“LEAVE A GODLY LEGACY.” GEN. 24: 1-4, 12-16, 50-51, 61-67.
GENESIS 24: 1-4, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 50-51. 61-67.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO GENESIS 24.
Leaving a Godly legacy in a healthy family pays dividends that remain after earthly riches fade away.
As we come to this fifth week’s study of the life of Abraham we find he is now an old man. We don’t know how old Abram was when he married his half-sister Sarai in Ur of the Chaldees and heard the voice of God telling him to leave Ur and go to a land He would show him.
Abram, his wife Sarai, his father Terah, and his nephew Lot moved to Haran at the northern tip of the Golden Crescent; leaving southern Mesopotamia, now Erak.
On the way to Haran, Abram had to cross the Euphrates river. This separated him entirely from his old home, and hence the Canaanites gave to him the name of the “Hebrew”----the man who had crossed the river----the emigrant from Mesopotamia.
Abram then crossed through the great Syrian Desert; and probably tarried at Damascus, since Eliezar, “the steward of his house,” was a native of that place. Quitting Damascus, Abram crossed the Jordan, and entering the holy land, passed into the valley of Shechem. The Shechem became his first halting place in the Holy land.
Due to a famine, Abram spent some time in Egypt. There he lied to the Pharaoh, saying Sarai was his sister, not his wife. Hagar probably followed Sarai from Egypt and gave birth to the boy Ishmael when Abram was 85 and Sarai was 75 years old.
Some 15 years later 3 angels visited Abraham. One was recognized as the Lord. He announced the conception and birth of Isaac at which both Abraham and Sarah laughed. Nine months later Isaac was born. In Gen 22 God told Abraham to take Isaac to Moriah and make of him a burnt sacrifice. Abraham complied to the point of killing Isaac. The Lord halted the procedure even as Abraham was raising the knife to kill Isaac.
Gen. 23: 1-2 says that “Sarah lived 127 years---and died and was buried in Habron in the land of Canaan.” Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age is mentioned. This means that Abraham is now 137 years of age. Isaac was now 37 years old. It’s time for Abraham to choose a wife for his son.
PLESE READ GENESIS 24: 1-4.
Abraham’s life had been full and prosperous. Having recently buried his precious wife Sarah, Abraham now had one main concern. Since he was getting on in years, he wanted to make sure that Isaac married the right kind of woman who would be a proper mother and perpetuate the godly line in fulfillment of the promise that God had given to Abraham long ago.
People in the ancient east arranged marriages for their children. (The dating process of the modern western world would have been unacceptable to them.) Isaac would not get to choose his own wife, for his father had that responsibility. But that was not unusual in that culture, and many cultures in the eastern world still follow that practice today. If a lasting marriage is any indication of success, then the ancient method was much better.
Someone has asked, “Why did Abraham wait so long to get a wife for Isaac.” Apparently Isaac and his mother Sarah were very close. When Isaac was a child, she became angry with Ishmael and insisted in Gen. 21: 9-10 that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away; which he did.
Sarah was very protective of Isaac. Perhaps based on his experience with Sarah and Hagar Abraham had postponed getting a wife for Isaac until Sarah was dead because he knew that bringing two strong women into one tent again would not be a pleasant prospect. Ch. 23 records Sarah’s death and burial. Therefore, it must have seemed to Abraham that it was now time to get a wife for Isaac.
Because Abraham was old and getting on in years, he chose to delegate the task of finding a wife for Isaac to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned. The text never calls this servant by name, though many scholars believe it to be Eliezer of Damascus, one of Abraham’s servants who had been born into his household. But that was about 50 years earlier, so no one can be certain. The lack of a name certainly highlights the fact that the story is not about the servant but about the bride and groom. The servant was merely an instrument in God’s providence whom the Lord used to find Isaac the right woman to marry.
Abraham was not only burdened that Isaac should find a wife but that he should find the right kind of wife. There were plenty of women in Canaan whom Isaac could have married, but this was not acceptable to Abraham. He asked the servant to take an oath before departing on the search.
Abraham said that the servant’s oath was so he would not take a wife for Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites. Abraham was rightly concerned that Isaac would marry the wrong kind of woman. Abraham was a worshiper of the Lord, the one true God. He and his household were the only monotheists in a land of pagan polytheists who participated in sexual perversions as part of their fertility rites.
The Canaanites even sacrificed their children to appease their gods so they could have good crops. No suitable wife could be found among a people who did not share Abraham’s morals and commitment to holiness. Isaac and his wife had to be united in their worship and service of the Lord, the covenant God. The future of the nation depended on it.
