In Genesis chapter 24 we read that Abraham wanted a wife for his son Isaac to be taken from the family of Terah. It is a curious story. Why would Abraham send all the way back to Haran, a land he had left, to find a wife for his son?

At first guess we may think that he wanted to seek a worshipper of the true God to be Isaac’s wife. The Canaanites were all idol worshippers and at least Terah’s family members were familiar with the call out of Ur. Perhaps it was a desire to escape the type of corruption which was to overtake the Israelites 500 years later in the time of the Judges when the Israelites worshipped Canaanite gods.

But this can’t be true. Firstly, true worship and belief was found right in the centre of Canaan. At Salem. Melchizedek was the king priest of Salem (Genesis 14:18, Hebrews 7:1-2), and a superior to Abraham, receiving tithes from Abraham. As King of Salem, “peace”, he brought bread and wine to Abraham after the battle of the kings. He could not have been a king with no subjects. Salem (most probably Jerusalem Psalm 76:2) would have been a godly city with a godly population. This is further evidenced by Genesis 15:16 ‘the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete’. God told Abraham that He would send his offspring to a nation that would enslave them (Gen 15:13), not to teach Israel a lesson, but to give time for the Amorites to repent. God never brings judgement on a people without warning. Noah warned the antediluvial world, Lot warned Sodom and Gomorrah, Jonah warned Nineveh, the prophets warned Israel etc. Melchizedek was a lampstand to the world of Canaan – the Amorites. God knew that they would extinguish the light and so be ripe for judgement when Israel entered their land. All this shows us that it was in Salam, in Canaan, where the ‘good girls’ were to be found – not Haran.

Also, the folk in Haran were not wholly true worshippers. Genesis 24:50 tells us that both Laban and Bethuel recognised the God of Abraham. Our bibles say YHWH, but as this name was not to be revealed for another 500 years, we assume the writer of Genesis inserted it here. They most probably referred to Him as ‘the God of Abraham’ as Eliezer had [Genesis 24:12]. But Genesis 31:30 also tells of household gods that they had – idols it would seem. So, it would seem that their worship of the true God was shared with idols. So, why did Abraham send back to Haran for a wife for Isaac, when the true godly ones were right there in Canaan?

And another strange point. It seems Abraham was happy to have the seed of promise come through an Egyptian wife. When it appeared that Sarah was not going to be able to have children, to fulfil God’s promise of a multitudinous seed, he gave in to Sarah’s idea of having Hagar mother the seed. Genesis 16:1-5. Seems he was happy enough to depart from the Terah family line then. Although God made it plain that the seed of promise would come through Isaac, He gave into Abraham’s pleas on behalf of Ishmael and gave him a promise too (Genesis 21:12).

Later in life, after the birth of Isaac, Abraham took another wife (Genesis 25:1-4), Keturah, who bore him more sons. Again, it seems Abraham was not worried about having Canaanite wives.

And so, we come to Genesis 24, the wife for Isaac.

Abraham directed Eliezer to “go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:3. Abraham is very old now but notice that he still refers to Haran as ‘my country’. Why? He had lived most of his life in Ur, not Haran. And, God had promised him Canaan as a possession for him and his descendants. Why call Haran his country? Probably he was referring to the country of his people.

It is clear that Abraham has God’s promise in mind when he says ⁶ “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” … 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’. So, he knew Canaan was to be his land.

Verse 10 tells us that Eliezer has ten loaded camels with him. He sought a sign from God and was given that the girl who also drew water for the camels was the one he sought. Rebekah watered the camels. Genesis 24 “²⁰ 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.” I wonder how much water is needed to fill ten camels. A google search says, “Very thirsty camels can drink up to 100 litres of water during a single visit to the well.” Let’s say Eliezer’s camels were only half thirsty, drinking fifty litres each. The ten of them would require that Rebekah drew five hundred litres. A lot with one jar. Perhaps a miracle or perhaps she had helpers, or perhaps there was some mechanism there to quickly lift water for livestock.

