Most young Christian couples relish their courtship period. They have fond memories of the interesting things they learnt together; the opportunities to know each other, attending Premarital counseling and learning from the counselors etc. For most people, the courtship period helped them to learn valuable lessons to prepare them for marriage. Can you imagine a marriage where the bride and the groom only met each other after the families have concluded the whole marriage process? It might sound odd to some people, but this practice is not new to many cultures around the world. In our previous post, Abraham’s servant had prayed for a sign from God to know the right woman for Isaac. God answered him speedily and Rebekah proved that she was the right choice for Isaac. Now, how will both Rebekah and Isaac deal with the issue of an arranged marriage? Will Rebekah follow these strangers to marry Isaac? Will Rebekah’s family release her to Abraham’s servant? So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. (Genesis 24:58) Rebekah had proven beyond any reasonable doubts that she was the wife for Isaac. She was not just an answer to prayer, she was homely, willing to serve and also ready to take the servant to meet her family. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, wasted no time in telling Rebekah’s family about his mission. Rebekah’s brother and her father were certain that this was the hand of God. “Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed” (Genesis 24:50-51). What a joy for Eliezer and his team. Their journey has been fruitful. After Abraham’s envoy had done the needful rites by giving gifts to the appropriate parties, they celebrated their victory. “Then he (Eliezer) and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. (Genesis 24:54-58). Rebekah’s decision to go with Abraham’s servant was the tie breaker. She was certain of her choice. She had no doubt that she had made the right choice and she was not worried or scared to go at once and be with her husband. Rebekah was ready and willing. She was prepared emotionally and physically. Her marriage happened suddenly but she was so sure that she was willing to leave her parents’ home just the following day. Making life-changing decisions like this requires an amount of faith, determination and preparedness. When Rebekah said, “I will go”, she literally confirmed her willingness and readiness for marriage and her acceptance of Isaac as her husband. Rebekah’s decision did not relocate her from her father’s house to her husband’s house, it ultimately changed her story and she became part of God’s bigger story. In the future, her descendents will be used by God to return humanity to Himself. The loss of Eden and the restoration back to God continued through the descendants of Rebekah. “I will go” sounds so easy to say but it comes with the readiness to embrace the unknown future and accept God’s will for your life. Like the marital vows, “I will” changes the single man and woman to a married couple with a one flesh mentality. “I will (go)” does not automatically remove all the barriers. In fact, when crossing the waters with your partner, it is still “I will go”; when in the valleys of life, or the plains of life, or the mountains of life, the charge remains the same, “I will go.” God did not promise Rebekah that the journey would be easy because she was ready and willing. But as we will see in our subsequent post, through the high and low moments, God still proved Himself faithful. Rebekah was never alone!
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