Welcome, Dorene J. Stamper!

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Written by Julia Simmons for GAGASAINTS, May, 2012

There once was a woman named Rebekah, who was at a well, getting water during Bible times. She had no idea she was an answer to prayers for the man near by. She offered to get him and his camels water. He was amazed at this virgin, who no man had known. Before she left, the same man approached her and asked her who she was, then put jewelry on her, met her brother, went to her house and proposed a plan whereby she would marry the son (Isaac) of his master (Abraham). Yes, daddy Abraham needed grandchildren! After all, he was told he would have a tremendous posterity!

Meanwhile, Isaac went to the field to meditate. To his delight, she arrived, got off the camel, veiled her face and was brought to his tent where she became his beloved wife. He was forty years old when he married her. He loved her. However, she didn’t have children until he prayed to God asking for her to get pregnant. She struggled during the pregnancy and was told by God that two nations wrestled inside of her. Can you imagine? She was told that the younger one would rule over the older one.

However, Isaac favored the older one and would have given him the greater blessing if it was not for Rebekah’s wise intervention. She told Jacob to get some meat so she could cook it and she put together an outfit that would feel and smell like the other son. The younger one, who received the blessing, was named Jacob.  She had to warn him about his brother, Esau’s, anger toward him. He was obedient and went to stay with her brother for a while.

Later, she mourned because Esau was not married to righteous women. She begged her husband to help Jacob marry a righteous woman, even if she lived farther away. Her husband listened to her. Jacob married beautiful Rachel soon after. Rachel’s son Joseph was his favorite, so this made his other kids jealous and they sold him to the Egyptians. Meanwhile, Rachel was told that he was dead.  While Joseph was in Egypt, she had another son.

Joseph’s children became heirs of great blessings and many of his descendants are Latter Day Saints today. What would have come of all of this had Rebekah not had faith to marry someone she did not know? What would have happened if she had not insisted that her son marry a worthy woman? Would Joseph ever had been born? Would the 12 tribes of Israel even exist (they were created by Jacob’s 12 sons, who he had through Leah, Rachel and their servants).

Rebekah’s faithfulness has helped to bring about millions of lives into the gospel. She did as her mother and brother had hoped when they said, “…be thou the mother of thousands of millions and let they seed possess the gate of those which hate them.” 1. She is likely great grandmother of yours; a mother you can call your own, who loves you, wants the best for you and did all she could to save your soul. Bless Rebekah and may our lives honor her through the way we live our faith today.

Reference

Photo Source: 

http://freechristimages.org/biblestories/isaac_and_rebecca.htm

1)Genesis 24:60

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