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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 16 The Marriage of Isaac - Birth of Esau and Jacob Esau Sells his Birthright - Isaac at Gerar - Esau's Marriage
The sacred narrative now turned to the history of Isaac, who was the heir to the promises. Since Abraham understood more fully what God was talking about when He had told him that He would be the "father of many nations", naturally he would want to be extra careful about Isaac and the choices he made that would affect him for years to come. There were two things that were very settled in Abraham's mind:
Abraham had just come to the conclusion that His Jehovah, who had proven to be faithful in all areas, would Himself choose a suitable marriage partner for Isaac. It was these two convictions that determined Abraham's actions in this matter, along with his trusted servant in whom he commissioned to carry out the matter of finding the wife that God wanted for Isaac. This servant seems to have been deeply imbued with the spirit of his master Abraham. Abraham's trusted servant is generally supposed to have been Eliezer of Damascus. At this time, he must also have been well advanced in years like Abraham. Before Eliezer left, Abraham made him swear by Jehovah that he would avoid every alliance with any Canaanites and that he would only choose a wife from his relatives in the far land. When his servant had a lapse of faith and told him that the woman might not leave her family and come to Isaac, but that he might have to go back to his former land, Abraham told him emphatically that God would provide a wife who would come to live with Isaac in the land that was ordained by God for them to live in. Abraham knew that if God could save Isaac from death by sacrifice, that he could surely provide a wife for Isaac that would meet all the conditions that needed to be met. Abraham didn't have any new revelations about this, he just acted according to the Word of God that he had already received. By now his faith must have been tremendous as he had seen God do so many supernatural things. He just applied to present circumstances what he had formerly received as the Will of God. Evidently Abraham's faith rubbed off on Eliezer before he finally made the long journey to find a wife for Isaac. Before he arrived at Haran, he made it a matter of prayer that God would "prosper his way". Even when we are walking in line with God's Will, we still must seek and ask His Special Blessing upon our efforts. Eliezer stood outside the city by the well at which the maidens would come to draw water for their households. He had just finished saying a prayer and asking God for a specific "word" from the damsel so that he would know if she was the right one. Just as he was finishing, Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came to the well to draw water. She was a very beautiful damsel, and Eliezer asked her if she would be so kind as to draw some water for him as he was thirsty. Not only did she do that, she also drew water for his camels. I'm sure that by now Eliezer's heart was beating wildly that the first damsel he had even talked to might be the wife that God wanted for Isaac. Even at her answer, Eliezer wanted to make totally sure that this was the right woman. Eliezer rewarded her with presents just for her kindness without even knowing for sure who her kindred were. When he found out, he was so overcome by his feelings that he just bowed down his head and worshipped Jehovah right there at the well. Imagine his awe and how God had just worked right before his very eyes to show him the exact right wife for Isaac. The rest of the narrative is very graphic in giving details of God's working in the whole situation. Rebekah ran and told her mother about the meeting, who probably went to get her father. Next, Laban, her brother, saw the jewels and heard what she had to say and very hastily welcomed the stranger in true Eastern style. We must remember that this family was probably at least partly into idolatry, because of where they lived. After they found out his purpose, they tried to get him to stay a few days so they could show him much hospitality. Eliezer had one goal in mind, though, and that was to find God's choice of a wife for Isaac and bring her back as soon as possible. Rebekah must have had a lot to think about in a short time, but God must have already been preparing her to receive the news. She consented after a short while, and early the next morning they started back home. It was almost night before they got home. It just so happened that Isaac had gone out in the field to meditate - an expression which implies religious communion with God. Isaac was probably praying to God also about his wife that he had never seen before. While he was doing this, he saw the caravan returning. As soon as Rebekah saw Isaac she covered her face in the Eastern style. They immediately loved each other because it was easy to see that God Himself had made this arrangement and provided the perfect wife for Isaac. He was 40 years old at the time of his marriage to Rebekah. As he was growing older, Abraham got to witness himself the happiness of the two and even lived 15 years beyond the birth of Esau and Jacob. The newlyweds had settled far away from the Canaanites at the well Lahai-Roi. This was a place that was suited to his quiet, retiring disposition. The couple was married 20 years before the birth of Jacob and Esau. This a reminder here also that the heir to the promises must be a gift from God granted to expectant faith. At least Jehovah heard and granted their prayers, and they had children. Rebekah was now to become the mother of twin sons. But even before their birth a sign occurred which very much distressed her and made her inquire of Jehovah about the meaning of the sign. We don't know exactly how any of this was carried out, but somehow God spoke clearly to her that "the elder shall serve the younger". This must have been distressing news to her, because the older child was the one that was considered the one who received the birthright. It is not only reasonable, but quite necessary to understand the rest of the history of this, to believe that Rebekah had told her husband and both sons what God had told her before they were born. This alone can account for the way that Jacob and his mother went about trying to deceive Isaac into giving the younger son the birthright. Obviously it was something that they must have thought they must do themselves or it would not happen. When the two children were born, the red and hairy appearance of the elder procured the name of Esau (hairy), while the younger was called Jacob (he who takes hold by the heel), because when they were born Jacob's hand was holding on to the heel of Esau. This name was afterwards adapted to mean "a supplanter", since the one who was holding onto the heel tripped up the other one and stole his birthright. Esau had a wild disposition and found occupation in the roaming life of a hunter, while Jacob was gentle and domestic and enjoyed just living and being around home. As parents sometimes do, each of them had a favorite. Gentle Isaac felt himself drawn more and more to his complete opposite Esau, while Rebekah, who was very outgoing, found herself drawn to her gentle and quite son Jacob. To repeat it, all parties must have at the time been aware that God had designated Jacob as heir of the promises. At the time that God had told Rebekah, she had no idea who the youngest would be. Isaac's preference for Esau, though, probably made him reluctant to carry out the Divine arrangement that God had given before the sons were born. Because of Rebekah and Jacob's hearts, however, they must have felt that they had no other choice but to carry out God's wishes in the way they saw fit instead of waiting to see when and how God would do it. It seems that they didn't feel they could trust God in this important matter. Since Jacob grew up knowing this important fact about the birthright, he must have been watching for opportunities to take advantage of his brother. In the next text, we will go into how Esau lost his birthright to Jacob, and the events that occurred to set this up. For more information from this book, go to the archives page at my site www.cathydeaton.com There are other subjects of interest there also. This text is taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim. This text has been used by permission.
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