Genesis 24:29-67 “The Son of the Covenant Meets His Bride“

This then is the love story of Isaac and Rebekah.  Our Scripture reading is virtually a repeat of the first 28 verses. Abraham’s servant has been successful.  The Lord God has heard Abraham’s prayer and his servant’s prayer. He has found a beautiful wife for Isaac through a remarkable set of providences, inspired by prayer to the God of Abraham, who has created this world and everything in it. And yet, as I hope to show you, this is much more than a love story. This is much more than a story of a God-fearing parent looking for a suitable marriage partner for his son.

Isaac and Rebekah will be an important puzzle piece in the history of God’s redeeming grace in this sinful world. They will continue the story of God’s covenant dealings with mankind. Last time we were reminded that the theme of covenant runs right through the Bible. The Bible is made up of an Old and a New covenant (Testament).  

The story line of the Bible  and the development of the covenantal theme  essentially goes like this.  Following creation (Genesis 1 &2)  follows the fall  of mankind into sin (Genesis 3)  follows the  fact that God, the holy Creator of this  world and the Universe   has  determined that despite the  fall, He would  call out a people for Himself in  this world.  The question then becomes this:  How can this holy God, who is of purer eyes than to  see evil  (Hab. 1:13)  have anything to do with sinners? The answer is this; God makes a way, by way of covenants, which all point to ONE COVENANT!  We have already noted the Noahic  covenant (8:20 – 9:17) in which  God  called  out to  Himself the family of Noah, also   promising  never to destroy the earth  through a universal flood again. The sign of that covenant  is the rainbow.  

In  Genesis 15/17   we find the   Abrahamic  covenant. Once again God chooses   for Himself a people, beginning with Abraham.  The sign of that covenant is circumcision.  This  covenant is ratified by   sacrifice and blood (Gen. 15:17)[1].   All this points to  that great  New Covenant  in Christ, who was given on the cross, shedding  His blood  for those  who  are given to Him by the Father  (John 17), those who will come to Him and who  believe in His Name.  The sign of entering into that covenant is believers baptism.   

The message of the whole Bible remains the same.  From this fallen world,  God is calling out for Himself a particular people, called not by their own  merit, but called according to God’s  love. There would be ultimately two kinds of people in this world: the serpent’s offspring and the woman’s offspring (Gen. 3:15).  God promised Abraham that He would fill heaven with a vast number of his offspring – born from among all the nations of the world.  

Now I need to point out that   whilst Rebekah   did come from Abraham’s earthly family she was not as yet a part of the covenant family. In this story we see God bringing her into the covenant through her marriage to Isaac.  So again we need to see the big picture here.  

This is not just about Isaac and Rebekah, and finding a suitable marriage partner (though that is true of course). It is about the greater work of God in our lives. Little do we know what God is up to in the bigger scheme of things? Did the mother of Moses know who she gave birth to?  Did Hannah know that she was going to be the mother of Samuel, one of Israel’s most revered prophets?  Did the mother of David know that her youngest son would be the greatest human king of Israel? Did Isaac and Rebekah know that they were going to be the parents of Jacob, from whom the tribes of Israel would be descended? Did Mary (descended from the tribes of Israel) know that she was going to be the human mother of the Saviour of the world?  And does anyone know and appreciate what Christ is to the people He died for? He is the Bridegroom of the church.  God the Father gives a bride to his Son. Marriage is at the heart of God’s covenant of grace.  The theme of  the covenants  runs  like a string of pearls through the Scriptures …  beginning with the marriage covenant of Adam and Eve  in Genesis 2  and ending  with the marriage supper of the church  and   the  Lamb of God  in Revelation 22.

Here then is Abraham. He is the beginning of the Bibles’ narrative concerning a people for God, as numerous as the sand on the seashore – as numerous as the stars in the sky. But the materializing of this promise is not going to be straight forward.  In fact, it is going to be against the odds.   God deals with Abraham in a remarkable way, testing, strengthening, forgiving and making him fruitful with Sarah in great old age. That is the background to this chapter and its narrative of the marriage of Isaac, the marriage of the heir of the covenant.

We have read the passage and the key text and question to Rebekah now is this, "will you go with this man?" (Genesis 24: 58) Is she going to fulfill her calling in God’s bigger scheme of things? 

One of her obstacles is her family. Abraham’s first encounter is with her brother, Laban. He is the first to meet and engage   Abraham’s servant (vv. 29-50).  As the story is heard, Laban and Rebekah’s father, Bethuel’s conclusion is,   “This thing has come from the LORD…” (note the mentioning of the covenant name- YAHWEH).   The truth of the matter is that whole narrative is driven by God’s earlier promise in v.7, “To your offspring I will give this land.” God has made these arrangements and the servant simply has to go out and find her, and Rebekah’s parents, perhaps against their natural inclinations, will be made to see this.

