A Visit With Mrs. G

Guest (Male): Here we are.

Guest (Female): I hope she's home.

Guest (Male): Can I ring the bell?

Guest (Female): May I ring the bell?

Guest (Male): But I want to.

Guest (Male): Well, somebody better or we'll miss our visit with Mrs. G.

Mrs. Kitty Griffiths: Hello. I'm glad to see you. I was listening for you. Come on in.

Guest (Male): How about some stories?

Mrs. Kitty Griffiths: Stories? Yes, I've got some specially for you. Jacob must run for his life. Well, well, well, to have wanted to be head elect of the tribe and chief inheritor all your life and the moment you get it, you've got to go and leave it all. This turn of events was a shock to Rebecca. Of course, Jacob must flee for his life. Brothers had killed brothers before now. What about Cain and Abel? Heard Jacob, future head of the tribe and no mistake now, mustn't be killed and he mustn't lose face with everybody in running away, fleeing for his life either.

Rebecca was a clever, resourceful lady. Do you know what she did next? She went in to see Isaac, who believe me was still trembling. And she broached another subject that bothered him when he thought about it, the heathen wives of Esau. These heathen women, she said, they make my life not worth living. What's the good of my life to me while these pagans are right inside our family? If Jacob marries a heathen woman, that will be the very end of me. Isaac loved Rebecca, his wife, very dearly. He thought her beautiful and clever, and she loved him very much too.

He didn't like to hear of anything being the end of her. She knew that. Yes, a heathen wife for Jacob would really finish me off. If only he could get a wife from where you got me, Isaac. Well, who could we send to fetch one for him? Isaac asked. Father Abraham sent old Eliezer to get you for me, but Eliezer is dead now. We've got no one I could trust as father trusted him. Oh, but Jacob could go and find one for himself. Rebecca said, send Jacob to me first thing in the morning, Rebecca. Will you?

Isaac said. I guess Jacob thought he was poor it when his dad sent for him. He nearly finished his packing by now and he went into Isaac's tent. Jacob, Isaac said, I don't want you to marry a heathen woman and your mother simply couldn't bear it. We've been talking things over and we think you should go up to your uncle Laban's place and take a look at your cousins, marry one of them. And the Lord bless you and give you many children. God make you a great multitude of people and may God give you the blessing he gave to Abraham to you and your children.

And the Lord give you the land that he promised to Abraham. That was the real blessing Jacob and Rebecca wanted to hear. Other people heard it. So Jacob finished packing and said goodbye to dad and well, he hated saying goodbye to mother. People saw him off, wished him well. Jacob was off to look for a wife and to save his life. Rebecca went back into her tent, choking back the tears. What was she going to do without Jacob? I do hope the poor boy will be kept safe. She said half aloud. Rebecca was a woman of action, never idle.

She choked back her tears as she sat down to her loom. For some minutes, she plied her weaving. Her shuttle shot back and forth between the threads as she stamped her feet on the pedals that raised the beam. It was a simple but effective and useful loom. On it, Rebecca wove the cloth for household clothes. She went at her weaving full tilt. Then she stopped. That piece of cloth on the loom had been planned for a suit for Jacob. Now he left home in a desperate hurry, fleeing for his life in spite of the fancy, though feasible and right reason given to everybody that he'd gone to find a wife in Haran.

Rebecca couldn't weave another thread. She got up from her loom. She'd do some cooking. There stood in front of her Jacob's preparation for his famous lentil stew. The pan was ready, the water, the red lentils, every ingredient ready, placed just waiting to be made into the stew that made the whole camp ravenous. Rebecca turned away from cooking. She couldn't bear it. She'd do some sewing. As Rebecca picked up her sewing, she saw Jacob's plans and diagrams of the pens for the herds, his father's herds, and his own little bit of animal rearing too that his father allowed him to carry on.

Rebecca tried not to, but she just couldn't help it. A great sob would come and another and another and another. She cried from a broken, lonely heart. How could she ever live without Jacob? And this is how old nurse Deborah found her, sobbing her heart out. Deborah had watched Rebecca in the crowd when Jacob left home just an hour or two ago that morning. She'd seen the brave face Rebecca had put on, but Deborah had also noticed the unshed tears in Rebecca's eyes and she'd watched her biting her lip. Deborah crept into Rebecca's tent very quietly and sat down beside her.

She took her hand and stroked it. She squeezed it too to say I understand. At first, Rebecca cried even more. Sympathy seems to make you pull out all the stops, doesn't it? But then she became calmer and at last she could say thank you, Deborah, my dear old nurse, my dear old friend. It was kind of you to come. Deborah, Rebecca said, do the people of our camp, our compound, know why Jacob went away? Of course, everybody knows, ma'am. Oh, what a pity. Watch the pity about it, ma'am? Master Isaac was just lucky to have Eliezer go out and scout around for you.

