Finding A Wife For Isaac

INTRO

In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac. As we continue this study, we’ll see this ongoing thread of the seed. Genesis 23 revealed that Sarah died at the age 127. In verses 4–6, Sarah was given a special burial site. In verses 11–20, Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite, for 400 shekels of silver, the field and the cave of Machpelah, where he buried Sarah.

TEACHING

Genesis 24:1: God had blessed Abraham “in everything.” God’s promises from Genesis 12 and Gen 15 were beginning to come to fruition. God was not done with His promises in the Old Testament. Now Isaac had to carry on the seed. And if there was a seed, there had to be a seed bearer, a wife. In Genesis 24, God provided a seed bearer for Isaac. It was not just through the man, but also through the woman, that the Seed would continue.

Genesis 24:2: Abraham instructed his servant to swear that he would go back to Abraham’s land and his family to find a wife for Isaac. By looking back at Genesis 15:2–3, while we can’t know for sure who this servant was, it could have been Eliezer. The phrase, “place your hand under my thigh” can be translated literally as my loins/genitals. Why? It was not a homosexual act. It indicated a source of life.

Genesis 24:3–6: This was the most crucial mission for the seed to continue. Abraham established three conditions for his servant to follow:

1. Don’t select a wife from the Canaanites. Why? Because Ham’s descendants were the Canaanites, who would become servants to Shem and Japheth. They worshipped Baal and Asherah (Deuteronomy 7:1–6). The seed bearer could not believe in false gods.
2. Select her from Abraham’s family.
3. Don’t take Isaac back to Abraham’s former home.

Genesis 24:7: Abraham told his servant that God was going ahead of him to prepare the way. God is always ahead of the curve. Even though Adam and Eve sinned, God already had a plan ready to go. God knew what would happen with Ham, and He knew the Seed, Christ, would come through Shem. God is always going to trump and overcome our inadequacies.

Genesis 24:8: If this plan to find a wife for Isaac didn’t work, the servant was released from it, but he still had to give a report. Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Whether we are the servants responsible for preparing the way for the wife or preparing the way for Christ, we are going to have to give a report. Are we obedient to the conditions God outlines? We all have assignments to complete. In 1 John 2:28, we are told to remain in Him so we won’t be ashamed before Him at His coming. As God’s servants, we can’t produce the outcome, but we are expected to be obedient to what He is asking us to do.

Genesis 24:9–11: Abraham’s servant committed to the task assigned to him. He agreed to follow the conditions. Camels were very uncomfortable to ride, but they were a sign of wealth. Ten camels were a lot. Abraham’s servant made the camels kneel beside a well outside of town. This was the time of day when women went out to draw water. A camel can drink 25 gallons! With ten camels, they needed 250 gallons of water.

Genesis 24:12–17: This was one of the first prayers in Scripture for specific guidance. The servant prayed, “Give me success.” Success can be defined as God showing up. The Hebrew word hesed is commonly translated as “loving-kindness,” “kindness,” or “love.” The servant prayed that God would continue His loyalty to His existing relationship with Abraham. The servant was praying as the women came out to draw water. This prayer was not about the servant. It had everything to do with everyone else. The servant understood the big picture of what God was doing here. This was exactly what happened to Ruth with Boaz. God is going to intervene when your heart is right with the Lord. Warren Wiersbe describes the life of this servant:

He was praying, he asked for help, he kept his eyes open, and while he was praying, God answered his prayer.¹Isaiah 65:24 says, “Even before they call, I will answer; while they are speaking, I will hear.” When we pray expectantly, God answers. “Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah.” The servant ran to meet her. The servant knew in his heart this was the woman he had prayer for. Sometimes the Lord just deposits within you a heart connection. Sometimes, you just know.

Genesis 24:18–21: Rebekah not only offered water for the servant, but also offered to water the camels. Imagine carrying two 5-gallon buckets 25 times. Wiersbe noted, “Make every occasion a great occasion, for you can never tell when someone may be taking your measure for a larger place.”²In other words, when you are doing something small, you can never tell when someone is watching and ready to elevate you to a higher place. God honored Rebekah to become a Seed bearer in the line of Christ. When we walk out the smallest little details in life, we are honoring Christ. And sometimes God will take that small thing and give you more (Luke 16:10). The servant silently watched Rebekah to see if she was going to finish the task, if she was going to honor what she said.

Genesis 24:22–27: The servant gave Rebekah an abundance of gifts. Bethuel was Isaac’s cousin. And suddenly, another qualifier was fulfilled. Rebekah was from Abraham’s family. I think Rebekah blew the servant away. When we walk by faith, we never know what it’s going to look like, but I think when we walk by faith, God always goes above and beyond (Ephesians 3:20). The servant bowed down and worshipped the Lord because Rebekah was better than he imagined. What started in a prayer ended in a prayer! God answered his prayers. What is cool about the rest of this story is that it all unfolded, everything came together, and Rebekah was the one.

Genesis 24:60: Here’s what happened to Rebekah. When her family sent her with the servant to become Isaac’s wife, they blessed her: “Our sister, may you become thousands upon ten thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.” Because Rebekah was ready and willing, the seed continued. Christ is coming back. Will you be a servant who helps people get ready?

CLOSING

Let’s go back to the power of prayer. I think there’s something to this and to the promise of how it fits with us. We must start believing and walk into our answered prayers. In Mark 11:24, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” In John 15:7, Jesus said, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.” In 1 John 5:14–15, John wrote, “Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.” Psalm 66:9 says, “He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip.”

We must start praying for more from the Lord! In 1 Samuel 1:27, Hannah received the son for whom she prayed. In Psalm 118:21, the Psalmist proclaimed, “I will give thanks to You because You have answered me and have become my salvation.” In Psalm 5:3, David said, “At daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.” Wasn’t that what happened here with Abraham’s servant? He prayed and expected, and God answered. This provided an incredible picture of a father getting a bride ready for his son who was waiting. It’s a picture of God who is getting His bride—the church—ready for Christ, who is waiting to return.

Warren Wiersbe broke all of Genesis 24 into four sections: “The will of the father” to want this, “the witness of the servant” to do this, “the willingness of the bride,” and “the welcome of the bridegroom.”³This was such a beautiful picture of a marriage, not just of Isaac and Rebekah, but also of the church and Christ. Are you a servant who is willing to prepare the way? Are you a bride who is preparing for Christ’s return?