Don’t you just love a great love story? Today, we are going to have such a treat! The story of Isaac and Rebekah is one of the Bible’s best love stories. If you remember from our last lesson, Abraham’s servant sought God’s help in finding the right woman for Isaac to marry and God led him to Rebekah.
Read verses 28-31. As we pick up the story today, we see a very excited Rebekah running home to tell her family all that has happened. She had simply gone to the well to get water and now a man was wanting her to marry his master’s son! He had given her jewelry! And God had been in it. Now we meet Rebekah’s brother, Laban. When he sees the jewelry and hears her story, he goes out to meet the stranger, acknowledges the evidence of God’s blessings, and invites the servant to their home. Laban and Rebekah’s family members clearly know God.
We can see in verses 32-33 that the same spirit of hospitality that we saw in Abraham is also present in his brother’s household. The servant’s physical needs are seen to right away. The servant, however, chooses to abstain until he has first seen to his master’s business. He is a loyal servant who tends to Abraham’s concerns as if they were his own even before meeting his own physical needs. The servant insists that he will not eat until he has told them what he has to say.
In verses 34-48, Abraham’s servant retells the story of everything that has happened. Why does God have this repetition of the story in our Bible? Read through this retelling of the story by the servant and take note of how many times he gives credit to God for his role in the story and for the good things in Abraham’s life. He even tells of worshipping God. As Abraham’s servant, he has truly come to know and love God. This is a man of God relating the story to people who also know God. How do you think having this in common will affect how the story is received?
In verse 49, the servant appeals to Laban and Bethuel (Rebekah’s brother and father), for a decision so that he might know what to do next. How do they answer (verses 50-51)? It is obvious to Rebekah’s menfolk, from the details of this story, that God is in this thing. They have no doubt of God’s will in the matter and decide to not subject the matter to any discussion. Sometimes, we can see God’s will so clearly that there is nothing to say. There is nothing to do but to comply, which Laban and Bethuel decide to do immediately. Verse 52 tells us that, once again, the servant immediately bows down and worships God. And, in verse 53, there are more gifts, not only for Rebekah, but also for her family.
Read verses 54-55. The servant and the men he had brought with him allowed themselves to eat, and they stayed with Rebekah’s family for the night. The following morning, they were ready to return to Abraham and his household. We saw in the evening an immediate response to follow God’s will from the father and the brother, but now, in the morning, the mother is in the mix (verse 55). Mom says, let Rebekah stay with us a while before you go, maybe at least 10 days. Suddenly, there is a reluctance to let her go with the servant. Mothers can be much more protective. Or maybe she had just had time to sleep on it… but now there is hesitation. And the servant implores them not to hinder him from doing what his master has sent him to do (verse 56).
What happens next is very odd. They decide to call Rebekah and ask her what she wants to do (verse 57). This was practically unheard of back then. The men of the family would have made the decisions… who she was to marry, when she would leave, etc. Consulting her on what she wanted would have been quite unexpected in that culture. But let’s look again back at verses 5-8. We get a glimpse, early on, that Rebekah would have free will in this matter. We must understand, here, that this is the first wedding of the covenant promise and that she will be a very big part of the multitude of descendants that Abraham was promised through Isaac. God is looking for a willing, obedient servant who comes of her own free will. Remember that free will is a huge part of the salvation Christ will bring to the world and God begins here making it available to Rebekah as part of the fulfillment of the covenant promise. How does Rebekah answer (verse 58)? And in verses 59-61, we see Rebekah and her entourage leaving her home to go and be part of God’s promise.
Verses 62-64 tell us what happened as they entered the lands where Abraham and Isaac were living. It was early evening and Isaac had been meditating when he looked up and saw the camels approaching. Isaac was also a man of God. After confirming that it was, in fact, Isaac that she saw in the field, what did Rebekah do? By covering herself with a veil, she was signaling to Isaac that she was the intended bride. She was submitting to his authority.
In the last two verses, the servant relates the story to Isaac of everything that has happened. I am certain that he emphasized to Isaac how God had confirmed to him that Rebekah was the right woman for Isaac. And the Bible says that Isaac took Rebekah into his mother’s tent. Rebekah was not given just any tent, but rather an honored one. Remember, Sarah has passed away, so giving Rebekah her tent is essentially making her the mistress of the household in Sarah’s place. The Bible also tells us that Isaac loved Rebekah and that she was a comfort to him after his mother’s death.
The selection of a wife, in this story, was bathed in much prayer. God’s leading was evident. And we can see that this was a true love story. God sent Isaac the woman of his dreams and they were happy and in love. God will not lead us down a wrong path.
For those of you who are not married, I would advise you to be in constant prayer that God would guide you to the right mate, at the right time, even if you are not currently looking for a relationship. And it is never too soon to begin praying for our children to find the right mate. Seek His wisdom and guidance in all important decisions in your life. Remember to always praise and worship Him right away each time a prayer is answered in your life.
Responding to God: Pray and thank God for answering prayers. Ask His guidance in any big decisions you may be facing lately. If you have never fallen prostrate before God and worshipped Him, consider bowing low before Him now in gratitude and in love. Thank Him for free will and ask Him to help you to exercise it wisely in your life. Look for opportunities to share with others how God has been present in your life.
Add comment
Comments