Do yourself a favour and find Rebekah. She has insider information. You need her.
Rebekah, oh Rebekah, what did you do? You plotted to have your old and blind husband, Isaac, bless your beloved son, Jacob, by eavesdropping on his conversation with his favourite son, Esau. You are a conniving deceiver. Deceivers will not inherit God's kingdom. Or so we think.
So what led up to this event? Let’s retrace our steps.
The first time Isaac laid eyes on his bride, Rebekah, he didn’t think twice. He took her, loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. It takes me back to our wedding day. The moment our pastor blessed us, exchanged vows, and we were outside taking photos, I began to cry. What made me cry is a mystery to me. Maybe something psychological was happening at that moment.
Rebekah, the barren one, soon found out she was expecting twins—a miracle indeed. When the first twin emerged, he was red and covered with hair. They named him Esau. The second twin emerged, grabbing at his brother's heels. They named him Jacob.
Another interesting event occurred before their birth. While Rebekah was pregnant, the Lord spoke to her. The prophetic word focused heavily on how Esau the older would serve Jacob the younger.
Isaac, the firstborn son.
Isaac loved Esau, his firstborn son. Esau was Isaac’s pride. Esau was a skilled hunter, a man of the field. He was the entrepreneur type. Modern man. Out there in corporate South Africa, cutting deals and sitting on the boards of the top companies.
This was not unusual, because in prior traditional and conservative societies, the firstborn son received all the attention, especially if he was a son. Being the firstborn son was a privileged position. The firstborn son inherited 75% of the family’s wealth. The remaining children divided the remaining wealth among themselves.
Jacob, on the other hand, was Mummy’s boy. He was quiet and lived close to home. His mother loved him.
As Isaac aged, the time came for him to bless his sons. The blessing was a powerful word spoken over the sons that would set and determine the trajectory of their lives. Isaac called Esau and gave him instructions to prepare a delicious meat stew, after which Isaac would bless him.
Meanwhile, Rebekah eavesdropped on the conversation. All the while she had kept the word of the Lord close to her heart. She knew her younger son would get the blessing over her firstborn—a reversal indeed of expected tradition. This was the opportune time.
She quickly called Jacob, explained what had happened, and then gave him special instructions, much to Jacob's protests. Jacob got two young goats and gave them to his mother. His mother prepared a tasty meat stew. She then clothed Jacob in some of Esau's clothes, and covered part of his body with the skin of the young goats. She handed Jacob the dish, and he went in to see his father.
Initially, his father was perplexed about Jacob's identity, as he spoke in his own voice but had an Esau-like smell. On two occasions, Isaac questioned his son about his true identity as Esau. Nonetheless, Isaac ate the dish and blessed Jacob.
Who was behind the scheme that made it possible for Jacob to get the blessing before Esau? Rebekah.
The Bible is full of stories for days, man. As a voracious reader, I discovered that the Bible is my first truly enjoyable book. From beginning to end, I am engrossed in the stories and characters. My imagination runs wild while reading these stories. The Bible’s refusal to shy away from dodgy characters, who God nonetheless used or blessed, always surprises me.
If you identify as a moralist or a good Christian, Rebekah’s behaviour may not resonate with you. You won’t want to identify with people who lie to obtain a blessing. However, if you read this story through Jesus’ eyes, you will find this story meaningful as it illustrates how Jesus bestows blessings on broken and sinful individuals. Jesus works through our sin to work everything together for our good. And just like that, the moralist left the building.
The Bible's refusal to shy away from dodgy characters, who God nonetheless used or blessed, always surprises me.
If the Bible is all about Jesus and his finished work, then reading the story through Jesus’ lens allows you to see Jesus in every story. So here we go. Let’s put on our Jesus lens. Do you see what I see?
According to proper Bible hermeneutics, Isaac is God the father. The young goats and their skins symbolise Jesus and his finished work. Rebekah is anyone who points you to Jesus and to his finished work. Jacob as you and I.
Here’s why you need Rebekah.
The father’s blessing.
The father has a blessing you need—words that have the power to alter your life’s course irrevocably. We seek this blessing due to the wound our earthly fathers caused us.
