While most women in the bible are hardly noticeable, Rebekah stands out.  Whether the reason for her confidence and godly character is that of a blessing, or how she naturally behaves, Rebekah dictates some of the most important events in Genesis.  Without Rebekah's power of persuasion, Jacob likely would never have received Isaac’s blessing.  If Esau had received the blessing of Isaac, would the world, as it's described in the bible, be drastically different?

As the blessed Abraham grew old, he decided to find his son, Isaac, a wife.  Abraham sent his most loyal servant to his very own country, where his relatives lived.  Here, the servant was instructed to find Isaac a wife, not of the Canaanites, but of one of Abraham's relatives. The servant was told to only bring back a woman who was willing to travel back to Canaan.  "Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.  Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels'-let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac.  By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master," (24.13-24.14) said the servant, as he approached the water well.  Once the servant had finished praying that the woman fit for Isaac would come to the well and water the camels as well as himself, a woman named Rebekah appeared.  Rebekah not only offered the traveling servant water, but also a place to sleep.  Rebekah and her brother, Laban, greeted the exhausted servant with gladness.  With Laban and Bethuel's permission, Abraham's servant left the next morning with Rebekah.  Rebekah was blessed by Laban and Bethuel before leaving with the servant to meet Isaac.  Once Rebekah was brought to Canaan, she was brought into the tent of Sarah, and quickly wed to Isaac.  Rebekah and Isaac loved each other and would be loyal to each other for years to come.

This story introduced Rebekah as a very considerate and understanding woman. Having become Isaac's wife, the next story shows her adding a new role, that of a mother.  During this story, as her roles in life become more complex, so does the description of her character.  For instance, the reader finds that while loyal to Isaac, she is willing to deceive him.

Rebekah and Isaac had two sons, Jacob, and Esau.  Esau, the firstborn, was in line to receive the blessing from his father, Isaac.  Jacob was content with Esau taking the blessing from their father, despite being the more intelligent of the two brothers.  However, when Rebekah heard of the blessing being passed down to Esau, rather than Jacob, she took immediate action.  Rebekah could not stand the thought of Esau receiving the blessing, which would give him the lord's protection over his Canaanite people.  Despite her loyalty to Isaac throughout the years, Rebekah composed a plan that tricked him into giving the blessing to Jacob.  Although Jacob was hesitant at first, Rebekah convinced him that he would make a better leader.  When Esau figured out that Jacob had essentially stolen his blessing, he erupted in anger.  Rebekah had caused one of her very own sons to want to kill the other one.
Rebekah has a huge effect on the family.  Although she caused hatred between her own two children, she also potentially saved many future generations of Canaanites by giving Jacob the blessing.  This shows that Rebekah has faults, as well as strengths.  In contrast to how men and women were seen in society during this time period, the bible demonstrates an interesting form of equality, where men and women are both described as multidimensional humans, with both strengths and weakness'.

There are reasons given to both support and oppose Rebekah's actions to ensure the blessing of Jacob, rather than Esau.  This kind of uncertainty, such as the explanation for why Rebekah took such an extreme action, is what brings about different opinions and ways of seeing the bible.  I find these uncertainties interesting.  Perhaps the bible includes these uncertainties on purpose, in order to raise questions that the reader will likely explain as God's plan.