And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” [Genesis 25.23]
The fact that Rebekah asked the LORD what was going on with the "struggle" in her womb is our first clue that Rebekah had a sensitive spirit.
From the time the LORD told Rebekah she would have twins and that they would constantly struggle between themselves and one would serve the other, did it affect the way the treated the boys?
Esau's name sounds like the Hebrew word for hair. How did that help develop his little psychic? "Hey, Hair, come here!" He was indeed a hairy person, but to have his identity tied to it had to leave some sort of mark, right? I am guessing Esau was not too bright and it seems the Bible bears that out in his foolish decisions.
Likewise, Jacob's name basically means deceiver. "Hey, Deceiver, come here!" And what did it do to Jacob's identity when he began to realize what his name meant? Did it somehow help him to justify his actions toward Esau (and everyone else for that matter) over time?
What if Esau had been named something like Wisdom? What if Jacob had been named something like Truth?
The point is, although God indeed had plans for Jacob and Esau, I would think Isaac and Rebekah played a key role in helping shape their identities for God's plan to play out.
What does this say for the role parents play in the children's lives today?
Father, help us all,as parents, to understand that we work with You in the lives of our children.
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