Last 5 Days
Abraham Seeks a Wife for Isaac
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
Today’s passage presents us with Abraham in his advanced years. By this point, Abraham was an old man, “well advanced in age”. Moreover, he had just lost his wife Sarah who had lived to a ripe old age herself. At this juncture in his life, Abraham is concerned about the future of his family line and tasked the “oldest servant of his house” with a very important mission – to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The importance of this task cannot be underestimated, and thus it was given to the most trusted servant of Abraham; we know this servant was trusted because he managed all that he (Abraham) had, and thus held a position of great responsibility.
It is interesting to note what Abraham said to his servant when instructing him: he first made the servant swear by the name of the Lord (a very serious oath indeed), that he will not take a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites. But instead, the servant was to go back to this country and his family and find a wife for Isaac from among the women there.
Notice that Abraham first instructed his servant not to take a Canaanite woman to be Isaac’s wife, before instructing him to return to his homeland to look there. This reflected his desire for Isaac and his descendants to remain “pure” even while they dwell among the Canaanites of the land. Abraham was so clear about this that he would rather his servant come back empty-handed and be released from his oath than take a wife from among the Canaanites (v7-8). Perhaps he already knew that intermarriage would lead to a slippery slope where his people would then be tempted to adopt the pagan practices of the Canaanites – a reality that played out subsequently leading to God’s judgment later in the Bible.
Abraham also did not allow his servant to bring Isaac back to the land of his forefathers in order to search for a wife. Abraham held on tightly to God’s promise that the land would be given to his descendants, and so made sure that Isaac remained in Canaan. Clearly Abraham understood and had absolute faith in God’s promise.
There are two takeaways from Abraham’s life in today’s passage. Firstly, Abraham understood the importance of being “in the land, but not of the land” – in other words, remaining separate and “pure” (i.e. holy – set apart) while awaiting the fulfilment of God’s promise. Secondly, Abraham was a mighty man of faith who believed God, and that faith played out in his actions. Abraham was 100% sure God will deliver the land to his descendants, and his actions (works) give proof of the presence of his faith.
What about us? Are we concerned for our own holiness – being “in the world” but not “of the world”? Are our actions reflective of our faith in God’s promises? In matters of great importance to us, let us learn from the example of Abraham, to remain holy, and hold fast to God’s promises. May God’s promises guide our actions and decisions, even though they may run contrary to human wisdom. God will never fail and He will always keep His word.
