Comfort

DEVOTION

GENESIS

COMFORM

Gen 24:62-67

2 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

NIV

Why are we told where Isaac was living? Was he not a part of his father’s household? Abraham was living among the land of the Canaanites and here we are told that Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi in the Negev. As we look at the maps of that region during the time of Abraham we do discover the Negev was a part of the land of the Canaanites. Although some scholars indicate thier land might have been farther north, most agree the land of the Canaanites encompassed modern day Lebanon, Syria, Jordon and Israel, which the Negev was a part of. Whether Isaac was in the exact same encampment all the time as his father, from the rest of the text we see he is close enough to enter his mother’s tent to marry Rebekah. Although none of this is actually germane to our lesson, it is interesting information. We have several issues that bear a little thought. When Rebekah knew the man she was coming toward was going to be her husband, she pulled up her veil to cover herself. What purpose was this veil as she was going to be his wife and have the most intimate relationship with him? Today we still use this veil in our marriage ceremonies, although it hides nothing at all as in many cases today intimate relations occurred before the use of the veil. But at the least, the bride attempts to make herself as beautiful as she can for her husband. But in those days it was the custom of woman to use a veil to indicate chastity, modesty, and submission. This is how Rebekah wanted to meet Isaac. There was no command of God for this practice and in all reality no real reason for woman today to emulate Rebekah, although the teaching of Paul many years later regarding women covering their heads in church out of respect to God is practiced in certain churches and societies. But this should still serve women in some way in regard to their relationship with their husbands, which we should leave for the women to interpret for themselves. What we can gain from the man’s perspective in this text is in the meeting of his future bride, Isaac was respectful of her. Although all the events the servant experienced, which we have seen recorded for us twice, are not again repeated, he did tell Isaac all that happened. This would have taken some time all the while Rebekah would have remained silent and covered with Isaac most likely being intrigued even more about her. There is a great discussion about the custom of marriage in biblical times. Later in scripture we certainly have evidences of marriage contacts, such as the one the servant of Abraham made with the family of Rebekah. We also have the consent of Rebekah. We also have evidence of marriage feasts, such as the wedding Christ attended when he turned the water into wine. Although we have no mention of this feast in this text, it well may have occurred. Yet the marriage would not have been consummated until the couple engaged in the most intimate of acts. This is the portion of the narrative we are taken right to. Isaac took Rebekah as his wife and entered the tent of his mother and they became one flesh. He loved her and he was comforted by her after his mother’s death. Here we see there is a special relationship between a man and a woman. Sons, although trained to be men by their fathers, have a special connection with their mothers. We see this in the relationship Rebekah had with her son’s Jacob and Esau, but especially with Jacob. Isaac found comfort in the arms of his wife. Today men should find comfort in the arms of their wives. Although the lines of roles in our culture has mingled with both woman and men engaging in roles that were never before crossed, there still should be this special relationship where we men can find comfort in the arms of our wives. We can move forward in the scriptures to the lessons about the responsibilities of each husband and wife as outlined for us which we should pay close attention to, but for now even in the midst of being the man of God and the woman of God that we are directed to be in our marital relationships, we must also know that it is in the arms of our wives we can find comfort. When the pressures of life, the pressures of our responsibility as men are great, we can always find comfort in the arms of our wife. This should also serve as a lesson for the wives. To also be there with comfort for their husband.