Bad Girls of the Bible Rebekah the Manipulative

Bad Girls of the Bible Rebekah: the Manipulative Mother

Rebekah as an example of motherhood Favoritism (Gen. 25: 28): – Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau, without shame (25: 28) • Isaac did the same with Esau (25: 28) • She allowed her preference to direct her actions toward her family – Does God show favoritism with His children? • Acts 10: 34 -35 • Romans 2: 11 • 1 Peter 1: 17 – Should we? (James 2: 1 -4)

Rebekah as an example of motherhood Manipulation (Gen. 27: 6 -10): – Rebekah shamelessly manipulated her family to get what she wanted • Her husband (27: 10, 15) • Her son (27: 17) – How does God feel about manipulation? • Matthew 5: 37 – What are some ways that we use manipulation in our relationships with others?

Rebekah as an example of motherhood Deception (Gen. 27: 11 -17): – Rebekah deceived her husband, and led her son to lie to his father • She orchestrated this deception (27: 6 -7, 14 -15) • She and Jacob stole something very precious from Esau (27: 35 -36) – How does God feel about deceit? • • • Revelation 21: 8 Proverbs 6: 16 -19, 12: 22 Psalm 5: 6 – Are we being examples of honesty to those around us?

Consequences of rebekah’s actions Rebekah’s Immediate Family – Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau (25: 28) – Esau, furious at the favoritism, wanted to kill his brother (27: 41 -42) – Their family was fractured when Jacob was forced to flee (27: 43 -46) Rebekah’s Descendants – Jacob favored his son, Joseph, over his other children(29: 30, 37: 3 -4) – Joseph’s brothers were furious, and sought to kill their brother (37: 18) – Joseph was sold into slavery, fracturing their family and devastating Jacob (37: 12 -36)

rebekah’s Lessons for Us – Are we showing favoritism in our interactions with those around us? – How often do we resort to using manipulation to accomplish our goals? – How much a part of our dealings with others employ the use of deception? – How will our actions today affect our family, and affect the course of our family’s history?