The Bible is not boring. No, really. While Jesus Christ is its subject and proves that He is the way, the truth, and the life, the Bible is full of character studies that benefit each and every one of us. We just need to read the Bible to see what is in store for us. Meanwhile, the Bible is not just about old men with beards. There are many lessons to be learned from young men, as well as young ladies. One such lady is Rebekah. She did good, and she did wrong. Here are a few examples.
Rebekah Is A Hard Worker
In Genesis Chapter 24, a servant of Abraham goes on a journey to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. Yes, the chapter details how God answers the servant’s prayer (Genesis 24:10, 12-14), but often overlooked in this true story is what Rebekah does to get water for the servant and his ten camels (Genesis 24:15-21).
“And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels” (Genesis 24:20 KJV).
Footnotes vary on this passage, but my KJV Study Bible Student Edition from Barbour states the following:
“A typical ancient well was a large, deep hole in the earth with steps leading down to the springwater. Each drawing of water required substantial effort. Camels can consume up to 25 gallons of water in 10 minutes, and the servant had ten camels with him. One more fact: A typical water jar held about three gallons of water. All of this together means Rebekah made many descents into the well. Her labors could have taken well over an hour.”
Talk about girl power. Even if this was an easy-access well, she didn’t give the camels that much water, and or her water jar was a different size, Rebekah was a hard worker with a servant’s heart.
Rebekah Has Courage
Near the end of Genesis Chapter 24, Rebekah agrees to marry Isaac. There’s just one problem. She did not know Isaac. In fact, she had never laid eyes on him, and to make matters more interesting, Rebekah had to leave her home and family to travel a long distance with a man (Isaac’s servant) she just met.
Ever gone soul winning with someone you did not know? Ever witnessed to someone you did not know? Remember, God wants us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we will encounter strangers and or “enemies.” All of them need Jesus. We all do. We just need to get out of our comfort zone and take it on faith that this is the Lord’s doing. Let Him direct us. Ask Him to protect us.
Rebekah Is A Deceiver
All of mankind is fallen. None of us are good (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23). Rebekah is just another reminder. Yes, she is a hard worker. She no doubt has courage. Still, Rebekah opted to deceive her husband. To make matters worse, she used her child to do the dirty work.
Because Rebekah did not like Esau’s wife (Genesis 26:34-35), Rebekah instructed Jacob to pretend to be Esau to get Isaac’s blessing (Genesis 27:6-35). For those not familiar with this story, Isaac was near death and it was customary for a father to bless his children before death. Traditionally, the oldest child or male would get the blessing. However, Jacob was the younger of Isaac’s sons. Because she did not want Esau to get Isaac’s blessings, Rebekah used her youngest son to deceive her husband.
Let us remember this and never betray our spouses. We made promises before God to love them and honor them in all seasons of life. Meanwhile, we should never, ever use our children to deceive or do anything else that is wrong. Think of the horrible lesson this must have taught Jacob. Imagine the awkwardness that ensued between Isaac and Rebekah following these events. Want to know how we can avoid uncomfortable situations? By never doing wrong. If we want to do right, we should ask God to help us. We should also ask Him to reveal things in His word that can benefit us along the way.
This is part one of a new series titled “Lessons from Bible Characters.”
