my weakness I cannot derail His plan for their lives.
Scripture to Claim:Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations… Deuteronomy 7:9
