Living in the Image of God M04S18
Bible accounts of Isaac-Rebekah interactions provide a lesson on transparent husband-wife honor and support for family leadership. Rebekah honored and supported Isaac’s overall leadership but did not expect him to honor her occasional leadership of specific family affairs. Therefore, she relied on bridging over potential disputes to perform her family leadership responsibilities. In one example, she took advantage of Isaac’s failing sight to redirect him to bless their younger son Jacob instead of older son Esau for family inheritance. In another example, she presented a concern they shared regarding marriage to convince Isaac to relocate Jacob but did not present her other concern that Esau was planning to kill Jacob. Their interactions highlight the need for a husband-wife union to expect and receive honor and support for each other’s contribution to family leadership. The accounts provide additional evidence that God uses the family leadership structure to communicate his will to the family.
This discussion of Isaac-Rebekah interactions continues the bible study series on understanding the individual responsibility regarding family leadership. The series is based on bible examples of husband-wife interactions and relationships. Previous studies in the series led to understanding a family leadership structure with the husband as overall leader and the wife as spiritual gateway and occasional leader in specific matters. Also, the previous studies led to understanding that God uses the family leadership structure to communicate his will to the family and calls on the husband-wife union to honor and support each other’s contributions to family leadership. He blesses those that do.
Previous Studies in the Series
The series began with the Shunammite couple to illustrate the family leadership structure and benefits of honor and support for family leadership. The Shunammite woman honored her husband as overall leader and the husband honored her as spiritual gateway and leader in specific matters. The couple was blessed abundantly.
The next study in the series led to understanding the family leadership structure through the creation account of Adam and Eve. God created marriage to combine a man and woman to form a union of seamless complements, adequate for the mission of representing him among all creation. He created man for the mission but found him inadequate. Then he created woman as comparable companion and helper from within.
The next four studies in the series discuss the Abraham-Sarah union. First, the call of Abraham-Sarah led to understanding that God uses the family leadership structure to communicate his will to the family. Because he called Abraham-Sarah to a mission by speaking to Abraham, we surmised that he relied on Abraham’s leadership of the union and seamless communication with Sarah to ensure that Abraham-Sarah shared the information and commitments seamlessly.
Second, Abraham-Sarah interactions with maidservant Hagar illustrate defeating an external aggression by working together in honor and support of family leadership. In the example, Abraham-Sarah sought to have the child of promise through Hagar, she attempted to disrupt the union by despising Sarah, and the couple dug deep into the strength of their union to defeat the attempt. Third, God’s interactions with Abraham regarding the covenant led to understanding that his promise for a husband or wife is a promise for the husband-wife union that will be fulfilled for them as one. Fourth, Abraham-Sarah interactions regarding the separation of Ishmael from Isaac provide four lessons of individual responsibility regarding family leadership: honor and support for family leadership, conflict resolution strategy, quick and permanent resolution of a potentially dividing husband-wife disagreement, and selective development of family opportunities.
Current Study in the Series
The current study discusses the Isaac-Rebekah union to understand their management of family leadership. The study begins by recognizing that the Isaac-Rebekah union was characterized by enduring love. Also, the union honored and supported Isaac’s overall leadership. However, Rebekah did not expect Isaac to honor or support her leadership of specific family affairs. For example, she was the custodian of key family information regarding the relationship between their children, recognized her husband’s authority to implement the relationship, but did not expect him to agree with her understanding of God’s message regarding the children.
The study will show that Rebekah managed her responsibilities in family leadership by bridging over potential disagreements with her husband. In one example, she took advantage of his failing eyesight to redirect him to bless their younger son Jacob for family inheritance. In a second example, she presented a concern she and her husband shared regarding marriage in order to convince him to relocate Jacob with their relatives in Paddan Aram. However, she did not present her other concern that Jacob needed protection from their older son Esau because Esau had threatened to kill him.
Enduring Love: Isaac-Rebekah Union
The evidence of enduring love in Isaac-Rebekah union comes from how they dealt with a long period of childlessness. They did not have a child for twenty years after marriage. We know this because Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah and sixty years old at the birth of Esau and Jacob: “and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean” [Genesis 25:20]. Also, from Genesis 25:24–26: “When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.”
