From the IMTU News File:
Expectant parents are lining up and paying big for the latest fad in baby-land. The FutureView Ultrasound combines the finest in ultrasound technology with advanced genetic analysis and psychological prognostication to give the parents prenatal information far beyond the usual “It’s a Boy!” or “It’s a Girl!”. Imagine sending out birth announcements like, “It’s a Boy and a Research Chemist!” or “She’s Here! She’ll be very popular and grow up to have a stunning career in finance!” You can know all this and more with FutureView, which not only tells you the gender of the in utero child, but also personality traits and future successes.
Pretty exciting, huh?! IMTU, by the way, stands for I made this up. Of course it’s impossible to have that kind of future knowledge about your babies. Unless of course, God tells you like He told Rebekah:
Genesis 25:24-25 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.
But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb;
And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger.”When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
So from the very beginning, Rebekah knew that her younger son was going to be special. He was to be the leader. He was to succeed. She must have been delighted to find that the son who was to be so favored was also the one who took after her.
Genesis 25:27-28 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.
Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I don’t know about you, but I find it much easier to relate to and delight in those of my children who share my interests. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my boys. Each one of them is loved and cherished. Each one is a precious gift from God. But for the sake of the post and for complete honesty, I’ll admit I have to watch out for favoritism. I don’t love any kid more than the other… But I could very easily favor my music boy. Andrew is so much like me, only a souped up version! He loves all things music. He’s very intense and passionate. I can totally relate to his interests and I can easily empathize with his struggles. I see me in him. Daniel is a wonderful kid, but I don’t share all of his interests. I can’t spend hours debating the relative merits of different light saber designs. The nitty-gritty details of Civil War battles or chess strategy make my eyes roll back in my head. (I try very hard to hide my disinterest, by the way) To my knowledge, I don’t play favorites…But I could see how it could happen. Before I even had children my mother taught me that how well my kids got along would depend in large measure on my parenting. (no pressure!) When I notice an increase in hostility between the brothers, I check my own behavior. Nothing creates sibling problems faster than favoritism. Rebekah had her favorite son, and Isaac had his. Hmmm. That couldn’t have been good for their marital relationship, either. It’s never good when parents disagree about how to raise the children, and you can’t agree when you’re both playing favorites.
So the years went by, and Esau and Jacob grew to manhood. The time came for the blessing… We all know what happened.
Genesis 27:1-13 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”
Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.
“Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ “Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you.
“Go now to the flock and bring me two choice young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves. “Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.
“Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”
Now I have heard sermons about Rebekah, and read commentaries about Rebekah… Most of them give her favoritism for Jacob as the motive for this base deception. I disagree. I base my authority for my disagreement on one simple fact. I’m a woman. I know how women are. Although her favoritism didn’t help the situation, I think Rebekah had another reason for her behavior. She knew what was supposed to happen. She knew God’s plan. I can see her now shaking her head and muttering to herself as she cooked the meal…”Oh yes. I see how it is. He’s going to give the blessing to Esau. He’s so blind about that boy! Esau?! The one who would sell his birthright for stew!! And Isaac knows what God said. I told him over and over again but he doesn’t listen to a word I say. God said Jacob would rule! Who does that man think he is to disobey the word of God…” Can’t you hear her?
Rebekah definitely knew what God had said about Jacob and Esau. God had spoken directly to her when these boys were in her womb. That’s not the kind of the thing you forget! (We’re talking a two-page spread in the scrapbook here!) She knew what her husband should do. Have you ever thought you knew what God wanted your husband to do? Did you try to make him do it? Anytime we resort to deception, or even just “a little manipulation”, to get our husbands to do what we think they should do, we are acting something like Rebekah. And like Rebekah, we will no doubt reap painful rewards of our meddling - even if our schemes succeed. Rebekah’s subterfuge worked. Jacob received the blessing. But as a result, Esau was enraged against his brother and Jacob had to leave. Rebekah did not live to see her beloved son again. And I don’t imagine Isaac was all that thrilled with her, do you? Rebekah said that the curse for the deceit would fall on her…I think we can safely say that it did. Although the consequences of our nagging or meddling might not be so severe, at the very least we are denied the blessing of watching God handle the situation in His perfect way. We might get our own way, at the cost of His way. And His way is always better.
I know what I’ve been told to do when my husband isn’t doing what I think God wants him to. I’ll be honest, it’s a lot easier to type it than to live it… But I know it’s the right way. And I know Rebekah would have been so much happier if she had followed these words of wisdom:
Hands Off. Mouth Closed. Pray Like Crazy
this is the third in a series looking at Mother of Boys in the Bible