Episode Details

Genesis 24. One of the ways that the writers of Scripture, the writers of anything, but specifically speaking here of the writers of Scripture, one of the ways that they draw our attention to whether something is important or not, if it's here it's important, but the relative importance of something is by the space that's given to it. And when we come to Genesis chapter 24, we are at the longest chapter in the book of Genesis.

It's the second longest narrative, the second longest story, the flood narrative is slightly longer, chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Genesis combined for 75 verses, but this one chapter here of Genesis 24 is 67 verses long. And my temptation when I come to this, and not to say that this would always be wrong, but is to get to something like this and say, well, we'll just kind of graze over the top and then focus down on one particular aspect of it. But I want to read the whole thing when we get to that point, because Moses, the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, thought we needed 67 verses of this story.

There must be something important here for us to read. This story marks a transition in the book of Genesis. When the chapter opens, the focus is on Abraham, who's been the focus of Genesis since the end of chapter 11.

By the close of chapter 24, the focus has shifted to his son Isaac. Isaac's appeared before this, obviously, but the focus will be on Isaac. And though Abraham's life does not end until the middle of the next chapter, chapter 25, we are being prepared for the screen to shift.

The camera angle is going to shift from Abraham and focus in on Isaac as the story continues. And the question that would be in the minds of the original readers and maybe even in the mind of Abraham and his family is, will God continue to be faithful to Abraham and to his family? Will God continue to be faithful to his promises? That's the question we should have as we read Genesis chapter 24. I'm going to read the whole chapter here, beginning in verse 1. Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

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Genesis 24

1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Pleas