1 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”
Genesis 24:1-4 (NLT)
NEXT LEVEL FAITH
Genesis 24 has the makings of a great movie: honor, respect, intrigue, romance, love, mystery, and drama. Take a few minutes to read it and see for yourself. Certainly, there are historical and culturally appropriate practices in the passage that would most likely not occur today. However, do not let that keep you from seeing how God honors the faith and obedience of each person involved.
The story opens with Abraham asking his servant to place his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swear an oath. The servant is to swear by the Lord, God of heaven and earth, that he will go to Abraham’s family and find a wife for Isaac and not choose one from the Canaanites. The request may seem a bit odd, but it has similarities to how one would take an oath today. Last year, I watched as my daughter took the oath of office to be an attorney. She stood before a judge, raised her right hand, and repeated the oath of office. It begins with these words, “I solemnly swear to …,” and ends with “So help me God.” Law school was completed, the bar exam passed, but to officially operate as an attorney, she had to take the oath of office, swearing to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Georgia.
The servant had passed “initial tests” as well. Scripture describes him as “the elder of his household who managed all [Abraham] owned.” Abraham knew he was a trusted, loyal servant, but finding Isaac a wife required a next-level commitment. Isaac’s offspring will represent the continuation of God’s covenant with Abraham to be the father of many nations (Genesis 12). The Women’s Evangelical Commentary describes it as “maintaining the spiritual formation of the family.” Abraham trusted God to keep His covenant and knew Isaac’s wife would need to share that same faith.
How is your faith being challenged to a new level? Are you opening your Bible daily to learn more about who God is? Are you engaged with a small group that keeps you accountable? Do you regularly attend church? Are you praying with and for your family? My prayer this week is that those questions will help you find new ways to level up your faith and maintain the spiritual formation of your family.
Bridget Turner serves as the Director of Women’s Groups at NorthStar Church. She and her husband, Steve, live in Powder Springs and have two young adult children, Hannah and Joshua. She enjoys watching football, traveling and reading.
