Daily Readings

•  Day 1: Genesis 25:19-34  
•  Day 2: Genesis 26:1-6
•  Day 3: Genesis 26:7-35
•  Day 4: Genesis 27:1-29
•  Day 5: Genesis 27:30-46
•  Day 6: Psalm 15

Genesis 25:19-34
World English Bible
19 This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife. 21 Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her. She said, “If it is like this, why do I live?” She went to inquire of Yahweh. 23 Yahweh said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb.
Two peoples will be separated from your body.
The one people will be stronger than the other people.
The elder will serve the younger.”

24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau. 26 After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with some of that red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

31 Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”

32 Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?”

33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.”

He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.
​

We see a genealogy here to end the official story of Isaac, though Isaac is still a main character in the lives of Jacob and Esau for a while, but the narrative wants us to know that we are to pay less attention to Isaac and more attention to one of his two sons that is going to be born and the struggle between them.  Why?  Because Isaac's purpose has mostly been fulfilled in that he and Rebekah have two sons (twins) and these two sons will both be leaders of great nations, but only one of them will be chosen by the LORD, and that Election has taken place since they were in the womb, even before that.  The New Testament authors cite this passage when teaching about the doctrine of Election.

Before that though, we get a little bit more insight into the family history of Isaac.  The family of his wife (and therefore his family, since they were cousins) was of the Aramean or Syrian people.  This is another group of people that we need to keep an eye out for in the Old Testament, and this explains why they probably thought they had some claim to the Land.

Rebekah was barren, but the LORD heard the prayers of Isaac (and remembered His covenant promise), much like for Abraham and Sarah with the birth of Isaac.  We will see barrenness leading to miraculous births throughout the Bible and we are to take note of any time that the LORD does this, as God is doing something great.

In this case, God answers with twin sons, but it was obvious that they did not get along with each other, even from the time they were in the womb together.  They were always fighting and struggling with each other.  There was great pain and discomfort within Rebekah to the point where she wanted to die instead of have a pregnancy filled with pain like this.  We do not get any indication that she understood the covenant promises of the LORD or even had a strong relationship with Him (we would expect to hear that the LORD heard her cries and prayers, but we do not see that, we see it is Isaac who cried out to the LORD and the LORD heard him).  She may not even realize she is praying when she is asking "Why is this happening to me?," but the LORD is gracious and answers her.

“Two nations are in your womb.
Two peoples will be separated from your body.
The one people will be stronger than the other people.
The elder will serve the younger.”

That should be a familiar story for Isaac as he was the younger and more favored son, but he is going to make the same mistake as Abraham and show favoritism to the son that the LORD had not chosen.  Rebekah is going to cling to this promise though and she will be close to Jacob (the younger).  We get the impression that Esau (the older) is more like his father Isaac and Jacob (the younger) is more like his mother Rebekah.  Though they were twins, they could not have been more different from each other.

Esau was red all over (that is what his name means--red) and he was covered in hair like he was wearing a hairy garment, even from the time he was born.  Jacob was grasping at Esau's heel as they came out, but Esau's hand came out first and thus he was the firstborn.  Isaac waited sixty years to see the birth of these two sons, which seems old to us, but at least the LORD did not make him wait until he was 100 like he did with Abraham.  The LORD has been gracious in giving Isaac more years with his sons and soon-to-be grandchildren.

Esau became a hunter and a man of the field (like Isaac), but Jacob stayed home living among the tents (like Rebekah).  We then learn something about Isaac.  He loved Esau because he loved venison, and Esau was the hunter who would bring venison to him.  That's a sad commentary as the father's love is based of which son can give the father the things he hungers for.  Our hearts sink when we read these verses because we know the LORD has already declared that He has chosen Jacob, so Isaac is not helping anything by choosing Esau as his favorite and letting Rebekah choose Jacob as her favorite.  Not only does it keep the rivalry going between the sons that has been going on since they were in the womb, but it now pits Isaac and Rebekah against each other.

