Genesis 24:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we can notice three things about Abraham.

First, he took careful steps to see that his good son was married well. It was time to think about this, because Isaac was about forty years old, and Abraham’s family had usually married earlier, often around thirty or sooner (Genesis 11:14, Genesis 11:18, Genesis 11:22, Genesis 11:24). Abraham believed God’s promise that his family would grow, so he was not in a hurry. But he did act wisely, with just enough urgency.

Two things moved him to act now, in Genesis 24:1. He knew he was near the end of his life, since he was old and advanced in years, and he wanted to see his son settled before he died. He also had much wealth to pass on, because the Lord had blessed him in every way, and the Lord’s blessing makes a person rich. This shows how true faith and godliness help outward prosperity.

Abraham’s concern for Isaac was also spiritual. He did not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman, but one from his own relatives. He saw that the Canaanites were sinking into serious evil, and he knew from God’s revelation that they were headed for destruction. So he did not want Isaac tied to them, because such a marriage might become a trap for Isaac’s soul or a stain on his name.

At the same time, Abraham would not let Isaac leave Canaan and go back to his own relatives, even to look for a wife. He gives this warning in Genesis 24:6, and repeats it in Genesis 24:8. In effect, he says, “Do not take my son back there, whatever happens. Let him go without a wife rather than expose him to that danger.” Parents who arrange marriages for their children should always think first about the good of their souls and their path toward heaven. Those who have been helped by grace to escape the corruption of the world should be careful not to drag their children back into it (2 Peter 2:20; Hebrews 11:15).

Second, Abraham gave a serious charge to a faithful servant, likely Eliezer of Damascus, a servant whose loyalty and care he had known for a long time. He trusted this important task to him, and not to Isaac himself, because he did not want Isaac to go to that land at all, but to marry by proxy, through another person. A trusted steward of his household was the right man for this duty.

The matter was handled with care and solemnity. The servant had to swear an oath to do everything he could to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham’s relatives, in Genesis 24:2-4. Abraham made him swear because he wanted full assurance and wanted the servant bound to careful effort. In a similar way, God binds his servants to their work, so that they may faithfully carry it out. Honor is shown here to the eternal God, because he is the one called upon in the oath. Some think the ceremony of putting the hand under the thigh honored the covenant of circumcision.

A note should be made here: swearing an oath is not something belonging only to the church, but to human life in general. So it should be done with the proper signs and customs of the country, as a way of binding the one who swears. Abraham also made room for failure if the servant could not succeed after doing his best. The servant wisely raised that possibility in Genesis 24:5, asking what should happen if the woman would not come. Abraham agreed to that condition in Genesis 24:8. Oaths must be made carefully, and the matter sworn to should be clearly understood and properly limited, because it is a snare to treat holy things lightly and to ask questions after vows that should have been asked before.

Third, Abraham showed strong confidence in God, who, he was sure, would give his servant success in this work, in Genesis 24:7. He remembered how God had wonderfully brought him out of the land where he was born, by the effective call of his grace, and so he did not doubt that God would also guide his servant in this matter. He also remembered God’s promise, confirmed to him, that Canaan would belong to his descendants. From that, he reasoned that God would support his efforts to find a wife for Isaac, not from the doomed nations around them, but from one suited to be the mother of such a family.

So Abraham says, in effect, “Do not be afraid, the Lord will send his angel before you to make your way successful.” Those who carefully stay in the path of duty, and order their plans by the principles of their faith, have good reason to expect God’s blessing on their work. God will bring to a good end what is sincerely aimed at his glory. Also, God’s promises and our own past experience should both strengthen our trust in him for the concerns of this life. And God’s angels are ministering spirits, sent not only to protect the heirs of promise, but also to guide them (Hebrews 1:14). If he sends his angel before us, we may expect to do well.