Isaac and Rebekah were positively a match made in Heaven. (Really! God actually arranged it personally.) Abraham’s servant may have had to travel 450 miles to find her, but Rebekah was a woman well worth the trip. From the first moment that we meet Rebekah in scripture we find her to be kind, strong and brave. The first time that she catches a glimpse of her betrothed, he is in a field meditating. They were a perfect fit. The Bible does not often explicitly say that a husband loved his wife, but of Isaac, it says that he loved her right from the start (Genesis 24:67).

Just when we think that their romance was headed straight for the Hallmark channel, real life set in. Rebekah was barren. To be barren in that time and place was beyond a tragedy. It was a disgrace. It must have also been very confusing to Isaac who knew that it was through him that the great nation that his father had been promised by God would come about.

Isaac and Rebekah had a long list of mistakes to choose from when confronted with this challenge, but to their credit, they did exactly the right thing- they prayed. One of the most romantic scenes in scripture is found in Genesis 25:21. It says that Isaac “pleaded” with the Lord for his wife. In my mind I can’t help but imagine Rebekah’s eyes welling with tears of gratefulness as she watched her husband, alone in an empty field, passionately praying for her. His pleading to God on her behalf proved that he understood her, he cared about her deeply, he was not willing to replace her when she couldn’t give him what he needed. They were in this together.

Praying selfless prayers for our spouse is the greatest gift we can give them. It tells them, “we are a team”. “The things that are important to you are important to me.” “You aren’t alone.”

This pleading to God was not a one-time thing for our couple, it was 20 excruciatingly long years before Rebekah became pregnant. During that time, it would have been perfectly socially acceptable for Isaac to take another wife or a concubine. Rebekah could have even insisted that he do it, just as her mother- in-law had done. They chose to trust God and keep praying instead and God honored them doubly. Rebekah became pregnant with twins! What an inspiration for you and I.

(For those who have missed any of the previous lessons, you can go to http://www.comethirstyministry.com/blog/ and view all previous postings.)

Week Five

Day 1: Genesis 24:29-67 Rebekah

Day 2: Genesis 25:1-18 Ketura

Day 3: Genesis 25:19-34 Rebekah

Day 4: Genesis 26:1-35 Rebekah

Day 5: Genesis 27:1-29 Rebekah