To find a woman who had grown up knowing this God, Abraham knew that they would have to search among his own people. He also knew that such a woman must exist because God had promised to make a nation for Himself through Isaac. So Abraham made his servant swear to go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.
Since Isaac was the only link in the line of promise, it was essential that he marry and have a son to fulfill God’s purpose. Finding the right wife for him, therefore, was crucial. As Abraham looked back over his long life, he realized that the Lord had blessed him in all things. God had done just what He promised when He called Abraham. The patriarch had received an heir in Isaac. Abraham remembered that God had promised to bless all people through him and his descendants. Abraham knew he would not see that in his lifetime: but he knew that for this to happen, Isaac must marry and have a son.
History proved Abraham’s instincts correct. God’s people never sank lower than when they intermarried with idolatrous, pagan people. Solomon, David’s son, allowed his pagan wives to bring their idols into Jerusalem where he built them temples, and Israel was never the same. Ahab married Jezebel whose perverted worship of her gods introduced vile practices that God’s people quickly adopted.
Throughout the O.T. prophets and preachers insisted that God’s people should not marry foreigners because their detestable practices were contrary to God’s holiness.
The N.T. in both 1st and 2nd Cor. states that believers must not marry unbelievers. The believer is a child of God, but the unbelieving spouse is a child of the Devil. When a believer marries an unbeliever, he or she can’t help but have trouble with the father-in-law.
The believer will want to go to church, but the unbeliever may see no need. The believer will want to raise the children to know the Lord, but the unbeliever may undermine that commitment. The believer will want to tithe, but the unbeliever may balk and think it a waste of money.
Couples can overcome many things in marriage: different backgrounds, different social statuses, different income levels, and different nationalities. But if they do not share the same core values, they are going to have serious problems. True love not only waits but also chooses carefully. Christian singles should make a commitment to date only believers lest they allow themselves to fall in love and marry someone against God’s will.
A Christian should commit to date and marry only another believer so they can establish a Christian home together.
Abraham told Eliezer that his mission was to get a wife for Isaac. But Abraham made three stipulations about the wife. She must not be a Canaanite. Later when God gave the Law, He clearly spelled this out in Deut. 7: 3-4. “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will turn against you and will quickly destroy you.”
The second stipulation was that Isaac’s wife come from Abraham’s relatives. When Abraham and Lot moved on to Canaan the others stayed in Haran. So Abraham sent Eliezer to where Abraham’s relatives lived, to “the city of Nahor.” When Jacob went a generation later it was called Padan-aram. This was in the general area from which Abraham had left and many miles from Canaan. Abraham felt that woman of faith could be found among his kin.
Eliezer asked what he was to do if the chosen girl refused to leave and come with him. Abraham said that this would free the servant from his vow, but under no circumstances was Eliezer to let Isaac go to Haran. Perhaps Abraham feared what would happen if his heir left the Promised Land. Having heard the assignment Eliezer swore to fulfill it.
LET’S LOOK NOW AT THE SERVANT’S ACTIONS. First, in vs. 12 he prayed:
TEACHER READ GEN. 24: 12. “Lord, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”
After taking a s0lemn oath Abraham’s servant made the long trek to where Abraham’s relatives lived. It was a long trip under the best of circumstances. It would have taken at least a month, but the story of Eliezer’s long journey is told in one verse. He took 10 camels that he loaded with goods, some of which he could use for a dowry.
The servant was wise enough to arrive at the town’s well at the time of the evening when the women from town would come to draw water. Making his camels kneel down, the servant waited and observed all the women who had come to draw water. He was there to find a wife for Isaac.
Abraham was concerned about leaving a godly legacy not only to his family but also to future generations. He realized that God’s plan is too far-reaching to be completed in one generation. Abraham represents the biblical perspective that takes the long view. He would not have been at home in the Now Generation.
Waiting and watching at the well, the servant prayed that the Lord would grant him success that day and that He would show kindness to my master Abraham. The servant was not praying for success for himself. He knew that Abraham’s heart was right in this request and he represented his master, not himself.
Godly prayer does not seek to change God’s will but to discover it. Godly payer does not ask God to change His mind but to reveal it. Godly prayer does not ask God to do what is against His plan but to glorify Himself through the fulfillment of His purpose. Abraham’s servant knew that God wanted Isaac to have the right wife, so he boldly prayed that He would work in a way that was beyond human control or ability. The servant asked God to do it for Abraham’s sake, because the heart of Abraham was the whole reason for this mission.
PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS BEAUTIFUL PRAYER.
PLEASE READ GENESIS 24: 13-14.
The servant prayed while standing at the spring where the young women of the town came to draw water. His selfless payer is almost humorous in his childlike trust. “I am standing here (as if he is calling from a phone booth).The servant asked for a specific sign that would lead him to the right wife for Isaac.
