Day 15: Genesis 25:1-26:11 “Medical Miracles, Conditional Blessing, and History Repeating Itself”

Abraham married another woman, Keturah, and had more children. He left his entire inheritance to Isaac, but gave gifts to his other sons while he was still alive. Abraham died at age 175, and Isaac and Ishmael buried him with Sarah in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre.

11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived new Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael had many children and died at age 137.

20-21 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.”

I love these verses because they show that God is able to provide medical miracles and even medical counsel.  He answered a prayer for infertility, and then He gave her wisdom about her babies in utero. God is the great physician and the same yesterday, today, and forever.

26-28 Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob. Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

One day, Esau came in as Jacob was cooking some stew. He was very hungry and asked for some food. Jacob responded that he would give him some food, but only in exchange for Esau’s birthright, or inheritance. And so, Esau ate, and Jacob was given his older twin brother’s birthright.

Chapter 26 begins by telling of a famine.

2-6 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws. So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

“through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed…” As a random aside, there are many places in Genesis  that reference Abraham and his “offspring”, having a footnote that says this word also means “seed.” I’m not sure why Bible translators have put the word offspring instead of seed, because in Galatians, Paul teaches on the purpose of the Old Testament Law, saying that it was to act as a guardian until the seed, which is Christ, came into the world. Paul teaches that the promise was made to Abraham and his seed, singular, meaning Christ, so that through Christ we would have the promises. It is because of Paul’s clarification of the Old Testament that I think it is important to use the correct word, rather than “offspring” which translators have chosen here.

I think it’s also important to note that God’s blessing to Abraham was conditional. “because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws.” Many times, we want to use the scriptural promises of God’s blessing without looking at the entire verse which outlines the requirement for that blessing. God’s Word is living and active, and I believe we can hold Him to it if we do our part as well. The Lord made a distinction here between laws, requirements, commands, and decrees. It’s a good reminder and conviction that sometimes I follow a law, but not a command. Sometimes I excuse my resistance to a “decree” because it’s specific to a situation, like Lot’s wife looking back, rather than something in writing that is concrete. This verse is a reminder that obedience is multi-faceted, but I am thankful that God desires to reward us “in every way” for that obedience.

Chapter 26 continues with Isaac following in his father’s footsteps.

7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

Again? Seriously? I wonder if this was one of those things Abraham did and never mentioned to Isaac since he wasn’t born yet. We are our parents’ children, for better or worse, but we do have the power to break natural tendencies through the power of the Holy Spirit.

History repeated itself a little less severely. The king saw them kissing one day and questioned Isaac, upset that he endangered them all by keeping them at risk of taking Rebekah for themselves.

10 “One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

Abimelech, the king, gave orders that anyone who touched Isaac or Rebekah in this way would be put to death.

Lord, thank you for answering prayer. Thank you for being exactly what we need, whether with a barren womb or in a famine. You provide in every situation. I know that my righteousness now comes from faith in Christ instead of the law, but I also know you still reward obedience. Help me to hear your voice and obey you. Strengthen us this day and please bless all those who are reading this word.

 

Day 14: Genesis 24:1-67 “Perhaps We Have Complicated The Process of Finding A Spouse”

Abraham was now old and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He made his servant swear that he would find his son a wife from among his own relatives and not from the Canaanites where he was living.

4, 8 “Go to my country and get a wife for my son Isaac. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine.”

Sounds simple. I wonder where we started complicating marriage requirements.

The servant took ten camels and all kinds of goods. When he came to Nahor, he went to the well where the women were out drawing water. He prayed for a specific sign to know which woman was right.

The servant went searching for a wife to a place where there would be many women gathering, and he prayed. Again, sounds simple.

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.

Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

16-17 The girl was very beautiful and a virgin. The servant hurried to meet her.

After she gave the servant and his camels water in the exact way he had prayed for as a sign, he took out gold bracelets and a nose ring, asked who her parents were, and asked if they could stay the night there.

She said they had plenty of room for him and his camels. Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.”

I imagine God delights in our immediate praise and thanksgiving.

The servant told Rebekah’s family the entire story before dinner. Her brother and father responded, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

Rebekah’s family had to have had an intimate trusting relationship with the Lord to feel peace that this was the Lord’s will. I’m sure they didn’t want their daughter moving off, but they were more concerned with God’s ways than their own. Oh, that our trust in God would be so great that our primary requirement in life and marriage would be His leading.

Abraham’s servant bowed down to the Lord when hearing this. Then he brought out gold and silver jewelry and clothes to give to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.

The next morning, the servant got ready to go back, but Rebekah’s mother and brother asked for ten more days with her before she left.

56 He said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way.”

How often are we on a mission, find our answer, and then try to delay action because we don’t feel ready?

57-58 They said, “Let’s call the girl and ask her about it.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” 

“I will go,” she said. 

So they blessed her and sent her on her way.

It speaks volumes that Rebekah trusted God enough to leave her land and family to go marry a stranger.

Isaac was in the field as the camels approached. When Rebekah asked who he was, she took her veil and covered herself.

66-67 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 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.

Lord, Your ways may be different than the world’s, but they are best. Thank you for being a God who answers prayers and gives signs. Let me be a person who walks in faith, prayer, and obedience with my life. Thank you for the heritage of faith from Abraham and for making us co-heirs of his blessing through faith in Christ.