Ethnic Separation for a Remnant (Advent 13, 2022)

Scripture says that Abraham went down the mountain to his servants (but oddly no mention of Isaac) and went to stay in Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). About his wife Sarah, “She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her” (Genesis 23:2).

He went. That means he wasn’t there when she died. Hold that thought.

About Isaac (skipping ahead), “Isaac brought [Rebekah] into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:67)

Okay, so Isaac was at the tent of his mother, but Abraham was back in Beersheba.
One can only imagine what that horrible test did in Abraham’s marriage.
Sarah was not part of the test
because the covenant transfer was from father to son.

Now, about Rebekah, Genesis 24:1 Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

Sarah was already dead, so Abraham alone (another act of faith) insists on where to find this wife for his son Isaac.

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” 6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’– he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” (Genesis 24:1-8)

Don’t take my son back, but don’t let him get a wife from here. God is orchestrating the preservation of the covenant purity by finding a wife for Isaac. She is Rebekah.

Questions for further thought:

God sent His angel ahead to find the wife. “The servant prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” (Genesis 24:12). The whole story is a good one, reminding us how God gathers and separates a remnant people of faith. Why did God keep weaving back into the family clan and bringing them out?

I sometimes view Isaac as the weakest of the patriarchs. Maybe unfair especially in light of what he went through, but we don’t read a lot about his faith life. He did pray for Rebekah to become pregnant (Genesis 25:21) and he did receive the covenant reiteration on the basis of Abraham’s faith. (Genesis 26:1-6, 24-25). Why, in Genesis 28:1-5, do we see the torch being passed to the next generation, even as he speaks of the God of Abraham?

Prayer:

Thank You Father for giving us 3 patriarchs who all point their way back to You. And that You are not just the God of Abraham; You are not just the God of Isaac; and You are not just the God of Jacob, but You are the God in whom all three rooted their faith and out of which You would bring forth a remnant of Israel for Yourself. We praise You Lord for Your wisdom; we praise You for Your goodness; we praise You for Your will and Your plan; and we ask that You bring it to fruition in our lives all for the glory of Christ. Amen.

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Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.