A Wife for Isaac
Why did Abraham want his son to get a wife from a far land?
In the passage in question, Abraham told his eldest servant:
Genesis 24:3-4
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Although we might call Haran a far country from the land of Canaan where Abraham was, he calls it “my country”. Abraham had stayed in Haran for a number of years and it became his country. In addition, he had extended family here. That is where the servant was to look in order to obtain a wife for Isaac. The immediate purpose for going to Haran in order to find a wife is so Isaac can have a wife that is of his kindred.
Of course, there must another reason behind this thinking. What was wrong with the women of Canaan? Why was it that when Esau married women of the area that it was “a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah” (Genesis 26:34-35
)? The answer lies in the biblical precept of marriage to women of a false religion. Those who marry women whose family worships other gods will more than likely introduce these false gods to her husband. Consider the following passages:
Exodus 34:15-16
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
1 Kings 11:4
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Abraham and his family in Haran knew of the one God of heaven and earth. Clearly, he wanted a wife for his son who would not lead him to serve false gods.
By application, we who are Christians are to marry other Christians so that we will not be drawn away from the faith. 2 Corinthians 6:14
states, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Surely, one application of being unequally yoked is being married to one who is lost. In addition, 1 Corinthians 7:39
says of the widow, “she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” That is, she is free to marry as long as it is to one who is a believer. We should teach this precept to our young people so that they might serve the Lord all their days.
David Reagan