![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rebekah-stamp.jpg?resize=140%2C142&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
When the twins fought within her womb, Rebekah asked, lamah zeh anochi<\/em> (\u201cWhy do I exist?\u201d), and then the LORD gave her the prophecy: ve\u2019rav ya\u2019avod tza\u2019ir<\/em> \u2013 \u201cthe older (or \u201cstronger) shall serve the younger\u201d (see Gen. 25:23). God had chosen one of her two children to become the heir of the covenantal promise, and she therefore may have thought it was her purpose or mission in life to help make that happen… However, Rebekah\u2019s elaborate scheme to trick her husband by exchanging the twins for the blessing was doomed from the outset, since God needed to open the blind eyes of Isaac to truly bless Jacob as the family heir (Gen. 28:1-4). Rebekah\u2019s mistake was that she thought it was her job to intervene, or to \u201chelp God\u201d by resorting to human intervention \u2013 somewhat like her mother-in-law Sarah earlier had sought to \u201chelp God\u201d by giving Hagar as a surrogate wife to Abraham to produce the heir. It is a difficult thing to let go and to trust that the Lord will take care of everything. Lamah zeh anochi<\/em> \u2013 Why do I exist, except to bear witness to God\u2019s providential plan and to trust in God\u2019s power to work all things together for good?<\/p>\n Such a plaintive question, lamah zeh anochi<\/em> \u2013 \u201cWhy do I exist?\u201d When she was young, Rebekah seemed strong, secure, and courageous. For example, after meeting Eliezer she unhesitatingly declared her willingness to leave all that she knew to go to a strange land and to marry an unknown man — all for the promise of an unseen good. Nevertheless Rebekah was tested. First, she (like Sarah) was barren and for 20 years ached for a child with Isaac. Second, her pregnancy was difficult and the Lord foretold her that though she would have twins, there would be an ongoing conflict between them that would trouble their lives. Third, after bearing the children, Rebekah\u2019s turmoil continued: her husband discounted her faith; her sons pathetically competed for the approval of their father; and she was torn to choose to stand with Jacob even if that jeopardized her relationship with both Esau and Isaac. And later, after the scheme to exchange Jacob for Esau was exposed, her worst fear was realized: she indeed lost both of her sons (Esau because of her betrayal, and Jacob after he fled to Mesopotamia). Struggle after struggle: lamah zeh anochi<\/em>? Why is this happening to me? Why did I deserve such a fate? Why, but to partake of the truth \u2013 to suffer for the sake of the deliverance of God\u2019s ultimate blessing for the world. Like Rebekah, we have an important part to play, though assuredly we will be tested and experience challenges along the way. Lameh zeh anochi<\/em>? To learn to trust God for all that happens in life…<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n