During the twenty-year period of childless marriage, they did not seek alternative ways of having children. Instead, Isaac prayed for his wife regarding childlessness [Genesis 25:21]: “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.”
Custodian of Key Family Information
While pregnant, Rebekah consulted with God regarding the apparent unrest in her womb. God informed her that she was pregnant with twins, the twins will become two separate nations, and the older will serve the younger [Genesis 25:22–23]: “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.’”
The information conveys a message that the Isaac-Rebekah family inheritance would be routed through the younger of the twin children. This interpretation of the information became clear later when Isaac blessed Jacob to send him off to live with their extended family in Paddan Aram: “May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham” [Genesis 28:4].
Therefore, through God’s interaction with Rebekah regarding her pregnancy, she received information from God regarding the relationship between their younger and older sons and family inheritance. As the custodian of the information, she also had a responsibility to see that the relationship was established according to God’s instruction.
Management of Family Leadership
Rebekah honored and supported Isaac’s overall leadership but did not expect him to honor her occasional leadership of specific family affairs. Therefore, she relied on bridging over potential disputes with her husband in order to perform her leadership responsibilities. For example, she took advantage of his failing sight to redirect him to bless Jacob instead of Esau for the family inheritance. In another example, she presented a concern they shared regarding marriage in order to convince her husband to send Jacob away to protect him from Esau.
Bridging over Dispute to Bless Jacob for Family Inheritance
We discuss an example of Rebekah performing a family leadership responsibility by bridging over a potential dispute with her husband. When the time came for Isaac to bless one of their children to receive the family inheritance, he prepared to bless Esau. He instructed Esau to hunt for game and prepare for him his favorite meal. Rebekah, however, overheard the conversation [Genesis 27:6–9]: “Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, “Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.” Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.’”
She prepared Isaac’s favorite meal and sent Jacob to deliver the meal. She disguised Jacob to present himself as Esau. The disguise took advantage of Isaac’s failing sight to make him mistake Jacob for Esau. The disguise was successful. Isaac blessed Jacob though he intended to bless Esau.
Rebekah took advantage of her husband’s failing sight to redirect him to bless Jacob instead of Esau, because she did not expect him to accept her message of God’s instruction that the family inheritance be routed through Jacob, the younger of the twin children.
Bridging over Dispute to Send Jacob Away to Protect Him
We discuss a second example of Rebekah performing a family leadership responsibility by bridging over a potential dispute with her husband. She presented to him a concern they shared, in order to steer him toward a decision that addressed several concerns including the concern they shared.
The events occurred when Rebekah became aware that their older son Esau was threatening to kill the younger son Jacob. She discussed the concern with Jacob to prepare his mind for relocation [Genesis 27:42–44]: “When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, ‘Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides.’”
She wanted Jacob to relocate but recognized that only Isaac had the authority to send Jacob away. Therefore, she presented to Isaac a concern they shared regarding marriage, and used the concern to convince him to send Jacob away [Genesis 27:46]: “Then Rebekah said to Isaac, ‘I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.’”
She made a case to Isaac regarding relocation of Jacob, based on the marriage concern she shared with Isaac. She, however, did not present to Isaac her other concern that Esau was threatening to kill Jacob. Isaac was convinced. He sent Jacob to their family relations in Paddan Aram [Genesis 28:1–4]: “So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: ‘Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.’”
Rebekah used the marriage concern to convince Isaac to send Jacob away, but did not present her other concern that Esau was planning to kill Jacob. This way, she bridged over a potential dispute with her husband, in order to perform her leadership responsibility regarding the relationship between their children.
Summary of What We Learned
Bible accounts of Isaac-Rebekah interactions provide a lesson on transparent husband-wife honor and support for family leadership. Rebekah honored and supported Isaac’s overall leadership but did not expect him to honor her occasional leadership of specific family affairs. Therefore, she relied on bridging over potential disputes to perform her family leadership responsibilities.
In one example, she took advantage of Isaac’s failing sight to redirect him to bless their younger son Jacob instead of older son Esau for family inheritance. In another example, she presented a concern they shared regarding marriage to convince Isaac to relocate Jacob but did not present her other concern that Esau was planning to kill Jacob.
Their interactions highlight the need for a husband-wife union to expect and receive honor and support for each other’s contribution to family leadership. The accounts provide additional evidence that God uses the family leadership structure to communicate his will to the family.