Rebekah? Who Are Her People?

Rebekah? Who are her people?

Genesis 24, our Old Testament reading for July 3: Proper 9, is the story of Abraham sending his servant back to the old country to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant is not named, but tradition calls him Eliezer of Damascus (Genesis 15:2). It’s a delightful story in which we watch God’s plan of salvation for Israel unfold as the servant encounters Rebekah, granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. She and Isaac would have been, what, first cousins once removed?

After meeting Rebekah at the well, Abraham’s servant goes home with her and is welcomed by Bethuel her father and her brother Laban, who consent for Rebekah to go. Given the choice of now or later, Rebekah consents to go now with the servant as he leaves to return to the house of Abraham. Rebekah and Isaac become husband and wife. 

As the saga unfolds in later chapters, the children of the union are the twins Esau and Jacob, with their fraternal jealousy and bickering, stirred by parental favorites; with Isaac’s naive dotage, Rebekah’s shrewd conniving, and Jacob’s scheming, covetous greed. In due course, we shall hear more of Rebekah’s brother Laban, who proves as cunning as his sister, and almost as sneaky as Jacob whom God later renames Israel. For all her shameless duping of husband and betrayal of first son, the beautiful Rebekah is destined to become the mother of Israel.

Who are her people? Whoever or whatever they are, it seems to run in the family. 

Genesis 24: enjoy the story.

Tom+  

Painting. Rebekah at the Well. Michael Deas, USA, c.a. 1997