Tuesday 14 November 2023

Psalm 21:1-7

Background

Moving on from yesterday's account of the death and burial of Sarah, we come across the story of how Rebekah came to be the wife of Abraham's son Isaac.

The story begins with what sounds like a deathbed scene, though Abraham will apparently live another 35 years. Abraham sends his most trusted slave back to Mesopotamia in order to find a wife for Isaac from his own people.

Isaac was 40 years old and had not married yet. Abraham wanted to find a wife for him. Two things were very important: first he wanted to be sure that Isaac did not marry a Canaanite woman. The Bible tells us that God did not want Abraham’s family to marry people from Canaan because the Canaanites worshipped false gods. And, secondly, Abraham wanted to be sure Isaac did not go back to the land that Abraham had come from. God had called Abraham out of that land, and Abraham did not want his son to return there. It, too, was filled with people who worshipped false gods. The slave, travelling back to Mesopotamia in order to bring a wife for Isaac does better than expected and finds Rebekah. She not only is a member of Abraham’s tribe but, being the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor, is a blood relative. This was seen as a blessed match, as God continuing to act to secure the future of his chosen people in their promised land.

This relationship with God was an outworking of the covenant between God and God’s people. Isaac was not a detached individual, his individuality was not even a consideration. He was part of the family and even his most personal affairs were subject to that context. And that was OK, that was normal. Throughout the Old Testament, the corporate identity is dominant. The concept of collective responsibility was woven into every thread of Jewish thinking. There was strength and virtue in this solidarity. It gave the strength with which the community was knitted together.

Through this story we can see the outcome of faithfulness in relationships towards each other and towards God. Abraham knew what God had called him to do and sought to fulfil the demand to the best of his ability. Abraham’s slave knew what Abraham had charged him to do and sought to fulfil that demand to the best of his ability. The outcome of this faithfulness was the continued state of blessedness that had been God’s promise to Abraham at the outset of the journey. In this continued state of blessedness is found the continued promise of God that the land into which Abraham was being led would be the place his many ancestors would call home.

To Ponder:

• How do you respond to the interrelatedness of people as portrayed in this passage?
• What has humankind to learn from the way Abraham trusted God so fully?
• Where in your life could you apply the lessons about faithfulness to calling which are demonstrated through Abraham’s relationship with God?