Abraham Sending His Servant to Obtain a Wife for Isaac
The last chapter contained a funeral; this gives an account, of a marriage. Such are the changes of human life! Let not this minute narrative seem little in our eyes: it was thought by the Spirit of God to be of more importance than all that was at that time going on among the great nations of antiquity. It is highly interesting to trace great things to their small beginnings; and to them that love Zion it must N n be pleasant to observe the minute turns of providence in respect of its first fathers.
Ve7 I — 9. Abraham being now an old man, and having lost the partner of his life, feels anxious to adjust his affairs, that he may be ready to follow her. “The Lord had blessed him in all things,” and he had doubtless much to dispose of: but the greatest blessing of all related to his seed, and this occupies his chief attention. Aware that character as well as happiness greatly depended on a suitable connexion, he was desirous that before he died he might discharge this part of the duty of a father. Calling to him therefore his eldest servant, who was already steward of his affairs, and in case of death must have been hps trustee in behalf of Isaac, he bound him in a solemn oath respecting the wife that he should take to him. We are not here told the servant’s name; but by the account M’hich is given of him, compared with chapter xv. 2, it is not unlikely that it was Eliezer of Damascus.
The characters of men are not so easily ascertained from a few splendid actions, as from the ordinary course of life, in M’hich their real dispositions are manifested. In this domestic concern of Abraham we see several of the most prominent features of his character. — (1.) His decided aversion to idolatry: “I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaan ites amongst whom I dwell.” Had Abraham then contracted a prejudice against his neighbours? This does not appear by what occurred between them in the last chapter. He does not complain of their treatment of him, but of his God. He has no objection to an exchange of civilities with them; but to take their daughters in marriage, was the sure way to corrupt his own family. The great design of God in giving the land to Abraham’s posterity was the eventual overthrow of idolatry, and the establishment of his true worship on earth. To what purpose then was he called from amongst Chaldean idolaters, if his son join affinity with those of Canaan? Such, or nearly such, were the sentiments which dictated the address to his servant. “The Lord God of heaven, zvko took me from my father s house.,. and sware unto me, saying, UpJo tJiy seed will I give this laud, he shall send his angel before thee.” — (^.) His godliness. There does not appear in all this concern the least taint of worldly policy, or any of those motives which usually govern men in the settlement of their
children. No mention is made of riches, or N u 2
Q76 Abraham’s servant seeks [Dis. 32.
honours, or natural accomplishments; but merely of what related to God. Let not the woman be a daughter of Canaan, but of the family of Nahor, who had forsaken Chaldean idolatry, and with Milcah his wife had settled in Haran, and who was a worshipper of the true God.* — (5.) His faith, and obedience. The servant being about to bind himself by oath, is tenderly concerned lest he should engage in more than he should be able to accomplish. “Peradventure, saith he, the woman will not follow me into this land: must I needs bring thy son again to the land whence thou camestr” No: as Isaac must not marry a daughter of Canaan, neither must he leave Canaan to humour a daughter of Haran: for thoufijh Canaan’s dausjhters are to be shunned, yet Canaan itself is to be chosen as the Lord’s inheritance bestowed on the promised seed. Nor do these supposed difficulties at all deter Abraham: “The Lord God of heaven, saith he, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and who spake unto me, and sware unto me, saying, L^nto thy seed will I give this land, HE shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.” On the ground of this promise, he would send him away, fully acquitting him of his oath, if the party should prove
* Chap. XNxi. 53.
C?eW. 24.] A WIFE I^OR ISAAC. 277
unwilling; only charging him not to bring Isaac to Haran, as he had before charged him not to marry him to a daughter of Canaan.
Jer. 10 — l. Abraham’s servant having on the above terms consented to take the oath, now betakes himself to his journey. No time seems to have been lost; for his heart was in the business. He did not trouble his aged master in things of inferior moment; but having all his affairs entrusted to him, adjusts those matters himself. Taking with him ten camels, and of course a number of attendants, partly for accommodation, and partly, we may suppose, to give, a just idea of his master’s substance, he set off for Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Nothing remarkable occurs by the way: but arriving on a summer’s evening at the outside of the city, he espies a well. Here he causes his camels to kneel down for rest, and with a design as soon as opportunity oflc red, to furnish them with drink. Now it was customary in those countries for the women at the time of the evcnino’ to go out to draw water. Of this Abraham’s servant is aware. And having placed himself and his camels I)y the well in a waiting posture, he betakes himself to prayer for divine direction. Light as men make of such concerns iji common, there are few things of greater impoitance, and
