Finding A Wife for Isaac
Book of Genesis Chapters 24 Through 26
The one thing Abraham realized and we to are to realize is, that it is just a great thing to be involved in the plan of God.
It is a great thing to be in the family of God and being left upon this earth to do the work He has assigned to us.
We must make the will of God for us to be our own will!
We should understand that God takes these little things that are so important in life and with them, teaches us the great mysteries of the Bible and the truth of His Word.
A marriage is of great concern to our Heavenly Father.
A marriage that follows the Biblical design will be a lasting marriage and also teaches us the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Church.
Yes, the Church belongs to Jesus Christ.
It astounds me that so many so-called churches have removed the Lord Jesus Christ and are no longer a part of God's Church and no longer married to the Lord Jesus Christ though they still claim to be and their members who have rejected the Word of God.
They reject the truth of Jesus.
They reject that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
They reject the truth of the Scriptures allowing man's law to take priority.
They reject the Virgin birth.
They reject the Cross.
Yet they claim to know the way to Heaven.
God cares who we marry and to marry is one of the great decisions we make in our lifetime.
A good marriage will be filled with love, joy, and peace just as our relationship with our Savior will be.
A marriage will be between one man and one woman and God decided their sex at birth.
A marriage to the wrong person will only bring heartache!
It was time for Isaac to get married.
*****Gen 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Gen 24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
In the day of Abraham it was common for the parents to arrange the marriage of their children.
Abraham was 140 years old and Isaac was now 40 years old and mature.
Sarah, Isaac's mother had been dead for 3 years and Isaac still mourned for his mother.
We should understand that God has a time for us to think about marriage!
God is not involved but only in part, in the marriage of unbelievers.
Remember unbelievers do not know the Word of God nor do they respect the Word of God.
They are best described as those people who lived in the day of Noah before the flood destroyed them.
No doubt that Abraham had discussed these things of marriage with his son Isaac.
Abraham was insisting that Isaac would not marry a maid of the Canaanites.
We already know the Canaanites worshiped false gods and had wicked and immoral beliefs.
God had already destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and three more cities of the plain, and there had been no survivors.
It is probable that the remaining Canaanites did not realize why such a thing would happen and brushed it off as something natural.
This still happens today!
The world does not see the acts of God nor the miracles of God and brush them off as accidents or blame them on nature or other people, such as this Climate Change hoax that is blamed on humanity rather than the promises of God.
Certainly, the climate is changing and if people are worried about heat, they had better learn how to avoid Hell!
God has said things will get worse and we see it in plagues, in the climate, in wickedness, corruption, and immorality and the wickedness in high places.
We know Jehovah is righteous and it is the right thing to do to destroy unrighteousness, but only God has this knowledge to do so.
The Canaanites were a cursed people.
Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Abraham would never have chosen a daughter of the Canaanites!
To Abraham there was only one choice for Isaac this wife was to be chosen from Abraham's home country, the descendants of Noah's son Shem.
We used to have a tradition to swear an oath by laying our hand on the Holy Bible.
In the day of Abraham and oath was sworn by a hand upon the thigh.
It was a sacred thing and was not to be broken.
In our father’s day a handshake was as good as an oath!
Today you have to sign your name a hundred times just to get a loan.
As we follow the journey of this eldest servant, we will see another lesson in typology.
We will see this eldest servant as the Holy Spirit.
Isaac as the Messiah.
Abraham as Jehovah.
Rebekah as the Church, the gentile bride of Christ.
Abraham said to his servant that Jehovah would send His angel to guide him.
Abraham knew if his son was in the lineage to the Messiah, then Jehovah would be involved in his marriage!
One thing we should clearly understand, it is better not to marry than to enter into a bad marriage!
As Abraham instructed his servant, if the woman does not come willingly then Isaac will not marry her.
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Remember to be saved we must willingly give ourselves to the truth of God and repent from the ways of the world.
Believers should marry true believers or not marry at all!
*****Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
Notice just as the Holy Spirit is God, just as God the Father and God the Son, this eldest servant had control of all the goods of Abraham.
The journey to Mesopotamia was as much as a 500-mile trip and it would take a lot of supplies to go and return from such a trip.
It is the will of God that we marry a true believer, and we may have trouble finding one. It may take some time and we must be prepared for the journey.
If we are to find our soul mate, we must trust the Word of God and the Will of God and that He will lead us to that person who He has chosen for us.
