How would we find a marriage partner? Would we choose a pagan or unbeliever who is close by or seek a fellow believer even if they come from far away? Would we follow a believing parent’s advice or ignore their wisdom and make our own choice? Do we trust that God can also provide for us? Let’s examine a remarkable marriage story in Genesis 24.
Did Abraham ask his senior servant to testify using a very ancient custom? Did he not want a wife for his son from among the pagan Canaanites? Is interfaith marriage unwise?
Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:1-4 NIV)
What was Abraham’s trusted, senior servant’s task?
And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. (Genesis 24:5-9 NKJV)
What did he take? What kind of loyalty to Abraham did this remarkable servant exhibit?
Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water. (Genesis 24:10-11 NLT)
Was this servant also a man of faith? It is likely that years before, had Abraham not had a son, this man may have been his potential heir? Is his loyalty to Abraham therefore even more remarkable?
He said, “Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ then she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (Genesis 24:12-14 WEB)
Was his prayer answered quickly? Was she even more polite and hospitable than expected?
Even before he finished speaking, Rebekah—daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother—was coming out with a water jar on her shoulder. The young woman was very beautiful, old enough to be married, and hadn’t known a man intimately. She went down to the spring, filled her water jar, and came back up. The servant ran to meet her and said, “Give me a little sip of water from your jar.” She said, “Drink, sir.” Then she quickly lowered the water jar with her hands and gave him some water to drink. When she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw some water for your camels too, till they’ve had enough to drink.” She emptied her water jar quickly into the watering trough, ran to the well again to draw water, and drew water for all of the camels. The man stood gazing at her, wondering silently if the Lord had made his trip successful or not. (Genesis 24:15-21 CEB)
Was the family also hospitable? Was a nose ring popular at that time?
The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose and the bracelets for her arms. Then he said, “Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?” She answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah. We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels.” (Genesis 24:22-25 CEV)
Did Abraham’s servant thank God? Was he also a man of faith?
Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things. (Genesis 24:26-28 NKJV)
How hospitable was Laban? Are people in our day and age generally so hospitable?
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.” (Genesis 24:29-33 ESV)
What did Abraham’s loyal servant have to say? Did he explain Abraham’s wishes?
“I am Abraham’s servant,” he said. “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. My master put me under this oath: ‘You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I live but will go to my father’s household and to my family to take a wife for my son.’ But I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman will not come back with me?’ He said to me, ‘The Lord before whom I have walked will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s household. Then you will be free from my oath if you go to my family and they do not give her to you—you will be free from my oath.’ (Genesis 24:34-41 HCSB)
Did he tell Laban about his answer to prayer? Did Laban also have a sense of the one true God?
“So today I arrived at the spring and prayed, ‘Lord God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the journey that I have traveled successful, here I am standing by the spring. May it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water, from whom I request a little water from her jug to drink, if she tells me to drink and also draws water for the camels, may she be the woman that the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’ “Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink. She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and told me, ‘Have a drink while I also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also gave my camels water to drink. (Genesis 24:42-46 ISV)
What was his request of Laban regarding Abraham’s wishes?
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. (Genesis 24:47-49 KJV)
What was the family’s response? Did they let their daughter go?
Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter has come from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” (Genesis 24:50-51 NASB)
What was the servant’s response? Were his gifts generous?
When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” (Genesis 24:52-54 NIV)
What was Rebekah’s response? Was she ready to step out in faith?
But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.” And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” (Genesis 24:55-58 NKJV)
What was the family’s blessing as she departed? Did they utter a prophetic word?
So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. They gave her this blessing as she parted: “Our sister, may you become the mother of many millions! May your descendants be strong and conquer the cities of their enemies.” Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way. (Genesis 24:59-61 NLT)
What happened when Rebekah finally met Isaac? Did they wed?
Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South. Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening. He lifted up his eyes and looked. Behold, there were camels coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” She took her veil, and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:62-67 WEB)
How would we find a marriage partner? Would we choose a pagan or unbeliever who is close by or seek a fellow believer even if they come from far away? Would we follow a believing parent’s advice or ignore their wisdom and make our own choice? Do we trust that God can also provide for us? You decide!
