ABRAHAM
AND ISAAC:
A
BRIDE FOR ISAAC
Genesis
23:1-2 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the
years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron
in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for
her.
Susie: Sarah
lived to be 127 years old which means that she not only gave birth at 90, but
she lived long enough to see her son grow up. Isaac was thirty-seven when his
mother died.
Susan: Abraham
grieved the loss of Sarah with heartfelt tears.
Susie: Although
the Bible never uses the word love in connection with their relationship, it is
obvious that Abraham loved Sarah deeply. The rest of Genesis chapter
twenty-three details how Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah from the Hittites
in order to have a family burial place, and laid Sarah to rest there.
Susan: To the Hittites, Abraham was like royalty, they
called him a prince. It was an honor for them to give him a resting place for
Sarah, but he insisted on paying for it.
Genesis
24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed
Abraham in all things.
Susan: Abraham
was 137 years old when Sarah died. Like I like to tell my grannie, Abraham was
practically older than dirt. God had fulfilled His promise to Abraham to make
him prosperous and mighty in the eyes of all the surrounding peoples.
Genesis
24:2-4 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over
all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make
thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou
shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom
I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife
unto my son Isaac.
Susie: Abraham
called his most trusted servant to him. This may have been Eleazer, the servant
Abraham had chosen as his heir before the Lord nixed that idea. He commanded
the servant to place his hand under his thigh. This may sound a little strange
to us, but it was a custom of that time for a servant to place his hand under
his master’s thigh when committing to a particularly important task. Other
historians say “under his thigh” could really be interpreted “on the
circumcision.” Abraham’s circumcision was the sign of his covenant with God and
therefore most precious to him as well as symbolic of Isaac’s promised
inheritance. For more information of the custom of requiring someone to put his
hand under his master’s thigh, there is a good article here:
Susan: Abraham
told the servant, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to find a wife for
Isaac from the women of Canaan. The people of Canaan worshipped many idols, and
were not faithful to the one, true God who had made His covenant with Abraham.
He instructed the servant to go back to Abraham’s homeland and find a wife for
Isaac from his own relatives.
Genesis
24:5 And the servant said unto him, 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?
Susie: The
servant had a couple of questions before embarking on this quest. What if the
woman didn’t want to leave her home and travel to where Isaac lived?
Susan: He
wanted to know whether or not he was to come back and take Isaac back to
Mesopotamia to marry and live there.
Genesis
24:6-8 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son
thither again. 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.
Susan: God
had given Isaac the land of Canaan as his inheritance per His promise.
Therefore, Abraham did not want Isaac to move back to Mesopotamia. He did not
want Isaac to leave the promised land.
Susie: Abraham
was emphatic that Isaac was not to travel to the woman’s home, but that she was
to be brought back to Canaan. He pretty much said twice, “Whatever you do, do
not take Isaac away from here!” In fact, he said the servant would be resolved
of his duty to the oath if the woman refused to come with him.
Susan: Abraham
trusted that God would go before his servant. The angel would give the servant
wisdom and direction.
Susie: Abraham
expressed faith that the Lord would prepare the heart of the woman to agree to
come to Canaan to marry and live with Isaac.
Genesis
24:9-10 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and
sware to him concerning that matter. And
the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all
the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to
Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
Susie: The
servant did as Abraham told him, making a solemn oath to find Isaac a wife
among Abraham’s relatives. He went to the city of Nahor. This city was named
for Abraham’s brother and was where Nahor’s family resided.
Susan: Everything
Abraham’s servant took with him was an indicator of his master’s wealth and
status. The camels were laden with mountains of gifts and sparkly things for
Isaac’s future bride and her family.
Susie: They
would also serve as transportation for the woman and her entourage.
Genesis
24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water
at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
Susie: The
servant made a wise choice of a place to meet eligible women—the local well at
water drawing time.
Susan: Yes,
the local watering hole where women would get their water and discuss the day’s
happenings would be a great place to meet girls.
Genesis
24:12-14 And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good
speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here
by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw
water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down
thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I
will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed
for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness
unto my master.
