“The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” — Genesis 25:23 NIV
Every child released into this world has a prophecy upon him(or her) to fulfil in the mind of God. Sometimes, even the parents don’t know it. Other times, the parents (godly ones) know, and through that, specific names are given to the children to serve as a daily remembrance of that Word of prophecy.
That was what the people of God in the Old Testament were doing. They named children based on the prophecies on their lives. Jacob and Esau’s story wasn’t that different. When Rebekah, their mother, was pregnant, these twins jostled in her womb.
I see Rebekah as a wise woman because when this happened, she didn’t go to her husband to tell him. She went straight to inquire of the Lord. Based on what God told her, she knew right from the onset that the elder would serve the younger. So even as the children grew, she loved Jacob (the younger) more than Esau (the elder).
When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.
Genesis 25:24 NIV
The verse above clearly shows clearly that Rebekah never told her husband about the prophecies of these children’s lives after praying about her children. Both had their favourites for their reasons. But Rebekah’s reason for loving Jacob more was solid and spiritual, unlike Isaac’s own, who loved Esau because of bushmeat.
Because of that prophecy Rebekah received during pregnancy, she helped Jacob secure the firstborn blessings of Isaac. But even before receiving the firstborn blessings from his father, I suppose Rebekah also educated Jacob that fathers, since time immemorial, usually bless their firstborns before they die. And because of that, he had to devise a way to steal Esau’s birthright, which he did through food (Genesis 25:29-34).
Rebekah knew how to keep the prophecies upon her children, particularly Jacob’s, even without the knowledge of her husband. That doesn’t mean she was a bad wife. No! She was rather wise because if that Word hadn’t been kept private, things wouldn’t have gone well in the family the way God wanted it.
How many people, especially women, learn to keep God’s Word upon themselves and anybody that concerns them. Yes, it’s good to communicate with people about these things. But please, keep God’s covenant with you private or disclose it to very few trusted people. So that in that way, you’ll wage good warfare towards its fulfilment. Trust God.
You’re a blessing.
Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 136
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