ABRAHAM SERIES: SECURING A WIFE FOR ISAAC

Genesis 24 shares the story of Abraham’s actions in securing a wife for his son, Isaac, from his family in Mesopotamia. Thus, the chapter opens with the fact that Abraham was an older man whom God richly blessed. Probably feeling that his time on earth was coming to an end, and with the continued absence of his son, Isaac, in his life, Abraham summoned his faithful long-time servant, Eliezer, and assigned him the task of going to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from among his kindred.

Abraham made Eliezer swear that he would not secure Isaac a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites. Consequently, Eliezer was willing to do what Abraham desired; however, he asked, “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” Abraham cautioned him against taking Isaac to where his family resided. Further, he said, “The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.”

In this statement, Abraham shared his confidence in what God had done in his life and the promise that God made to him and his seed. He believed God would send an angel before Eliezer, and he would find a wife for Isaac. Howbeit, if the women did not want to come to the land of Canaan, Eliezer would be released from this responsibility.

As the story goes, after performing the ancient oath method of putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, Eliezer loaded ten camels with goods and traveled 450 miles to Mesopotamia. Upon arrival, Eliezer stopped outside the city of Nahor by a well. Eliezer prayed this request and asked God to allow the damsel whom He had chosen as a wife for Isaac to give him some water to drink, and also to offer water for his camels.

Exactly, at that time, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, who was the grand-niece of Abraham, came to the well to get water for her family, and when Eliezer asked her for some water, she responded in the way he had prayed. After the camels had finished drinking the water, Eliezer, who was amazed at what occurred, gave Rebekah a golden earring and two bracelets. He questioned her about her family and whether he could lodge with them. Rebekah shared who her parents were and that there was room for Eliezer in their home. At that point, Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. He said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

Rebekah ran back home and told her family about what happened at the well. When her brother Laban saw the gifts that his sister had received, he ran to the well to meet Eliezer and extended an invitation for Eliezer to come to their home. Upon arrival at the home, the camels were fed, and Eliezer and his traveling companion were given water to wash their feet. Before eating, Eliezer shared with them his mission. He told them about how God had blessed Abraham with wealth, about the birth of Isaac and his inheritance, and how Abraham wanted Isaac to marry a kindred. Furthermore, he shared Abraham’s confidence that God would prosper his errand and that he would find a wife for Isaac from amongst his father’s house.

Eliezer revealed the prayer he had prayed when he arrived at the well, and afterwards, all that happened between him and Rebekah. Then he asked the family if they were amenable toward Abraham’s request, and they said, “The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.” Once again, Eliezer bowed and worshipped the Lord when he heard their response. Eliezer gave Rebekah clothing and jewelry of silver and gold. Plus, he gave Rebekah’s mother and brother, Laban, precious things.

After successfully accomplishing his assignment, Eliezer and his company ate and then rested for the night. The next morning, Eliezer asked to leave the family with Rebekah immediately; however, the family allowed her to make that decision, to which she willingly complied. With her nurse accompanying her, the family sent her off with this blessing, “Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.”

Following Eliezer on camels, they came to Beer-lahai-roi in the evening, where they spotted Isaac meditating in the field. Isaac looked up and saw the camels coming. Eliezer informed Rebekah that it was Isaac whom they saw, so she dismounted the camel and took a veil and covered herself. When they got to Isaac, Eliezer told him what he had done, and Isaac reacted favorably for the last verse in this chapter stated, “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

As I have done in the past, I will share additional insight into this chapter before I share my nuggets. First, according to the scriptures, when Sarah died, she was one hundred twenty-seven years old. Isaac was approximately thirty-six years old, and Abraham was probably one hundred forty years old. Genesis 25:20 reveals that Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah; therefore, Isaac had been mourning the death of his mother for four years.

How many years Isaac had been estranged from Abraham was not stated. From the time Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, there is no record of them meeting with one another. This was supported by the fact that Abraham did not involve him in the selection of his wife, Eliezer informed the unknowing Isaac of his actions in securing him a wife, and during this period of alienation from his father, Isaac remained in his mother’s tent.

Biblical historians revealed that placing your hand on the thigh of an individual as an oath was a serious act that could cause repercussions to you if not carried out as instructed.

Some facts relating to Rebekah are that the gifts that Eliezer gave to Rebekah and her family after she accepted his proposal were believed to be the expected dowry for a bride. Rebekah veiled herself before meeting Isaac because, in Eastern culture, women covered themselves with a veil, which denoted a sign of modesty, chastity, and subjection. A new bride never approached their husband unveiled and riding on an animal.

Now here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 24:

When God makes a covenant with you, He will bring it to fruition.

Don’t cast away your confidence in God.

Pray for God’s intervention in the things you must accomplish.

Always express your thankfulness to God for answering your prayer and ordering your steps in the right direction.

You never know what your charitable acts will yield.

Seeing your wealth often causes strangers to be accommodating to your needs.

When an individual is courteous to you, in return, be courteous to them.

Before pleasure, take care of business.

Behind the actions of man is the providential hand of God.

Loving companionship can be comforting when a person is grieving.