Genesis 24:1-4

2008.Feb.02 20:43

Read Genesis 24:1-4 | Full Chapter

Well, we’ve spent a while now looking at the lives of Abraham and Sarah. Finally, somebody else is going to get married! Yay. Chapter 24 of Genesis is about Isaac marrying Rebekah. Isaac, of course, is not a central figure in this story. And even Rebekah is not the principal actor. It is instead the oldest of Abraham’s household servant, to whom Abe has assigned the task of finding a wife for Isaac.

Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way. Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, "Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
(Genesis 24:1-4, NASB)

The job is finding a spouse for the heir of Yahweh’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. Abraham assigns this job to the eldest of his household servants, which indicates to me that this is very important to Abraham. As I reckon it should be. Of course, as the eldest servant, we might assume he’s, well, old, so it is also a testament to his devotion to Abraham (whether out of love, fear, or something else), that he agrees to this adventure.

Now, we come to the point that it is extremely important to Abraham that Isaac does not marry a native of Canaan. This does have a nice logical ring to it: it would be difficult for Isaac’s descendants to dispossess the Canaanites of Palestine if they are, in fact, all Canaanites. Throughout the next four books of the Bible, too, are warnings against inter-marrying with the then-inhabitants of Palestine, due to the probability that the Israelites would adopt the prominent religions of the land, forsaking Yahweh. For example:

People of Israel, the LORD your God will help you take the land of the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. These seven nations have more people and are stronger than Israel, but when you attack them, the LORD will force them out of the land. Then you must destroy them without mercy. Don't make any peace treaties with them, and don't let your sons and daughters marry any of them. If you do, those people will lead your descendants to worship other gods and to turn their backs on the LORD. That will make him very angry, and he will quickly destroy Israel.
(Deuteronomy 7:1-4, CEV)

I don’t know if this is particularly Abraham’s concern. Indeed (and I may just be missing something obvious), it’s not clear to me why this is so important to Abraham. The results represented in the rest of this chapter certainly suggest that Yahweh supports and agrees with this decision. Then, it’s not necessary to know the precise reason for each action of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Judeo-Christian tradition. Trying to do so is one of those things that I, at least, can get caught up in at the expense of really seeking God himself.

Genesis 24:9-14

2008.Feb.16 04:27

A Specific Request

Read Genesis 24:9-14 | Full Chapter

So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do. Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria, where Abraham's brother Nahor lived. When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water.
(Genesis 24:9-11, CEV)

The servant, having clarified Abraham’s request, agrees to fulfill it. He then acts according to the promise he made. If Abraham, proverbially, had said “Jump”, the servant would have said “How high?”, and then jumped to that height.

I was about to just give high marks to the servant and move on to the next few verses, but quoting the “When I say jump” stuff has my mind going another direction. I have often found myself hearing that expression and thinking that if I told somebody to jump and they asked me to clarify just how high they should jump, slappings would ensue. I mean, seriously, if I wanted to be that specific, I would say so. If I thought of it. Maybe…

And there’s the trouble, when do I ask for more specific instructions and when should I just go forth and do, filling in the gaps as needed. This is particularly difficult when the instructor is unlikely to know how much I know. Or, from the other side, how detailed should my instructions be to others? And what about instructions from God?

I feel confident in saying that there is a balance between no details and too many, whether the giver or receiver of the instructions. But a more important point is that new instructions should not serve as a reason to ignore those of the past. In particular, a new “calling” from God does not give me leave to violate his commandments; if I think I have received a calling which would require me to disobey his word, then I can safely assume I misheard his more recent instructions, or they were not indeed from Yahweh.

This could lead back into a “new” versus “old” covenant discussion, but I’m not up to that right now; and would probably make a fool of myself if I tried. Now, trying to get back on track…

The servant prayed: You, LORD, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today. The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water, and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.
(Genesis 24:12-14, CEV)

The servant is aware that the task is not something that he can really do on his own. Sure, he could wander around town, find the hottest unmarried gal, and say, “Hey, wouldja like to marry a millionaire?” But the servant has shown himself loyal to Abraham, and so he wants to do better than “good enough”. The servant, faced with this challenge, does what I often forget to do. He asks Yahweh for help.

The servant does tell make a precise request to Yahweh as to just what sort of woman he expects that God will direct him to. Yet, he is very specific in stating what signs he wants God to use to reveal his (God’s) desire. Now, the particular indications alone would likely lead the servant to a good woman, one who is certainly very hospitable, but the servant is expecting Yahweh to ensure that the particular woman he desires to marry Isaac will be the one to give the servant a drink and offer to water his camels.

I’m not sure about the practice of asking God for a particular sign, but it’s certainly better than not asking him for help or ignoring his direction. As with the discussion of should I ask for more details or simply press forth (or a balance), the question is valid, but the key is obeying Yahweh’s commands, seeking his help, and worshiping him.