Most of us grew up in homes where the father was either domineering or passive. A domineering father wanted you to earn his approval, and when you failed, he held you accountable. Alternatively, a father who is passive or absent is silent and never uses his voice to bless.
I recently asked a plumber who was working in our home if he had ever heard his father bless him—with words of affirmation. He said no. In fact, he and his father’s relationship is estranged. The plumber’s story is a microcosm of what happens in 99% of families. Very few have heard their fathers bless them.
We observe the same phenomenon in Isaac’s family. Isaac loved his firstborn son because Esau performed for him by cooking him his favourite meal. Jacob, on the other hand, was just a quiet kid. I am sure he wasn’t Isaac’s favourite.
Under the Old Covenant, Esau’s actions were justified. In order to get any of God’s blessings, you needed to obey all his laws and love your neighbour as yourself. Indeed, the Old Covenant required performance in order to receive blessings.
Rebekah played two roles.
Rebekah performed so that Isaac would bless Jacob. Rebekah eavesdropped on the conversation between Isaac and their eldest son and quickly ordered Jacob to get the goats so she could prepare the meal. She clothed him and then added some of the skins from the young goats to his clothing, anticipating that her husband, as was the custom of the Mediterraneans, would embrace and kiss his son’s neck.
Rebekah from start to finish did everything, and Jacob was blessed as a result. Rebekah's performance secured a blessing, and she even promised to bear Jacob’s curse. This is exactly what Jesus did for us. Jesus did everything for us. Jesus obeyed all of God’s laws on our behalf and also suffered punishment for our sins and secured the father’s blessing. This is the main message of the New Covenant.
Secondly, Rebekah plays the role of a ministry, friend, gospel preacher (by the way, not all who open the Bible preach the gospel), blogger, musician, colleague, boss, or sibling who points you to Jesus and his finished work. They remind you time and time again what Jesus did. They wrap you in Jesus’ finished work (the young goat's skin) and tell you to go to God for the one thing you need—the father’s blessing.
The focus of this newsletter is on Rebekah's second role.
Every day, through all available means such as social media, book recommendations, sermons, vlogs, podcasts, conversations around a coffee date, counselling, or advice, Rebekah applies Jesus’ finished work to you. That’s all she does. She reminds you again and again what Jesus did for you. Just as Naomi pointed Ruth to Boaz, a type of Jesus (I discussed in my previous newsletter), Rebekah also does the same. Rebekah knows what the heavenly father wants. She has inside information.
Modern-day Jacob and Esau.
I will issue a warning, just as I did with Naomi and her community. Rebekah is a rare find. A vast majority of our churches are led by Isaac and his acolyte, Esau. Jacob and Esau tell you to perform well in order to get the father’s blessing. They say this: you have to obey, tithe, be holy, serve, and submit; you need a spiritual covering, aka father; pray until something happens; these are the five steps to success; and only when you ‘do’ these things will the father bless you. And for sure, outwardly, Jacob and Esau look good. They seem to have it all together. But inside, they are empty and fearful. Their performance has exhausted them, and they fear discovery.
However, Rebekah sees beyond your sinful self and still directs you towards the one who is righteous. The one who doesn’t cover our sins but takes them all away. The one who makes us white as snow—just as if we never sinned.
Rebekah is a rare find.
When we accept what Jesus has done for us, the father wound heals. How? Jesus endured the most profound cosmic father wound in history. Jesus experienced this forsakenness so that you and I will have the father’s blessing. Because of Jesus, we, who are the lowest, weakest, overlooked, unworthy, and disqualified, now receive the father's blessing, just like Jacob did.
To bless you, your heavenly father only needs to smell the scent of his son on you. You may have the voice of Jacob (sinner) but you are covered in the young goat’s skin—Jesus’ finished work.
So, if I were you, I’d find myself a Rebekah. A worthy pursuit indeed. Go for it. Like Jacob, you will be comforted You will shed tears of joy upon discovering she has the one thing you've sought throughout your life—the father's blessing.
Go find your Rebekah. She has some insider info that she will whisper to you. She knows the father’s heart. Trust her.
That’s what grace looks like.