A Wife For Isaac

Abraham was now old (140), getting on in years, and The Lord had blessed him in everything. Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, "Place your hand under my thigh, and I will have you swear by The Lord, God of heaven and earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaananites among whom I live, but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac."

The servant said to him, "Suppose the woman is unwilling to follow me back to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from?"

Abraham answered him, "Make sure that you don't take my son there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, "I will give this land to your offspring- He will send His angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are free from this oath to me, but don't let my son go back there." Genesis 24:1-8

There are parameters in the instruction Abraham gives to his servant. Abraham does not want Isaac to marry a Canaananite but a woman from his own land. He also does not want Isaac to leave where he is. God had so worked His vision into Abraham's heart, he would not leave it or allow his child to leave it, even though the only land they owned was where Sarah was buried. This was a huge commitment to a future time, over 400 years in the future, when Abraham's descendants would come back from a time of slavery in Egypt, and take all the land to themselves.

Abraham was stamping the land with God's presence. He was establishing godliness and integrity in the land. All who knew him knew him to be a man of God, some reputation.

Abraham sends his servant back to his family to find Isaac (now 40) a wife. The future generations are told not to marry into the Canaananite race and Abraham is establishing this at the very beginning.

God gave Abraham a vision of the future and Abraham humbled himself and lived for that time. He did not complain that he owned no land. He did not complain that he lived in a tent for half of his life. I think I would be challenged by a life in a tent after a while, even though I have good childhood memories in adult life I remember being in a huge storm in one and hanging on for dear life as the wind and rain threatened to consume me, not fun. A hot day inside a tent is also very oppressive. Yet Abraham did not complain. He submitted to God's hand and trusted Him.

Where is God taking you? What are you called to stamp with God's presence? Yesterday I had returned to my new office to collect a few things and was visited by a local businessman who owned a lot of property in Tamworth. He wouldn't leave. He wanted to talk. I was impressed. He said he had been watching the office and wanted to know what I was doing. He then wanted to talk money. I was happy to oblige. Now he is going to talk isn't he? He loves to talk. 

My God is going before me, opening up this city to me. My God is GOD! He is the God of angel armies and He is on my side!