Genesis 24
Isaac and Rebekah
4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”
6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 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.”
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
“Then tell us,” Laban said.
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’
39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
40 “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family. 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’
42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring. If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,” 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also.
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’
“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 53 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. 54 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.”
55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.”
56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.”
57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she said.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 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.
Genesis 24 (NIV)
Discussion
Why did Abraham not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite?
Brief history about the Canaanites: The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan and Canaan was the son of Ham.
Remember Ham from Genesis 9? He was the son who walked in on Noah nude and drunk, and went out to tell his brothers instead of helping. After Noah found out what Ham had done he cursed Ham’s son Canaan, a curse that went across generations.
On the other hand, Abraham was a descendant of Shem, one of the sons who had covered up Noah in his state of drunkenness and had gotten blessed as a result. More-so, God had promised Abraham that He (God) was going to give him (Abraham) and his descendants the land of Canaan.
Marrying a Canaanite would have established a covenant between them and Abraham. Abraham understood the consequences a decision like that was going to have down the line: the covenant of marriage makes two people one – it joins two families into one unit. That meant the Canaanites would have had every right to possess what was meant for Abraham and his descendants, so, they wouldn’t have had to leave the land of Canaan that God wanted them to evacuate for Abraham and his descendants.
Additionally, the Canaanites had given in to a life of sin and generally did not please God.
Abraham wanted a wife for his son who was under the same covenant with God as he was. He did not want to be in covenant with the Canaanites, he did not want his descendants to become partakers of the Canaanite culture and traditions and forsake their traditions with God.
As you study the Bible further, you will learn that a time came when these things were clearly outlined for the children of Israel who were Noah’s descendants (Exodus 34:11–16, Deuteronomy 7:1–6).
So does this mean God is against “inter-racial” marriages?
First of all, we are all part of one race: the human race. No discrimination should exist among us just because of differences in skin colour, hair, region of birth, etc. As Christians we are called to be a reflection of God, God is love, ergo Christians are supposed to be a reflection of love. We owe everyone love, regardless of what they look like, what they believe, where they were born, where they grew up, etc. There should be no discrimination among us.
When Jesus came and died, a new covenant was born which not only gave mankind direct access to God, but also united us all as one people. The curses were broken, the barriers were broken, everyone can now become an heir (heir of God and joint heir with Christ). We are no longer tied to ancestral backgrounds, it no longer matters if one is a descendant of Shem or Ham or Japheth, we are all God’s children and entitled to all those things God promised to Abraham.
However, when choosing who to marry, it is important to make sure there is alignment of values and beliefs, the Bible does say to not be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). A marriage cannot work if two people don’t share the same core values, e.g.:
- If one person believes in God and abides by godly principles whereas the other is an atheist who despises God and refuses to hear anything about God, there will always be disagreements arising from different points of view and differences in opinions about how to tackle various situations. The things of God appear like foolishness to one who doesn’t know God.
- If one person believes in saving and making investments for the long term whereas the other believes in short term gratification and spending every dime, there will be disagreements in the marriage around the finances that may eventually lead to a split.
So, while you can marry anyone, you need to be wise about the choice you make. God meant for marriage to be a forever covenant, not for marriage to end in divorce. (Read about it in this post about divorce)
Lessons from Genesis 22
Don’t go back to where you came from
Notice how adamant Abraham was about his son not going back to where he came from. God had called Abraham out of the land of his birth into the land of Canaan for a reason and for his son to go back to square one, that would have meant all the work of Abraham’s life would have been in vain.
When God calls you out of a place or delivers you from a situation, don’t look back. It is not always easy to step out of one’s comfort zone, often when hard times arise there is the temptation to go back to one’s comfort zone even if it is a toxic space. You need to resist that temptation, look forward, think of the glory that lies ahead. In your moments of doubts and reluctance, be reminded that progress doesn’t come from walking backwards. I pray that God will give you the strength you need in order to keep climbing and reaching for higher heights. Amen.