For now though, we will focus on a story that shows how Esau despised his birthright (he was entitled to a larger share of the inheritance because he was older, if only by a few seconds).  Esau had been out in the field all day and came home famished (it's unclear whether he was actually dying of hunger or if he was being more than a little dramatic here, but I lean towards the later option).  Jacob had been making some red (lentil) stew--this is the other reason Esau, later called Edom, is associated with the color red).  He begs Jacob to give him some of the red stew because he is famished (dying of hunger).

Jacob shows no compassion and instead uses it as a chance to get something he wants in exchange.  He tells Esau that he will sell him a bowl of stew for the price of his birthright.  Esau despises his birthright and says, "What good the birthright to me?  Behold, I am about to die."  (Dead men inherit nothing, and Esau did not trust God to keep him alive to see his inheritance).  Jacob makes Esau swear a binding oath first and then gives him some stew.  Esau ate and drank and then went on his way like nothing important had happened there because he despised his birthright.  He didn't fight for it to say that there's no reason that Jacob could hold him to that kind of promise under duress if he was truly dying.  However, this shows us something important about Jacob--he understands that there are things that are meant for him to have, but he is unwilling to wait to see God give him those things in His way and in His time.  Jacob thinks that he needs to manipulate people and circumstances to bring about the will of God in his life (we'll see this lesson reinforced by his mother, which is why I think it's fair to say that he was a lot like her).  Jacob also doesn't really have a real relationship with God for many, many years (we'll see the LORD change his name at a certain point in his story to indicate this change in nature and identity in him, yet, even after that point, he gets called by his old name when he is acting in this old, sinful way).

Psalm 111
World English Bible

111 Praise Yah!
    I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart,
    in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.
2 Yahweh’s works are great,
    pondered by all those who delight in them.
3 His work is honor and majesty.
    His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered.
    Yahweh is gracious and merciful.
5 He has given food to those who fear him.
    He always remembers his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
    in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are truth and justice.
    All his precepts are sure.
8 They are established forever and ever.
    They are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to his people.
    He has ordained his covenant forever.
    His name is holy and awesome!
10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.
    All those who do his work have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

The psalmist (probably David) declares that he will give praise to the LORD in all places and all times no matter the setting--whether in government meetings or in a worship service--there is no separation of church and state for him.  The psalmist declares that everyone who belongs to the LORD should stop and think about all of His wonderful and powerful deeds that should also lead us to worship Him in all places at all times and among all people.  There should not be a wrong place or wrong time to worship Him.

We should delight in His mighty works and see how they bring Him honor and majesty.  His righteousness (goodness) is everlasting.  Everything He has ever done and will ever do is good and right.  His mighty works declare His existence and His "invisible attributes" they make clearly known (see Romans 1).  The LORD is not only powerful, but gracious and merciful--yet even more reason to praise Him both now and forevermore.

He meets the material needs of His people (like food) and always remembers His covenant with His people.  He has made a promise to Israel to make them the head and not to tail among the nations of the earth if they will obey and keep His covenant, and He has made them a blessing to all the other nations so that the Abrahamic Covenant is true--"Through you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed."

His mighty works declare truth and execute justice.  His Law is established and firm.  It is completely consistent with His nature and character and it leaves no room for guessing what verdict He is going to cast when we stand before Him in judgment.

However, He has chosen to redeem a people for Himself, a people of His choosing who did not deserve it.  He has done this for His good pleasure and to bring much glory to Himself.  He has made an everlasting covenant with His people which we now realize even more fully--a covenant that meant that God would have to satisfy His justice and holiness by sacrificing Himself in our place so that we could have the blessings of a covenant that we could never deserve because we could never earn them by keeping a conditional covenant.

To fear the LORD (this can be either fear of judgment or reverential awe because He is awesome) is the beginning of wisdom.  We understand and change our actions accordingly to avoid judgment and to respond in love towards the one who loved us instead of continuing in our rebellion against His Law.  If we fear Him, we will obey Him, and this will give us even better understanding of who He is and what He has done and give us even more reason to worship Him.  We will not just praise Him a little during our weekly worship services that last just an hour or two a week, but we will praise Him all day ever day so that we will no longer even consider the passage of time because it will no longer matter to us.  We will praise Him forever and ever and will never run out of things to praise Him for for the LORD is great and greatly to be praised.

