“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” (Psalm 4:1 ESV)
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Genesis 23:1-2, 17-20
}Sarah died at 127 years old, and she was 90 when Isaac was born
}That makes Isaac almost 37 years old at this point
}The field and cave at Machpelah is the only land in the Promised Land that Abraham ever owns
}Isaac up to this point did not have a spouse
}That makes Isaac almost 37 years old at this point
}The field and cave at Machpelah is the only land in the Promised Land that Abraham ever owns
}Isaac up to this point did not have a spouse
Genesis 24:1-28
}Remember Abraham’s most trusted servant, Eliezer, that Abraham suggested should be his heir? Now he plays an important role in finding Isaac a spouse.
}Apparently Abraham is trying to be as clear as possible that he does not want a Canaanite wife for his son so he has Eliezer take an oath in a strange manner- instead of shaking hands or signing a piece of paper (or cutting a bunch of animals in half and walking in the middle of them)- Eliezer has to put his hand under Abraham’s thigh.
}Apparently Abraham is trying to be as clear as possible that he does not want a Canaanite wife for his son so he has Eliezer take an oath in a strange manner- instead of shaking hands or signing a piece of paper (or cutting a bunch of animals in half and walking in the middle of them)- Eliezer has to put his hand under Abraham’s thigh.
The Oath
}Why this manner of taking an oath?
}~Any ideas?~
}Your thigh was considered the seat of power because your legs are the “trunks” of your body that hold you up.
}Also think of putting your hand inside a man’s thigh- this is where Abraham’s “procreation organ” would be.
}Eliezer was tasked with going back to Abraham’s homeland and finding a spouse for Isaac and after praying Rebekah shows that she has the initiative to be a good spouse.
}~Any ideas?~
}Your thigh was considered the seat of power because your legs are the “trunks” of your body that hold you up.
}Also think of putting your hand inside a man’s thigh- this is where Abraham’s “procreation organ” would be.
}Eliezer was tasked with going back to Abraham’s homeland and finding a spouse for Isaac and after praying Rebekah shows that she has the initiative to be a good spouse.
Target Verse
}Błogosławiony Pan, Bóg pana mego Abrahama, który nie oddalił miłosierdzia swego i prawdy swojej od pana mojego, albowiem gdym był w drodze, przyprowadził mię Pan w dom braci pana mego. (Rodzaju 24:27) Polish Language
}“Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.” Gen 24:27
}“Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.” Gen 24:27
Genesis 24:29-67
}Basically we have Eliezer summing up the reason for his journey to Rebekah’s family
}Rebekah’s family knows that Eliezer coming all that way and then having his prayers answered was not just coincidence
}Rebekah now has to make a journey- much like Abraham had to- away from her country, her kin, and her father’s home in order to travel to a land she did not know and marry a man she had never met. }Emphasis is normally placed on what type of spouse we will marry, but this story teaches us the importance of learning to be a good spouse first. Eliezer’s first impression of Rebekah is that she was a pretty girl, but she showed how willing to please she was when she went above and beyond in order to be hospitable to Eliezer.
}Is there another reason why this story matters to us today?
}Isaac’s bride was to come from a God fearing family- not from the worldly paganists living in Canaan. What does this have to do with us today? Paul talked about marriage to the unbeliever here.
}Rebekah’s family knows that Eliezer coming all that way and then having his prayers answered was not just coincidence
}Rebekah now has to make a journey- much like Abraham had to- away from her country, her kin, and her father’s home in order to travel to a land she did not know and marry a man she had never met. }Emphasis is normally placed on what type of spouse we will marry, but this story teaches us the importance of learning to be a good spouse first. Eliezer’s first impression of Rebekah is that she was a pretty girl, but she showed how willing to please she was when she went above and beyond in order to be hospitable to Eliezer.
}Is there another reason why this story matters to us today?
}Isaac’s bride was to come from a God fearing family- not from the worldly paganists living in Canaan. What does this have to do with us today? Paul talked about marriage to the unbeliever here.