Susan: The
servant prayed that a specific order of events would occur as a sign that he
had found God’s choice of a bride for Abraham and Sarah’s promised son, Isaac.
This was similar to when Gideon put out the fleece and asked the Lord to do
certain things to assure him that God was with him.
Susie: The
servant asked for God’s favor upon him and upon his master, Abraham. At this
point, let me interject that the Bible does not mention Isaac being involved in
this process at all!
Susan: In
their culture, it was customary for the parents to orchestrate an arranged
marriage. Both Abraham and his servant prayed for the Lord to point out His
choice of bride for Isaac, so Isaac was in good hands.
Susie: We
are not told why Abraham did not seek a bride for Isaac when he was younger.
Forty seems terribly old to marry especially in their day.
Susan: The
servant prayed that when he asked the young lady for a drink, she would
initiate the offer to draw water for his ten camels. Believe you me, ten camels
can drink a lot of water. This would be going over and above what would be
expected of her.
Susie: Hospitality
would dictate that she should give the stranger a drink. Drawing water for his
beasts as well would indicate that she was kind-hearted and compassionate, not
to mention a hard worker!
Genesis
24:15-16 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold,
Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor,
Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very
fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down
to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
Susan: Rebekah
was the granddaughter of Nahor who was Abraham’s brother.
Susie: She
definitely met the main criteria of being from among Abraham’s relatives.
Susan: Not
only was Rebekah an available single, but she was wonderful eye candy, today
she might have been hired as a model. She was a virgin as well.
Susie: We
will see that her beauty penetrated far deeper than her skin.
Genesis
24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a
little water of thy pitcher.
Susie: The
servant instigated his plan by asking for a drink.
Genesis
24:18-20 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher
upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she
said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And
she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the
well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Susan: Rebekah
was eager to serve this stranger water and to water his livestock as well. She
volunteered to water them until they were completely satisfied.
Susie: Her
inner beauty came out in her willingness to take care of the man and his
animals, even though that would have meant many trips from the well to the
trough.
Susan: She
certainly got her exercise that night!
Genesis
24:21-23 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord
had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had
done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and
two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; And said, Whose
daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house
for us to lodge in?
Susan: The
servant pondered whether this might be the right woman. He knew she was pretty
and had a good heart. He knew she was honorable because of her actions toward
him and his animals.
Susie: She
had also done exactly as he prayed the bride for his master’s son would do—draw
water not only for him, but the camels.
Susan: He
gave her rather costly thank you gifts, an earring (some translations say nose
ring) and bracelets of gold. As best as I can surmise, a shekel weighed a
little more than ½ ounce. Sources differ as to the exact weight in modern
terms. The bracelets were 10 shekels which would be about 5 ounces.
Susie: He
then asked her the crucial question, “Whose daughter are you?” Her answer would
determine whether she met the other important criteria of being from Abraham’s
relatives.
Genesis
24:24-25 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah,
which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and
provender enough, and room to lodge in.
Susie: She
explained her lineage which proved to him that she was indeed related to
Abraham, the granddaughter of his brother, Nahor.
Susan: Rebekah
told him they had enough food for the camels and him and proper accommodations
for them to stay with her family.
Susie: She
followed the standards of the day to offer hospitality but again indicating
that there was plenty to share.
Genesis
24:26-27 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord. And 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.
Susan: When
the servant discovered Rebekah’s lineage, he bowed in thanksgiving and
worshipped the Lord of his master Abraham.
Susie: He
praise the Lord God for answering his prayer by leading him directly to
Abraham’s extended family.
Susan: God
caused the servant’s eyes to be laser focused on Rebekah rather than any of the
other young women at the well.
Susie: The
next section of Genesis 24, tells how the servant was welcomed by Rebekah’s
family. He explained that he served their relative, Abraham, who had become
prosperous in the land to which God had called him. He proposed that they give
Rebekah in marriage to Isaac explaining to them how the Lord had answered his
very specific prayer. Her family agreed but wanted to keep her a bit longer. He
was anxious to return, so they asked Rebekah if she was willing to go right
away and she agreed to go. He gave Rebekah, her mother, and her brother, Laban,
many gifts which I assume served as a bride price. Now, the rest of the story.