Genesis 25:1-18
World English Bible

25 Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, 6 but Abraham gave gifts to the sons of Abraham’s concubines. While he still lived, he sent them away from Isaac his son, eastward, to the east country. 7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years. 8 Abraham gave up his spirit, and died at a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.

12 Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations. 17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up his spirit and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.

Two parts of the Genesis narrative come to an end in today's passage.  We have reached the end of the story of Abraham (note that as we go into the story of Isaac a bit more, Abraham is still alive for some of those events).  It is also the end of the story of Ishmael as we are given the genealogy of his family and, as we mentioned in the beginning of Genesis, this is our indication that we are passing from one scene with one main character to the next scene with a different main character.  With the death of Abraham, Ishmael and his family will become minor characters in the play and will no longer be front and center with the conflict of if Abraham would try to favor his firstborn son Ishmael, or if he would show favor to the promised son Isaac.

We don't talk much about this passage when we speak of Abraham, but there are many other Abrahamic peoples besides the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.  In fact, Abraham took another wife after Sarah, named Keturah, and she bore him six additional sons who were all princes of other Abrahamic peoples:  Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.  We know very little about them outside of their names in this passage.

Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac (including his servant that we talked about in the last passage), but he only gave gifts to the children of his concubines.  While he was still alive, he sent all his children other than Isaac to the east out of the Promised Land, because Isaac was the only one who was to possess the Land (this also included Ishmael, who wandered in the eastern wilderness and became the father to the Arab peoples whose name means "nomads" or "wanderers.").

The only thing that I want to say about the generations of Ishmael is that the LORD kept His promise to make a great nation out of Ishmael as Abraham requested, but it would not be the line through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed.  That blessing resided with Isaac and then Jacob after him, as we'll see the LORD renew the covenant with each of them throughout the book of Genesis.  Ishmael became the father of twelve nations (people groups).  As the Bible does not primarily follow his family, it is hard to say what happened to each of these people groups and who got absorbed into which kingdom/empires as they swept across the region and who still exists but by different names.  All of the "Arab" peoples claim relation to Ishmael, but it is uncertain how many actually are--it is much easier for instance to tell with a combination of genetic testing and vital records that someone is Jewish and we can even tell which of the tribes of Israel they belong to.  The same cannot be said for the children of Ishmael who seem to have turned into twelve lost kingdoms.

One final point. This should help show why the wars that we see in the Middle East are so different from the ones we see other places around the world.  It is not about land and border disputes or fights over resources or simply that one side is mad at the other side and wants to "bloody their nose" a bit to satisfy their pride.  No, these are long-fought battles that stem back to Abraham giving all that he owned to Isaac and everyone else being jealous of that and trying to take what doesn't belong to them.  There is no peace that will ever be made between these rival families unless Jesus changes them to make them love each other.  However, the only way true and lasting peace is going to come is when Jesus comes back and destroys all the wicked who threated HIs people, Israel.  Then, and only then will this family feud end and Israel will no longer be surrounded on every side by people who wish to destroy and devour her, but instead by the Gentile believers who will pay tribute to her and protect her (though she will need no protection).

Genesis 24:28-67
World English Bible
​
28 The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words. 29 Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. 30 When he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he came to the man. Behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”

32 The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels. He gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.”

Laban said, “Speak on.”

34 He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Yahweh has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ 40 He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my relatives, and of my father’s house. 41 Then you will be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.’ 42 I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go— 43 behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 then she tells me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Yahweh has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45 Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. 47 I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands. 48 I bowed my head, and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. 49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from Yahweh. We can’t speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as Yahweh has spoken.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to Yahweh. 53 The servant brought out jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her mother. 54 They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”

55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”

56 He said to them, “Don’t hinder me, since Yahweh has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”

57 They said, “We will call the young lady, and ask her.” 58 They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”

She said, “I will go.”

