WELCOME to WEEK 3 of MATRIARCHS!
Study God’s Word with us online! We created these resources to make it easy for you to join us online…AND to use in a small group.
Each lesson includes:
- Teaching video every Monday
- Short lesson provided as the content of the post
- In-depth downloadable PDF to deepen your study
ALL LESSONS ARE FREE AND YOU CAN MAKE AS MANY COPIES AS YOU’D LIKE!
Please be sure to email us and let us know if you’re doing a Bible study with your small group or at church!
Rebekah…
Grace for the Flawed, Blessings for the Barren
REBEKAH
If you can’t see this video in your reader, please click this link.
Please click on the IN-DEPTH STUDY (LEADERS’ GUIDE) PDF link, and the WORKSHEET FOR SMALL GROUP & DIGGING DEEPERWORKSHEET FOR SMALL GROUP & DIGGING DEEPER and the YouTube video link to study and hear details of Sarah’s story. It is a story that many women can relate to.
God has a habit of using the unlikely folks to bring about His purposes. Rebekah was barren and yet God told Isaac He would be the father of many. God brought Rebekah through barrenness to motherhood.
So what can we learn from Rebekah about mothering through barrenness?
1. In Barrenness We Must Draw Near to God
“And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Genesis 25:21
While Rebekah was barren Isaac, her husband, prayed for her. When we are experiencing barren times where do we turn?
2. Fruit from Barrenness Requires Wisdom
And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. Genesis 25:21-22
Much like Rebekah we often need wisdom to navigate the circumstances of life. When circumstances go awry and you do not know what to do next where do you seek wisdom?
3. Guard Against Favoritism
Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Genesis 25:28
It is all too easy to slip into favoritism especially when children are going through difficult stages or when your personalities rub each other wrong. What are some ways to guard against favoritism?
4. Our Children’s Choices Are Not Our Identity
When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis 26:34-35
While our children’s choices can break our hearts or bring us joy, planting our mothering identity in their choices is not wise. Where do you find your identity?
5. Resist the Urge to Manipulate
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebekah said to her son Jacob… Genesis 27:5-6a
Rebekah knew God’s plan for her sons and she decided to “help God” bring about the correct outcome. Moms it is so tempting to manipulate people and circumstances for what we think is best. What helps you resist this urge?
Studying Rebekah will challenge you to trust God, draw near to Him, and develop a strong relationship with your children. Are you ready to dig in with me?
Father help us to learn from Rebekah so that we can trust You more, cling to You for our identity, and be the moms You want us to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Don’t forget to download your FREE PDF IN-DEPTH STUDY (CLICK HERE to download it) and you can CLICK HERE to download your FREE PDF WORKSHEET… and dive deeper and discover more about this Matriarch who was the mother of nations and a mother in whom we can see so much of ourselves.
If this lesson has spoken to your heart… if God has used it, please be sure to leave a comment and please share on your social media outlets using the hashtag #MATRIARCHS
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
