May the mumbling commence!
Finding an appropriate spouse is essential. Abraham knew this well, and he wanted it for
his son Isaac. The wrong spouse can lead
a person down the wrong path. The right
spouse could help, support and encourage the faith needed to walk the path the
Lord puts down before a person. Read
from Peterson’s The Message:
Abraham was now
an old man.
God had blessed Abraham in every way.
Abraham
spoke to the senior
servant in his household, the one in charge of
everything he had, “Put
your hand under my thigh and swear by God – God
of Heaven, God of Earth – that you will not get a wife for my son from among the Canaanites
here, but will go to
the land of my birth and
get a wife for my son Isaac.”
The
servant answered, “But what if the woman refuses
to leave home and come with me? Do I then take your son back to your home country?”
Abraham
said, “Oh no.
Never. By no means are you to
take my son back there. God, the
God of Heaven, took me from the home of my
father and from the country of my birth and spoke
to me in solemn promise, ‘I’m giving this land to
your descendants.’ This God will send his angel ahead of you to get a wife for my
son. And
if the woman won’t come, you are free from this oath you’ve
sworn to me. But under no circumstances
are you to take my son back there.”
So the
servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn oath.
(Genesis
24:1-9)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Abraham was now old and
well advanced in years, and the Lord
had blessed him
in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put
your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by
the Lord,
the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you
will not get a wife for my son from the
daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but
will go to my country and my own relatives
and get a wife for my son Isaac."
The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"
"Make sure that you do not take my son back
there," Abraham said. "The Lord, the
God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's
household and my native land and who spoke
to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your
offspring I will
give this land' – he
will send his angel before you so that you can get
a wife for my son from there. If the woman
is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released
from this oath of
mine. Only do not take my son back there." So the servant
put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. (Genesis 24:1-9)
God had promised Abraham this land of Canaan, and that promise was being deeded to
Isaac. Abraham and Sarah had left their homeland.
It was an act of their faith.
Isaac knew nothing of this level of sacrifice and faith
and obedience. And Abraham knew it. Abraham wanted a wife for Isaac who was
willing to leave the land of her birth to claim the promise of the Lord.
Because going back was not an option – ever. With our relationship with the Lord, there is
only one way to go – onward with God at our side.
For the most part, I like what Peterson has done with
this passage. It emphasizes the faith
and obedience needed from Isaac’s future wife.
“What if she refuses to leave home and come with me?” the servant asks.
The only difference that causes pause for me is the
status of giving the land to Abraham and his descendants. Is God currently giving this land to them
(Peterson)? Or is the promise of the
Lord in the future (the will of the NIV)?
Or maybe is it a bit of both… like it’s in the future but is being
claimed through faith as already certain?
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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