In reality, it would be wise to not even date someone who does not meet these qualifications given by the Lord.
This servant came to the end of his journey, and he prayed for guidance.
*****Gen 24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
Gen 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
We must always pray for the guidance of the Lord!
I fail in this myself and usually just dart off on my own.
What is God's promise?
Psa 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
What is our prayer?
Psa 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Psa 25:4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
What should I clearly understand? The promises of God.
Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
And why not pray for good speed, remembering we must understand that God's timing is the best timing!
And why not pray before for specific things before we meet anyone who might be that perfect mate!
*****Gen 24:14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
This servant prayed to God for a sign.
We make huge mistakes when we do not pray before we choose a mate.
If God is not involved with us before our marriage, how do we expect to have a good marriage?
Notice how specific this prayer was.
This precious lady would be the one God had chosen for Isaac.
This precious lady would approach this servant of Abraham and ask him if he wanted a drink of water.
This precious lady would then draw water for his camels. This was in itself no easy task. A camel can easily drink 20 to 30 of more gallons of water and there were 10 camels.
It would be almost impossible to find a precious soul willing to do these things for a stranger, but nothing is too hard for God.
Her name was Rebekah, which means "she could ensnare you with her beauty".
*****Gen 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Rebekah was one who, when she walked into the room, you could not take your eyes off of her.
Not just her beauty but her work ethic and friendliness.
Even before this servant said Amen, his prayer was answered!
Rebekah was God's choice to be the bride of Isaac!
I believe when we are men of sincere prayer, God will provide that soul mate for life.
It is not our custom today to send someone else to find us a wife, we must do this ourselves, but God must be involved!
We should still listen to our parents if they are godly parents.
We still need God and we still need prayer and God does not mind providing a wife for godly men!
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Pro 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Ecc 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Ecc 4:10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Ecc 4:11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
Ecc 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
1Pe 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
And Rebekah was certainly beautiful.
*****Gen 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
What is a virgin according to the Bible, a lady that has never been with a man in a sexual encounter!
Even though Rebekah was very fair to look upon, she did not stand still and allow this man she had just met to just gaze upon her.
Many today blessed with beauty take advantage of it in not so godly ways.
It is also very true, that beauty is only skin deep, and inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.
Being humble, courteous, with a charitable disposition will make us more pleasant to the eyes of those watching us and there is always someone watching us including the Lord.
These are the things that bring a reward from our Heavenly Father.
Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
Mat 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Not part of our lesson but verse 21
Gen 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
Notice this servant was amazed at the things he was seeing as he had prayed.
As this servant questioned Rebekah, he found that she was from the family that Abraham had sent him seeking a wife for Isaac.
He then bowed his head and worshiped again amazed at the ways of God.
The only thing he did not know then was "if she were willing".
Like the Holy Spirit this servant showed Rebekah some of the treasures of choosing the truth of God.
Gen 24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
We also see the secular side of this family.
Gen 24:30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
It is the lust of the eyes that got the attention of Laban, Rebekah's brother.
This servant of Abraham knew God had prospered his journey and it was not time to linger.
*****Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
When our prayers our answered such as this one from Abraham's servant it was not time to linger with unbelievers.
It was very clear, that God was involved in the things going on with this marriage of Rebekah to Isaac.
When we accept the gift of salvation then we must understand this is a new life, a living life.
We live in a dyeing world, but Heaven is a place of Glory.
The servant showed Rebekah and her family the riches of Abraham.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
When we give our dead life to the Living Savior, we obtain a new life!
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
We begin to prosper as we begin our journey with the Lord.
We must give ourselves willingly.
*****Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
What are some great lessons we can learn from this simple story of seeking a wife for Isaac?
We must saturate our work for the Lord with prayer.
We must wait on the Lord for direction.
We must praise our Heavenly Father.
If we see Rebekah as that lost soul, then we must imagine her as someone who hears the Gospel.
She had to realize there was a great father reaching out to her.
He had only one son, His only begotten son and He was well beloved.
He was in search of a Gentile Bride amongst all of the world.
She would be the bride of His dear Son, forever and forever.
She was not worthy of such blessings.
This in typology is the way God calls us all.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
*****Gen 24:59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
Gen 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
What we see is that the journey home has begun.
As Rebekah has willingly given herself to Isaac even at a distance, she has consented to be his wife.
Each of us who have given ourselves to the Lord are now on our journey home.
