Rebekah was Isaac's first cousin once removed. The story of how their marriage was arranged is quite lovely. The hand of the Lord was in it, and his will was followed with dignity and self sacrifice
Satisfied with all this, Abraham died at the age of 175, and was buried
Rebekah was barren, so Isaac prayed and God answered, thus Rebekah conceived and bore twins Esau and Jacob (Israel). God chose Jacob for the seed promise.
Except for chapter 26, the record largely passes over Isaac and Rebekah's life and deeds.
It is mostly the story of Jacob that occupies the following chapters
When Abraham's wife Sarah died at the age of 127, Abraham buried her in the land of Canaan. Abraham then sent his oldest and most trusted servant back to Abraham's homeland to find a wife for Isaac among Abraham's own relatives. So Isaac married Rebekah, and Jacob was their son.
Jacob was...
Behind Jacob's story is the faith that he showed in God by his obedience to whatever God said. He seemed to be always struggling against a disadvantage.
His famous wrestle with God symbolised this. "You have striven with God and with men and have prevailed"
Jacob believed God would always help him contend with adversity, yet Jacob's faith and attitude was humble: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which you have shown your servant"
The stories of Isaac's marriage to Rebekah and Jacob's to Rachel are interesting to compare, especially for their symbolic contrasts (see part 3).