Since prearranged marriages were common in that day, Abraham sent a servant to seek a bride for his son, Isaac (Genesis 24:1-4). The servant that seeks the bride of Christ in the world today is the Word of God. Paul said that through his teaching of the Word in Corinth, he had espoused the Corinthians to “one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (II Cor.11: 2).
Abraham told the servant who was to choose the bride that she had to meet certain requirements in order to be selected. First, she was not to be a Canaanite. Second, she must be of Abraham’s kindred. Finally, she must be willing (Gen.24: 3-4,8).
God, through the words of the Holy Spirit has been very clear in prescribing qualifying characteristics for those who want to be members of His church, the bride of Christ. We become married to Christ when we are baptized, thus putting on Christ (Gal. 3:27). But prior to this operation of God, which brings us into His family (Col. 2:12), certain conditions of eligibility must be met. First one must believe that this Jesus, to whom she is going to be spiritually wed, is the Son of God. This presupposes that she believes in Jehovah as the authoritative God of the universe. Just as Rebekah had to know that somewhere there was this man named Abraham who had sent the servant to offer her a life of great rewards, so one must know that “God is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Rebekah had to be willing to leave. Those today who want to be part of the church must be willing to leave behind a former life, as well. It is the life of sin and we leave it in the act of repentance (Acts2:38). (This leaving constitutes the most difficult part of the marriage to Christ. Belief, confession and baptism are relatively easy when compared to the choice to leave a former lifestyle of sin.) Confession of our belief is also a prerequisite of our becoming one with Christ (Rom. 10:10) Then, in the act of baptism, sins are remitted and we put on Christ. At this point, the Lord adds us to His church, the bride of Christ (Acts 2:47).
So the servant, observing the qualifications, had one final question: “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” (Gen.24:5) What an interesting question! In effect the servant was saying, “If she rejects this offer, is there a Plan B? Will Isaac go again to your homeland and make another offer?”
Abraham’s response in verses 6-8 demands our careful attention:
And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
The analogy, at this point is obvious, yet profound. Just as the amazing offer of a place in the wealthy family of Abraham was offered to Rebekah, so the offer of eternal wealth is made to us today. It was not an offer that Rebekah deserved, but rather an amazing chance to become a part of the fulfillment of the seed promise originally made to Abraham in Genesis 12. That was Rebekah’s good news! Have you ever considered that our good news is an undeserved invitation to become a part of the fulfillment of that same seed promise? If we accept the invitation we are most certainly a part of the all families that are blessed through the Abrahamic promise (Gen. 12: 1-3). That is our good news…the gospel.
But the gospel offers no plan B. Christ calls us to leave the homeland of sin and accept the offer of grace by meeting the requirements of belief. Christ is the final offer. Hebrews 9:28 tells us that He was the one-time offering for our sins. Hebrews 10:26 says that if we sin willfully after coming to the knowledge of the truth of Christ, there will be no other sacrifice. Christ will not come again with another plan as premillenialists today believe He will. The final offer has been made and our final answer lies in the acceptance or rejection of that offer. There is no other plan but the standing offer of Christ. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no name given under heaven whereby we must be saved (Acts.4:12).
Upon reaching the homeland the task of the servant was not an easy one. After finding the ideal wife for Isaac, he had to convince her to travel to a faraway land and marry a stranger, sight unseen. The servant could but describe the wealth and blessings that Rebekah would inherit in her marriage to Isaac. Rebekah knew that deciding to follow the servant meant giving up everything she had formerly known—her home, her family, her friends. Yet her answer was decisive: “I will go” (Gen. 24:58).
The Word calls us to make the decision to follow. It means leaving behind whatever would keep us from faithfulness to Christ. I have a friend who gave up her relationship with her parents. I know several people who gave up friendships that were certain to get in the way of service. I know others who have sacrificed worldly pursuits, acclaim and/or riches when they decided to become a part of the family of God. And every sacrifice in each instance was made by faith. These people exchanged worldly pleasures for a Jesus and a heaven that they could not see. They made the decision with Rebekah: “I will go.” That decision to go is the essence of faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen (Heb.11:1). At the end of Rebekah’s faith was a place in the lineage of Christ. She became the mother of Israel, who fathered the tribal heads of the Israelite nation, through whom the Messiah would come. At the end of our faith is a place in that same family tree. We are children of Abraham through faith (Gal. 3:7). The end of our faith is the salvation of our souls (I Pet. 1:9).
At last the momaent came when Rebekah would see her bridegroom face to face. She was looking for him and she made herself ready for this meeting (Gen.24: 64,65). The text indicates that Rebekah first saw Isaac at a time when she did not expect to see him. So it will be with our bridegroom. “Be ye therefore ready, also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40).
Rebekah was watching as they made their way toward the land that would be her new home. Ten times in the New Testament we are exhorted to be watchful as we make our way toward our new and eternal homeland. Our bridegroom, like Isaac, will come for us at a time when we are not expecting Him. It is to those who look for Him that “he shall appear the second time unto salvation” (Heb. 9:28) The New King James Version renders this verse “to those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Are you eagerly waiting?
Matthew 25: 1-13 relates the account of five foolish virgins who failed to prepare and watch for the certain coming of the bridegroom. This account closes with a somber warning for those of us who are espoused (II Cor. 11:2) to the Bridegroom. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh (Mat. 25:13).
Next time: Your Personal Analogy
