The Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca

Bible Passage: Genesis 24:1-67

I. Introduction and Background

1. Abraham’s wife Sarah’s tent was empty (cf. Gen 23:1) “She [Sarah] died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan”
2. Isaac was still single; he was 40 years old (Gen 25:20 “When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah”)
3. God’s promise “I will make of you a great nation” needs to happen (cf. 22:17 “I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore”)
4. Therefore, Isaac needs a wife who will carry the legacy of Sarah and take the role as the matriarch of the nation Israel
5. Abraham was from Nahor of Mesopotamia, but he was living in Canaan because the LORD called him to live there
6. Abraham had a vision for his son’s “Isaac’s” marriage (24:3-4)

a. Verse 3: “You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living”
b. Verse 4: “You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac”
c. He wanted his son not to be influenced by the local culture and religion.

i. Esau married a Hittite which caused “Isaac and Rebecca anxiety” (Gen 26:34-35)
ii. Judah married a Canaanite woman which caused his spiritual decline (Gen 38)
iii. Samson married a Philistine woman against the wishes of his parents (Judges 14)
iv. Solomon married foreign women who turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11)

d. Abraham knew how one’s life and generation get affected if he gets married to a wrong person
e. Abraham desires for his son to have a compatible relationship to carry the LORD’s covenant with him
f. More than anything, Abraham desires spiritual compatibility for his son
g. Abraham wanted Isaac and his future wife to thrive and be at the center of God’s will

i. Verse 6: “Be careful never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him
ii. Verse 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, ‘To your descendants I will give this land

7. Isaac was 40 years old—it looks like Isaac did not rush and made marriage decision that would make him regret later (cf. 25:20)
8. Abraham lets God be involved in marriage decision (24:7)

a. Verse 7: “He will send His angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there”
b. Verse 24: The servant prayed, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, guide me today”

9. The LORD always provides precise guidance to His people

a. Cf. Exod 13:21 “the LORD went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way and as the pillar of fire by night, to give them light”
b. Cf. Exod 23:20 I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared
c. Abraham’s servant prays for a sign for the knowledge of God’s will with regard to the task at hand

i. Verse 12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to my master Abraham
ii. Verse 45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water)

10. God provided guidance to Abraham’s servant in his journey from Negev to Nahor about 400 kilometers one way!
11. Abraham wanted the covenant of the LORD to continue from him to his son and then to the generations—he wanted his son’s wife to be the copartner in the covenant progress
12. Abraham desires God’s plan, perseveres for God’s plan, and waits for God’s plan
13. Abraham did not allow his plan dominate God’s plan
14. The sign the servant asked the LORD for begins to happen
15. Rebecca appears in the scene. She was Abraham’s grandniece (Nahor’s son’s daughter)

a. Verse 15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor)
b. Verse 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her

16. The way Rebecca conducts herself reveals her character (if she were to provide for 10 camels, she probably must draw water about 100 times)

a. Verse18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink.
b. Verse19 When she had done so, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want”
c. Unassumingly, Rebecca demonstrates biblical hospitality, a quality the Bible promotes as godly character

17. Rebecca appears to be a match with regard to the hospitality of Abraham (cf. Gen 18)

a. Gen 18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.”
b. Gen 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
c. Gen 18:8 Abraham then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food before them

18. Rebecca is the LORD’s provision for Isaac—the LORD continues “the woman’s seed” (this happens until the arrival of the Seed)
19. The LORD makes Abraham’s servant’s journey successful
20. The LORD clears the hurdles when Abraham fulfills God’s will (the mission of God happens despite hurdles)

a. The LORD prepares the heart of Laban, her brother, to agree to give her to Isaac: Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. Our wishes are of no concern”
b. Rebecca also said “yes”: they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.” (24:57-58)

21. Gen 24:67 Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her as his wife and loved her (the empty tent is now occupied;

II. The lessons from Genesis 24

1. God provides life partners when one’s goal for marriage involves Him and His vision
2. When God starts leading, He clears hurdles
3. God is faithful to His covenant; He makes marriage efforts “successful”

III. Story of Isaac finding Rebecca is an interesting one, but more interesting is when we see this story foreshadows the relationship of Jesus and the Church

1. (For Isaac and Rebecca, it’s marriage, for Abraham it’s covenant continuation; but for God their marriage becomes a metaphor to talk about His Son and His marriage)
2. 1 Cor 11:2: I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ
3. Revelation 19:7: Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
4. Revelation 19:8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen” (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints)
5. Eph 5:25-33 Church is Christ’s bride awaiting the day of marriage
6. The story of Isaac and Rebecca appears to be a foreshadow of Jesus and the Church

a. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are/is involved
b. The Holy Spirit, just like the chief servant in Gen 24, does not want to be identified by a name by faithfully carryout His mission
c. (cf. John 16:13 when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. 16:14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you)

Takeaway:

Stay in God’s mission despite potential hurdles—the Father is preparing His Son’s marriage through the Holy Spirit