Genesis 24:1-9
A Good Woman is Hard to Find
May 19, 2019
Lynchburg, Virginia
EXHORDIUM
In our last section, Sarah died and it was the occasion for Abraham to purchase property and begin to take ownership by purchasing the cave of Macphelah in the land of Canaan. We see this is God’s plan as Hebron is the very place were David begins to rule. Furthermore, after Saul’s death, Hebron is the place where a decisive battle takes place to see whether God had chosen David or Saul. God makes his choice clear in choosing David.
The title of the sermon, A Good Woman is Hard to Find is not a joke. It is true. Many men have gone astray from following God by choosing a woman that is not faithful. In the subsequent history of Israel, we see that women are often a snare to them. Of course, it takes the sinful lust of the men to fall into such sins. But we should understand the power of women to entice and lead astray.
God considers the choice of a spouse a very important matter. This is why one should not choose a spouse simply based upon physical attractions. In the Old Covenant, Israelites were to marry only Israelites. In fact, they were supposed to marry within their own tribe so that the land inheritances were not confused. But they were must marry within the covenant or suffer God’s chastisement.
Keep in mind that this requirement to marry within the covenant was not simply blood lines. In the Geneology of Christ are Rahab of Jericho and Ruth the Moabite. These women forsook their land and their foreign gods and were joined to Yahweh and His Covenant people. What is proscribed is the sort of thing that Solomon did when he took foreign wives and honored their pagan gods by letting them stay in their religion. He even built them temples to worship false gods.
I have seen how for the love of a woman, a young man can be challenged to serve God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. If those are the character qualities that she upholds then many young men will rise to the challenge. But such a woman is hard to find and many young men are unwilling to look that hard or wait that long.
In the history of Israel, we see a great deal of concern about offspring. The Covenant with Abraham begins with the ritual of a covenant sign in circumcision. It is important for us to see why. From God’s perspective, the entire project of His covenant promises is about godly offspring. He has promised to be a faithful husband and is looking for a faithful bride.
EXEGESIS
24 And Abraham was old, andwell stricken in age: and the Lordhad blessed Abraham in all things.
Abraham is old and Isaac has not yet found a wife. He experiences a physical renewal after Isaac marries and actually lives a long time after this but he had no way of knowing this would be the case. He believes that God will provide offspring through Isaac but he has yet to see it. Thus, he gets the ball rolling on getting Isaac a wife.
Abraham was blessed in all things. He was successful in battle. He had great flocks and God had granted him peace among the people of Canaan. He was already a small nation.
As we saw in the previous chapter, Abraham began to possess the land by purchasing land for the burial of Sarah. It was more than a burial plot. It included the burial cave but also the surrounded land and trees. It was property to be considered a homeland. Around 800 years later, King David begins his rule in the very same place, in Hebron.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
The eldest here refers to the man’s station. He is the chief elder, the one who rules over all of Abraham’s affairs. His name is not mentioned here but it is mentioned in Gen. 15:2, Eliezer of Damascus.
Genesis 15:1-4 15After these things the word of the Lordcame unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I amthy shield, andthy exceeding great reward. 2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house isthis Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the Lordcameunto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Under My Thigh- A euphemism to describe the taking of a solemn oath. The swearer took put his hand under the other’s private parts. The point here is that if he is not faithful, then let his own posterity be cursed.
Circumcision- This is essentially a reference to circumcision. The man is swearing by his posterity that he will fulfill the oath. If he does not fulfill his promise, then he must forfeit the very thing he swore by. That is to say, that he will become a Eunuch and therefore be childless. There is no indication in the text that this would be literally done to to him but that it carries the weight of the blessing and the curse. If you fulfill your oath, may you be fruitful and multiply. If you do not fulfill your oath, may you be childless forever.
The relation to circumcision is clear. God has touched us in the private parts. He has sworn to be faithful. If He did not fulfill His oath, then He would not have offspring. However, God is a covenant keeping God. He always keeps His promises. The implication is clear. God will keep His promise. Man is the one who is in danger of losing the promise.
Eventually, this is the very thing that occurs. Israel is cut off. They no longer produce godly offspring, covenant keepers. But God is faithful. His seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, takes another bride, the Church, and through her produces godly offspring to a thousand generations.
A solemn oath- Swear by God of Heaven and Earth. Do not swear but let your yes be yes and your no be no. Westminster on solemn oaths.
