Take Two: Genesis 24, Proverbs 15

Gen 24 gives the explanation of the taking of a wife for Isaac. Abraham was 137 years old when Sarah died. Sometime following her death, Abraham decided that it was time for Isaac to have a wife, so he commanded his servant to find one. His instructions were clear: The wife for Isaac must come from Abraham's relatives (his people) and not from the Canaanites (Gen 24:3).

The servant took an oath to accomplish the task and set out for the land of Abraham's relatives. Abraham was confident that this was the will of God and that God would bring the identity of the chosen wife to light (Gen 24:7).

Abraham's servant prayed and asked God to identify the prospective wife by having her demonstrate hospitality to him, a stranger in the land (Gen 24:10-14). Immediately, as the prayer was voiced, Rebekah came on scene and fulfilled the criteria that the servant had asked (Gen 24:17-21). The servant asked to accompany her home so he and his party could lodge there that night. (Yes, he and his friends invited themselves to dinner at her parent's home. Culturally, this still occurs today in many ways in this region).

The servant shared all that had occurred with Laban (Rebekah's brother) and Bethuel (her father) (Gen 24:50-51). {I suppose mother was not far away}. Their reply was pretty intriguing to me: "we are not able to judge whether this is good or bad, it is the Lord. Let it come to pass." WHAT AN INCREDIBLE display of unquestioning obedience.

The next morning, as Abraham's servant was preparing to depart, Rebekah's mother and brother stated that they would give Rebekah a few days to consider the marriage. This was not completely unheard of, but was not required. Rebekah, when asked, agreed to go immediately (Gen 24:55-60). It seems to me that she too recognized this as an act of God and wanted to comply...even if she had never seen the man she would soon marry.

Gen 24:67 is a polite Jewish way of telling us that they were married and that the marriage was consumated.

I know that "obedience" is the life we are called to live. If there is any part of our lives that we think is completely personal (in our cultural today) it is the area of choosing a spouse. What is pictured here is that God had purposed for this couple to be married. He made his will evident and guided the process (as the people were yielded to hear from Him). As such, the marriage was as much about worshipping God through obedient submission as any other part of life. I wonder if there are parts of life we consider to be too personal to consult God on? Is it true that God has a perfect will for all of us in every area of our lives? The answer is an emphatic YES. This is why it is so important for us to KNOW and DO the will of God.

Proverbs 15:14 is the takeaway today. There is a parallel between the "mind" and the "mouth." Those who are intelligent/discerning/mature seek wisdom. They want to know the will of God ("the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge" Prov 1:7). The foolish ones seek to know every nugget of information without any thought as to its source or value. They relish in the "juicy" nuggets of folly. How do you know who is who? Out of the mouth comes the meditations of the heart. Or as one computer programmer once said, "Garbage in, garbage out." Seek after and fill your mind with that which is from God. Reject that which fools feast on (gossip, suspicion, and black helicopter theories).

Grace,