#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.