Daily Devotions
Genesis
"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them." Psalm 34:7
Text: Genesis 24 : 1 - 67
CLARIFYING ISSUES
The trusty servant of Abraham was not only old, but was he was wise with age as well. He felt that he needed to clarify certain issues before he embarked on his journey to find a wife for his master’s son Isaac.
“And the servant said to him, ‘Perhaps the woman
will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must
I take your son back to the land from which you came?'”GENESIS 24:5
1. How did Abraham know that there could be a prospective bride for Isaac?
The answer lies in the fact that Abraham kept in touch with his relatives. Let us recall the following text.
“Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor.
Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. And Bethuel begot
Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore Nahor, Abraham’s brother.”GENESIS 22:20-23
His brother had a number of children. They would probably have children of their own and perhaps one of them would be a prospective bride for Isaac.
2. What if there were negative results?
It was a long journey to Abraham’s home. Terah had left Ur of the Chaldeans and had settled down at Haran (Cf. Genesis 11:27-31). Presumably, Nahor still lived in Haran. The journey would be long and daunting. Could Nahor’s family be found at all? And if his family could be located, would any lady attempt to make the long and arduous journey to Canaan just to be married to Isaac?
The wise servant posed an important question to Abraham. What if he weren’t successful? What if the chances of getting married lay in getting Isaac to leave Canaan and go to Haran?
A POWERFUL EXPRESSION OF FAITH
Abraham may have been advanced in years, but when it came to matters that affected his faith in the Lord, he showed great signs of strength and life.
“But Abraham said to him, ‘Beware that you do not take
my son back there…'”GENESIS 24:6
On two occasions, Abraham stepped out of the land of Canaan, and both times, he found himself engulfed in problems! The lessons were painfully learned! One of the lessons learned was that he must stay in the Promised Land. He must patiently await the Lord to fulfill all that He had promised. On no account would he allow his son Isaac to leave the Promised Land – for whatever reason! What a clear statement of faith!