The servant was not asking for anything miraculous. He was not asking for something unrelated or nonsensical. His request was designed to reveal the proper attitude in a young woman. A woman who refused his request would not be suitable at all. A woman who merely granted his request could be expected to do what she must. But a woman who went far beyond the request of giving water to a man to watering 10 thirsty camels could be counted on to do far more than expected. She would be gracious, kind, and considerate.
Not only was the servant’s request very sensible and fitting for his task, but, it presupposed the sovereignty of God. He was not looking for just any woman. He wasn’t even looking for a great woman. He was looking for the woman—the one whom God had long ago chosen for Isaac.
The writers of the Bible never pitted divine sovereignty and human responsibility against one another. They are always completely compatible. Is it true that God has appointed a woman for Isaac and that no other woman could ever possibly marry him? Yes, that is certainly true. Is it also true that Abraham’s servant had to come looking for her or else he might marry a Canaanite woman? Yes, that is also true.
Some of the greatest truths in the Bible must be held in tension with other truths that at face value seem contradictory. In such cases both truths must be affirmed, or neither one can stand alone. For example, Jesus is fully human and fully divine. Anyone who emphasizes one of those doctrines to the exclusion or detriment of the other is heretical—or at least misinformed.
The same can be said of the unity and Trinity of God and of the human authorship and divine inspiration of the Scriptures. In the same way, human responsibility and God’s sovereignty are truths held in tension but which support each other. To emphasize one over the other is to miss the full revelation of God. Abraham’s servant had not been to the seminary, but he had a great grasp of this truth. He traveled a great distance and labored hard as though everything depended on him, yet he prayed fervently and specifically, acknowledging that everything depended on God. He went in search of a wife for Isaac, and he asked God who she was.
If God answered his prayer, he would have all the proof he needed that God had granted his request and honored Abraham’s purpose in sending him. The servant’s humility is heart-warming and exemplary. He did not say anything about God doing these things for him. His prayer was that God would do this for Abraham.
Many times answers to prayers are slow in coming, but Eliezer’s prayer was answered while he was praying.
PLEASE READ GENESIS 24: 15-16.
Before he had finished speaking, he saw Rebekah coming to draw water with a jug on her shoulder. He noticed immediately that she was very beautiful, but he had no idea how perfect for Isaac she really was. She was Isaac’s second cousin, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. God had led him directly to a girl from a family who worshiped the Lord, the one true God. She was morally pure because she had not known a man intimately.
When Abraham’s brother Haran died in Ur he left his daughter, Milcah as an orphan. Abraham and Haran’s brother Nahor married his neice Milcah. Gen. 22:23 says “—these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.” One of these eight was Bethuel and Bethuel begat Rebekah. So Rebekah was Isaac’s second cousin.
Rebekah’s role of carrying water for her family says plenty about her character. Such a chore could hardly be considered a delight, yet she was the first one there. God saw to it that the servant did not have time to get distracted or to look at other possible mates for Isaac. He led him immediately to the right one.
God shows His grace by working in concert with the prayers of His people. James said in James 1:5, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.” Those who earnestly seek God’s will or wisdom will find it. He is a good Father and will give good gifts to His children. If one of His children asks Him for help in making decisions, in finding the right kind of mate, or in discovering His will and purpose for life, God will surely answer.
The purpose of prayer is to discover and conform to God’s will.
In vs. 22-23 Eliezer gave Rebekah a gold ring and two gold bracelets as he asked her whose daughter she was. He also asked if there was room for him to stay the night. When she told him in vs. 24-25 that she was the daughter of Bethuel and that there was plenty of food for the camels, he knew that he had found the right person. Then Eliezer praised God for not abandoning His kindness and His faithfulness to Abraham.
This experience revealed the kind of person Rebekah was. She had shown herself to be a kind and compassionate young woman. In Eliezer’s mind she was well qualified to be Isaac’s wife.
Eliezer’s prayer shows us that marriage is an important step and that believers should make it a matter of prayer. Unmarried believers should pray that God will lead them to a person who shares their faith and values. They should have convictions about the kind of person they would consider marrying. But they also should be the kind of person a fellow believer would want to marry.
PLEASE READ GENESIS 24: 50-51.
In vs. 28-31 an excited Rebekah went back to tell her family what had happened at the well. Her brother Laban rushed out to meet the man. He had been impressed by the ring and bracelets. He warmly invited Eliezer to come to their house.
When they prepared to eat, Eliezer insisted on telling why he had come. He related to them that he was Abraham’s servant and how God had blessed Abraham with wealth and with a son in his old age.
