Thoughts on Rebekah and Jacob

[Rachel Rachel]

We often hear such negative things about Rebekah - about how she persuaded Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing. But Jehovah told Rebekah that Jacob was to rule over Esau. (Genesis 25:23.) I think she was actually being obedient to God, or at least believed that she was.

Also, people say that Jacob built his flocks of sheep and goats by dishonest means but I disagree. He used a brilliant method of breeding to get the desired lambs for himself and Jehovah obviously had no problem with what he did, in fact he blessed it. (Genesis 31).

Anyway... just where my thoughts are this morning.

 

[Danielwright2311]

We often hear such negative things about Rebekah - about how she persuaded Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing. But Jehovah told Rebekah that Jacob was to rule over Esau. (Genesis 25:23.) I think she was actually being obedient to God, or at least believed that she was.

Also, people say that Jacob built his flocks of sheep and goats by dishonest means but I disagree. He used a brilliant method of breeding to get the desired lambs for himself and Jehovah obviously had no problem with what he did, in fact he blessed it. (Genesis 31).

Anyway... just where my thoughts are this morning.

Its not that she thought she was doing Gods work, but its the other way around.

God was doing his work in her.

 

[StrivingFollower]

Yeah i always thought she was guided by God. Isaac made the choice between the two flawed sons too superficially, and Rebekah knew his error. God chose her to be Isaac's girl for a reason. I actually love that chapter. It's kind of a lesson on sticking with the right decision even when it feels so dangerous and wrong.

 

[visionary]

Yeah i always thought she was guided by God. Isaac made the choice between the two flawed sons too superficially, and Rebekah knew his error. God chose her to be Isaac's girl for a reason. I actually love that chapter. It's kind of a lesson on sticking with the right decision even when it feels so dangerous and wrong.

Doing what is right, sometimes involves overriding the decisionmaker. Abigail did that when her husband made the wrong decision.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

We often hear such negative things about Rebekah - about how she persuaded Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing. But Jehovah told Rebekah that Jacob was to rule over Esau. (Genesis 25:23.) I think she was actually being obedient to God, or at least believed that she was.

Also, people say that Jacob built his flocks of sheep and goats by dishonest means but I disagree. He used a brilliant method of breeding to get the desired lambs for himself and Jehovah obviously had no problem with what he did, in fact he blessed it. (Genesis 31).

Anyway... just where my thoughts are this morning.

Lot's of great stuff in this story. But the main point is that the 'he-goats' that bred the ewes were actually speckled and ringstraked, even though Jacob thought he had separated them out. I'm guessing that the 'rods' that he peeled was actually Esau's idea. It actually stood as a deception as it likely had no effect on the outcome of the breeding.

 

[Rachel Rachel]

Lot's of great stuff in this story. But the main point is that the 'he-goats' that bred the ewes were actually speckled and ringstraked, even though Jacob thought he had separated them out. I'm guessing that the 'rods' that he peeled was actually Esau's idea. It actually stood as a deception as it likely had no effect on the outcome of the breeding.

I think Jacob was just penning the ewes so as to get the desired speckled, ringstreaked and grizzled lambs he wanted. I don't see any deception, myself.

 

[mark kennedy]

We often hear such negative things about Rebekah - about how she persuaded Jacob to trick Isaac into giving him Esau's blessing. But Jehovah told Rebekah that Jacob was to rule over Esau. (Genesis 25:23.) I think she was actually being obedient to God, or at least believed that she was.

Also, people say that Jacob built his flocks of sheep and goats by dishonest means but I disagree. He used a brilliant method of breeding to get the desired lambs for himself and Jehovah obviously had no problem with what he did, in fact he blessed it. (Genesis 31).

Anyway... just where my thoughts are this morning.

Rebekah didn't like Esau's choice of a spouse, she wanted nothing to do with that woman. They became the Edomites and while Jacob and Esau worked things out the Edomites were a major problem for Israel.

“‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the Lord was there, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. (Ezekiel 35:10-11)
​

This might be an insight into why Rebekah didn't like her son's bride. During the time of Nehemiah the Israelites married women from the surrounding nations, they were forced to divorce them and send their wives and children away. They stood around in the rain as Ezra came to his decision, it sounds like a very painful moment in Israel's history. The Gentiles were never completely excluded from the covenant, Rahab and Ruth were both Gentile women and are actually in the genealogy of Jesus.

Care should be exercised to appreciate how Rebekah felt about this and why.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I think Jacob was just penning the ewes so as to get the desired speckled, ringstreaked and grizzled lambs he wanted. I don't see any deception, myself.

The deception was that Laban might have been led to believe the peeled rods had something to do with the outcome when in fact they didn't.

 

[mark kennedy]

The deception was that Laban might have been led to believe the peeled rods had something to do with the outcome when in fact they didn't.

Perhaps but I have always thought the battle of the tricksters is epic entertainment.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Perhaps but I have always thought the battle of the tricksters is epic entertainment.

Oh yeah.

 

[visionary]

I see God's hand in this speckled flock matter.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I see God's hand in this speckled flock matter.

God either prepared 'speckled' bucks that didn't show evidence of such or Jacob didn't examine the bucks thoroughly enough. All that was needed was the smallest patch of off-color hair somewhere on the animal to indicate a 'speckled' buck.

 

[Dave-W]

I'm guessing that the 'rods' that he peeled was actually Esau's idea.

I was not aware that Esau was anywhere near Jacob and Laban during that time.

 

[Dave-W]

God either prepared 'speckled' bucks that didn't show evidence of such or Jacob didn't examine the bucks thoroughly enough. All that was needed was the smallest patch of off-color hair somewhere on the animal to indicate a 'speckled' buck.

OR - God just speckled and striped them to bless Jacob.

 

[Dave-W]

This might be an insight into why Rebekah didn't like her son's bride. During the time of Nehemiah the Israelites married women from the surrounding nations, they were forced to divorce them and send their wives and children away.

That was more than a thousand years later.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I was not aware that Esau was anywhere near Jacob and Laban during that time.

Ya gotta be a deer hunter to understand what happened there. Jacob was not a deer hunter, Esau was.

 

[Dave-W]

Ya gotta be a deer hunter to understand what happened there. Jacob was not a deer hunter, Esau was.

Of course. But at that time Esau was also a Jacob hunter. He wanted to kill Jacob for "stealing" the blessing.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Of course. But at that time Esau was also a Jacob hunter. He wanted to kill Jacob for "stealing" the blessing.

Esau probably shared his knowledge of deer with Jacob some time before the split.

My brother often shared his knowledge of martial arts with me, although I never had any interest in pursuing it myself.