Rebekah, a Gentile Bride, espoused to God's chosen son Isaac.
From Isaac would one day come the Messiah.
Rebekah, thou art also our sister!
Now that she was going to be a wife they prayed along the lines of God's blessings.
She would certainly be the mother of millions as every "Born Again" child of God adds to this number.
Without a doubt many of her seed will possess the gate of those who hate them as Israel entered into Canaan Land and forward into the Millennial Kingdom.
What had God promised Abraham?
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
*****Gen 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
As the bride to be began her journey, the servant began his journey home.
You see as we are the Bride of Christ, the Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus.
It may not always be a pleasant trip because we live in the world of our enemies, but we have no excuse for not enjoying it.
After all we are not going to Canaan Land, but we are going to Heaven, the true Promised Land.
The same land that Abraham was seeking and never found because he knew it was not of this earth.
Those who think Heaven will be upon this earth are wrong and foolish to believe that God would say He is giving us the best and then stop short of doing so.
1Co_2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
As Rebekah rode upon a camel, we ride upon the "Grace" of God.
2Co_12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co_13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
The Holy Spirit will only lead us to the Bridegroom!
Joh_15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
*****Gen 24:62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
Gen 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
Lahairoi means "the well of the Living God".
Jesus said
Joh_Psa_42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
If we are not craving the water from the Living God, then we had better check our salvation.
Psa_84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Psa_42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Isaac was dwelling near this well at this time waiting upon his wife to be and the Lord Jesus Christ is that well of "Living Water" and He will soon be coming to take us home to present His Bride to His heavenly Father.
Where is the best place to meditate? Near the well of Living Water.
What did Jesus teach the Samaritan woman?
Joh_4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Isaac could not have known the camels would be returning on this day.
Isaac was alone, still mourning the death of his mother who loved him so much.
Isaac had been the only begotten son of Abraham and Sarah.
Isaac was the promised son!
Jesus said:
Mat_6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
On this day, this field in the evening time, near the well of Living Water, was the place where Isaac felt closest to the Lord.
We all need a place where we can meditate on our relationship with our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
No doubt one of the thoughts of Isaac was this wife his father had sent for and we can be sure he prayed over this matter and lo and behold to Isaac his prayer was answered.
Rebekah knew this thing also.
*****Gen 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
Gen 24:65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
In those days it would have been unmannerly for Rebekah to remain seated when she saw Isaac walking. There was no exception even made for a woman.
Rebekah would not even wait until the camel she was riding came to rest, but she lighted off the camel. She simply jumped off the camel which is taller than a horse in her excitement.
She quickly recovered her composure and covered herself with a veil.
I ask myself what will I be like when I first see Jesus?
Will I lose my composure as did Rebekah?
Will I regain my composure and show respect?
Will I fall on my face before the glory of the Living God?
In reality, I believe I will be in great fear until the Lord says, "peace be with you".
To be honest I believe the Lord God of this Universe will be waiting with open arms.
If we cannot be excited about going to Heaven, then something is wrong with us!
If we cannot be excited about being saved, then maybe we are not thinking right.
When we recover, we will remember we stand before a Holy God, who has loved us into His Own Home, and we will forever be welcome in His House!
Heaven will be a happy place, not solemn and gloomy!
Isaac wanted to know all the details of the journey of his bride.
Jesus will want to hear us describe our journey to Him for He will be just as excited as we will be.
*****Gen 24:66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
The Holy Spirit would not have saved all these details if they were not important!
It is love that filled the tent of Isaac.
It will be love that will fill the Temple of God in Heaven.
God will never love us less then He loves us now and he cannot love us more because He has that true love.
We are not lured into Heaven. Heaven is a place desired by both parties.
The Lord Jesus went back to Heaven to build us a mansion in His Father's House.
This is the truth of salvation!
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Jesus has given us the instructions on how to get to Heaven.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
With the love of his wife, Isaac was comforted from the death of his mother Sarah.
As we live upon this earth there may be many of our loved ones who have gone on before us.
When we see all those in Heaven it will be a great comfort to see them again and then knowing we will never be separated from them again.
There will also be some that we loved who will not be there and we will be comforted by our Savior for those we will never see again.
Those who are married in a Christian home have a little taste of the relationship of the Bride of Christ to the Bridegroom Christ Himself, but we that know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior will experience the greatest life that exist when we get to Heaven.
I love you Jesus!
It has been worth every mile of the trip.
Amen.
