Genesis 27:6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth.
This passage of scripture teaches us very important lessons from the sins of Rebekah, which are recorded for the benefit of all generations of the righteous, and those who are not directly affiliated with God. In the above instance, Rebekah decided to resort to stratagem and fraud, in order to bring God's stated will to pass, but in doing so she committed a number of serious sins, which as always, had a cascading effect on everyone involved. Her first sin was to go behind Isaac's back to work against his will. Now Isaac himself had manifested stubbornness in purposing to bless Esau with the birthright, after God had specifically said it was to go to Jacob. However, Isaac's stubbornness was not a pretext for his wife to now practice fraud, and involve their son Jacob in deceiving his father, for this course of action could never bear the stamp of God's approval.
Parents should never teach their children by example to practice deception for any reason, for the children will most likely take the practice to the next level. Furthermore, what goes around comes around, and thus the deception that was practiced by Laban, in deceiving Jacob into marrying Leah, was just the natural result of the sins committed by Jacob much earlier. The Bible teaches us that however we desire to be treated by others, we should treat them in like manner, and this is exactly what took place with Jacob. Let's read:
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
What Rebekah should have done in this tricky situation with Isaac's stubbornness, is that she should have waited on God to fulfill his word in His own time and way, but never should she have worked at cross purposes with her husband, who was the head of the home. When there is disagreement between husband and wife as to the right course of action to pursue in a delicate matter, both should come together and humbly ask God for wisdom in moving forward. But even when there is no resolve, the wife should never take it upon herself to walk contrary to her husband, once sin on her part is not involved. In other words, let the chips fall where they may, but under all circumstances there should be cohesiveness in action, meaning that both parents should present a united front in the instruction and guidance of their children.
The other issue that arose from Rebekah's sins is that, because of the fraud practiced, she was now forced to act the part of a double agent, deceiving Isaac on the one hand, while pretending to be in unison with him on the other. These actions make for a very toxic atmosphere in the home, which satan usually uses to his advantage, by stirring up trouble and discontent that doesn't seem to go away. We could just imagine how Isaac would have felt if he ever discovered that his dear wife was the one instrumental in concocting such actions, even going so far as to cook and stew the food, according to his liking.
Honesty and openness should characterize all of our dealings with one another, and husbands and wives should have nothing to hide from each other. In other words, both should be an open book to each other, that can be read at random at any given moment, with no surprises or skeletons to be uncovered. A man's wife should be able to take up his cell phone and read every text message, email or tweet that was sent to him over a period of time, and vice versa, with no uneasiness or animosity, or even anger at supposed intrusion occurring. When an atmosphere of frankness and openness is cultivated in the marriage, it goes a long way in building trust and confidence in each other, qualities that are too often lacking in our day.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us God's ideal in the marriage relation, and as we learn these critical lessons from the sins of Rebekah, let us then make straight paths for our feet. Let's read:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!