#36: Protecting Rebekah

Genesis 26:7-11

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Comments

Isaac is certainly not the hero of this story. Even though he was Abraham’s son and even though God had promised to be with Isaac and to bless him, Isaac acted out of fear and cowardice. By seeking his own welfare, Isaac put Rebekah’s honor and perhaps even her life at risk.

Abimelek, the king whom Isaac feared, was the one who acted more honorably here. Because his palace towered over all other homes, the king was often able to see what people were doing in the privacy of their homes. When Abimelek observed Isaac being intimate with Rebekah, he realized he had been deceived. Instead of punishing Isaac, however, he established an order of protection for him and his wife.

Reflections

Although never mentioned in this story, God is everywhere present in it. What Abimelek saw and how he reacted to it could hardly be understood as coincidental. As you look back on your life, can you see now how God was at work even though you were unaware of it at the time?

There was nothing saintly or heroic about Isaac’s actions in this story and yet he was blessed by God. Are you more likely to consider God’s blessings as rewards for your faithfulness or as evidence of God’s unmerited love?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who protects those who are vulnerable and blesses those who have done nothing to deserve it.

#35: Promises Confirmed

Genesis 26:1-6

Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

Comments

This passage is about the promises God originally made to Abraham and now reaffirms to Isaac and all his descendants. Note what God specifically promises to do:

·        I will be with you.

·        I will bless you.

·        I will give you a place to live.

·        I will confirm what I have promised.

·        I will multiply your descendants.

·        I will bless the whole world through you.

It may be even more important to note the context in which God made these promises: Isaac and his family were famine-stricken refugees living among the dreaded Philistines. 

Reflections

The promises God made to Abraham and reconfirmed to Isaac were wonderful. How many of these promises has God made to you as well? Are there other equally wonderful promises God has given you?

God made these promises to Isaac in the midst of hard times. Have there been difficult times in your life when the promises of God brought hope and comfort? Which one stands out most powerfully in your memory?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who reminds us of promised blessings even when we feel unblessed.

#34: Answered Prayers

Genesis 25:19-23

Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 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.”

Comments

Isaac was Abraham’s beloved son of God’s promise and Rebekah was God’s answer to the prayer of Abraham’s servant who had been sent to find a wife for Isaac. The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah may thus have been “made in heaven,” but it wasn’t without its problems. After twenty years, they still had no son by whom God’s promise to Abraham could be fulfilled.

Isaac prayed for his wife to conceive and another prayer was answered, but again it wasn’t without its problems. Rebekah asked God to help her understand why her pregnancy should be so difficult.

God spoke to Rebekah to explain what was happening, but this answered prayer wasn’t without its problems either. She would have twin sons from whom nations would emerge in ways that would defy all tradition. 

God hears Rebekah’s prayer and explains what is happening to her, but says nothing about why it should be necessary for two nations to struggle within her or why the older should serve the younger. God shows us what we need to know even though much of what we would like to know remains a mystery.

Reflections

The answered prayers in this story don’t eliminate hardship and suffering. Do you assume God’s answer to your prayers will make things easier for you? Are you prepared for the challenges that answered prayers might bring?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who may not make our lives easy, but who gives them meaning and purpose.