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GENESIS 24

The journey of Abraham’s servant to find and win a wife for Isaac -- (DATE: Around 1811 before Christ) +++ GENESIS 25:1-18 -- The sons of Abraham from Keturah; Abraham’s death and burial by his sons Ishmael and Isaac -- (DATE: From 1809 to 1776 before Christ)

DISCOVER Genesis 24: With Sarah dead and Abraham nearing his own life’s end, he wanted to see to his son being properly married. But due to the wickedness of the people of Canaan he was determined not to marry him off to one of their women. Therefore he told his oldest and most reliable servant to put his hand under his thigh and swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that he would find Isaac a woman from among the people of his country of origin and the kindred dwelling there. -- And when the servant wanted to know what he should do, if he couldn’t find a woman willing to come with him to Canaan to marry his master’s son, Abraham replied that his son was not to leave this land, which his God had promised to give him and his offspring. Also the servant was not to worry, for that same God would send an angel before him, so that he would find a suitable bride for his son. And the servant swore that he would do as his master had told him. -- Thus, trusting in the Lord that had blessed his master, the servant went to northern Mesopotamia. There he prayed to the Lord to give him a sign for the right woman that she might be the one who will offer him and his camels drinks, if he petitioned it of her. -- The young woman who fulfilled this sign was Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. Giving her rich gifts for her kindness, the servant asked her to see if there would be a place for him and his small group among her people. And while she was gone he worshiped God in thanks for his sign and steadfast fulfillment of his promises to his master. -- When Rebekah’s brother Laban came to get him, they offered him food and drink, but the servant refused it until he had explained why he had come. Once they had heard his desire to take Rebekah to become his master’s son’s wife and she agreed to this request, they asked for him to give them time to say their goodbyes to Rebekah. The servant, however, didn’t want the good workings of the LORD to go to waste and wanted to go quickly, so they went immediately, after her kin blessed Rebekah in a fashion similar to the way God had promised Abraham for his faithfulness in Genesis 22. -- Nearing Negeb (where Abraham lived), the group came upon Isaac, who had been meditating (to deal with his grief over his mother’s passing away). So Rebekah donned her veil. Once the servant told Isaac all that had transpired, Isaac wasted no time and took Rebekah to his mother’s tent and consummated their marriage.

DISCOVER Genesis 25:1-18: After Sarah’s death Abraham took another wife, Keturah, and fathered six more sons with her. These six had altogether ten sons of their own. The names of Abraham’s six youngest sons were: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. -- Before Abraham died at 175 years of age, he sent all these youngest six sons away from his son Isaac, to whom he left everything he possessed, except for parting gifts for his sons from Keturah, who settled to the East. -- Ishmael, who had fathered twelve sons of his own, came to his father’s death and buried him together with his brother Isaac in the graveyard, in which his wife Sarah, Isaac’s mother, lay buried. The names of the sons of Ishmael were: Nebaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These twelve sons of Ishmael were the founding fathers of twelve tribes. Ishmael died at the age of 137 years. (Ishmael had been sent away from Isaac by Abraham earlier and he settled to the South-East of Canaan.)

PRAYER: Our heavenly Father, we thank you for the passage about finding a wife for Isaac, which teaches us that you take marriage seriously. You ordered the events in such a way that Abraham’s servant was sure that the woman he met was the lady, whom you had chosen to become Isaac’s wife. Thank you that through this you took another step in fulfilling your promise to Abraham, that he would have many descendants. Also thank you for this example of not mingling with people, who do not know you and how you allowed your people to grow out of a family which worshipped and honored you. Help us, in like manner, to not be conformed to this world, but to set ourselves apart for your holy service. Amen.

QUESTION 24: What was the sign, which Abraham’s servant asked from God, to discover which woman was to become Isaac’s wife?

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Chronology of Genesis 12 to 25

(in Years BC = Years Before Christ’s Birth)