Right after I wrote yesterday’s devotional on the faith of Laban a thought occurred to me…
Rebekah had a lot of faith too.
It wasn’t my intention to ignore her in yesterday’s narrative. As a father though, my thoughts immediately went to Laban and his responsibilities.
But no one can deny Rebekah’s faith in this story.
In fact, a lot of it mirrors that of Abraham.
Like him, she had to leave her homeland and all of her family behind.
Like Abraham, she also had to believe that God was behind the entire story.
That’s a lot to take on faith, especially when you’re talking about a 24-hour turnaround. The speed with which Rebekah was willing to travel back with the servant is remarkable. They asked her if she was willing to go, she said yes, and they were gone the next morning.
You also don’t see any hesitation on her part. Even though her parents plead for ten more days with their daughter (Genesis 24:55), she never seems to waver. She made her decision to marry Isaac — a man she had never even met before.
I also wonder if the servant had told Rebekah about the blessings from God for Abraham, and by proxy, Isaac. If so, she must have also had faith in the life that God was planning for not only Isaac but also herself.
After all, the claim that Abraham would be a great nation had to include a daughter-in-law, since Isaac was the (only) son of promise.
The parting blessing from Rebekah’s parents illustrate this: “Our sister, may you become thousands upon ten thousands. May your offspring possess the city gates of their enemies.”
They prayed for two things for Rebekah. First, that her descendants would be numerous. Second, that they would always prevail over their enemies.
Those are strikingly similar to the blessings Abraham was given. In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham that He would “bless those who bless you” and “curse those who curse you,” which demonstrates victory over his enemies.
Later, in Genesis 15:5, God tells Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.
I can’t prove it obviously, but I believe that Rebekah had a good idea of the life that lay in front of her, provided she had the courage to open the door and walk towards God.
Do we?