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Introduction
We learn a great deal from Isaac, Rebekah and the children. Their family life was an adventure covering several pages of the bible from Genesis till revelation. But surprisingly, Mrs Rebekah Isaac was omitted as a followable example of a matriarch amongst those listed in Hebrews 11. In this series, we shall make a trace of possible reasons why this may have been the case.
The Burden
The Isaacs had a covenant they must perpetuate to which bareness was an impediment. To say the least, the promises of God for Abraham centred on descendants and forthcoming generations. God would therefore not make any promise should He not desire to bless them with children. With this, perhaps, Isaac rose to the occasion of her wife’s bareness, entreating the Lord. He acted as a priest and mediated with God, bringing 20 years of bareness to an end.
The burden of securing a child(ren) by which the covenant of God to Abraham may be a reality was a ground for Him to go to God in prayers. Meanwhile, He was well acquainted with his parent’s long-stood delay in childbirth. Thus, his might have not been a surprise to him, but, maybe to Rebekah, who was somewhat new to the Abrahamic faith and this bedevilling fate.
They had this great burden and fuelled its reality in prayer. God heard them – Rebekah in her longing and Isaac in his mediation. Eventually, their hope deferred became a tree of life: life begat life.
A caveat to all lazy Christians like, who go idling about, thinking God has said it, it must surely come to pass. Yes, it will come to pass but not without the anticipator expressing his desire in prayer, lest a precious gift is taken for granted; lest God thinks He will be casting His pearls before a mindless pig and a careless dog. Prayer as it were, is a calling to, a burden, and a drive that stays us in His presence. How long has it been since when last Isaac had communion with God in prayer? We do not know. But this plea with God was so passionate and sincere that the Holy Spirit would not have the verse make a complete meeting unless mentioned. Pain is a pleasure when it points us to persistence in prayer.
The Birthing
As soon as Isaac gave prayed, he played his manly role and God sanctioned their union with twins, he was seemingly laid back. He was portrayed as relaxed. Rachael, as a remarkable learner, coming from an idolatrous background, seemed to be an avid learner, zealous about this Abrahamic covenant she has come to enjoy. She, therefore, took up the mantle and began to pray, as she had learned from her husband.
The babies in her womb gave her the disturbance of a lifetime. She would not have imagined such a turbulent conception. She wouldn’t have nursed the idea of such a fight and grabbing between babies in her womb. Therefore, as Isaac entreated the Lord on her behalf for her troubles, she went ahead and prayed to God on behalf of her children. Her prayer to God was “Why am I like this?” “As if the ache of 20 years’ barrenness was not bad enough, recovering from that I am in another painful time of pregnancy, not of childbirth yet. Lord, why is my case like this?” She must have mused and prayed.
We must at this junction learn from Rebekah, that a prayerful life, which prays for everything and about anything is the key to escaping the sorrows of life. The pains inflicted on her by the struggle between her children could have been taken for a normal ordeal, requiring mere medical attention, but rich and privileged as she was, she did not turn to her maid who was skilled in midwifery for medical consultation. She made God who gave her children her first point of call. That is enviable, coming from an idolatrous background.
So, as He always does, the Lord gave her utmost attention. He performed an x-ray on her belly and found two people struggling. Being able to see the future ahead of time, the Lord matched their current struggles to their future and foretold that they were nations who were going to be struggling for prominence. Their rivalry, which begins now, will outlast Rebekah and Isaac’s lifetime.
Like Mary, Rebekah hid these Lord’s saying in her heart, but she never interrogated God, asking, “How may these things be?” And never for once was it on record that she discussed this with her husband. Would this be a flaw? Let us explore further to see if answers could be provided to this question.
Incidentally, she gave birth to the twins with one grabbing the heel of the other. The older shall serve the younger. Jacob then came out, named according to that circumstance, Esau, according to his visage. Esau was a redline but Jacob would not mind crossing it and staying ahead. Rachael must have seen this and committed it to her heart. Truly, the word of God would be fulfilled. The younger shall surely out-power, out-pace, out-number and dominate the older. So, she swung into the action of helping God fulfil His mandate her way. She fouled the principle: God’s will, God’s way in God’s time. She seemed to have followed the rule: the end will justify the mean.
