Covenant

DEVOTION

GENESIS

COVENANT

Gen 24:1-9

24:1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 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, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." 5 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?" 6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 7 "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. 8 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." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

NIV

If our genealogy is correct Abraham is about one hundred and forty years of age which would make Isaac forty at this time. It also appears Isaac has not taken it upon himself to find a mate suitable or agreeable to his father. It was also customary in those days marriages were arranged by the parents rather than the young merely falling in love and striking out on their own, as it might happen in our days. We would also conclude there was a great deal more respect given to the family patriarch then we might find in our modern times. So we find Abraham in need of assuring his son having a suitable woman to marry and bear children so that the promise of God will be fulfilled. We do have to wonder why Abraham did not just trust God to provide a suitable woman for Isaac. It does seem as if he felt the need to assist God, to partner with God in the search for a wife for Isaac. Did that demonstrate a lack of faith? It is unlikely this was his reasoning, yet he did act rather than trust God. Perhaps he was acting per the instructions of God, which we are not privy to. We are told that he was advanced in years and the Lord had blessed him in every way. So we would have to believe Abraham was in fact acting under the guidance of the Lord in his searching out a suitable wife for Isaac. He certainly did not want a Canaanite woman to be the mother through which all the nations of the earth would be blessed. The Canaanites were under a curse from God. They would eventually be conquered and/or driven from that land by Joshua and the people of Israel. Abraham needed to ensure his son would have a wife from his own people. But he did not want his son to go back to that land and get his own wife, but rather made his senior servant, the eldest servant, the chief servant go and find this woman. This most likely would have been Eliezer whom had been the man Abraham would have left all his wealth to if he had no son. We know Eliezer was with Abraham when Isaac was born so he had been in the service of Abraham for over forty years. A trusted servant who was in charge of all the household of Abraham. There is so much here we could focus on, but what stands out is this servant whom Abraham has entrusted to find a bride for Isaac. One point which opens our thoughts about this lesson for our lives is in the manner of the oath. This idea of putting a hand under the thigh is of great significance. This meant more than a hand under a thigh. This was placing his hand upon the member of circumcision, the sign of being in covenant relationship with God. Eliezer was not swearing to Abraham, but to the Lord God of heaven and earth. He was swearing by this sign of covenant between Abraham and God. Today although circumcision of the flesh has little significance of any covenant with God, the circumcision of our heart has everything to do with our covenant relationship with God. Also we have been sent, as servants of the Lord to find a bride for the bridegroom. This is the command:

Mark 16:15-17

15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

NIV

This might be a stretch, but it just makes sense.  We are the trusted servants of the Lord and we have been called upon to find suitable people to be the bride of Christ. What do we mean about suitable people? Those who believe are suitable, those who do not are from among the Canaanites, condemned because of their unbelief.

But in addition to this truth, there is one other which bears consideration. Isaac was to have a mate from among his own people rather than those who served idols and were under a curse from God. We have been instructed to not be unequally yoked.

2 Cor 6:14-16

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

NIV

Although this applies to every aspect of life, such as being in business or partnership with the world, which includes investments, being partners with their ideology, their trust in man, rather than God, their self-seeking pleasures as well as a host of other attitudes and behaviors. But in this singular point, we should not be unequally yoked in marriage. Now can God do something with our mistakes? Yes, nothing is impossible with God. But we can be sure it is his intent, his will that we find a suitable spouse from among our own people rather than from among those who serve idols. God had a perfect mate for Isaac and he has one for each one of us. Yes, there are some believers who have mates who have yet to be a part of the family of God. Nothing is impossible for him and we know it is his will we be yoked equally, so he will reach the heart and mind of that mate, he always accomplishes his will concerning us. So we see ourselves both as the servant seeking a bride for the bridegroom and as Isaac having the greatest servant of all, Christ finding our mate for us. It is all about this covenant.