Genesis 24

Abraham is concerned for his son Isaac that he would marry someone that would help him remain faithful to the Lord.  In a day where there was no “Christian-Mingle” services, Abraham sent his match-making servant to his relatives where apparently they knew something of Abraham’s God (v4).  Abraham’s making life applications based on His theology, even though there was not explicit command from the Lord to arrange his marriage, Abraham knows that the most important thing in for his children is to remain faithful to the Lord above all else.   Abraham sees complications if Isaac should marry one of the local pagan Canaanites who worship many gods and idols.  This would only lead to the corruption of Isaac’s faithfulness towards God and the curse of the covenant would all to soon fall on Isaac and his family.

This decision sets precedence for the rest of Abraham’s descendants and the nation of Israel not allow marriages outside of God’s covenant people in order to avoid being unfaithful to the Lord and Abraham’s covenant.  This same principle is mentioned in our own covenant, the covenant of Jesus body and blood.  We should not seek to mix in marriage with those who do no belong to Jesus for the sake of our faithfulness to Him and our children.  For anyone who thinks this kind of thinking is coercive, they seriously have miscalculated the worth of faith in Jesus Christ, and as much to far inflated the value of his or her own self.

Though the narrative does not show a clear commandment that initiated this match-making quest, the Lord does however oversee its success with divine direction (v48).  This doesn’t mean that Rebekah was more holy or more gifted so as to earn this blessed position, this to is God’s sovereign choice unmoved by any human influence.  We will soon see that Rebekah is very capable of conceiving deceitful schemes that leads Jacob into a life of deceitfulness and consequence.

Much of God’s word leaves room for this kind of life-application.  It is a great fault to read the Bible assuming that the entire Bible is like the 10 commandments giving yes or no decisions for your life.  We read and meditate on the Bible to know God, and knowing God we may prove what His will is in areas of life that do not have a direct commandment.  There many many roads and decisions one could make all within the boundaries of God’s will.  That road of course be narrowed by direct commandments such as “thou shalt not steal”.  Yet other times God’s will may give room for choice by setting principles rather than clear cut directions.

Rebekah returns with the servant with her families blessing and meets her future husband. And now the stage is set for the next generation of God’s choosing.