Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Because of God’s hand behind the scenes, Isaac finds something genuinely good

photo of children calling to one another

Commentary on Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

God is with people not only at mountaintop moments, but also when they’re given difficult tasks. In this chapter of the Bible, Abraham sends his servant north to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant undertakes the journey and succeeds, even though he’s faced with great difficulties.

Ethnocentrism?

This passage makes people uncomfortable as soon as it starts. Abraham’s servant says, “My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I live, but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son’” (Genesis 24:37–38; see also 24:3–4). How could Abraham—the founder of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—be so biased against the Canaanites? He has sent this servant on this journey 285 miles (460 km) away just so that his son doesn’t marry a local woman. Why?!

Before we assume that this text endorses ethnocentrism, we need to remember that minority groups have historically needed to police their boundaries in order to survive. Otherwise, they quickly face assimilation and extinction. That’s quite different from dominant groups excluding minorities. In other parts of the Bible, when the people of Israel are established, there’s more openness about marrying outsiders, including the highly celebrated marriage between King David’s great-grandparents, the Moabite Ruth and the Israelite Boaz, in Ruth 4.

The difficulty of the servant’s mission

Imagine traveling hundreds of miles on foot with great valuables in a place without a police force. Imagine no hotels, gas stations, or rest areas. You have to rely on the kindness of people whose land you have entered—something that is not guaranteed (see Genesis 19:1–11; Judges 19:10–30). Imagine, furthermore, that you’re sent to find someone, and the place has no phone books, directories, or internet to help you.

That’s what things are like for Abraham’s servant. It’s been 62 years since Abraham left the area (see Genesis 12:4; 17:17; 23:1). The servant travels with a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets that would have weighed a total of about 4.2 oz (119 g)—treasures worth tens of thousands of US dollars today (24:22). He brings camels with him. They were unusual prestige animals,¹ akin to Lamborghinis today. He would have been an easy target. But he’s ordered to go, and he does. As a servant, he doesn’t have many options. But God is with him, just as God is with all who have heavy burdens put on them by their superiors.

Asking God for confirmation

Amid this arduous journey, Abraham’s servant asks God for confirmation that he’ll find the right woman. He proposes that if he asks a woman for a drink and she offers water not only to him but also for the camels, then he’ll know she’s the one Isaac should marry (24:12–14; 42–44). Given the difficulty of the servant’s task, his prayer is certainly understandable.

When we face uncertainties in life, should we ask God to confirm the right course of action? Should we go as far as imitating the servant, proposing to God that if something happens, then we can know it’s God’s will?

On the one hand, it’s perfectly reasonable for people of faith to ask for God’s assistance, especially with difficult tasks and decisions. Plus, Abraham’s servant isn’t the only biblical character to ask for God’s confirmation and receive it (see Judges 6:17–40).

On the other hand, it’s important to be humble. We’re not as important as the people in the Bible. Plus, God has given us many resources that weren’t available in ancient times: We have not only technological advances but also the Bible and the church’s great tradition. While it’s good to be open to miraculous direction, we don’t need to always expect miracles when God has given us so many other resources. Sometimes we receive God’s confirmation simply by consulting with people we respect. Other times, we can use our God-given minds to figure things out.

Respecting women

Jumping into the Bible is like going to a foreign country. The culture is quite different from what we’re used to. And yet, sometimes it genuinely surprises us. At times, we find that a common humanity unites us across barriers. For instance, we’ve all heard that the Bible is biased against women and treats them like property, but that’s not exactly what we see here.

Both the text and the characters treat Rebekah with dignity, authority, and autonomy. At the beginning of the chapter, Abraham and the servant make contingency plans, recognizing that she may not want to leave her home (24:5, 7–8). The servant asks Rebekah’s brother Laban and her father Bethuel if they’re okay with her heading south (24:49–51), but whether Rebekah ultimately leaves depends on her own decision (24:54–59, especially 24:58). She ends up married to Isaac less because men decided for her and more because of her own choice. Although the story is set in the Bronze Age, it trusts Rebekah to make a decision with enormous implications for everyone involved. Hearers of this story are faithful to the Bible when they similarly trust women to make important decisions.

God in all things

It’s easy to think of God as high up in heaven or inhabiting some other spiritual realm. But throughout this story, God is at work in earthly details. A servant undertakes a dangerous mission, and God helps him return successfully. Camels need water, and Rebekah provides them with remarkable hospitality.

Isaac has suffered much: losing his brother (Genesis 21), facing death (Genesis 22), and losing his mother (Genesis 23). Here, because of God’s hand behind the scenes, he finds something genuinely good: a life partner who brings him comfort and goodness (24:67). It’s a happy ending to a story, even though Genesis often reflects the harsh realities of life. God directs events so that Rebekah and Isaac end up together, meaning that God’s promises of many descendants to Abraham and Sarah go marching on toward fulfillment (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:2, 4, 6, 16; 22:17).