Genesis 24:12-21 Leading Lady In the tales of the great men we call patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we find those all too human traits: pride, fear, jealousy, ambition; along with the kinds of characteristics we would expect, love, kindness, devotion, and sacrifice. And it is no less true of their wives, the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel. The Bible talks about the promise of God given to Abraham and continuing on through his son, Isaac and grandson, Jacob, and Jacob s sons, known as the children of Israel. The Holy Bible is a male-dominant book- we tend to exalt the patriarchs, but the wives were without doubt their equals, in both positive attributes and shortcomings. It is obvious the story could never have happened if not for the women. If we re talking about lineage and family, or telling the tale of a people, then we may justly honor our forefathers, but there is no society without female as well as male, and there are no descendants at all without the contributions of mothers. Though it may seem strange, the special circumstances of these wives- all three of them- their inability to conceive. But we should not see it as the failing of these women or some inherent weakness of the female sex, or a reason for the elevation of men over women. Rather, this single detail proves that God is intimately involved with these chosen couples, and at the right time, gives life and causes the promise to
continue; and this detail also demonstrates that the women were not mere baby machines, but real persons and participants in God s plan for the people of Israel. If these are God s chosen men, then just as truly these are God s chosen women, as well. And God s grace and glory are seen in these people as God works out his purposes for the world through them. The three become mothers only after a long, barren time- twenty years or more before they at last give birth. By this, maybe we are meant to understand- as a spiritual lesson- that all that time they just kept on, that despite moments of weakness and hurt, they were true to their husbands and faithful to God. And maybe we are meant to understand- as a moral lesson- that the husbands never gave up on their wives- Abraham and Jacob did sire children with other women, but we should see that as a cultural thing, and recognize that their love for their wives seems never to have faltered. Even the one patriarch we have the most doubts about, Isaac. The littlest patriarch, we might call him, less written about him, the least accomplished. His father talked to God and received God s promise; and his half-brother became the father of twelve sons, called princes in Genesis 25, and who themselves became fathers of nations. But Isaac is not known for his life of deeds, or for a people
called by his name. His story basically ends when his two sons are born- or at least, some years later when he passes on the blessing- so that it is Jacob, who becomes the father of Israel. Isaac is so feckless. so inept, that his wife is picked out for him by his daddy s butler. But Rebekah is another matter. Perhaps all we can know about Isaac is that he was a contemplative sort (24:63), and that he loved his wife and seems to have provided well for his family; while we may learn more than that about Rebekah in this one short passage, that she is humble and selfless, a diligent girl. And beautiful, we can t leave that outall three matriarchs are called beautiful; in ancient literature, beauty is a physical trait that often gives insight into character. Rebekah, we first meet her here, and maybe we would like to think in these few words we know everything we need to know about her: she helps a stranger who asks, and then even more- she goes the second mile and volunteers for hard labor, carrying bucket after bucket of water from well to watering trough to give ten camels water enough to fill them up. That might be as much as three or four hundred gallons. In the next few verses, she displays the confidence to speak for her father and to welcome the stranger to her home, along with his fellow travelers and the camels. She is strong, physically and emotionally, and later in the story, she
exhibits what we might call a sense of adventure, ready to go back with Abraham s servant to marry the unseen Isaac. Perhaps she sees this event in her life as God s call upon her, which means then, that her sense of adventure is really a willingness to yield her ways to God s purposes. For so many reasons we may perceive Isaac as a diminished patriarch, and for just as many we may praise Rebekah as a matriarch. I think she is the greatest one of them all. The scripture attributes more positive qualities to her than to the others: first, in our reading, and then later, after Abraham s servant had told the story of his quest to find a bride for Isaac, when her family asked, Will you go with this man? she said, I will go. It reminded me of young, virgin Mary, telling the angel, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be as you say. Two young women, alike, who see God s hand at work in the great and the little things of their lives. Isn t that a lesson for us? God at work in the ordinary times, like our daily chores- like Rebekah drawing water from the spring, and for us maybe just sharing meals with our families, or finding simple ways to live as good neighbors; and God with us in the extraordinary times, when the odd and fantastic things happen, which give us the opportunity to respond to God s often unspoken command, those times when we don t yet see the end result, but even so, can find
faith enough to trust in God s goodness and mercy; and find courage enough to share God s love with those in need. Here we see Rebekah, in this passage obeying the commandments before the commandments were ever given; doing acts of kindness and hospitality, that prove to us God s Spirit is with her already; caring for the thirsty and the hungry, and for the aliens who had come into her land. Here her actions conform to the teaching of Jesus, where she obeys the second great commandment he taught, to love her neighbor as she loves herself; and so, showing her faith in the God who loves, returning that love with all her heart and mind and strength. You know this, I m sure, you may know the reasoning behind it, that it is the custom in the opening credits of a movie that the biggest star is named first, or above the other actors, and then the next biggest, and so on. But if you have two movie stars of equal celebrity, then their names are generally shown on the screen at the same time, with the one name on the left and lower and the right-hand name placed higher. Since we read left to right and top to bottom, that practice gives them equal billing. I say this because I said last week that Rebekah and Isaac were co-stars- and I ve been trying to say that again this week about all the patriarchs
and matriarchs: that they were equal partners, and that they couldn t have done God s work without each other. Now, there are two important stories from Isaac s adult life, the one at the end of this chapter where he meets his bride, and so becomes the key male figure in place of Abraham; and then, when he gives his blessing to Jacob; these are things only the male could do in his time and culture. But in both stories, Rebekah is the prominent character, the leading lady. In the first, she is the strong, humble young woman who accepts the call of God and becomes the female agent of God s promise; and later, she is the wise mother (if you know the story, Genesis 27, we might more correctly call her duplicitous) able to make God s blessing and promise transfer to her favorite son. I m not sure the two tales match perfectly. We are probably happier with the first Rebekah. But then, scripture never lets any of us off easy, doesn t gloss over our flaws, not even for the heroes of scripture. God knows, and the Bible knows, that we are what we are; and through it all, God still moves forward his plans and purposes. And the best we can do is the best we can do: to keep on giving thanks, and trusting that God is near; to keep on loving one another, and giving our hearts to each other, to each person we meet, because in that other person we find God s
purposes for the world. It is the person next to you, and the person you see in the supermarket; it is that one who asks for a cool drink of water, or those seeking sanctuary; it is the voice of the poor crying out for justice. May we not ignore them; it is the commandment of God. It is God s call to us, and God s grace to them through us.