59 They sent away Rebekah, their sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.”

61 Rebekah arose with her ladies. They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 62 Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South. 63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening. He lifted up his eyes and looked. Behold, there were camels coming. 64 Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “It is my master.”

She took her veil, and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Rebekah ran home to her mother's house (a strange phrasing unless her father was dead, which seems to fit with the fact that her brother seems to be playing the role of the head of household and deciding to give her away).  There she speaks with her brother Laban and she showed him the ring and the bracelets, and Laban went out to the servant of Abraham who was outside taking care of the camels and invited him inside.  It would seem that Laben was familiar with the name of the LORD, though he uses it here in a way that feels "greasy" like a used car salesman.  It is only after he has seen the expensive ring and bracelets that he decides that the servant is blessed and highly favored of the LORD and that he should invite him to sleep inside and feed and bed the camels as Rebekah said, so we start to wonder if he has a covetous spirit that is going to play a role in this story.

The camels were unloaded and fed and given straw for bedding and water was brought to wash the feet of all of the servants of Abraham that came with Abraham's chief servant (he did not come alone but brought an entire entourage).  Food was prepared and set before all of them, but Abraham's servant would not eat or sleep until he had delivered the message he had been sent to deliver.  This certainly got Laban's attention, and Laban replied with "Speak on."

The servant tells Laban who he serves, the reason Abraham has sent him back to his people to find a wife for his son Isaac, because he was not to marry from among the Canaanites of the Land, and how Abraham prayed for the LORD to send His angel before the servant to make his journey successful, and that is exactly what He did.  The servant is careful to give God all the glory.   He has made the proposal to Rebekah and given her the nose ring and bracelets, and, now, he awaits her answer as to if she will return with him to be the wife of his master's son.  The servant is interested in nothing else (not even food or sleep) until he receives an answer, because if the answer is "No," then he has more work to do to find the person that the LORD wants him to find.

Laban again speaks the name of the LORD to make it appear that he is a God-fearing man saying that if it is the will of the LORD they can say nothing good or bad (he doesn't want to say yes, but realizes that he had better not say no, so he says nothing at all).  He knows he cannot stand against the LORD and win, especially after the story the servant just told him of how the LORD had prepared the way and led him directly to Rebekah.

When they woke up in the morning, the servant was ready to leave and return home with Rebekah, but Laban wanted to keep her for as long as they could saying, "just a few more days."  The servant knew the game that was being played and said that he was not be hindered or delayed in completing his mission.  Finally, Laban said that he would leave the decision up to Rebekah if she wanted to go with him.  She replied, "I will go."

Rebekah is then sent away from her family, taking only her nurse with her.  She left with all of Abraham's servants that had come on this important journey.  They blessed Rebekah praying, "May you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them." (I think this was one of those moments where the Spirit led them to pray this and they didn't understand the significance of what they were saying).

The next scene is as they approach the camp of Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah sees Isaac coming towards them and she asks who it is.  The servant replies, "It is my master."  Up to this point, Abraham had been his master and Isaac had been "my master's son," but the servant knows that now that Isaac is getting married, he will now be serving Isaac--the best way that he can serve Abraham is to serve Isaac.  Rebekah quickly covered herself with her veil and Isaac immediately took her into his mother's tent to consummate the marriage.  Then we are told something that should have been obvious, but was not mentioned until now--Isaac was grieving greatly at the loss of his mother and Abraham knew he needed to take a wife to comfort him during his time of grief.  Once he took Rebekah as his wife, he was greatly comforted.

We also are comforted in a different way reading this story because we've been wondering how in the world this child of promise is going to become the great nation that was promised when he hasn't even gotten married yet.  We might have been concerned for him about the women of the region that he had to choose from who were wicked and would turn him and the hearts of his children away from God (we will only need to turn a few pages to see what happened to Esau who took wives from among the Canaanites to see how he turned out).  We know the LORD is sure to keep His promises, but it certainly seems like He enjoys taking us to the point where we have to remember, "With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible" and "Nothing is impossible with God."

