†. Gen 27:46 . . And Rebecca said to Isaac: I am weary of living
because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the
daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the
land, I might as well die.
I think Rebecca was becoming very lonely for the company of daughters-in
law of a kindred spirit. Christians considering marriage should really give
some serious thought to how their parents feel about a prospective spouse.
It's just not fair to force your choice down there throat with the haughty
protest: It's MY life!
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent: a
part of the main. John Donne 1624
All that people do, everything they say, every decision they make; has a
ripple effect.
You know, Isaac really wasn't a bad man. But something happened to him
that made him lose interest in his patriarchal duties. I really do think the
man was having problems with depression; which may have been associated
somehow with his eyesight.
What if you could never again see Orion and the Milky Way, nor a sunset,
nor the colors of the rainbow, nor watch the flight of migrating geese or a
buzzing humming bird, nor see the bees busily collecting their pollen, nor
the wind shaking the trees, nor the fluorescent colors of Autumn foliage, nor
the splendor of the Grand Canyon, nor a spider's web illuminated from
behind by morning sunlight, nor the ocean's waves, nor fireworks on the 4[sup]th[/sup]
of July? And what about all the things you haven't seen yet? Defective
eyesight would prevent you from ever seeing the things that you missed.
There is a well known phenomenon that occurs in men called male
menopause; and also known by it's other name: andropause. Although male
menopause is related to the aging process-- with resultant hormonal
reductions --men's problems aren't caused by the very same kinds of
changes that occur in women. Women's menopausal difficulties are chiefly
chemical. But with men, it's mostly psychological.
One of the primary symptoms of andropause is depression. Not just bouts of
depression that come and go, but the chronic kind. Every day, every night:
feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness plague men afflicted with chronic
depression. They feel useless and they feel unnecessary. But worse, they
feel unlovable; viz: not only do they feel like no one cares whether they live
or die, but they feel it is impossible for anyone to care about them at all.
It isn't unusual for men to rapidly deteriorate and die during the first
eighteen months of their retirement years. Why? Because their jobs, and
their careers, made their lives worthwhile; and gave them a reason to live. It
gave them strong feelings of value, of self worth and self esteem, and
feelings of belonging in a man's world. At career's end, they feel expended
and expendable; actually lose interest in living and it's almost as if they will
themselves to pass away.
When we're young and spry, we look forward to the future with optimism
and anticipation. But when we're older, there is nothing in life to look
forward to anymore but leaving it. All the good stuff is over. And it doesn't
help having our bodies deteriorate along the way.
By the time most men reach fifty or fifty-five, they've lost a good deal of
hair; plus picked up about twenty-five to forty pounds of belly. Their faces
are pouchy, their breath smells, and most of their teeth are either yellow or
false, filled, crowned, or even totally gone; and their gums have receded
enough to make their front teeth take on the appearance of pegs. The
corners of their mouths turn down so that they wear a perpetual scowl; and
their muscles are so atrophied, and their joints have lost so much cartilage,
that they can't even run a softball base path, let alone two or three blocks of
jogging.
Most guys anticipate an eventual tryst with a very hot babe. Well, the day
finally comes when they realize their dream is never going to happen. The
season for that has past, they missed the boat, and for better or for worse,
what they see in their wives is what they've got to work with from now on.
Some men sneak around and begin dating younger women to compensate.
They buy a nifty car or motorcycle, color their hair with Grecian formula, and
shop for smart, youthful-looking couture. But those are silly, desperate
measures that close their eyes to the inevitable-- they're old and
unattractive; and it only gets worse, not better. I'm approaching 69 as I
write this; and every time I see senior citizens in their mid 70's and early
80's, I'm only reminded of my own not-too-distant future; and don't want to
go there.
I really think that Isaac's handicap robbed him of all reasonable optimism;
and he saw no reason to go on living; especially at his age. Because of that,
he had no spirit for patriarchal duties. When the boys brought him food that
day, both of them asked their dad to sit up and eat. Sit up!? What the heck
was he doing lying down? Well, I think he was lying around all day feeling
sorry for himself, that's what. Life had become uninteresting to Isaac, and
he was one whipped puppy.
But not so Rebecca. No, No; not that spunky Aquarius girl. She was a
fighter, she was a Rocky Balboa. Becky had a head on her shoulders. Ever
the strong decisive woman, she put a bug in Isaac's ear to send Jacob away
to find a spouse. Yes, she was being cunning again; but in the right of it too:
as usual. It was a whole lot better for Jacob to depart with his dad's good
will than running away from home without saying good-bye.
Now that the blessing had actually been dispensed, and it was very clear to
Isaac that Jacob was God's choice to perpetuate Abraham's covenant, there
was no excuse to delay any longer in the matter of finding his son a suitable
wife. This fact, combined with the immediate danger of another Cain-and
Abel episode, was more than enough reason for Isaac to send Jacob up to
Haran to seek a mate.
Rebecca's personal desire for Jacob to have a wife from her own people, one
with whom she could have fellowship rather than the continual friction she
experienced with Esau's Hittite wives, compelled her to convince Isaac that
her own life wouldn't be worth living anymore if Jacob married the same
kinds of impious women as his brother's.
Was Rebecca a good wife? Even though she tricked her husband? And even
though she was strong and decisive? I really believe she was because even
in the US Navy, sometimes a captain needs his first officer to take over and
run the ship till he's better.
†. Gen 2:18 . .The Lord God said; It is not good for man to be alone; I will
make a fitting helper for him.
Isaac benefited from his dad Abraham's wisdom; and he had the providence
of God to thank in the selection of his wife. Rebecca really saved the day,
and got Isaac back up on his patriarchal feet. If it wasn't for her, nothing
would have turned out right. She was indeed a "fitting helper".