278 Abraham’s ser^ant seeks [Dis. 32.
in which there is greater need for imploring the guidance and blessing of heaven. Upon a few minute turns at this period of life, more depends than can possibly be conceived at the time. Young people i Pause a moment, and consider.... Think of the counsel of God .... “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” That which is done for life, and which may involve things of another life, requires to be done well; and nothing can be done well in which the will of God is not consulted, and his blessing implored. Let us each pause a few minutes too, and notice the admirable prayer of Abraham’s servant. Truly he had not lived with Abraham in vain! — Observe, (1.) The characfe?’ under which he addresses the great Supreme: “Oh Jehovah, God of my master Abraham.” He well knew that Jehovah had entered into covenant with Abraham, and had given him exceeding great and precious promises. By approaching him as a God in covenant, he would find matter ibr faith to lay hold upon: every promise to Abraham would thus furnish a plea, and turn to a good account. Surely this may direct us in our approaches to a throne of grace, to make mention of a greater than Abraham, with whom also God is in covenant, and for whose sake the greatest of all blessings may be expected. The God and Father
Gen.Qi.] A WIFE FOK ISAAC. 279
of our Lord Jesus Christ is to us what the God of Abraham was to Eliezer; and in the name of our Redeemer we may pray and hope for every thing that is great and good. — (2.) The Imitation of the prayer to the present time: Send me good speed this day.’’ We may in a general way ask for grace for our whole lives; but our duty is more especially to seek direction at the time we want it. Our Lord teaches us to pray for daily bread as the day occurs. — (3.) The sign which he presumed to ask for; that the damsel to whom he should say so and so, and who should make such and such answers, should be the person whom the Lord had appointed for his servant Isaac. In this he might be under extraordinary influence, and his conduct therefore afford no example to us. The sign he asked however, was such as would manifest the qualifications which he desired and expected to find in a companion who should be worthy of his master’s son; namely, industry, courtesy, and kindness to strangers. — (4.) The faith in which the prayer was offered. He speaks all along under a full persuasion that the providence of God extended to the minutest events, to the free actions of creatures, and even to their behaviour, of which at the time they are scarcely conscious. His words are also full of humble confidence that God would direct him in a mat-
2S0 Abraham’s servant seeks [Dis. 32.
ter of so niucli consequence to his church in all future ages. I believe, if we were to search the scriptures through, and select all the prayers that God has answered, we should find them to have been the prayers of faith.
Vey 15 — £8. While he uas speaking, a damsel, with a pitcher upon her shoulder, came towards the well. By her appearance he is possessed of the idea that she is the person, and that the Lord hath heard his prayer. He said nothing to her till she had gone down to the well, and M-as come up again. Then he ran towards her, and addressed her in the words which he had resolved to do, intreating permission to drink a little water of her pitcher. To this she chearfully consented, and offered her assistance to g-ive drink also to his camel*; all exactly in the manner which he had prayed for. The gentleness, chcarfulness, assiduity, and courtesy manifested towards a stranger, of whom she at present could have no knowledge, is truly admirable. The words in which it is described are picturesque and lively in the highest degree. We need only read them in order to feel ourselves in the midst of the pleasing scene — And she said. Drink my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had given him
Gen.Q-i.] A WfFE FOR ISAAC. 2S1
drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran ao-ain unto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.” This conduct, in itself so amiable, and so exactly in unison with the previous wishes of the man, struck him with a kind of amazement, accompanied with a momentary hesitation, whether all could be true. “Wondering at her, he held his peace, to wit, whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” — We pray for blessings, and when our prayers are answered, we can scarcely believe them to be so. There are cases in which the mind, like the eye by a great and sudden influx of light, is overpowered. Thus Zion, though importunate in prayer for great conversions, yet when they come, is described as being in a manner confounded with them: “Thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged .... thou shalt say in thine heart, who hath begotten me these?“* Recovering from his astoriishment, and being satisfied that the Lord had indeed heard his prayer, he opens his treasures, and presents the damsel with certain eastern ornaments, which he had provided for the purpose; enquiring at the same time after her kindred, and whether they had room to lodge him. Being told in answer, that she was “the daughter of
* Isai. l.. 5. xlix. 21.
o o
^>S2 Abraham’s SERVANT, &c. [Dis. 32,
Bethuel, the son of Nahorand Milcah,” and that they had plenty of accommodation for him and his company, his heart is so full that he cannot contam himself, but even in the presence of Rebecca, and perhaps of the men who were with him, “bowed down his head and worshipped, saying, Blessed be Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, Jehovah led me to the house of my master’s brother!” — We see here not only a grateful mind, equally disposed to give thanks for mercy, as to pray for it; but a delicate and impressive manner of communicating to Rebecca a few particulars which he Mished her to know. His words were addressed to the Lord; but being spoken in her hearing, she would perceive by them who he was, whence he came, and that the hand of the God of Abraham was in the visit, whatever was the object of it. Full of joyful surprize, she runs home, with the bracelets upon her hands, and tells the family of what had passed. But here I must break off for the present, and leave the conclusion of “this interesting story to another discourse.