Rebekah And Isaac And Rachel And Laban example essay topic

Relations between Men and Women in Genesis The relations between men and women in Genesis are characterized by deception and lies on the part of the women. Women in Genesis were originally explained as being created as men's helpers. The women were supposed to be dependent on men and not think for themselves. God explained this by saying, 'It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him'; (Genesis 2: 18). However the women in Genesis are always using their femininity to deceive men in different ways not only to help themselves but sometimes their loved ones as well. This is a contradiction to God's purpose for women.

There are many examples of deception in Genesis, but I am going to concentrate on the stories of Adam and Eve, Rebekah and Isaac, and Rachel and Laban. Eve is the first women created in Genesis. She serves as a model for all women in Genesis, however not a very respectable one. Eve was supposedly deceived by the serpent. I disagree, Eve knew she was not supposed to eat from tree in the middle of the garden, and in fact she told the serpent this, 'It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: 'You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die. ' '; (Genesis 3: 25).

That still did not stop her from eating from the tree. Then after eating the apple and knowing it was the wrong thing to do, she gave Adam some of the apple without even telling him what it was. Adam took the apple trusting Eve's judgment not questioning her. Eve purposely tricked Adam into eating the apple so that she would not be all alone in her error. God then punished both Adam and Eve for eating the apple when it was Eve's deception that tricked Adam into eating the apple. Adam was innocent of sin, only guilty of falling into his wife's deception.

The story of Rebekah and Isaac was a terrible story of a wife deceiving her husband and betraying her oldest son. Rebekah preferred Jacob her second son over Esau her oldest son. Isaac told Esau to go hunting for a meal, bring it back, and prepare it for him. Isaac would then bless Esau with the Lord's approval.

Rebekah overhead Isaac telling Esau this and told Jacob that she was going to make a meal for Isaac while Esau was gone. Jacob would give the meal to Isaac and he would receive the blessing. Jacob did not have any part in planning this deception of his father. Rebekah planned every detail herself. Jacob did not even think the plan would work,' But my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am smooth-skinned. If my father touches me, I shall appear to him as a trickster and bring upon myself a curse, not a blessing'; (Genesis 27: 10).

Jacob did not even want to take part in the plan. But Rebekah convinced Jacob by saying the curse would be brought upon her. Rebekah is not only deceiving Isaac and Esau but now Jacob as well by saying no curse would be brought upon him if he was caught. Rebekah then cooks the meal, dresses Jacob in Esau's best cloths, and puts hair all over the parts of his body that are showing. Rebekah did not respect her husband " swishes and deceived him into blessing the wrong child. Rebekah used her feminine traits of cooking Isaac's favorite meal against him.

Rebekah was not totally evil in her deception she was trying to help the son she loved and thought deserved the blessing. Rebekah is serving as the man in the relationship. Isaac goes along with the blessing not questioning what Rebekah did. I do not feel like Rebekah is going along with the traditional role the women should be playing in Genesis. After Jacob had been blessed he went in search of a wife. We went to his mother's brother Laban to find a wife in his land.

Jacob met Rachel, Laban's daughter, and fell in love with her. Jacob worked for Laban for seven years in order to gain Rachel's hand in marriage. However he was given Leah, Rachel's sister. Although it does not say Leah had anything to do with this I feel this still portrays another women deceiving a man. Rebekah was promised to Jacob, but he ended up with Leah. Jacob did not love Leah, as a result he worked another seven years for Laban in order to get Rachel's hand in marriage.

After Rachel married Jacob they left Laban's house late one night. Jacob took everything he had earned through all his work, however Rebekah stole her father's idols. Jacob had worked hard for Laban and deserved everything he had taken, however Laban still accused Jacob of stealing the idols, something he did not do. Laban searched every where in the camp even Rebekah's tent. She then lied and deceived her father by saying, 'Let not my lord take it amiss that I cannot rise before you, for the period of women is upon me. ' ; Since she was sitting on the idols and wouldn't stand up Laban did not find the idols.

Rebekah is using her femininity to deceive a man. It is not just a person deceiving another person it is a women using feminine traits to deceive a man who does not have them. This distinctively shows women being deceptive. I think I have proved through my examples that Genesis portrayed women as being very deceptive and tricky. Not only were women in general deceptive but they used their femininity to deceive and lie to men who could not detect their lies. Eve, Rebekah, and Rachel were just a few of the women in Genesis who deceived men using their femininity.

The women used everything from trust, to cooking and dressing skills, to their periods to lie and deceive men. The relations between men and women in Genesis were characterized by deception and lies on the part of the women..