Cont.
/
because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the
daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the
land, I might as well die.
I think Rebecca was becoming very lonely for the company of daughters-in
law of a kindred spirit. Christians considering marriage should really give
some serious thought to how their parents feel about a prospective spouse.
It's just not fair to force your choice down there throat with the haughty
protest: It's MY life!
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent: a
part of the main. John Donne 1624
All that people do, everything they say, every decision they make; has a
ripple effect.
You know, Isaac really wasn't a bad man. But something happened to him
that made him lose interest in his patriarchal duties. I really do think the
man was having problems with depression; which may have been associated
somehow with his eyesight.
What if you could never again see Orion and the Milky Way, nor a sunset,
nor the colors of the rainbow, nor watch the flight of migrating geese or a
buzzing humming bird, nor see the bees busily collecting their pollen, nor
the wind shaking the trees, nor the fluorescent colors of Autumn foliage, nor
the splendor of the Grand Canyon, nor a spider's web illuminated from
behind by morning sunlight, nor the ocean's waves, nor fireworks on the 4[sup]th[/sup]
of July? And what about all the things you haven't seen yet? Defective
eyesight would prevent you from ever seeing the things that you missed.
There is a well known phenomenon that occurs in men called male
menopause; and also known by it's other name: andropause. Although male
menopause is related to the aging process-- with resultant hormonal
reductions --men's problems aren't caused by the very same kinds of
changes that occur in women. Women's menopausal difficulties are chiefly
chemical. But with men, it's mostly psychological.
One of the primary symptoms of andropause is depression. Not just bouts of
depression that come and go, but the chronic kind. Every day, every night:
feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness plague men afflicted with chronic
depression. They feel useless and they feel unnecessary. But worse, they
feel unlovable; viz: not only do they feel like no one cares whether they live
or die, but they feel it is impossible for anyone to care about them at all.
It isn't unusual for men to rapidly deteriorate and die during the first
eighteen months of their retirement years. Why? Because their jobs, and
their careers, made their lives worthwhile; and gave them a reason to live. It
gave them strong feelings of value, of self worth and self esteem, and
feelings of belonging in a man's world. At career's end, they feel expended
and expendable; actually lose interest in living and it's almost as if they will
themselves to pass away.
When we're young and spry, we look forward to the future with optimism
and anticipation. But when we're older, there is nothing in life to look
forward to anymore but leaving it. All the good stuff is over. And it doesn't
help having our bodies deteriorate along the way.
By the time most men reach fifty or fifty-five, they've lost a good deal of
hair; plus picked up about twenty-five to forty pounds of belly. Their faces
are pouchy, their breath smells, and most of their teeth are either yellow or
false, filled, crowned, or even totally gone; and their gums have receded
enough to make their front teeth take on the appearance of pegs. The
corners of their mouths turn down so that they wear a perpetual scowl; and
their muscles are so atrophied, and their joints have lost so much cartilage,
that they can't even run a softball base path, let alone two or three blocks of
jogging.
Most guys anticipate an eventual tryst with a very hot babe. Well, the day
finally comes when they realize their dream is never going to happen. The
season for that has past, they missed the boat, and for better or for worse,
what they see in their wives is what they've got to work with from now on.
Some men sneak around and begin dating younger women to compensate.
They buy a nifty car or motorcycle, color their hair with Grecian formula, and
shop for smart, youthful-looking couture. But those are silly, desperate
measures that close their eyes to the inevitable-- they're old and
unattractive; and it only gets worse, not better. I'm approaching 69 as I
write this; and every time I see senior citizens in their mid 70's and early
80's, I'm only reminded of my own not-too-distant future; and don't want to
go there.
I really think that Isaac's handicap robbed him of all reasonable optimism;
and he saw no reason to go on living; especially at his age. Because of that,
he had no spirit for patriarchal duties. When the boys brought him food that
day, both of them asked their dad to sit up and eat. Sit up!? What the heck
was he doing lying down? Well, I think he was lying around all day feeling
sorry for himself, that's what. Life had become uninteresting to Isaac, and
he was one whipped puppy.
But not so Rebecca. No, No; not that spunky Aquarius girl. She was a
fighter, she was a Rocky Balboa. Becky had a head on her shoulders. Ever
the strong decisive woman, she put a bug in Isaac's ear to send Jacob away
to find a spouse. Yes, she was being cunning again; but in the right of it too:
as usual. It was a whole lot better for Jacob to depart with his dad's good
will than running away from home without saying good-bye.
Now that the blessing had actually been dispensed, and it was very clear to
Isaac that Jacob was God's choice to perpetuate Abraham's covenant, there
was no excuse to delay any longer in the matter of finding his son a suitable
wife. This fact, combined with the immediate danger of another Cain-and
Abel episode, was more than enough reason for Isaac to send Jacob up to
Haran to seek a mate.
Rebecca's personal desire for Jacob to have a wife from her own people, one
with whom she could have fellowship rather than the continual friction she
experienced with Esau's Hittite wives, compelled her to convince Isaac that
her own life wouldn't be worth living anymore if Jacob married the same
kinds of impious women as his brother's.
Was Rebecca a good wife? Even though she tricked her husband? And even
though she was strong and decisive? I really believe she was because even
in the US Navy, sometimes a captain needs his first officer to take over and
run the ship till he's better.
†. Gen 2:18 . .The Lord God said; It is not good for man to be alone; I will
make a fitting helper for him.
Isaac benefited from his dad Abraham's wisdom; and he had the providence
of God to thank in the selection of his wife. Rebecca really saved the day,
and got Isaac back up on his patriarchal feet. If it wasn't for her, nothing
would have turned out right. She was indeed a "fitting helper".
Cont.
/