No Canaanites- Abraham’s greatest fear was that Isaac would have a Canaanite wife. We see the snare that women are in many situations in the future. Abraham was right to consider the threat of women and their foreign gods. Later, this is the snare for the children of Israel as they come out of Egpyt, for Solomon, and again for the children of Israel after their return from exile.
My country, my kindred- Abraham’s brother Nahor resided yet in the land of Ur? He is of the bloodline that was called out by Yahweh. We see in the narrative that Nahor is a servant of Yahweh.
Faith and Reason
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
Abraham put a large task on his Eliezer. He commands him to get a wife for his son and that Isaac certainly should not go back to where Abraham had come from. This is going to be some sort of arranged marriage, since Rebekah and Isaac agree to marry without ever seeing one another.
However, Rebekah is not forced into the marriage. He brother has the right to negotiate for a bride price but he cannot make her submit to the marriage. Both Abraham and Nahor that recognize that it is Rebekah’s right to choose to go or not.
Furthermore, Eliezer apprehends the enormity of the task. He knows his master is a great lord and that many women would be eager to marry into his family. However, he also knows that in the affairs of matrimony, the process is no guarantee. What is important in this section is that Rebekah has veto power. Even if her father, Isaac’s father and Eliezer all think she is the one to marry Isaac, she can say no.
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
Abraham tells us Eliezer, Beware. That comes across as a warning. If you fail, you will pay the price.
The woman must agree to come to Isaac without him coming to her. This is a great demand upon Rebekah. What if Isaac was a cruel man? Or, she cannot speak with him? Or, perhaps she finds something else objectionable about him? Would it not be reasonable for she and her father demand that Isaac appear before them for an extended visit?
Abrham is putting a great burden upon Eliezer but both Eliezer and Abraham understand that the stipulations are such that if it is going to work, then God is going to have to do something great to make all the details come together. In a way, the very uncertainty of a positive outcome is an indicator of whether or not it is God’s will.
7 The LordGod of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
Abraham is ever a man of faith. He demands something of his servant that is seemingly unreasonable. Go to a far country, get a wife for my son without him being there or her ever seeing him. Beware, lest you are tempted to take him to such land. This seems almost absurd.
As a boost to his servant’s faith, Abraham recounts to Eliezer the faithfulness of God. God called him out of Ur and from his native land. He sent him to a new land that was inhabited by a people who did not serve the Living God. God promised Abraham that land as his homeland. This also seemed absurd since he was such a small company. But his company grew and he became a man of formidable means both as a warring people and an economic powerhouse with massive flocks and herds.
Furthermore, God did not simply promise to give Abraham the land. God said, “unto thy seed will I give this land.” And then when it looked like Abraham would not have seed, his wife Sarah miraculously conceived when she was past child bearing years. The seed arrived. But Abraham had not yet seen grandchildren and so the promise was still uncertain. But Abraham believed God and this bolstered his faith that Eliezer would be successful in finding a bride for his son.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
Two things are going on here.
1. Abraham is sure of the outcome. He knows that God will provide as He always has. He tried to bolster the faith of Eliezer.
2. However, Eliezer has not the faith of Abraham and his concerns are not unreasonable. He knows that his venture is fraught with difficulty. So, Abraham lays down the conditions that give Eliezer an out and thus the courage to attempt the task.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.[1]
Under the thigh- This is a euphemism that means he is swearing by Abraham’s private parts. This should not surprise us. The very covenant is made by removing the foreskin of the flesh in circumcision. All of God’s promises have to do with godly seed. We need not be squeamish about this.
EXHORTATION
It is a lot of trouble to find a faithful bride. Why was Abraham so meticulous about this? Because a bride will be blessing or a curse.
The seed is Christ. Gal. 3:16 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, thatthe covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should omake the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance beof the law, it isno more of promise: but God gave itto Abraham by promise.[2]
The bride is the Church. The Church must be the engine for producing godly offspring to a thousand generations. God’s promise here is the sign of Baptism. Baptism is a sign of washing. God is promising that He is faithful to wash us, and our children. This is the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the implanted Holy Spirit for godly living and the hope of Resurrection. All this is promised to you in Baptism and God always keeps His promises. Do not be unfaithful to Him.
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[1]The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ge 24.
[2]The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ga 3:16–18.
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