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Probably the most important thing in Abraham's life (certainly theologically) is the promise that God made to Abraham regarding his descendants. Gen. 15 18-21. Abraham was a sojourner from in and a...
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#2: Post edited
by
mattbrent
·
2020-11-24T12:08:59Z (over 3 years ago)
Adding more scriptural evidence of my point
- Probably the most important thing in Abraham's life (certainly theologically) is the promise that God made to Abraham regarding his descendants. Gen. 15 18-21. Abraham was a sojourner from in and around Mesopotamia. God called him and his descendants into Canaan.
- The first major point with this is that Abraham was called out (read holy...set apart.) It was important his lineage be pure and not intermingled with the existing Canaanites and their practices of idolatry. Isaac must have a wife of his own people.
Second Isaac needed to remain in Canaan. Abraham knew that likely if Isaac went to find his own wife in Mesopotamia amongst his own people, the chance of him coming back was slim to none.- So Abraham, in wisdom and faith asked his servant to go and bring a woman of his own people out and into the promised land.
- I think this story is a great example of faith and common sense in action. Abraham by faith received the promise and believed but he didn't run around making foolish decisions because he received the promise. By being wise in his decision making, he demonstrates the importance and reverence he holds towards the promise, and thus the LORD.
- Probably the most important thing in Abraham's life (certainly theologically) is the promise that God made to Abraham regarding his descendants. Gen. 15 18-21. Abraham was a sojourner from in and around Mesopotamia. God called him and his descendants into Canaan.
- The first major point with this is that Abraham was called out (read holy...set apart.) It was important his lineage be pure and not intermingled with the existing Canaanites and their practices of idolatry. Isaac must have a wife of his own people.
- His servant essentially asks him in v5 what he should do if the woman refuses to follow - and whether he should come out of Canaan.
- Abraham clearly states that Isaac needed to remain in Canaan. In the text, we read twice in vs 6 and 8 for Isaac not to be taken to his homeland.
- It is clear Abraham is outlining the importance of this aspect of the request.
- Immediately following his request abraham recounts how he himself was taken out of his land and promised Canaan - seemingly invoking the promise of how Canaan was given to his descendants.
- > 7 The Lord God of heaven, who (J)took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, (K)‘To your [b]descendants I give this land
- One possible interpretation of this is that Abraham knew that likely if Isaac went to find his own wife in Mesopotamia amongst his own people, the chance of him coming back was slim to none.
- So Abraham, in wisdom and faith asked his servant to go and bring a woman of his own people out and into the promised land.
- Further to this, like many patriarchal stories with Abraham and his children, we see a repetition in Jacobs life. In Genesis 28
- > Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, in Northwest Mesopotamia. Laban, your mother’s brother, lives there. Marry one of his daughters.
- Interestingly Isaac does not learn from his father here and sends Jacob to his homeland. This results in Jacob being tricked into spending at least 14 years there, marrying a woman he did not desire. And only managing to return by tricking the man who tricked him in the first place. Of course God uses this to work out his purposes, but it goes without saying this causes Jacob at least some anguish.
- I think this story is a great example of faith and common sense in action. Abraham by faith received the promise and believed but he didn't run around making foolish decisions because he received the promise. By being wise in his decision making, he demonstrates the importance and reverence he holds towards the promise, and thus the LORD.
#1: Initial revision
by
mattbrent
·
2020-11-24T02:37:18Z (over 3 years ago)
Probably the most important thing in Abraham's life (certainly theologically) is the promise that God made to Abraham regarding his descendants. Gen. 15 18-21. Abraham was a sojourner from in and around Mesopotamia. God called him and his descendants into Canaan. The first major point with this is that Abraham was called out (read holy...set apart.) It was important his lineage be pure and not intermingled with the existing Canaanites and their practices of idolatry. Isaac must have a wife of his own people. Second Isaac needed to remain in Canaan. Abraham knew that likely if Isaac went to find his own wife in Mesopotamia amongst his own people, the chance of him coming back was slim to none. So Abraham, in wisdom and faith asked his servant to go and bring a woman of his own people out and into the promised land. I think this story is a great example of faith and common sense in action. Abraham by faith received the promise and believed but he didn't run around making foolish decisions because he received the promise. By being wise in his decision making, he demonstrates the importance and reverence he holds towards the promise, and thus the LORD.