This week’s reading: Genesis 23:1 — 24:67
Hi Friends,
As God continues to bring about His promise in ways we humans probably would never have envisioned, we will read about the next steps in God’s Plan. Abraham, whose godly character is now established, not only within his family group, but also with his pagan neighbors, remains humble, respectful and faithful. We read about how God grants Abraham his first property in this foreign land, as well as His provision of a mate for Isaac. We will be discussing all of both chapters 23 and 24. I know it is a long read, but take your time with it all week, the story is so very good and well worth it! Listen to how God brought success to Abraham’s servant and his quest:
“Then he asked, ‘Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?’ She answered him, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.’ And she added, ‘We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.’ Then the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord, saying, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.’” Gen 24:23-27 NIV
Down payment on the promise. We begin this week’s reading with the death of our matriarch, Sarah. According to some commentaries, Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age at her death is mentioned, giving her special honor as “the mother of the faithful.” She lives till the blessed age of 127, which means her promised son, Isaac, was now 37 years old. Years before, after successfully undergoing the test from God, I am sure Abraham and Isaac returned home to tell Sarah all about God’s provision. I imagine this only served to deepen the already profound relationship between Sarah and Isaac. I can almost see the overflowing, joyful heart of Sarah as she raises him all those years. What a blessing for her to have had this miracle child, and also, to be able to watch him grow into manhood. I envision the smile upon her aged face as she looks back at her challenging, yet full life, and in gratitude, passes peacefully into the arms of the Lord, her God. We hear that Abraham mourns for his wife, as he weeps over the loss. Most likely, he too is looking back at their journey and, in wonder, recalling God’s Faithfulness throughout all their circumstances. His sorrowful tears are mingled with those of rejoicing over how God got them through all the hurdles they endured together. He quickly secures a burial place for his beloved…and in doing so, also purchases the first piece of property in the Promised Land. (see Gen 23:20) Not only is Isaac the first of many descendants that will come from Abraham and Sarah, but now, acquiring the deed to this real estate, serves as roots for Abraham and his offspring in the land of the Canaanites. God had promised this Saint both heirs so many he couldn’t count, and that God would give them this land where they were currently foreigners. This is the deposit of the promise. Once again, God’s ways of doing things and ours are completely different. My Friends, this story should fill us with hope because, if you are sincerely born again, we too have received a down payment for The Promise from God. When we surrender our lives to Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to reside forevermore in our spirit, guaranteeing our entrance into Heaven when our time here is done. (see 2Co 1:21-22; 2Co 5:5 & Eph 1:14) The promise was given, not because Abraham nor anyone of us, earned or deserved it. The promise is all about God’s Grace. God loves and so He chooses to give. (see Jn 3:16) But we must receive the promise, so God continues to work with us. God stirs our Faith, grows us in His Grace, and seals the promise when we surrender our hearts to Him. Abraham and Sarah had let go of everything, trusting God would be faithful. And God does not disappoint. He will not disappoint us either. Let’s learn to continue to fight the good fight of Faith like these Saints and the many others we can learn from in Scripture. (see 1Ti 6:12) Our part is to trust God above all things and place all our Faith in Him.
Sowing godly seeds. I just want to mention the amount of respect that is shown to Abraham as he is seeking this burial plot. They recognize him as “a mighty prince among us” and are willing to, not only allow him to bury his dead on their land, but also seem ready to just give him some land of his own. (Gen 23:6 and 23:11) We also see Abraham’s humility as he bows before these peoples while negotiating for the site. (Gen 23:7) I believe the reason his neighbors treated him with such reverence is because Abraham sowed good seeds of respect into their lives as well. Mutual respect and admiration, without condoning or following the beliefs of others, is a good lesson for us to learn. We can disagree with others agreeably, as we see Abraham is doing here. We could do so with those who are not Christians, but certainly should do so with those of other denominations of Christianity. There is never a legitimate reason for us to act out of hatred towards other groups. We are to remember how God treats us rebels, then show the same mercy and kindness to all. Again, this does not mean we condone any sin, nor does it mean we must hang out with them and follow their ways, but we can choose to be respectful. We can respectfully decline to get into arguments about things that will not get us into Heaven, nor keep us out of Heaven. We can respectfully acknowledge others, even if they choose not to return the curtesy. We can respectfully do business with unbelievers, as Abraham is doing here, without compromising our own convictions. We can…if we choose to watch the seeds we are sowing. We are to be kind to everyone, even if they are never kind to us, because ultimately, we are accountable to God, not others. The more we receive God’s Mercy for ourselves, the more mercy we should have to give towards others. We are to sow and reap in this life, for God’s glory. God has grown Abraham’s character so that it resembles His own more clearly, and I believe Abraham’s neighbors cannot deny it. As they see Abraham, they see his God’s reflection. This is a good way of bringing souls to Christ. May we learn from this Father of Faith and do likewise.