Genesis
24:59-60 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's
servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our
sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed
possess the gate of those which hate them.
Susan: Rebekah’s
family prophesied over her that she would be the fulfilment of the promise the
Lord gave to Abraham. “Thousands of millions” is a lot!
Susie: Not
only did their blessing include the idea of numerous descendants but that her
descendants would conquer their enemies and take their land. This was promised
to Abraham, and therefore, Isaac as well.
Genesis
24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and
followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Susan: Rebekah
willingly left the safety of her father and mother’s home and trusting the word
of Abraham’s servant, set out on a journey to meet and marry a perfect
stranger. She knew before she left home exactly what the expectations were.
Susie: Even though she and Isaac were
related, they had never met. To us, agreeing to marry a man sight unseen would
be extremely odd; but this was true of some arranged marriages in that time
period.
Genesis
24:62-63 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the
south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and
he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
Susan: While
Isaac was meditating, the Lord drew him to the exact spot where he would be
able to see the caravan returning from the quest to find him a bride.
Susie: The
word does not tell us his meditation, but I believe this points to his trust
and dependence upon the God of his father, Abraham.
Genesis
24:64-65 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted
off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh
in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore
she took a vail, and covered herself.
Susie: Rebekah
saw a man approaching and asked the servant who it was. He replied it was his
master, meaning Isaac, her intended.
Susan: She
jumped down off that camel and covered her face with a vail showing that
another of her virtues was modesty. In modern terms, this would have been a
“Hallmark Moment.”
Genesis
24:66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
Susie: Specific
are not recorded here, but I am sure the servant explained how he had prayed
and how the Lord had answered that prayer completely. Then he would have told
of the exchanges he had with Rebekah’s relatives, the gifts given, and her
willingness to come right away.
Genesis
24:67 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.
Susie: As was
the custom in the East, Sarah had a separate tent or compartment of a tent from
Abraham. Taking Rebekah into his mother’s tent would indicate his acceptance of
her as his wife even before he lifted her vail to see her face. They
consummated the marriage as the final step of their wedding covenant.
Susan: Isaac
cherished Rebekah as a treasure, a precious jewel, if you will, prayed for by
both his father and his servant. She was selected for him by God Himself. He
was finally comforted three years after his mother’s death. Perhaps he finally
had the helper he needed to pull him out of his grief.
Susie: Just
as his mother, Sarah, had been chosen to be the woman through whom the promised
son would come, Rebekah was now chosen by the Lord to continue in the building
of God’s people. One of her children would be the man for whom the nation would
be named. Isaac, the son promised to Abraham and Sarah, would now continue to
produce descendants. Eventually, one of his descendants would be the Messiah,
the one through whom all nations would be blessed.
QUESTIONS
1.
How many years did Sarah get to enjoy her son
Isaac before she died?
2.
What custom did Abraham follow when he asked his
servant to make an oath?
3.
Where was the servant to go in order to find a
suitable bride for Isaac?
4.
What valid questions did the servant ask before
making the oath?
5.
What was Abraham’s logic in emphatically stating
that Isaac was NOT to leave Canaan?
6.
Why did the servant need to take ten camels on
the journey?
7.
Who was Nahor in relations to Abraham? Who was
Nahor in relation to Rebekah?
8.
For what specific signs did the servant pray?
9.
Was Rebekah attractive?
10. Why
was it important that Rebekah was Nahor’s granddaughter?
11. For
what reason did he servant praise God and worship?
12. A.
What blessing did Rebekah’s family pronounce on her as she left to become Isaac’s
wife?
B. How does this fit in with God’s covenant
with Abraham?
13. Why
did Rebekah cover herself with a vail when she saw Isaac approaching?
14. The
first use of “love” was Abraham’s love for his son. What was the second use of “love”
in the Bible?
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