In the Beginning: A Study in Genesis 15-26Sample

Why Is Your Spouse the Second Most Important Decision of Your Life?

In Matthew 22:32, the Lord Jesus says, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...” What Jesus meant was that He is the same God who saved and led each generation of this family. In Genesis 24, we see the focus shift from Abraham and Sarah, following her death, to the marriage of Isaac and the next generation of God’s people. Importantly, Genesis 24 tells us that Abraham was old and had been blessed by God in every way as God had promised, which sets the stage for the blessing and favor of God to continue for generations as an encouragement to their family and all believing families.

Having fathered a child with a woman who worshipped another god and experiencing the lifelong pain of that sin, Abraham is determined that his son marry a godly woman. In an effort to ensure that his son Isaac would marry a woman who would worship his God, Abraham sent his servant back to his home to find a wife for his son. Abraham did this trusting that the God who had blessed him in every way would be faithful to now provide a godly wife for Isaac by sending an angel ahead to arrange the details.

Abraham’s faithful servant did as he was told and went to the region of Abraham’s brother Nahor. Stopping at a spring, the servant prayed for God to provide. Before he had finished his prayer, God had already answered it, sending the lovely virgin Rebekah to the spring. Rebekah drew water for Nahor and his animals and was clearly a very sweet and kind woman. When the servant inquired of her family, she said her father was Nahor and that he was welcome to stay at their home. The servant was so overjoyed at God’s perfect provision that he bowed down and worshiped the Lord for answering his prayer.

Upon returning home to her mother, we are then introduced to the shady and scandalous character Laban, who was Rebekah’s brother. Nonetheless, Rebekah agreed to go with Abraham’s servant to be Isaac’s wife. Upon arriving at Abraham’s household, Rebekah was brought into the former tent of Isaac’s mother Sarah and they got married. The account of Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage ends with the beautiful words that “he loved her,” and she was such a delightful woman that he was comforted by her love after the death of his mother. Subsequently, Isaac is now positioned to take the place of Abraham and Rebekah is positioned to take the place of Sarah in the family and their family ministry.

Lastly, we learn a great deal about God in this section, not through His speaking, as He remains silent throughout the story. Rather, it is God’s unseen hand of providence that moves the story along, showing that God is faithful to Abraham and Isaac, and that God answers prayer and can be trusted to provide even when He has not spoken but has been spoken to in prayer.

Question:

1. What do we learn about the ability of God to provide a godly spouse from the story?