Genesis 24:10-27
World English Bible
​
10 The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. 12 He said, “Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ then she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16 The young lady was very beautiful to look at, a virgin. No man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”

18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” 20 She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

21 The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 As the camels had done drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?”

24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She said moreover to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in.”

26 The man bowed his head, and worshiped Yahweh. 27 He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”

The servant (still unnamed) takes ten of Abraham's camels and loads them up with all kinds of gifts to be given to the family of the woman who could agree to be Isaac's bride.  He then departed for Mesopotamia, specifically the city of Nahor (notice that many cities at this time are named after the head of the family because Nahor is also Abraham's brother that the servant is going to).

Now there was a well outside the city and it was common for people to come once or twice a day to gather water (usually the women would do this), and it was just about the right time for that to happen, so the servant gets the camels to kneel down and watches to see who will appear.  He asks the LORD for a sign that the woman who offers to get water for both him and his camels when he asks her for a drink will be the woman that the LORD has chosen for Isaac.

At that very moment, before he had even finished speaking to the LORD, Rebekah, Abraham's close relative, came out to gather water (though the servant does not know that she is a family member yet, all he knew was that she was very beautiful and that he should keep his eye on her to see if she was the one).  She was a young woman who had never been given to anyone else in marriage nor had she given herself in sexual relations to someone while she was unmarried.  As she filled her pitcher up, Abraham's servant asked her for a drink, just as he told the LORD he was going to do, and Rebekah replied with the very words that he had asked for.  She did not deviate one syllable from what he said to the LORD in his heart.  She drew water again and again until all the camels were satisfied (that's a lot of water as camels drink a lot of water all at once and store it for their long journeys through the desert).

Abraham's servant keeps watching her trying to decide if she really is the one, even though the sign has happened just as he asked for.  Perhaps he thinks that anyone would have said and done what she said and did and that there was no way to tell if it was the LORD's leading or just good manners.  So, he asks the woman about her family., and held in his hand rings and bracelets that it would seem to make it obvious why he wanted to go home with her.  She told him her family she belonged to until she got to Nahor (again, the person the city was named after who was the brother of Abraham) and she offered food and shelter to the servant and food and straw for bedding for the camels.

This was even more than the servant had asked for, and he bowed his head in worship to the LORD.  He had been led to someone of the exact family that Abraham wanted him to go to, and the LORD knew this was the LORD's favor once again being shown to Abraham (and to him by extension).  The LORD led the servant to the right place at the right time to meet just the right person that He had already selected for Isaac.  The servant had a lot of concerns before leaving about what if things didn't go as perfectly as Abraham thought they would, but Abraham was sure that the servant's steps would be directed and his journey would be successful.  Now we see all those doubts that the servant had melt away as he sees Abraham was right to never have any need to doubt that the LORD would go before him and make his journey prosperous and successful.

Genesis 24:1-9
World English Bible

24 Abraham was old, and well advanced in age. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh. 3 I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4 But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?”

6 Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t bring my son there again. 7 Yahweh, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring—he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath to me. Only you shall not bring my son there again.”

9 The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

Abraham is growing old and knowing that his time on this earth is nearly complete.  He knows that for the covenant promises of God to be fulfilled, Isaac is going to have to take a wife for himself, but there is no way that he is going to let Isaac take a wife from among the Canaanites or other peoples they have been living among.  Though Abraham's people were idolatrous, there was a better chance of finding a godly woman from among his people who were descendants of Shem than from among the descendants of Ham (especially the descendants of Canaan) that surrounded them.

Abraham make his chief servant who was over all of his household (we'll learn his name later) swear an oath to him that the chief servant will not let Isaac take a wife from among the Canaanites, but that this servant would return to Abraham's relatives and find a wife for Isaac (it was not unusual in that day to marry close relatives--as we already saw, Abram and Sarai were half-siblings).  The servant is concerned that no relative of Abraham's is going to get up and leave the land of their land and that they will ask for Isaac to come back and live among them.  Abraham says that under no circumstances is Isaac to return to the land of Abraham, lest he be tempted to live there among the old ways of his family and turn away from the covenant promises that God had made to Him.

