Rebekah got precisely what she wanted. Jacob received the blessing. God’s promise about “the older serving the younger” was fulfilled. All is good, yeah? No! Rebekah had the blessing for Jacob but ended up losing him. The following verses invite a question: What can I not afford to lose by trying to gain what has already been promised to me?
“Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (Genesis 27 v 41-46)
There are certain costs that God never intended for us to pay, but we paid them to get what we wanted. The problem for Rebekah that remains to this day is that the costs are never seen in advance. They are hidden by our desire for what we want.
After sending Jacob away to preserve his life, there is no record of her speaking with him again.
Jacob fled, and 20 years passed as he worked for Laban to earn Rachel and then Leah as his wives. There was a wonderful reunion with Esau, and he did meet his father before his death, but there is no mention of his mother. There is no more conversation or recorded meeting with Rebekah. It leads us to wonder if his mother ever saw her son again, especially if she died during those 20 years.
We grasp throughout our whole life instead of waiting to catch the blessings. In the grasping, we fail to catch.
Many win the argument and lose the relationship.
The promises of God over our lives don’t need our deceptions to secure them.
Leaders who fight so hard to be the leader end up losing the community they longed to lead.
I wonder if, given the chance, Rebekah would do things differently? I’m sure we would in our own situations if we could live our lives again.
The greatest call is to trust God to fulfil the blessing without our having to engineer it.
I know many who have won but have lost it all.
Missions Paul 