Musing – Biblical example of “How to Get Married”

Hebraic Musing – Biblical example of “How to Get Married”

or   The Story of Abraham & his Servant & Isaac & Rebekah.    Part 1 of 2

How many customs were described in the courting and marriage story of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:1-56?   Comments in parenthesis are added to illustrate customs and biblical principles to consider.  Also, how many present day customs can you identify?

The groom goes to the bride’s house:  Abraham … said to the chief servant in his household [Holy Spirit?], “I want you to swear by the LORD … that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living [don’t be unequally yoked], but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac” [an arranged marriage] … NIV. 

The selection criteria:  Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master [gifts for her]. He set out for … the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water [courting by looking for a woman at the “watering hole” sounds worldly familiar!]. Then he prayed, [prayer for wisdom before meeting a potential wife] “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I'll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” [establishing attitude and character test criteria].

The answer to prayer:  Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. [a critical criteria in Hebrew/biblical culture and in God’s plan]. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking” [answered prayer and confirmation]. So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. [she’s hospitable, and a good, strong worker too!  Those wells are deep!] …

This was the “Courting” phase.  Next week let’s explore the proposal and wedding phases - part 2 of 2.

Points to ponder

How many customs did you identify?

How did the Holy Spirit manage to find an equally-yoked bride?

Who did the pursuing?   Will this be an “arranged marriage”?

“Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.”  Deut. 22:10  

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”    2 Cor. 6:14-15

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                       December 13, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Sources – “Hebraic Insights” by Yosef, p.190; and “Biblical Marriage”  by Yosef, p.30.