Today’s post is from another guest blogger and my sweet friend, Leora Loftis. She discusses the impact of Rebekah in history and how she’s portrays a wonderful example of a woman of faith.

Living as a woman in America in 2019, there is a great amount of pressure to be so many different things. We are constantly assessing ourselves, and usually we do this by comparing ourselves to others. Am I as pretty as her? Will I ever weigh what she weighs? My home doesn’t look like hers. My car isn’t as new as hers. My career doesn’t stack up to her. I struggle with many of those myself if I’m being honest. However, as I am getting “older”, I strive daily to focus on the attributes that matter. When God calls me home, He doesn’t care what car is sitting in my drive, how many bedrooms there are in my home, how much money is in my bank account, or even what the scales read when I step on them each morning. What truly matters, is what is in my heart. Period. So as I think of the qualities I want to possess, those that I need to hone in on and strengthen, I am always taken back to the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman. I encourage you to go read those attributes if you haven’t recently, but just a refresher: trustworthy, ambitious, provider, supportive, care-taker, and servant are just a few. 

We are given several examples of Godly women in the Bible that I think exemplify these characteristics, and one of my personal favorites is Rebekah. Her story is a bit unclear pre-Isaac, but we know from Genesis 31 that her brother, Laban, worshiped idols. Some people speculate/assume that suggests maybe Rebekah did also. 

Sarah, Isaac’s mother is deceased, and Abraham decides that Isaac should marry. He asks his servant to go search for a suitable companion for his son. The servant goes, and before he begins his search, like any wise man, he stops to pray for the task at hand. He prays that the woman who will offer to water his camels be the one that God declares suitable for Isaac. Before he even says “Amen”, a beautiful girl appeared at the well with her water pitcher. The servant asks her for a drink, and she offered to draw water for his camels. Wow. Don’t we wish all prayers were answered that quickly! I don’t know how many camels the servant had with him that day, but I am sure that drawing water for thirsty camels is no simple task. This is the first trait of Rebekah that sticks out to me- she goes the extra mile. Doing more than what is expected of her. Beyond that, she invites him to stay at her parent’s home. 

The servant tells her about Isaac, and asks if she will return home with him to marry Isaac. She agrees. To me this implies an immense amount of courage, ambition, and faith. I know times are different now, but I don’t know that I would be courageous enough or faithful enough to travel to a foreign place to marry someone I didn’t know from “Isaac.” 

Isaac and Rebekah are married, and we read that she is able to comfort him in the wake of Sarah, his mother’ death. I am lucky enough to still have my mother-in-law, but I can only imagine that consoling my husband after the death of his mother is no simple or quick task. This suggests she is supportive and a care-taker. 

We know that she was barren, and Isaac prayed for her to bear a child. God answered their prayers and she became pregnant…..with twins! During her pregnancy, the two fetuses fight inside the womb, so much so that she prays and asks what is going on. God tells her in Genesis 25:23 that she has two nations inside of her, and that they will be divided. We will later see this come full circle. 

 Esau and Jacob were born, and were two very different men. We know from Genesis 25:28 that Rebekah was partial to Jacob, and Isaac was partial to Esau. Now Isaac was 60 when Rebekah gave birth to the twins, so by the time his sons were grown, he was getting a little “long in the tooth”. When Isaac was on his deathbed, Rebekah played a role in deceiving him to bless Jacob, her favorite son, instead of Esau, Isaac’s favorite son. Now I’m pretty sure I didn’t see the word “conniving” listed in the Proverbs 31 traits…but some suggest she was actually not hoodwinking Isaac, but rather assisting in a greater plan for God’s people. If that’s true or not, I can’t say, but part of me would like to believe that. Of all the traits the Rebekah exhibits, I don’t see her acting out of selfish gain. But hey, she was human. Maybe it’s that she thought Jacob was more suited to fulfill the role based on the reply God gave her when she was pregnant- that the older would serve the younger. Whatever the reasoning, it all worked out and played a role in the lineage of Jesus. Jacob married Leah and Rachel, and they bore seven of the leaders of Israel’s twelve tribes. 

Rebekah is “Berakah” in Hebrew which means “blessing.” I believe whole-heartedly that all things are influenced and set into motion by God, whether it makes sense to our humanly minds or not. I think that Rebekah was placed on earth to be a blessing and play a crucial role in the journey to Jesus’ birth. 

Rebekah was a servant, a daughter, a wife, a comforter, and a mother, who I believe exemplifies the traits of the Proverbs 31 woman. So the next time you feel the need to size yourself up against someone, don’t choose just anyone, look to someone who served Christ by serving others. That is where true beauty and happiness lie. 

God Bless! 

Thanks so much to Leora for her insight and thoughts about Rebekah being a Woman of Faith.  If you would like to read more from Leora check out her blog http://faithengineeredbychrist.simplesite.com/

Until next time