Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And they called Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ She said, ‘I will.’ So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I love that they asked Rebekah what she wanted. I mean, the marriage was probably arranged whether she liked it or not. But when Abraham’s servant wanted to take Rebekah back right away instead of waiting the customary time, her family gave her the option. And she said, “You bet!” I feel like she must have been a pretty strong personality from the get-go (we find out later, of course, that she is just that, where her sons are concerned!) and her family knew that about her. It’s like when I got married and I asked my mom whether she thought my dad would be offended if I didn’t want him to walk me down the aisle and “give me away” because I wasn’t property to be exchanged between men. She said, “Absolutely not.” And when she told him, he laughed and said, “That’s just Bek.” (Of course, I did want to acknowledge the amazing part my parents had in making me the woman who could make her own decisions, so I had them walk down the aisle together in front of me!) I’m just a lot like my namesake, I guess. And it’s beautiful to see this little example of a family in the Bible allowing a woman to have her own mind about important things. I think we need more of that!
Was I allowed to make my own decisions as a young adult? How did that impact me, one way or the other?