There are no Eliezer's here to go and find a wife for Jacob. He's just got to go and look for himself. You'll miss him, ma'am, but he'll soon come back. It didn't take Eliezer all that time to find you. Deborah, go to the tent door and and see if anyone is standing about listening, will you? Walk all round the tent and tell me if anyone is standing about listening. Deborah went and did so. Not a soul anywhere, ma'am. They're all about their business this morning. Why? You're sure that no one really knows why Jacob left in such a hurry, Deborah?

You're about with everybody and they tell you all their troubles as as I seem to be telling you mine now, but I know that I can trust you. You're sure that nobody knows, Deborah? What everybody knows, ma'am, is that Jacob has gone to look for a wife. What on earth is wrong with that? You'll miss him, ma'am, of course, but he'll soon be back. He won't. He won't. No. I don't understand, ma'am. Deborah looked quite perplexed. He won't be back? No. I may never see him again. What? Esau plans to kill him. You can't mean it, ma'am.

Yes, someone heard Esau say so yesterday. When Jacob got the blessing, the inheritance from his father, we had to deceive his father to get it. Esau was mad at him and someone heard him say that as soon as his father was dead, which he said wouldn't be long, he'd kill Jacob. Esau could never stay angry long enough. Deborah said, he's everything by turns, ma'am, but nothing long. I don't believe he'd kill his brother. He might have struck out at him at the time it happened, but when the situation is past, I don't think he'd do it.

I told Jacob I'd send for him when all danger of his brother's killing him was past, but Deborah, it's dawned on me that I'll never know for sure. I'll never be able to tell. I don't think I'll ever see Jacob anymore. And I don't like our people to know that their future leader had to flee for his life. I don't think anyone will think that, ma'am. The big thing in their minds is that Jacob has gone to find a wife suitable for the leader of God's chosen people. They all see the necessity of that. They still have Master Isaac's blessing ringing in their ears.

They all heard what the patriarch said as he blessed Jacob and sent him away this morning. You needn't worry on that score, ma'am. And for sure, Esau thinks that that's why his brother's gone. Esau hasn't any idea that Jacob is fleeing from him. He was really sorry to see Jacob, his brother, go. I heard Jacob getting his father's blessing just before he left and I thought that at last Master Isaac has recognized his younger son as the one, God's one. As you were told before the twins were born, ma'am, and I thought how happy you must be, the desire of your heart at last.

Obviously, Master Isaac has given the inheritance to Jacob. Deborah, I'm all mixed up. We've got what we wanted, but we got it through trickery. We should have waited for God to act. Now we've got what we wanted, but we've got sorrow as well. The moment Jacob got the inheritance, he had to run for his life because that's what he's doing. But think how your brother will welcome him, ma'am, and how he'll enjoy being with his cousins and one day he'll come back with a lovely wife. And I believe she'll be like you, ma'am. God will keep his promise that he gave you.

Jacob will lead the tribe and inherit the land. Come, let's have something to eat and let's cheer up. Later that day, Rebecca went to speak to Isaac. Esau hasn't been in today, he said. Never a word about Jacob. I wonder where Esau is. Isaac said. And well might he wonder where Esau was. When Jacob left that morning, Esau had stood in amazement for a minute or two. He'd looked from mother to father, from father to mother. All this for the sake of a right wife, a suitable wife. Were mother and father prepared to have Jacob leave home for dear knows how long and travel all that dangerous journey all by himself, he who could never leave home even for a day's hunting just to get a wife?

And they'd said that she had to be from a branch of the family away in Mesopotamia. Well, well, Esau was amazed. Then he'd said to himself, mother and father don't approve of my Canaanite wives. They don't like them. I suppose I should have got a wife from the family. Oh, not too late, he said. I'll go to a branch of the family I like. I like uncle Ishmael. I get on with him. We're the same sort. I'll go and ask him if he'll let me marry one of his daughters. She'll be family, partly Egyptian, but that doesn't matter.

She'll be family. He's sure to say yes to me. And in a few days time, along came Esau with his third wife, the daughter of Ishmael. You remember who Ishmael was, don't you? Hagar's son whom Abraham had to send away for hurting Isaac at the weaning party. Oh dear, poor Isaac, poor Rebecca. Things were going from bad to worse. How Rebecca longed for the day when Jacob would come home again, bringing with him a wife from her family. But would that day ever come?

Guest (Male): Thank you for visiting Mrs. G today. God's word, the Bible, has hundreds of stories and you can find many of them retold by Mrs. G. When you visit our website at www.biblestoriesalive.org, you can download audio of these stories and also find them on CDs and in books. You can also read copies of our newsletter or help us send Bible stories to the rest of the world free of charge. That address again is www.biblestoriesalive.org. www.biblestoriesalive.org. Mrs. G's Bible stories are also available from Trans World Radio in several languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish. Visit our website for more information at www.biblestoriesalive.org.

Until next time.

Mrs. Kitty Griffiths: Goodbye and God bless.