I wrote my dissertation on a few chapters from the life of Jacob, in the book of Genesis. I’ve always been fascinated by this character, and he doesn’t seem to get the same attention that people like Abraham get.
One episode that stands out in his life comes in Genesis 27. Though I didn’t look at this passage directly in my dissertation, I certainly had to consider it closely. And it’s one that is a fun, challenging read. It involves a wife deceiving her blind husband in order to procure a blessing for her younger son instead of her older one. (The Bible is full of scandal!)
When reading this passage in a group setting, I hear from the more honest readers, “Why did Rebekah do that? She’s a terrible person!” Without hesitation, many readers are inclined to see her as a devious, despicable character. In a seemingly unprovoked action, she chooses one son, Jacob, over the other, Esau. And we all know parents are not supposed to have favorites (even though they do…let’s be honest).
Why does Rebekah do this? Is it totally arbitrary? I think that this is an example of why reading smaller episodes in light of the bigger narrative is important. Let me explain.
First, Genesis 25:28, two chapters earlier, says:
Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
So at least there the narrator makes explicit what we see later, in chapter 27: Rebekah loves Jacob (presumably more than Esau). I don’t have time to talk about “love” here, but I at least must mention that this statement doesn’t mean she hates her son Esau.
Second, a few verses earlier, in 25:21–23, Genesis tells a wonderful little story that doesn’t get enough attention:
Isaac prayed to Yahweh for his wife, since she was unable to have children. Yahweh was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
But the boys pushed against each other inside her, and she said, “If this is what it’s like, why did it happen to me?”
So she went to ask Yahweh. And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; two different people’s will emerge from your body. One people will be stronger than the other; the older will serve the younger.”
I love the moving description of the simple prayer Isaac prays for his wife, and how God responds. But what’s important for my point here is what follows. Rebekah goes by herself before Yahweh, and Yahweh speaks to her—and as far as the story tells us, to her alone. So Isaac doesn’t hear here what God says, and as far as readers know, he never hears this.
And what Rebekah hears is that the younger will rule the older. We soon see that though the boys are twins, one—Esau—emerges first, so he is technically the older. In other words, Rebekah now knows that Jacob is the one whom God has declared to be the superior one.
So back to Genesis 27. Why does Rebekah go to such lengths to secure the blessing for Jacob? Perhaps it’s not just because she’s a terrible person. Perhaps it’s because from her perspective, the blessing that God has said would come upon Jacob seems to be threatened. So she intervenes.
Of course, we could then ask whether that blessing was ever really in jeopardy, whether God really needed her assistance in this way. In fact, despite what happens in Genesis 27, it seems that both brothers end up being blessed by God, even though God has unique plans for the life of Jacob.