Rebecca’s Whisper
“Run! Don’t look back”, I whispered softly, squeezing my son to my bosom one last time. I watched him run into the inky night with nothing more than a satchel across his back as the sobs rocked my body. My beloved son.
As his figure disappeared into the shadows, my mind drifted back to where it all began; a cool, windy evening as the desert winds howled, and the orange sun dipped low in the sky lower in the sky. The bleating of the sheep rang out, blending into a chorus with another herd nearby. I led my father’s sheep to the well with my pitcher across my shoulder. It had been a hot day, and the sheep longed for a drink at the well.
That’s when I saw him, a traveler with tired eyes and a camel heavy with goods. His eyes lingered when he thought I wasn’t looking, and he muttered under his breath intermittently.
“Can I have some water for my camels?” He asked; his accent revealed he was from far away.
“I can draw some water for you and your camel,” I said. I served the man, his camel and then my sheep. “Who’s your father?” the man asked.
“My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah,” I answered, wondering at his questions, but my kindness overrode my curiosity. I knew how cold desert nights could get for a stranded stranger. “We can give you and your camels room to stay for the night.” The man suddenly bowed as though worshipping. He was my uncle- Abraham’s servant! The long-lost uncle was alive! I ran, leaving the sheep all the way home to break this wonderful news.
Soon, a party was thrown, and I shyly agreed to marry Isaac, Abraham’s son, who lived far away in Canaan.
A Promise and a Pain
I met my beloved husband – Isaac. He loved me deeply. But for years, my womb stayed empty. My husband prayed, and God answered, not with one child, but two. My pregnancy was difficult; the children struggled inside me. I asked the Lord, He said, “Two nations are in your womb… and the older will serve the younger.”
When my time came, Esau arrived first. He was red and wild; his body covered in hair. Jacob followed, grasping his brother’s heel.
I watched them grow, Esau was a hunter and lover of the thrills of the forest, a wild man and hunter, his red tinge had deepened, and hair sprang out from everywhere on his skin. He even got wives from those pagan Hittite tribes
Jacob, my gentle boy, preferred home. He helped in the tents, read from the scrolls, and played his harp softly in the evenings. From time to time, I remembered God’s promise to me about them.
The Choice That Broke Me
I was there when my husband, Isaac, called Esau and asked him to bring him food for the final blessing, and I sprang into action. How else would God’s promise come to pass if I let Esau get the blessing?
“Quick, Jacob! Get a lamb and slaughter it and make the hide into a coat; you must act like Esau and get your father’s blessings.” I screeched. “What if father knows and curses me?” Jacob had asked innocently, but my plan was already in motion.
Isaac could barely see, and I knew exactly how he liked his savory meat. The plan had worked smoothly; Jacob had received Esau’s blessing from their father through deceit.
While my first son’s voice thundered across the desert with threats, my other son’s footsteps receded in the harsh desert sand.
My Reflection
Rebecca’s story reminds me that parenting often means making choices in the tension between love, fear, and faith. She wasn’t perfect, and she parented from a place of fear and favoritism.
As parents and guardians, and leaders in any capacity, we must rely on God to guide us- because he has the blueprint. We must also lead from a place of fairness and not favour one child over the other.
