May the mumbling commence!
And then there was an emphatic answer… and emphatic
finish to the Lord’s provision for Abraham’s servant. Read the response of Rebekah and her family
from Peterson’s The Message:
Laban
and Bethuel answered, “This is totally from God. We have no say in the matter, either yes or no. Rebekah is yours: Take her and go; let her be the wife of your master’s
son, as God has made plain.”
When
Abraham’s servant heard their decision, he bowed in worship before God. Then he brought out gifts of
silver and gold and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive
gifts to her brother and mother. He and his men had supper and spent the night. But first thing in the
morning they were up. He said, “Send me back
to my master.”
Her
brother and mother said, “Let the girl stay a while,
say another ten days, and then go.”
He
said, “Oh, don’t make me wait! God
has worked everything out so well – send me
off to my master.”
They
said, “We’ll call the girl; we’ll ask her.”
They
called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to
go with this man?”
She
said, “I’m ready to go.”
So
they sent them off, their sister Rebekah with her nurse, and Abraham’s
servant with his men. And they blessed
Rebekah saying,
You’re our sister – live bountifully!
And your
children, triumphantly!
Rebekah
and her young maids
mounted the camels and followed the man. The
servant took Rebekah and set off for home. (Genesis 24:50-61)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is
from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your
master's son, as the Lord has directed."
When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he
bowed down to the ground before the Lord. Then the servant brought out
gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them
to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her
brother and to her mother. Then he and
the men who were with him ate and drank and
spent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my
master."
But her brother and her mother replied,
"Let the girl remain
with us ten days or so; then you may go."
But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey.
Send me on my way so
I may go to my master."
Then they said, "Let's call the
girl and ask
her about it." So they called
Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?"
"I will go," she said.
So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along
with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
"Our
sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands;
may
your offspring possess the gates of their enemies."
Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted
their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. (Genesis 24:50-61)
The Lord had spoken.
No one could deny it. And, in
this case, the differences between Peterson’s work and the NIV do not change
the Spirit and heart of the passage.
Even so, change is always hard. Rebekah’s family was not ready to let her go
so soon. And they assumed the same was
true for her. So they asked her if she
was willing to leave immediately with this man.
“I will go,” was her answer. It’s simple and to the point. It must’ve been a hard decision after a night
to sleep on the reality of leaving all that she knew behind.
Rebekah’s pure faith in the Lord would make her a good
wife for Isaac – one who would not only stay by his side but also help to discern
the way of the Lord. It’s no wonder that
Abraham’s servant bowed in worship before the Lord yet again.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment