T.J. Wray: Issac and Rebekah - Both Strong Tricksters

As I am working my way through a mountain of books about the matriarchs of Genesis, I'm finding veins of gold about them that sheds a tremendous amount of light onto their stories. One writer, T. J. Wray, offers insight into the story of Isaac and Rebekah's.

Wray states that from the beginning of Rebekah's story till her end, she is portrayed as a major character. Rebekah is the only female character's who's birth is announced in the Old Testament, which signals that she will be a woman of prominence within the narrative. Her status as a powerful woman is demonstrated in her offering hospitality to Abraham's servant, her father/mother asking her opinion about whether she wants to leave and marry Isaac, and then her masterminding the scheme to get Jacob the birthrights and blessings from his father. Rebekah is portrayed as a woman who goes after what she wants, using "trickery" if she had too, and she usually got it.

So where does this leave the character of Isaac? Often, by this point in the story, Isaac is portrayed as old, blind, easily fooled by his wife and son, etc. Isaac was the patriarch of the family, and his wife (PS: she was a woman, they aren't supposed to be the stronger ones!) was controlling the family destiny. What?!?

Well, maybe that description is not actually accurate... Wray presents this interpretation of the story:

Isaac wasn't a stranger to trickery himself, such as when he tried to pass Rebekah off as his sister. Wray suggests that maybe Isaac was the orchestrator of the entire scheme in an effort to test the mettle of Jacob, to see how hard Jacob would work for the birth right. She basis this theory on after living with Rebekah, Isaac might actually know a thing or two about his wife. Wray mentions that Issac may have been no where near death's door, but he calls Esau to him to give him a "death bed" blessing. Hmm, knowing his wife's preference for Jacob, and her previous actions, what if Isaac made sure she over heard him talking to Esau so that she would then go tell Jacob? Thus, Isaac wouldn't have to be the one to give away the blessing of the first born to the second born, but rather the decision would be "taken out of his hands".

Wray concludes with saying, while this interpretation could be entirely false, it elevates the status of Isaac from a largely passive and weak role to a more prominent and strong role. This change in Isaac's role then elevates him to the same level of power and respect that is afforded to Rebekah. Thus, making him an "...appropriate mate for Rebekah. and lets face it: only a strong man... could handle likes of her".