Day 10 - Genesis 24

Isaac and Rebekah Marry: Looking Forward to the Promise of the Messiah

At face value, this passage appears to be mainly concerned with Eastern marriage customs or guidelines on what to look for in a godly spouse. These aspects can surely be gleaned from the text, but we should also take note of the context. In terms of God's plan of world salvation, we come to understand the importance of what kind of person Isaac marries. Notice the tone of Abraham's charge to his servant:

"I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, ⁴ but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

ancient Canaanite drawing

He reiterates this same sentiment after his servant asks about what to do if his plans fail. Abraham is adamant about his servant refusing to take a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites. In what some may negatively view as blatant racism, Abraham's prejudice is actually well-founded. What do we know about the Canaanites? Typically, they were polytheistic, meaning that they worshiped many different gods (almost about thirty supposed deities). We know that Abraham gave up a life of idol worship in order to give his heart and life fully to the LORD, the One True God. We also know hat Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, was to eventually come through Abraham's lineage. This means that it was essential for for his descendants to worship the LORD. What typically happens when people with different beliefs come together in marital union is that their worldviews, particularly who or what they give their lives to, becomes combined. What one ends up with is a smorgasbord religion; this is what happened to the Canaanites as the intermarried with other tribes. Later, in the book of Judges, when the Israelites intermarry with the other people groups around them, they mix Judaism with paganism. This eventually causes the total destruction of Israel and the temple. Though thankfully at that late stage in their national history, God was able to preserve a remnant for the Messiah to come through. But at this early stage, it would have been detrimental to God's plan of salvation had Isaac married from among the Canaanites.

We also know something else about the Canaanite gods. In the New Testament, Paul says that the idols of the Greeks were actually demons (1 Cor 10:20-21). This is a strong statement to some, but it makes sense given what especially the Old Testament gods had the people do. One particular 'god' who comes to mind is Molek. This god demanded that his worshipers sacrifice their children in the fire in order to appease him (Lev 18:21). Some may draw parallels between what Molek asks and what God asked of Abraham and even His Son, Jesus Christ. But these were totally different scenarios. We know the purpose of Isaac's near sacrifice; the test of Abraham's faith. In Jesus' case, because he was God in the flesh, it was actually God who sacrificed himself for us. Molek had no power to forgive sins or raise anyone from the dead. It seemed as though he simply wanted the destruction of human life. For Isaac to intermarry with someone who would potentially be a demon worshiper would produce a scenario that was the antithesis of what God wanted to do through his family line.

In all of this, we see Abraham express a deep understanding of God's unfolding plan. I think that this is the goal of our faith as well; we want to mature in our faith so that the decisions we make will flow out of a deep understanding and commitment to what God is doing in a broader sense. Certainly, this has to do with who we marry, where we live, the reason for the jobs that we take, the people we congregate with on a regular basis and so forth. God is not restricting us from exploring the created world and what it has to offer, but rather He wants us to live in obedience to His way of life so that we may experience life to the full in Him.

Rebekah and the servant

Within the overarching theme of the passage, it is beneficial to take note of some of the details. There is the sovereignty and ability of God to reveal Rebekah to the servant. Of course, the servant's humility in prayer is noteworthy, however God is the main player in the passage. Though we have plans and a will, He is the one who guides history and the affairs of man (Prov 16:9, Acts 17:26-27). It's interesting to note that even Shakespeare shed light on this principle as he wrote in Hamlet - "There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will." The fact that history is ultimately in God's hands should reassure us, for if destiny were left up to man, we might never be saved.

Apart from this larger theme of God's work, this story also provides some moments of levity. We see the sweet and gentle spirit of Rebekah. Her family, Laban especially, is an interesting bunch. Also, in the end, we take comfort in the fact that Isaac is comforted by Rebekah's presence after his mother's death. Not to sound sacrilegious, but this story is perhaps good material for a future rom-com (romantic comedy). Of particular note though, is the prophecy given Rebekah through her family in verse 60:

⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
   “Our sister, may you increase
   to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess
   the cities of their enemies.”


Indeed, we see this prophecy fulfilled through the work of Christ who made many the children of God (Rev 7:9) and also defeated our enemies Satan and death (Gen 3:15, 1 Cor 15:23-28).

As a final take home point for me personally, I see through Abraham the importance of passing my faith on to my children. I want to be prayerful and intentional about how I plant faith and help them to have a sense of what God has been doing throughout history. I pray that they may accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. A good book on passing on one's faith to their children is The Legacy Path.





Think about God's sovereign plan of salvation unfolding through this event. Does this give you solace, to know that he is ultimately in control?


We see that Abraham's legacy passed down to his son was his reliance upon God through the faith that was given him. What kind of legacy do you want to be known for?