God put it on my heart to look at 25 couples in the bible and see what they brought to their marriage. The good the bad and the ugly. There’s so much we can learn and take from them and I’m so excited to share. We already looked at three couples so far. Boaz and Ruth, Zechariah and Elizabeth and Aquila and Priscilla. Today we’ll look at the qualities Isaac and Rebekah brought as husbands and wife into their marriage.
When you look at how Isaac and Rebekah ended up together you can’t help but see the sovereignty of God all over their union and relationship. Abraham, Issac’s father asked his servant to promise him that he would find a wife for his son Isaac from his country and his kindred. Abraham in the process told his servant how to recognize the wife for his son through a process. His servant was obedient to his promise and traveled to Abraham’s country and began to pray to the lord about having success in finding a wife for Issac. Before the servant had finished speaking in the middle of his prayer behold, Rebekah, a kindred of Abraham appeared in the manner that Abraham had mentioned and Rebekah willingness to go back with Abraham’s servant clearly shows the sovereignty of God on this future marriage union.
Genesis 24:10-16:10-Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’ – let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known.
Isaiah 65:24-Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
This was the first sign of God approving their marriage. Now lets take a step into their story.
Isaac and Rebekah first encounter with one another is like one from the movie scene set up like love at first sight. Isaac had recently lost his mother and was probably still grieving her loss. He’s in a field praying and looks up and see a camel approaching at the same time Rebekah’s approaching on that camel. Rebekah looks up and see Isaac and gets off the camel and asks about the man approaching them in the field. From a physical stand point and first impression Isaac had to be impressed with Rebekah’s beauty. The bible says she was beautiful and a virgin. After this encounter that Isaac and Rebekah had the bible says Isaac took Rebekah as his wife and he loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 24:62-67 62- Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
I just want to sit here for a minute. Now at this time Isaac was a 40-year-old man who just lost his mother and wasn’t married. He was out in a field meditating probably grieving and praying to God for comfort and then in the middle of that Rebekah shows up. Wow how amazing is our God. Why do I say that? Because the bible says after he married Rebekah and took her as his wife he was comforted. We don’t know this or not because the bible doesn’t specifically say but could Isaac have been praying for a wife or comfort? Could this have been possible and God then responding while he’s in the midst of his prayer and answering it?
I believe through what I’ve read Isaac was a man who wasn’t afraid to go before the Lord in prayer and was a man attentive to his wife and her needs.
1. We know that he was out in the field meditating(praying)before Rebekah arrived. It’s also probably safe to say that for the first 20 years of his marriage he probably witnessed the hurt, pain and resentment Rebekah might have had by not being able to conceive a child. Isaac probably tried to console her and encourage her in many ways during those 20 years but knew the only true power that could change this was prayer. The bible says Isaac prayed for his wife and God answered his prayers on her behalf.
Genesis 25: 21- And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Here’s the thing that’s even more exciting. God not only answered his prayer but gave her a double blessing twins.
2. Isaac was not only a man of prayer he also showed his love for his wife by praying for her needs/desires and Gods will for her life.
Isaac had a direct relationship with the Lord and so did Rebekah and we can say that because as her children struggled within her she acquired of the Lord and he responded.
Genesis 25: 22-23 22- The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” 2 So she went to inquire of the Lord.
23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
Jeremiah 33:’Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
3. Rebekah fostered her own relationship with the Lord and prayed to the Lord and he responded.
Isaac in fear after being asked about Rebekah passed her off just like his father Abraham did with Sarah as his sister instead of his wife to Abimelech because of her physical beauty thinking that he would be killed. So many things could have gone wrong with that but it appears Rebekah trusted Isaac or was willing to follow his lead because she went along with it.
Genesis 26: 1-9- 1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.
When I think about that a little further could it have been because of her witnessing the relationship Isaac had with the Lord and his obedience to the Lord along with his prayer life knowing that he would be led by the Lord in his decisions so that made it easier for her to follow along. I love the fact that even under their circumstances they still showed affection for one another which led Abimelech to question their relationship. God like he promised blessed Isaac abundantly during this time.
4. Rebekah trusted God and Isaac
5. Isaac and Rebekah had moments of laughter/affection with one another I believe also in private like here in public.
Genesis 26: 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. (Hebrew for laughing with-may suggest an intimate relationship)
Now I know someone is probably thinking or want to say hold up. Didn’t Rebekah assist in deceiving Isaac with Jacob. Yes you’re correct and not off base with that. I looked into that and here’s something to consider in regards to that. 1. God had already from the beginning informed Rebekah that the older one would serve the younger one.
Genesis 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
Some assume that Rebekah was used to fulfill the plan of our sovereign God. I’m not saying this is or isn’t 100% the case but we do know that know one can change our sovereign Gods plan and that according to scripture that Rebekah also favored Jacob.
Genesis 25:27- When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Could the reason Rebekah loved Jacob more because he had a sensitive side or was more like her and she was trying to protect him from his insecurities or could there have been other reasons besides his quiet spirit?
We can tell from scripture that Esau at the age of 40 (ironically at the same age his father got married) married two Hittite women that made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah his mother.
Genesis 26:34- When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and they made life bitter 6 for Isaac and Rebekah.
How much grief did Rebekah suffer from or felt like she received from her Esau?
Genesis 27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. 4 If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
These last words from Rebekah won’t be fulfilled because Isaac sends Jacob off and he doesn’t marry a Hittite woman but instead marries a woman from his families clan.
8 CHARACTERISTICS OF ISAAC
1. Isaac had a personal relationship with the Lord
2. Isaac had a prayer life
3. Isaac loved his wife
4. Isaac was emotionally connected to and physically attracted to his wife.
5. Isaac shows he was emotionally connected to his wife by caring enough to pray for her
6. Isaac more than not trusted the Lord
7. Isaac loved God and was obedient to him and his wife witnessed it.
8. Isaac listen to the grief in his wife’s last words mention in scripture and took action.
Genesis 27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. 4 If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?
Genesis 28: 1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
8 CHARACTERISTICS OF REBEKAH
1 Rebekah was gracious/displayed at the well
Genesis 24:16-20 She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
2. Rebekah respected Isaac
3. Rebekah loved Isaac
4. Rebekah had her own personal relationship with God
5. Rebekah had a prayer life
6. Rebekah trusted Isaac
7. Rebekah shared her heart and was vulnerable with Isaac
8. Rebekah laughed with and showed affection towards Isaac
McSellers Thought Of The Day 