But, as indicated, we are here to see the greater picture behind this story. Since everything in covenantal history   ultimately points to Christ, we can now see how this question, “will you go with this man?"  points us to the relationship  between  Christ and His bride, the church.  It is from our perspective an evangelistic question that the servants of Christ the Master are asking.  This is where we are as a congregation that serves the Lord.  We are involved in God’s mission to bring in the bride of Christ. God has purposed that from the lost sons of Adam to give a bride to his Son. Among all the nations is the bride of Christ.  And so we can labour confidently in the assurance that our preaching, our seeking after a bride for Christ will be successful. How many of you have been found by faithful servants of God in the last few years?  What a wonderful assurance then, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (Jn. 6:37)

And so  Rebekah  is asked the critical  question,  “Will you go with this man?”, and while  in context, this is a marriage proposal,  in which Rebekah says, “I will go” (v.58), we with  the entire testimony  of Scripture, and an understanding of the covenants  behind us,  can apply this ultimately to the offer of the  gospel;  “Will you go with Jesus?  Will you go with Jesus this very moment, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; will you take His people to be your people?

And so we see that Rebekah was ready to go. But not without a challenge! After that important question,  "will you go with this man?", they retired  for the night, but the next morning, as  the servant is  eager to take her to her bridegroom Isaac,   as he makes the request,  “Send me on my way to my master” (v.54), 800 km’s away,  there is some hesitation  on the part of the family. “Let her remain with us a while, at least 10 days, after that she may go.”  “Don’t go yet!” You need to see what is happening here. 

From the bigger perspective we see  the enemy of God,  Satan at work here. He is  working his delaying tactics through  human instruments. He does not want this thing to happen.  He knows that  “The seed of the woman that will eventually crush his head “ (Gen.  3:15). This marriage must  be stopped!  “Delay! Have second thoughts. Put it off. Why be in a rush? Wait!”  But Abraham’s servant is urgent.  He cannot be delayed.    She must come with him now.   

Since the Old Testament  points us  to Christ, our heavenly bridegroom, we cannot be slow in making the application as it relates to us as New Testament believers.  The Gospel calls us to follow Christ now. The call to follow Christ is not ‘later’ but now – see Matthew  8:18-22.  Now is the time!

Rebekah is chosen for a moment such as this. She must go now. She is an important  role player in God’s history of redemption.  It is  significant that the only New Testament reference to Rebekah is in the context of the covenant purposes of God.  In Romans 9:10-12  we read, “Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls – she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger’.  She is a vital part of the purposes of God in election. She must come. She must give birth to Jacob, the son of the covenant.

And now she is sent away by her family  with a rich  blessing  (v.60), and  perhaps  unknowingly  they  prophesy,   “ Our  sister may you become thousands of ten thousands and may your offspring  possess the gate of those who hate  him.”  This agrees with the Abrahamic blessing in 22:17.  Rebekah's family had no idea how  great a role she would play in   Yahweh’s redemptive purposes.

And now finally, in vv. 61-67 Rebekah   is brought to Isaac.

Please note that  the servant did not say to Rebekah, “Now that  I have found you make your own way there“.  No! We read, “Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way” (v.61). He took her all the way to Isaac. He made sure that she was brought to him and joined to her bridegroom.The servants of the church make sure that the hearts of those that come to Christ are tied to Christ. We do not abandon people upon their profession of faith and love to Jesus!  We accompany them. We disciple them. We make sure that they are sustained until they meet their bridegroom.

And so we read that Isaac lifted up his eyes and saw the camels were coming. Rebekah likewise lifted up her eyes and she saw Isaac. They recognised one another instantly.  True believers will recognise Christ when they see Him. They recognise Him as their Shepherd and they will follow Him (John 10).  When the heart finally meets Jesus it is at home.

And so we read that she became his wife and he loved her (v. 67).  And now all the covenantal blessings became hers because of being united with Isaac.

She became an heir of all the promises of the covenant which God had made with Abraham by being united with the son of the covenant, the son of Abraham.

And so as we read the Scriptures we see Isaac gradually fading away and we realize what this is all about. It is all about the greater Son of Isaac –it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ our heavenly bridegroom to whom we are led by the gospel and her gospel servants. We can’t wait to meet Him!  

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[1] A heifer, a female  goat , a ram, a turtledove and  a young pigeon were cut in half , and each half laid over against each other  and God, in a symbolic , yet real fashion  passed between these pieces and made a covenant  with Abraham, promising  Abraham  and thus Himself  an  offspring  of faithful believing  people ,  who would  inherit a promised land.