The Book of GENESIS
James J. Barker


Lesson 26
A BRIDE FOR ISAAC

Text: GENESIS 24:1-4


INTRODUCTION:


  1. Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in the Book of Genesis, and one of the longest chapters in the Bible. It records the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.
  2. In this account, we have a beautiful picture of the courtship and marriage customs of the ancient world. And for many people, these customs are still practiced today.
  3. Genesis 24 contains important lessons on the will of God, and the providence of God, and the promises of God (24:7).
  4. Genesis 24 reminds us that God answers prayer in a very definite and specific way (cf. 24:10-21).
  5. As our story begins, Abraham is now about is 140 years of age, and has been living in the land of Canaan now for about 65 years.
  6. Back in Genesis chapter 11, we are told that Abraham had left his family in Ur of the Chaldees.
  7. Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor (11:29). They had a large family, and one of their sons was Bethuel, the father of Rebekah (22:20-23).
  8. And this Rebekah became the wife of Isaac.
  9. God had already promised that it would be through Isaac (not Ishmael) that the promised seed of Abraham would come.
  10. As our story begins, Isaac is about 40-years-old. Therefore, it is not surprising that Abraham, now old and advanced in years – a hundred and forty years of age – would be concerned about finding a wife for Isaac, and the seed that God had promised.

  1. THE FATHER’S INSTRUCTIONS
  2. THE SERVANT’S OBEDIENCE
  3. THE BRIDE’S RESPONSE

 

I. THE FATHER’S INSTRUCTIONS (24:1-9)

  1. Abraham was determined that his son should not take a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites (24:1-3).
  2. Godly parents do not want to see their children marry heathens.
  3. We do not know the name of this trusted servant. It may have been Eliezer (Genesis 15:2). It is significant that his name is not mentioned, and I will say more about that later.
  4. The commission which Abraham gave to his trusted servant shows clearly that Abraham was determined to follow God’s will (24:2-4).
  5. The oath (24:2, 3) mentioned here occurs twice in the Bible. The second time is in Genesis 47:29, where Jacob called his son Joseph, and said to him, “If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt.”
  6. The origin of this vow is unknown. These verses describe a very solemn agreement.
  7. Abraham’s servant asked him what was to be done if the woman was unwilling to take the long journey back with him into Canaan (24:5).
  8. Abraham replied that in any case his son was not to be taken out of Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham and his seed. Interestingly, as far as we know, Isaac never left the promised land.
  9. Apparently, he died there without ever going outside the boundaries of the land.
  10. Whatever should happen, Abraham wanted God's will to be done and God’s purpose maintained. His servant understood this (24:9).
  11. Abraham was confident that God would prosper the errand, and that his servant would return with a bride for Isaac. (24:6-9; cf. 24:56).

 

II. THE SERVANT’S OBEDIENCE (24:9-56).

  1. Abraham’s servant’s attitude and obedient action illustrate the qualities of true service. Psalm 100:2 says we are to “serve the LORD with gladness,” and Abraham’s servant is pictured here as a model for all of God’s servants.
  2. Nineteen times in this chapter, Abraham’s servant referred to Abraham as “my master” (24:12, 14, 27, 35, 36, 37, 39, 42, 48, 49, 54, 56, 65).
  3. The servant took ten camels with him (24:10), indicating other servants would be accompanying him on his trip (cf. 24:59b).
  4. Some of the camels were for Rebekah’s attendants (24:61).
  5. True servants of God must be men and women of prayer. We see this in the lives of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, the apostle Paul and many others in the Bible. Abraham’s servant knew how to pray (24:10-15), and he earnestly prayed for God’s guidance (24:12).
  6. Camels can drink at least five gallons of water, and often much more than that. After a long trip (hundreds of miles) through the desert, these camels were undoubtedly very thirsty. And the servant had ten camels (24:10). Rebekah was not only “very fair” (24:16); she was also very strong!
  7. John Phillips said, “To draw some fifty gallons of water from the well, and empty them into the trough in the heat of that climate was a big undertaking. Such a woman would make a very good wife” (Exploring Genesis).
  8. He was on a very unusual errand, and so he prayed that the God of his master would give him good success. Not only does the servant pray for guidance, he also prays for God’s loving kindness (24:14b).
  9. W.H. Griffith Thomas said, “He seeks to know the road, and then asks for power to walk along it. He requests opportunities, and then grace to use them. There is scarcely anything more touching and beautiful than this prayer, especially in its emphasis upon his master, and his desire that God would show kindness to Abraham” (Genesis).
  10. God answered his prayer even before he had finished praying. Isaiah 65:24 says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.’
  11. And when his prayer was answered, Abraham’s servant reverently bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD, and thanked God (24:15-27; cf. vss. 48, 52). Abraham’s servant was a model servant.
  12. Rebekah quickly ran to tell her family about their new guest (24:28). And when Rebekah’s brother Laban met Abraham’s servant, he said, “Come in, thou blessed of the LORD” (24:29-31).
  13. His words indicate that the knowledge and worship of Jehovah God, the true living God, was still retained in the family of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
  14. They say hospitality is the first law of the East, and Laban was very hospitable. But Abraham’s servant insisted that he must first deliver his important message before sitting down to eat (24:32, 33).
  15. He explained that the LORD had blessed Abraham greatly, and had given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
  16. And all of this would soon belong to Isaac (24:34, 35).
  17. “Unto him hath he given all that he hath” (24:36).
  18. Abraham’s servant then went on to explain the purpose of his mission to Rebekah and her family (24:37-49).

