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Rebekah Meets Isaac; Talk About An Arranged Marriage
From Genesis 24: 42-48: (The entire recommended portion from Genesis includes verses 34-38; 42-49; and 58-67) "I came today to the spring, and said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.' "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, "Please let me drink.' She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, "Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?' She said, "The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.
I confess that I have not watched a single episode of The Bachelorette nor The Bachelor. I know that I may be lacking in cultural wisdom about those popular shows, but I know the premise enough to know that I would not want to watch it. And here I am reading about an arranged marriage, albeit by God, between a grieving young man and a bewildered but compliant young woman. The marriage was the desire of a very old man who had lost his wife, for his (only) son. Abraham came to a point in his life when he knew that his son Isaac, should marry. And he desired for his son a wife not from among the Canaanite women, but the women from Israel. While that may seem racist in this context it was done for religious purposes primarily; Abraham knew the religion of his new neighbors and he remembered his role in helping form this religion of Israel; a wife with little or no respect for Judaism would not help the cause. So he sends a servant to find a wife with instructions to know that God's angel would go before him, and the servant himself prayed when he reached the place where he knew the right wife would be found.
The prayer that this servant prayed included the way he would know if the right woman had come along. He would make a request of her and she would not only comply with it, she would go the extra step. And so it was that the young woman he met was Rebekah. He asked her for a drink of water and she gave it to him as well as giving water to his camels. This was the fulfilled request of that prayer. The servant knew then that God was with him and that this young woman was the woman for Isaac. I know this is foreign to most readers who are well versed in dating, courtship, engagement and marriage. It's all based on the notion of true love. The steps have changed and even become blurred, reflected even in the popular music of my day; from the singing of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to the rapid rise of "Let's Spend the Night Together," to whatever my grandkids are singing now. The cultural emphasis of this type of marriage was to find the person with which to have children and in which to find a helper/partner/companion for all of life's endeavors. The servant believed it was Rebekah. (Please read the send-off given to her by her family in verse 60!).
The story is about trusting and knowing that God is involved in every aspect of our lives if we so invite. God will and does come into our lives when invited and to guide and bless as we ask. Prayer was part of this story as was the faith that God had guided and answered the prayers of Abraham and this unnamed servant. (Eliezer is the believed name of this servant). And the passage fits into the Lectionary readings in stressing that in God we find rest for our souls. God's message through Jesus is true in this Old Testament story as it is today in our lives, if we come to Him, He will give us rest. As Rebekah shared her water and watered the camels, rest came to the soul of the servant. When Abraham and Isaac saw Rebekah coming towards them, rest came to their souls. If we seek the hand of God in our lives, we will see it and rest will come to our souls.
PRAYER: Loving God, I confess that sometimes I want to, but think I cannot see Your hand at work; but then in Your time, I see it and rest does come to my soul. In the hectic pace of life, grant to me the peace and pace I need to faithfully serve You. I know that true rest for my soul comes from my faithfulness to You. I pray this prayer of faith in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