Isaac and his descendants are to inherit the Land as an eternal inheritance.  No, he is never supposed to go back to the land of the Chaldeans.  Abraham is certain that the LORD is sending His angel on ahead of this servant to prepare the way for him.  This is God's plan, not Abraham's, and therefore it is God's responsibility to make everything work out according to His plan.  However, Abraham says that in the case where there is no suitable wife for Isaac from among Abraham's family members, then the servant is released from his oath to be certain take a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's people.  It is more important that Isaac never goes there than that a wife comes back from there for him.

The servant put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swore the oath that Abraham had put him under.  That's a strange thing to us today, but not so strange when we realize that the thigh was a symbol of strength and vigor (if we read in the Bible of a curse of someone's thigh shriveling up, it is a symbol of their physical and sexual potency dying).  This promise has to do with Abraham's ability to see the next generation of covenant people.  Isaac is more than old enough at this point to be married and start giving Abraham some grandchildren, and Abraham would like to see them before he dies.  His wife has just died and he's looking at his son who is not married and has no children and by faith he knows that Isaac must get married and have children to carry out God's plans to make his descendants like the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore or the dust of the earth (an uncountable "infinity"--a number so large, we can barely even imagine it with all these examples).

Daily Readings
   Day 1: Genesis 22:20–23:20
   Day 2: Genesis 24:1-9
   Day 3: Genesis 24:10-27
   Day 4: Genesis 24:28-67
   Day 5: Genesis 25:1-18
   Day 6: Psalm 111

​Genesis 22:20-23
World English Bible
​
20 After these things, Abraham was told, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

23 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life. 2 Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3 Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke to the children of Heth, saying, 4 “I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

5 The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”

7 Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Heth. 8 He talked with them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him sell it to me among you as a possession for a burial place.”

10 Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”

12 Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead.”

16 Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants’ standard.

17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20 The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.

We start off today's passage with a report that Abraham's brother has had many children by his wife Milcah and his concubine Reumah.  Only one name in the list stands out to those of us that know the Genesis narrative, and it is the name Rebekah.  This passage lets us know who she is (Abraham's niece and Isaac's first cousin) when her name shows up again later in the story.

The rest of today's passage focuses on the death of Abraham's wife Sarah.  She lived to be 127 year, making Isaac 37 years old when she died and making and Ishmael would have been 14 years older at 51 years old (though he was not the child of Sarah directly, he did come back home for her funeral and helped to bury her).

Abraham, being a wanderer in the Promised Land and owning none of it yet had no place to bury his wife, so he turned to his friends who lived in Hebron and asked to buy a field with a cave for 400 pieces of silver so that he might bury his wife in the cave (pay attention to everyone else who gets buried in this cave as the narrative of not only Genesis, but also Exodus and the rest of the historical narrative continue as the people will take the bones of their patriarchs out of Egypt when they leave and carried them with them for 40 years of wandering in the wilderness so that they too can be buried in this tomb with their family.

The children of Heth wanted to just give the land to Abraham, but Abraham knew he should buy the land and have the deed to it so there would be no question in the future that he and his family owned this land in perpetuity.  So, he bought the field from Ephron in the presence of many witnesses and Abraham weighed out 400 shekels of silver (according to the standard weights and measures used by the merchants of that area and time).

​This field that was owned by Ephron is called Machpelah, and Rachel's Tomb is still one of the most sacred (and fought over) pieces of land in all of Judea and Samaria, because it was the only piece of the Promised Land deeded to Abraham (and his descendants after him).  But which descendants exactly would inherit this piece of land? Who would be buried there with Sarah (and eventually Abraham)?  The answer to that question will become obvious as we continue to Genesis narrative and continue it all the way through the Exodus and the Conquest until the people come back into the Land once again.  By faith they will bring the bones of one of their patriarchs with them to bury him in this cave with his family, for that patriarch made them swear that he would not be buried among the Egyptians, but that he would be taken home and buried with his family in Canaan--specifically in the cave of Machpelah.