Get my son a wife. It is about 3 years after the death of Sarah, and Isaac is still mourning her death. Abraham is well advanced at the ripe age of 140, when he decides to commission his chief servant to go seek a wife for Isaac. Spoiler alert, we know the timeline because we know Isaac gets married when he is 40 years old. (see Gen 25:20) Abraham has the servant pledge not to get him a wife from the nations around them, because they did not acknowledge his God and he did not want Isaac to be tempted to dismiss God either. And so the servant was to travel to the land of Abraham’s relatives to find a young lady for his son from among them. From the commentary Barnes’ Notes on the Bible we see, “The kindred of Abraham were Shemites, Hebrews, and still retained some knowledge of the true God, and some reverence for him and his will.” Interestingly enough, this servant does not doubt that he will find a bride for Isaac, but he is a bit afraid things will not go as smoothly for him to bring her back to the land where they were currently living. I mean, that kind of makes sense, right? Which parents would just allow their daughter to go with some stranger to a strange land on his say-so, right? The servant asks if he should take Isaac to her if she refuses to come to them, to which Abraham quickly says, “No.” And why? Because God had removed Abraham from that land and living with his family, where he might be tempted to follow their other gods, instead of only obeying “the God of heaven and the God of earth.” (see Gen 24:2) After all that he had been through, Abraham knew that there was only one true God and he would not follow anyone else, and of course, he wanted Isaac to do likewise. In addition, God had promised Abraham that his current home would be his offspring’s inheritance. The servant, though, was not as secure in God’s promise. What might be happening here is that this head servant’s Faith was not as deep as that of Abraham. I say this because we can see some doubt about God’s Plan as we read how the servant wanted an out, just in case he was not able to fulfill Abraham’s command. I like to think that Abraham had a glint in his eye when he tells him, “If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take him back there.” (Gen 25:8) Abraham knew God would give this servant success and direct him to the right girl for Isaac. (see Gen 25:40) I also like to believe that Abraham had confidence that she would indeed come back with the servant so that the promise of God, for countless descendants, would continue. Of course, this is exactly what happens. I think God is equally concerned about the Faith of this servant, and uses this situation to grow him spiritually. (see Gen 25:52) He prays for God to lead his steps and give him success for Abraham’s sake. Of course, even before he finishes praying, there comes Rebekah doing exactly what this servant had asked God to show him. (see Gen 25:45) What is important to note is that, this servant is not so much praying for a sign, as he is praying for godly discernment to know, for sure, God’s Will in this matter. It is all confirmed when he speaks with the girl, then meets her family who are indeed relatives of Abraham. The servant explains all that had happened on his journey, how his master is Abraham and how he was sent to find his son, Isaac, a wife from his relatives. Everyone seems in agreement that this could be nothing less than the hand of God. (see Gen 25:50) The servant showers Rebekah and her family with all sorts of rich gifts and he rests from his voyage, staying the night with them. There may be some foreshadowing of a greedy character trait in her brother, Laban, when the next morning he and his mother try to delay the departure of Rebekah and the servant. But when she is asked if she would willingly go with this servant, Rebekah agrees. “Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.” (Gen 25:61) And so, God’s Plan takes the next step forward.
