Relationship with God: Genesis 24:1-9

Part of being in relationship with God is desiring for the people around us to have a relationship with God as well.  Certainly, no two people have the same relationship with God.  We have different needs, joys, and thoughts.  While our relationship with God may be unique to us, we can still want a similar experience for others.

With Abraham nearing 140 years of age, the time has come to find Isaac a wife.  Abraham is too old to journey himself.  Abraham doesn’t want Isaac to go.  Abraham sends his steward.

There is some debate over why Abraham doesn’t send Isaac.  Based on the limited role Isaac plays in the Bible, some scholars argue Isaac had a diminished mental capacity and could not perform the task adequately.  Perhaps Abraham finally learned the lesson of sojourning in foreign lands and didn’t think Isaac was prepared to resist foreign wealth.  Perhaps Abraham didn’t want to risk Isaac’s life and had more confidence in his steward’s ability to complete the task successfully.

Whatever the reason, Abraham tasks his steward with three tasks.  First, Isaac is not to marry a Canaanite.  As a nomad, Abraham depended on God’s provision.  Abraham remembers what happened to Lot, who trusted the provision of the Canaanite cities instead of God.  Abraham doesn’t want Isaac to fall in with the Canaanites and lose his relationship with God.

Second, Abraham tasks the steward with finding a wife from among his own kindred.  Abraham was from Ur, which was a Sumerian city before becoming a part of the Babylonian Empire.  There is a strong connection to Mesopotamia throughout the Bible.  Abraham came from Ur, the Babylonians are the nation God sends His people to during their exile, and even the magi who come to visit Jesus were likely from the region of Mesopotamia.  Since the Canaanites around him do not worship the God Abraham worships, he wants the steward to go back to his homeland and find someone who is willing to worship God with Isaac.

Third, Abraham asks the steward to not take his son back to Ur.  This promise also has to do with God.  God promised Abraham the land of Canaan would be for his descendants.  Abraham doesn’t want to risk Isaac going to Ur, finding a wife, and then hearing the wife make an argument for the couple to stay in Mesopotamia.  God promised Abraham a life in Canaan; as the promise shifts to Isaac it is important for Isaac to stay in Canaan.

As the story shifts from Abraham to his descendants, Abraham gets serious about Isaac’s ability to live into God’s promise.  Abraham wants Isaac to have the kind of relationship with God like he enjoys.  Part of being in relationship with God is looking to those around us and desiring relationship with God for them as well.