For twenty years Rebekah was barren. Isaac married her at forty and was sixty when the twins were born. Isaac “pleaded with the LORD for his wife,” and God answered. When the children struggled inside her, Rebekah asked, “If all is well, why am I like this?” and she did something wonderful: “she went to inquire of the LORD.” She took her confusion straight to God, and God spoke to her personally about her sons' future.
But a word from God can be mishandled. As the boys grew, “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” Each parent had a favorite. A home divided by favoritism is fertile ground for deception, and that is exactly what grew in Isaac's tent.
In Genesis 27 Rebekah overheard Isaac planning to bless Esau. Instead of praying, she planned. She cooked the savory food, dressed Jacob in Esau's clothes, and covered his hands and neck with goat skins. When Jacob feared a curse, she said, “Let your curse be on me, my son.” She was sure of God's promise, but she did not trust God to keep it His way.
The plan worked, and it cost her dearly. Esau planned to kill Jacob, and Rebekah said, “Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” She sent Jacob to her brother Laban for “a few days.” The few days became twenty years. As far as Scripture tells us, Rebekah never saw her favorite son again. Her death is not even recorded — only that she was buried in the cave of Machpelah, where Jacob later said, “there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife.”
Rebekah's life holds a beautiful beginning and a painful lesson. The woman who once said, “I will go,” later took matters into her own hands. God still fulfilled His promise through Jacob, but not because of her scheme. God's purposes are carried out by His grace and power, not by our manipulation. Romans 9 points to this very story to show that God's choice rests on His calling, not on human works.