 

III. THE BRIDE’S RESPONSE (24:57, 58)

  1. In Genesis 24:50, Rebekah’s brother Laban and her father Bethuel said, “The thing proceedeth from the LORD,” again indicating their knowledge of Jehovah God.
  2. After everything was agreed upon, Abraham’s servant proceeded to distribute expensive gifts to the bride, and to her brother, and to her mother (24:51-53).
  3. Then everyone ate, and after the night’s celebration, Abraham’s servant asked permission to leave, but Rebekah’s brother and mother wanted her to stay for a few more days, “at the least ten” (24:54, 55).
  4. However, Abraham’s servant said to them, “Hinder me not…” (24:56). Rebekah was consulted and she was ready to go (24:57, 58).
  5. Rebekah’s nurse would join them (24:59). We know from Genesis 35:8 that her name was Deborah. Other female attendants (“her damsels”) also left with Rebekah (24:60, 61).
  6. Soon they were all in Canaan land. Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide (24:63). “In the field" where he might view the beautiful works of nature, and meditate on what God was doing in his life. And as he lifted up his eyes and looked up at the starry sky he saw the camels coming.
  7. Abraham’s servant introduced Rebekah to Isaac, and proceeded to tell him about his adventure (24:62-66).
  8. The first time we see the word “love” in the Bible is in Genesis 22:2, where God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
  9. The second reference to love is here in Genesis 24:67 – “and she became his wife; and he loved her…”
  10. The first reference is the love of the father for his son.
  11. The second reference is the love of the son for his bride.
  12. It has been noted by many preachers and Bible teachers that Genesis 24 is highly typical (cf. Scofield Study Bible, p. 34)
  1. Abraham is type of a certain king who would make a marriage for his son (Matthew 22:2). The father has but one purpose in this chapter, that is to seek a bride for his son.
  2. The unnamed servant is a type of the Holy Spirit, who does not "speak of himself.” John 16:13 says the Spirit of truth “shall not speak of Himself.” John 15:26 says the Holy Spirit came to testify of Christ. Abraham’s servant came, not to talk about himself, but to testify of Isaac.
  3. W.H. Griffith Thomas said, “How wonderfully he (the servant) proclaimed the vast resources of the father (24:35), and the glory of the son (24:36). In like manner the Holy Spirit through the mouths of Christian preachers is continually proclaiming the glory of Christ.”

  4. Furthermore, the servant, as a type of the Holy Spirit, enriched the bride with the Bridegroom's gifts (Galatians 5:22; I Corinthians 12:7-11).
  5. And just as the unnamed servant brought Rebekah to Isaac, the Holy Spirit brings the bride to the meeting with the Bridegroom (I Thessalonians 4:14-16).
  6. Rebekah is a type of the Church, the "called out" virgin bride of Christ (Genesis 24:16; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32). The bride was thought of before she herself ever knew it (24:4), and arrangements were made for her to be offered the position of wife to Isaac. Ephesians 1:4 says. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.”
  7. Rebekah believed the servant's word when he told her about Abraham and Isaac. She stepped out by faith, and went to meet Isaac.
  8. Rebekah went to the land of Canaan and found her husband and her permanent home. In like manner, the soul that comes to Christ enters into true fellowship, rejoices even now in eternal life, and knows that in God's good time there will be the Canaan above, the rest for the people of God.
  9. Isaac is a type of the Bridegroom. In Genesis 24, the son is the father's one thought, and in him all his purposes are to be fulfilled (24:36). So also is it in regard to the Son of God. John 3:35 says, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.”
  10. Isaac, as a type of the Bridegroom, goes out to meet and receive His bride (Genesis 24:63). Notice, the son did not go to a distant land meet his bride; the bride goes to meet him (cf. I Thessalonians 4:14-16).

 

CONCLUSION:


  1. In Genesis 24:58, “they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.”
  2. Each and every person has to decide for himself, “Wilt thou go with the Lord Jesus Christ?”
  3. And we must answer, “I will go” or “I will not go.”
  4. Each one of us must make a decision, just as Rebekah had to make her decision. If you remain indecisive, then you are saying, “No.”
  5. Rebekah’s mother, and her brother Laban wanted Rebekah to wait ten days before making her final decision.
  6. Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached a sermon on this text, and he entitled it, “Delay is Dangerous.”
  7. Spurgeon said, “Ten days did not seem too long; but they might have been ten days too late. One day does not seem much; but one day more may be one day too late, and one day too late is to be too late for ever; yes, one minute too late is an eternity too late! Remember that, if you have missed Christ by only the ticking of a clock, you have missed Christ for ever: so that minutes and ticks of clocks may be invested with a very solemn power, if we come to look at them in that light.”


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