Isaac 1 / Genesis 24:1-9 / The father desires a wife for his son.

Genesis 24:1–9 KJV (WS)

1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? 6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. 7 The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. 8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

Abraham feels his time growing short. vss 1-4

Though he would live to be 175 years old, even Abraham would eventually die.

In his old age, God preserves one descriptor to sum up Abraham’s life, God had blessed him in all things.

One of, if not the greatest blessings that God had granted Abraham was his son, Isaac.

Isaac, whose name means “laughter” or “he who laughs” brought great joy to his parents.

They had waited for decades for him to come.

God called him the son of promise.

We looked a few Sunday nights ago at the whole ordeal of Abraham preparing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.

In that drama, we see Isaac as both a picture of Christ and of us.

From Abraham’s perspective, he pictures the Heavenly Father and His readiness to offer His beloved Son as a sacrifice.

From Isaac’s perspective, he pictures the salvation available through Christ when God provides a substitutionary sacrifice to take his place on the altar.

The stories we love from the Old Testament point us to the spiritual realities of the New Testament.

In shadows and pictures, God is pointing our eyes to Jesus through the lives of our heroes in the Old Testament.

As Abraham recognizes his place in time, he turns his attention to his son.

Like any good father, he desires to see his child married to a good spouse.

Isaac will be the next step in God’s plan to produce a nation out of Abraham’s lineage.

Who Isaac marries will be extremely important.

Abraham calls his oldest servant for help.

We are told a little about this servant.

He was trusted by Abraham with all that he had!

He ruled over Abraham’s affairs and managed his resources.

This man was used to representing his master in matters of business.

Even though this man was a trusted servant, Abraham still employs a lost custom for making serious oaths.

He orders his servant to place his hand under Abraham’s thigh.

This of course is not something we see in our society.

It sounds awful and awkward.

But maybe that was part of the point.

Scholars believe that this practice might have been a way to emphasize the seriousness and sacredness of the oath being taken.

If the oath taker didn’t follow through they would experience this awkwardness many times multiplied.

Before the servant can do what Abraham is asking, he needs to know what he is promising to do.

Abraham begins to explain what he is asking.

The servant of the father is tasked with insuring the son does not marry a wife from among the Canaanites.

There are certainly spiritual concerns regarding the Canaanites and their religion not matching up with Abraham’s relationship with the true God.

There is also a concern with Abraham’s claim to the land God had promised him.

If Isaac were to marry the people of the land, then it would water down the claim that God had laid on it.

Isaac needed a wife from the people that Abraham had come from.

We’ll see tonight this meant going to the city of Nahor.

Nahor was both a person, Abraham’s brother, and the city where he settled.

Ancient Nahor is probably associated with modern Syria or southern Turkey.

This is quite the trip that Abraham is tasking the servant to take.

This is where Abraham wants his servant to go to find a wife for Isaac.

The servant asks a question. vs 5

Follow-up questions can be crucial when receiving directions.

Especially if the initial instructions are unclear or if there are specific details that need further clarification.

Asking follow-up questions demonstrates active listening and a desire to fully understand the information being provided.

The servant of Abraham shows that he is tuned in to the seriousness of this oath.

He proves his worth by asking a follow-up question.

What if the woman is unwilling to go with him?

Interesting that the servant specifies a single woman.

He didn’t say, what if none of the women will come with me.

He already expects to be led to a specific woman.

But, what if this woman will not come with him?

Should he bring Isaac to her?

Who holds the desired place of residence?

Is it the son or is it the bride?

Who should move to be with the other?

Abraham offers further explanation about his expectations. vss 6-9

He cautions his servant that under no circumstances is his son to return to the land that God had called Abraham out of.

God had prepared the promised land for Abraham and his children.

It was a gift from God.

It was not to be abandoned.

The whole reason for going back to Abraham’s home town was to keep the claim on the land pure.

What use is it to protect the claim on the land but abandon the land itself in the process.

Abraham informs the servant that God will prepare the way before him.

There doesn’t seem to be any new revelation in this matter.

Abraham seems to be basing this off of old revelation.

God had promised to give this land to Abraham and his offspring through the promised son, which is Isaac.

In order for this promise to be kept, God will have to follow through on his word.

This gives Abraham confidence that God will send His angel ahead of the servant to ready the woman that Isaac is supposed to marry.

Even with this confidence, Abraham leaves room for the free will of humanity.

It’s possible that this woman will not be interested in returning with the servant.

I mean who wants to turn down essentially the heir to one of the most successful businessmen in the world?

I guess it could happen.

If it does, then the servant will be free of his oath.

With this assurance and clarity, the servant swears an oath to Abraham that he will carry out his wishes.

He understands the father’s desire to see his son married to a good spouse.

He will seek out a wife for the son.

He will bring the woman back to the promised land where she can be with the son.

If she refuses, then the servant is blameless.

Interpretation

I really want to be careful here, because there is a danger in over - spiritualizing the scriptures.

I also want to be careful that we don’t go crazy chasing shadows and pictures.

However, I am convinced that the Bible is Jesus’ story.

The Old Testament is chocked full of passages that foreshadow and point to the gospel story.

I believe this one of them.

There is real wedding that is coming, it has not yet occurred.

There is a Father that desires a bride for his Son.

In this marriage, the Son will not go to the land, culture, and home of the bride to dwell with her.

She will be brought to his land and his home to dwell with Him.

The bride will not be forced to go, but she would be a fool to reject this proposal.

The invitation has been made, but the wedding has not yet occurred.

Does this sound at all familiar?

It’s the story of God’s plan to include us in His family.

There are so many different pictures of our connection to God through Jesus.

Brothers, Sons, Friends.

There is also the picture of the bride.

One day, all the saints from every age will assemble in heaven.

For the first time since the first church, there will be one body of believers.

It will be the bride of Christ.

I will be there, if you are saved you will be there.

We will be presented to Jesus, and not in any kind of weird way, but in a way that demonstrates the permanence and the togetherness that marriage is supposed to represent.

It’s going to be a wonderful time that we get to partake in.

If you are not a believer this morning, look at this passage and see the desire of the Father to incorporate you into His family.

If you are a believer, can we rejoice this morning, that God would seek to bring us to His home to live with Him and His son.

We will enjoy the riches and prosperity of heaven.

We will enjoy the closeness and love of God.

We were chosen by God to be the bride of His Son, Jesus.

That is incredible.

Do you know the song, i’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God