When you invite God into your matter, your success is guaranteed
Abraham was wise, he called on God to go ahead of his servant to find Isaac his wife so that success could be guaranteed… and it was so, the servant me the beautiful Rebekah who became Isaac’s wife.
When God gets involved in your matter, nothing can stand against you. So, invite Him into your affairs.
God cares about every aspect of your life, even your relationships
A common misconception that many people have is that God only cares about your spiritual life (whether or not you go to church, study your Bible, pray, etc) but this is not true. While he DOES care about your spiritual growth, He also cares about every aspect of your being (did you eat today, do you have enough money, are all your needs met, is your body healthy, your mental health, your emotional health, your relationships, your finances, your work/school, your family, etc).
God is Father, He wants to make sure that you fare well in every area of your life. So, talk to Him about anything and everything. Ask Him for the guidance, help, resources etc., that you need to excel and be happy.
God hears even the silent prayers of your heart
While it is good to communicate with words, it is also important to realize that God does hear the silent prayers of your heart, even those ones you don’t know how to express through words.
He knows your secret dreams, your quiet ambitions, your silent battles – He hears the silent prayers of your heart and He will grant the desires of your heart.
That said, be careful about the thoughts you harbor for as a [wo]man thinketh so is [s]he – the state of your life is only as good as the state of your heart.
There is blessing in serving
By an act of service, Rebekah got herself a very wealthy and blessed man for a husband. A stranger asked her for water and instead of telling him to go figure it out himself, she happily offered him a drink and even went as far as bringing water for his camels.
Many people today tend to associate service with being “less-than” but that is not true.
In John 13:1-17, Jesus showed an amazing example of serving others by washing his disciples feet. In this article by Mike Cosper, the practice of foot washing is so well explained: it was something that was usually done by servants (or slaves) and was considered demeaning, yet Jesus decided to do it for his disciples. To his disciples’ surprise, Jesus took on a task that was usually performed by servants, and after He was done, He explained to His disciples that they were to follow this example and serve one another. And He said:
The Bible Says:
“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
John 13:17 NIV
There is blessing in serving others. Make sure you never look down on others when they are serving you, or on yourself when you’re serving others. The greatest among us are the ones who serve.
God in us causes us to speak like Him and act like Him – agreement in the house of God
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.”
Genesis 24:60 NIV
Did you notice how the blessings spoken upon Rebekah by her family aligned with God’s blessings spoken upon Abraham? They were far far away from one another (in an age where there were no mobile phones, Internet, etc to allow rapid and frequent communication) but somehow they spoke the same language. That’s what it looks like when people are led by God and flow in the Spirit.
God is not a God of discord and disorder, He does not create room for disagreement within His house. He won’t ask one person to do one thing and then tell another person to do the exact opposite and be a thorn in the other’s flesh or a roadblock in their path. Such disorder comes from the devil.
So, whenever you notice a lack of harmony, pray about it and submit to God. Don’t give the devil a foothold in your house (or work, school, court, community, etc).
Reflection
- What does “blessed in every way” mean to you?
- Are you a reflection of God’s perfect unconditional love everywhere you go?
- In what areas of your life do you need help today?
Further reading
- John 13:34 NIV [A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.]
- Romans 8:31 AMP [What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us? [Ps 118:6]]
- Philippians 2:13 NIV [for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.]
- James 4:7 NIV [Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.]
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for breaking every chain of bondage in my life and for delivering me from every curse. I apologize for every time I sinned against you or against a fellow brother or sister. Help me to see others through your eyes and to love perfectly like you do.
Prompt: Now invite God in those areas of your life where you need help. Cast all your burdens on Him, for He cares for you. After you’re done say this prayer:
Thank you Lord for hearing my prayers, even the ones I don’t know how to express in words. I believe in my heart that nothing is impossible for you. May my eyes be open to see the work of your hands and my ears to hear the sound of your voice as you speak to me. Let your perfect will be done in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Community
Leave a comment to let us know what lessons you learned and revelations you got from this passage of scripture.
Share the message with others that they too may be blessed and edified.
God bless you!