He explained that he had specifically prayed for God to lead him to a woman who would offer to water his camels, and Rebekah was the one whom God had sent. After hearing the servant share these details of his journey, the family could not deny that God was at work and that He had sent the servant for Rebekah.
Laban, Rebeka’s brother, and Bethuel, her father, both answered that these circumstances were obviously the work of the Lord and that they had no choice but to accept what God had done.
They could hardly deny what was so obvious to them all. Rebekah and Isaac were meant to be together, not as a result of an impersonal or romantic fate but as the recipients of the loving intervention of their God who had determined that they should marry.
The men in Rebekah’s family told the servant to take her and go so she could be a wife to Abraham’s son. The Lord had spoken it through circumstances that were beyond coincidence and chance. He had clearly revealed His will through direct answer to prayer and through the orchestration of these events.
We sometimes speak of “a marriage made in heave” for people who have been happily married for many years., This is an appropriate description. When we meet a Christian couple married for many years, we often ask them how they met. Many times the circumstances seem coincidental. Many times they were both away from home and had almost chance encounters. But many also feel that their meeting was providential and not coincidental.
In vs. 53 after Bethuel and Laban gave permission for Rebekah to go to Canaan and marry Isaac, Eliezer gave rich gifts to Rebekah, to her brother, and to her mother.
In vs. 54 after an all-night party, Eliezer wanted to leave right away. Rebekah’s family wanted them to delay for at least 10 days, but Abraham’s servant insisted they leave right away. When the family agreed to let Rebekah decide, she said she would go right away.
In those days marriages often were arranged by the two fathers; sometimes even when their children were young. This incident shows that Rebekah was not forced into this marriage but chose to do it. So her family sent her on her way with a special blessing.
As far as we know this is the last time her family saw Rebekah. Years later Rebekah sent her beloved son Jacob back to her relatives. (The biblical account of Jacob’s dealing with his uncle Laban is told later in Ch. 29-31.)
PLEASE READ GENESIS 24: 61-67.
Rebekah took her maids with her, which shows Rebekah’s social status. She rode upon the camels as Eliezer took her to where Isaac was. Isaac was living in the south country, an area called the Negev. The first meeting of Isaac and Rebekah is described in vs. 63-65 when Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide.
Isaac was raised with faith in God, so it makes sense that as he anxiously waited for his bride-to-be that he would be meditating in the field at evening.
Vs. 66 refers to the servant’s report about the success of his mission. The faithful servant probably had sent ahead some message about the success of his work. Isaac may have been waiting for the party to arrive. At 1any rate, as he was meditating, he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold, the camels were coming.
Meanwhile, Rebekah spotted Isaac and got off her camel. She asked Eliezer, “What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? The servant identified Isaac as his master. Then Rebekah covered herself with a veil.
Rebekah’s veiling herself symbolizes to Isaac that she is the bride. Israelite women were not normally veiled. It was customary, however, to veil the bride in the marriage ceremony.
We are not told what Isaac and Rebekah said when they met. But Eliezer’s account of his mission convinced Isaac that Rebekah was the woman the Lord intended for him.
Vs. 67 says simply that she became his wife; and he loved her. When Rebekah moved in, Isaac was comforted from the grief he felt after his mother’s death.
A couple of comments come to mind. One is that leaving a godly legacy to one’s offspring is more important than leaving a larg1e inheritance. Many people place high priority on a large estate of money and possessions. They are like the man who came to Jesus in Luke 12: 13 and asked Him to make his brother share the inheritance from his father. But Prov. 19: 14 wisely reminds us, “Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
Isaac was well-fixed materially from his father Abraham, but the more important legacy Isaac received from Abraham was his faith in the covenant God—and a godly wife to love.
Another comment is that marriage is the priority relationship within the family. The Bible states in Gen. 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Isaac found comfort in the love of his wife from the grief he suffered at the passing of his mother.
When a family makes a genuine commitment to seek God’s will and follow His leading, they can have mutual delight and love for each other. Christians must learn that true love is always an overflow of one’s relationship to God. When a husband and wife put God first, they discover they can love the other far more in second place than they ever could by putting each other in first place. By following God’s leadership, Abraham was able to prepare the next generation for success and honor before the Lord.
The determination of Abraham, the humility of his servant, the modesty of Rebekah, and the patience of Isaac all serve as illustrations of a legacy worth leaving.
NEXT SUNDAY WE BEGIN A 4 LESSON SERIES ON “GOD’S GREAT SALVATION.” FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1 WE FIND “LIFE BEGINS AT RECEPTION.” PLEASE TRY TO BRING SOME UNSAVED PERSON FOR WHOM YOU HAVE PRAYED TO THESE FOUR LESSONS. A.V. DAUGHERTY <altav@swbell.net>