Genesis 24:22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing six grams and two gold bracelets weighing 115 grams ²³ Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

Many commentators have suggested that the nose ring was an engagement symbols – and that Eliezer was showing his intention to have her marry some designated man. I can find no evidence of this. The following conversation does not suggest this – it seems to be just a gift for her kindness. Verse 30 tells us that upon seeing the nose ring, Laban made no assumption of a marriage proposal.

Rebekah now runs to tell her family of this man. Curiously we are told in verse 28 ²⁸ The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.” Why is it the mother’s household – and not the father’s household. Seems to be some sort of indication that the mother was ‘in charge’. On hearing Rebekah’s news, it is Laban, her brother, who goes to meet Eliezer and takes charge of the situation. Laban invites the man to come and stay. Rebekah’s father seems to be missing in action. Verse 50 tells us that Rebekah’s father, Bethuel, is still around.

Verse 53 “⁵³ Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewellery and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.” Again, Bethuel is missing. Gifts are given to the daughter, the brother and mother – but nothing for the father.

Then Eliezer stayed overnight. The next morning “⁵⁵ … her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” Again, no mention of Bethuel, the father. Eliezer declines and asks to leave straightaway. So, we have a decision to be made: does Rebekah stay on for ten days as the brother and mother want or leave immediately as Eliezer wants. Who gets to decide? Rebekah. Again – curious. A young girl is asked to adjudicate. Verse 57 ⁵⁷ Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” ⁵⁸ So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

True, the decision involves her, but in the ancient world it was usually the senior male who decided what was to be done. Again, the father is absent. One wonders if their society was more egalitarian than we think.

As Rebekah left, the family blessing is delivered by Laban, her brother. Not the father. She is referred to as ‘our sister’.

An overriding principle seems to be at stake. God gave a specific command to Abraham to “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1. Here we have Abraham seemingly disobeying this command, at least for his son, and returning to the family God had told him to abandon. I wonder why he did that. He left Haran with his wife and nephew Lot. He left Lot [Genesis 13], and so was obedient to the command to leave all his family. Finally, Abraham is separated from his wife (his half-sister), at her death. So, he appears to have fulfilled the exact requirement to leave his family.

So, we are still left with the question – why did Abraham seek a wife for Isaac from his own family? Was it this statement by God in Genesis 21 ¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” Did Abraham interpret this as saying that the seed of promise must come through a father and mother from Terah’s family? Did the rejection of Ismael as the seed of promise suggest the seed had to be pure blood line? Maybe, but it seems the Abraham still didn’t see that he had to leave his family behind.

What a joy it will be when Abraham sees that his ‘seed of promise’ eventually encompassed all nations, all peoples. The line from family was eventually to mean nothing –

Matthew 3:9 “And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”

Galatians 3:29  “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

A Timeline of Abraham’s life

Age	Event
75	Leaves Haran   Gen 12:4
	Passed through Canaan    Gen 12:6-9
	Goes to Egypt   Gen 12:10
	Returns Egypt to Bethel   Gen 13:1-3
	Separates from lot    Gen 13:5-18
	Battle of the kings – Melchizedek    Gen 14:1-24
	Second covenant     Gen 15:1-21
86	Ishmael born    Gen 16
	Covenant of circumcision     Gen 17:1-10
99	Three visitors: Abraham intercedes for Sodom     Gen 18:23-33
	Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed – Lot saved  Gen 19
	Abraham moves to Gerar – Abimeleck      Gen 20:1-18
100	Isaac is born       Gen 21:1-5
	Ishmael cast out      Gen 21:9-21
	Covenant with Abimeleck     Gen:21:21-34
	Isaac if offered – third covenant     Gen 22
137	Sarah dies     Gen 23
	A wife for Isaac   Gen 24
	Abraham marries Keturah – third covenant    Gen 25:1-7
175	Dies   Gen 25:1-7

http://www.harpscrossing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Timeline-From-Abram-to-Exodus.pdf

Gen 12:4

So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Gen 16:16   Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ish′mael to Abram.

Gen 17:1

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Gen 17:17

Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Gen 17:24

And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Gen 17:25

And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin

Gen 21:5

And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Gen 23:1

And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

Gen 25:20

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

Gen 25:26

And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Gen 25:7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. ⁸ Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.