Lesson #10 Isaac and Rebekah, a Love Story (24: 1 25: 18)

1. The story illustrates the complexity of biblical narrative, forcing us to abandon a simplistic, literal reading of the text and embrace a subtle, nuanced and deeper understanding of the story. 2. God tests Abraham and in doing so the story demands that we probe the psychology and motivation of God, Abraham, Isaac, and by omission, Sarah. 3. After Sarahs death Abraham shrewdly negotiates a real estate deal for property in Hebron, the first property in the promised land that is legally transferred from its owner to Abraham.

If Gods plan of redemption and his covenant with Abraham is to be fulfilled, Isaac needs a wife and children. But at 40 years old he is still single, living at home, a failure to launch. We need a planand we need one quickly! This lesson sees the death of Abraham, bringing the Abraham/Isaac story to a close.

1. It is common in most cultures to swear an oath with ones hand on something valuable or sacred (e.g., swearing in a witness in court with one hand raised and the other on a Bible). 2. Put your hand under my thigh is a Hebraic idiom meaning place your hand on my testicles! 3. The Abrahamic covenant involves progeny like the stars in the sky, and progeny is directly related to Abrahams seed. 4. The Latin word testis means witness. It derives from tre, meaning three and sta, meaning stand, perhaps recalling the requirement in Deuteronomy 17: 6 that a valid testimony requires two or three witnesses.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

1. 2. 3. 4.

Travel to a foreign land. Encounter the future bride at a well. Drawing water. Hurrying or running to bring news of the strangers arrival. 5. A feast at which the betrothal agreement is concluded.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Rebekah and her camel

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

1. A camel lives 40-50 years. 2. A full-grown adult camel stands 6 tall at the shoulder and 7 tall at the hump. 3. Camels can run 40 mph in bursts (faster than horses!) and 25 mph over long distances. 4. Camels have oval rather than round red blood cells that makes them better than other mammals at withstanding high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water. 5. An adult camel can drink 50 gallons of water in three minutes!

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5.

What does the story of the search for Isaacs wife suggest about Isaacs character? What might you suspect from this story about Labans character? What might we infer from this story about the relationship between Isaac and his mother Sarah? Abraham takes another wife, Keturah, sometime either before of after Sarahs death and she bears him 6 sons. How does Abraham protect Isaac from his half-brothers? Surprisingly, Isaac and Ishmael bury their father Abraham. How did Ishmael know that his father had died?

Copyright 2013 by William C. Creasy

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