The Bible says a lot about love. Some of the most beautiful love stories are recorded in the Old Testament.
One of those is the story of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24).
Isaac’s father, Abraham, sent his trusted servant to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia, which is now southern Iraq, to find a wife for his son.
The servant prayed to the Lord God for guidance, and the Lord guided him.
The servant waited by a well outside the city. A young woman came to get water and, at his request, gave him a drink, then offered to water his camels as well. The Bible account says she was very beautiful in appearance, and furthermore she was a virgin.
It took a lot of effort to water 10 camels. As she worked, the old servant stood in silence and wondered at her. Could she be God’s choice for his master’s son?
When the was work done he presented her with a gold nose ring and gold bracelet for her wrists. When he learned her name was Rebekah and that she was a relative of Abraham, he began to think that God had led him to a possible wife for Isaac.
When Rebekah’s family learned of his mission, they approved and said, “Let Rebekah be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”
The old servant bowed to worship the Lord and then brought out gifts of gold and silver jewellery and clothing for Rebekah.
So far no one had asked Rebekah if she was okay with this.
They asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
She replied, “I will go.”
Rebekah and her maids mounted camels and followed the old servant. In the evening, near the end of their journey, they saw a man out in the field. Isaac had gone to be alone in the evening to meditate. He looked up, “and there the camels were coming.”
What a thrilling moment it must have been: 10 camels coming out of the twilight, and one of them bore his wife-to-be!
When Rebekah arrived to meet Isaac, she dismounted from her camel and covered herself with a veil – a sign of modesty.
Isaac was fully informed by the servant of all that had taken place and how the Lord had led him to find Rebekah.
The arrangement for the marriage was completed. She was to occupy his mother’s tent, then she became his wife, and the Scripture says he loved her.
Arranged marriages may seem foreign to us in our Western world, but it is the practice in many countries still.
Is our system of young people dating before marriage superior? It is no guarantee of a lasting marriage, as the divorce rate is far too high.
There have been instances of spousal abuse taking place in arranged marriages.
On the other hand, spousal abuse in common-law arrangements and in regular marriages is not unknown.
The problem does not lie in the type of marriage arrangement. It lies in the human heart. We are all selfish and sinful in heart.
The Bible says that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
If you want to know the truth about the human heart, read Jeremiah 17:9.
And in case you think he was just a negative man, read what Jesus said about the human heart in the Gospel of Matthew 15:19. It is hard to argue against such statements because when we listen to the daily news they are reinforced.
Truly the account of Isaac and Rebekah is a beautiful romance, and it must please God when a couple expresses their love in a marriage relationship.
Human love is a wonderful thing, and Divine love is even more wonderful.
It was demonstrated most gloriously when Jesus Christ left the presence of the Father to live with unpredictable mankind and extend His love.
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.” (1 John 3:16)
Lorne Moorhead is a retired pastor living in
Flin Flon.
