Godly Criteria For Selecting A Mate

Unit 9 – Family

Lesson 21 – A Wife for Isaac – Genesis 24

For The Teachers’ Preparation

1. Aim: To lead the people to understand how God uses godly characteristics as criteria for selecting those He will greatly use.

2. Explanation of the Aim: The Lord used Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, to help select a wife for Isaac in their homeland of Haran. Eliezer prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my Master, Abraham.” (Gen. 24:12)

The Lord guided Rebekah to Eliezer as a demonstration of God’s providential response to his prayer. When we need to know God’s will it is wise to follow Eliezer’s fine example of a prayer that sets up criteria for godly choices.

Help the people see how the Lord will answer our prayers when we pray according to the standards of righteousness, truth, love and wholehearted service. God uses wise servants who will use Biblically based criteria to make decisions that are led and blessed by Him.

3. The Bible Story: The Lord’s timing is always perfect and all of His ways provide fruitfulness. In our lesson God urges Abraham to get a good wife for his son Isaac from the people of his homeland. Abraham was not in a hurry but he trusted Eliezer to select a wholesome wife for his forty year old son Isaac who would help provide descendants.

God always uses godly men who are loyal, wise and industrious to accomplish His will. Abraham trusted him with a task of great importance and he knew that Eliezer would allow God to lead in everyway.

Eliezer not only prayed, but used godly criteria to select a wife who would be hard-working, faithful and loving. Eliezer expected God to direct him to the best woman who would become the mother of Isaac’s people. Whenever we want to see God’s will it is imperative that we trust, obey and follow the quiet leading of the Holy Spirit in everyway.

4. Prepare to Teach: The INTRODUCTION is useful to help the people think about some of the godly characteristics that one should use as criteria for selecting a future mate. What are some of the characteristics that a godly man or woman should possess?

The BIBLE STORY teaches us how God directed Eliezer to select a wife for Isaac in obedience to Abraham’s directives. We not only learn that the Lord used faithful Eliezer to go all the way to Haran to find Rebekah, but he used wisdom and spiritual sensitivity to discern the person whom God wanted to become the mother of Jacob and Esau.

The MEANING FOR OUR LIVES helps the people make applications concerning having confidence in God to help us make wise choices in all of our relationships for friends, for leadership and for marriage.

Introduction

Ask the people what are some of the qualities that good Christians should look for when they want to select a future partner?

What are some of the considerations that non-Christians have when they consider finding a future marriage partner? What are some of the things that your parents must have considered when they chose one another to become husband and wife? Why do you think that God is so interested in helping us select our future marital partner?

The Bible Story

Abraham’s belief that God would fulfill His promise to multiply him urged him to find a suitable wife for his son Isaac. Abraham knew that Eliezer, a faithful and wise servant, would allow God to use him to bring back the best woman to become Isaac’s wife from their homeland.

Abraham did not want Isaac to marry one of the sinful Canaanite girls but one of his own kindred. Wise people of God do whatever they can to keep their people from associating with ungodly people. Abraham did not want his son becoming polluted by the immoral lifestyle of the Canaanite women.

Eliezer knew that he could not force a woman to return to Canaan so Abraham only asked him to do his best. Abraham also promised Eliezer that God’s angel would go before him to guide him in the selecting of a wife for Isaac.

When we are obedient to the Lord’s directives we can be certain he will supply us with all the power, provisions and protection we need to see His will realized. Godly people count on God to direct, give wisdom and to work all things together for good. Confidence is essential when we are going to work with people who we can trust with important ministries.

Be sure to surround yourself with godly people who you can love and trust and they will reciprocate. Without godly associates it is very difficult to see all of God’s work successfully completed. Learn to work in harmony with other godly servants of the Lord.