“So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, ‘Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac’ ” (Genesis 24:2-4).
How do you go about making the decisions in your life? Do you gather the information, weigh the pros and cons of possible choices, and then make your decision? In decision making, what role should God play and how do we go about showing our trust in Him to be a part of those decisions?
Following the death of his beloved wife Sarah, Abraham is concerned about finding a wife for his son Isaac. In those days parents took a very active role in selecting a mate for their children. As the opening verses above indicate, having been blessed with a wonderful godly mate himself, Abraham wanted to make sure that such a wife was found for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:2-4).
Abraham knew such a woman was not going to be found in the land where he was. Looking for love in the land of Canaan would be looking for love in all the wrong places. It was a land full of wicked people God would eventually destroy as He passed judgment upon them (cf. Genesis 15:15-16). Abraham trusts that God will provide a wife for his son from among his people as he tells his servant, “He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there” (Genesis 24:7). Abraham did not know HOW God would accomplish providing a wife for his son Isaac, but he did TRUST that God would. In FAITH he sends his servant back to his homeland to find Isaac a wife.
Abraham’s servant heads to Abraham’s homeland unsure of how he is going to be able to find Isaac a wife (cf. Genesis 24:5). He comes to Nahor, the city from which Abraham’s family came (Genesis 24:10). As he is situated by a well outside the city, he offers up a prayer in faith to God: “"O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:12-14). The servant looked to God for guidance in this decision.
Before he finishes speaking, God answers his prayer. Rebekah comes out gives him a drink of water and waters the camels as well (Genesis 24:15-19). Abraham’s servant rejoices and worships the Lord as he sees she is the wife which God has provided for Isaac (Genesis 24:21-27). The servant explains all to Rebekah’s family (Genesis 24:28-48), asks and gains permission to take Rebekah back to Isaac to be married to him (Genesis 24:29-61), and brings her to Isaac (Genesis 24:62-67).
Having a blessed life involves making good choices. However, making those choices involves much more than simply gathering information and weighing out the pros and cons of the different options available. We must involve God in our decisions and let Him play a major role in them. Even though we don’t know how He will act, we must go to Him in prayer trusting in His ability and His timetable to guide us through the choices before us. I rejoice that God is willing to play an active role in the decisions before me. Today, I will seek God’s guidance in the choices which are before me!
“There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel--that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). X