Love at first sight. The chief servant is diligent in his duty to obey Abraham’s instructions and carries out his work quickly. Rebekah’s godly character is also displayed throughout this narrative. She is hospitable as she cares for the stranger and his camels. She is a hard worker as it would have taken dozens of gallons of water to fully satisfy the thirst of the animals. She was a woman of some faith, as she was quick to see, and believe, in the hand of God being responsible for the entire event. And she had a heart of a servant who was willing to be sacrificially obedient to God as she was willing to give up her current life to go to a place where she had no idea what awaited her. While God can, and does, use all sorts of different people to bring about His Plan, yet as always, He is most concerned with the heart of each individual. Again the servant is faithful and so it seems is Rebekah. As they journey back to the land where Abraham lives, Isaac is out in a field meditating. I love that detail, and wonder what he was thinking about. Could he be remembering stories of his miraculous birth? Did he recall God’s mercy in providing another sacrifice in his place when he was tied to the altar? Was he thinking about how God would possibly fulfill the promise He made to his Dad? We do not know. But we do know he was still grieving the loss of his mother. This is why I mentioned that he must have had a deep relationship with her, and she with him. Imagine, being barren for 89 years, then miraculously becoming pregnant and giving birth. That was no little thing, and Isaac clearly understood the blessing, and greatly appreciated his mother. His heart was still broken over her absence. I say all this to show us God’s perfect Timing here. Just when he needed to be comforted, God brings him a wife to fill the emptiness. He looks up from his pondering to see a caravan approaching. Rebekah also looks up and sees Isaac standing there. She gets down from her camel and asks, “Who is that?” I am going to digress a minute here to share a tiny bit of my own story, so please indulge me. When I was about to graduate from college, a little over 30 years ago, I was ready to settle down and wanted to meet my soulmate. I ended up at a wedding where Joe “just happened” to be also. I looked up at him and my heart leapt within me. I might not have realized it right away, but that was my “love at first sight” moment. Now looking back, I just know God had orchestrated the entire thing to bring us together. And I know this is what is happening here too. Isaac sees her. Rebekah sees him. And the rest is literally history. “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Gen 24:67) This is from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “Dutiful sons promise fair to be affectionate husbands; he that fills up his first station in life with honour, is likely to do the same in those that follow.” Since Isaac was so affectionate towards his mother, he would most likely be a respectful and loving husband, as well. And in case you are wondering about the wedding festivities, my StudyBible asks and answers, “With no wedding ceremony, what made this marriage legal? The agreement between the two families. The financial arrangements were specified beforehand. The actual ceremony consisted of the bride’s move from her father’s house to the bridegroom’s residence. The bridal week of celebration followed.” (Quest Bible p34) The moment her family and Rebekah agreed to go with the servant, the marriage was arranged. But since I am a romantic, I think it was sealed the moment they saw each other.
God’s Plan. We all should understand that God has a good plan for all our lives, individually as well as for the entire Church. And when I say “Church,” I mean everyone that will ever believe on Jesus as their Lord and Savior, from Adam and Eve until the last humans to surrender their hearts to Him. One of the countless reasons I love reading, and rereading, the Bible every year from start to finish, is to see God’s hand clearer and clearer in the accounts He had written down for us to pour over. The Bible is so cohesive, so continuous, so understandable that anyone can get a picture of our loving God’s heart. Because He loves, His capacity to love is endless, and so He decides to create a world for beings that He would make in His own Image. And even when we choose to go our own way, God never gives up on us. He raises and leads godly men and women, like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, to pave the way towards the redemption of us all. Through this godly lineage comes the Messiah, our Jesus, who offers each human many, and many opportunities to return to God and the image He originally desired for us to have and live through. God knows we cannot do any of this on our own and so He orchestrates so much in our lives. But this is what we would expect a good Father to do. We are children who make some really bad choices. Why would He allow us to make all our choices alone? We see the end of Sarah’s life. We see the beginning of Isaac’s marriage. And we see Abraham’s Faith at it highest point. All part of God’s Plan for their lives and ours, as we read, learn from and imitate the godliness in each of these past Saints. I know every time I see God’s big picture of redemption, I am able to implement the smaller changes that help me become more and more like these faithful Saints…and my life gets more and more abundant! Want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
