Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Genesis 24:28-67

At this point Abraham’s servant has identified Rebekah as the one he is being directed to and gives thanks. When they get to the house of Rebekah’s family Abraham’s servant lets the animals be tended to and the feet of those in his group to be washed, but when they set a spread of food in front of him he says the reason for his visit must be heard first. The ensuing speech gives us no new information. Its main purpose is to impress Rebekah’s relatives with God’s visible guidance, without neglecting to mention the material benefits of being part of Abraham’s household.

Once Rebakah’s brother acknowledges the divine hand in what Abraham’s servant says, things kick into high gear. The relatives say Rebekah can go. They do not see, as Abraham’s servant does, that that guidance is such as to require overlooking normal customs of hospitality, which would mean staying for a spell. When the relatives (finally) ask Rebekah if she is willing to go, and she agrees, they leave immediately. Note that the wishes expressed to her by her family are of a very earthly character, even though God is working in all this.

Often in Scripture we see God’s action in obvious and ‘supernatural’ ways. I certainly got that impression with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It comes with the exodus from Egypt, in the descriptions of the calls the Isaiah and Jeremiah and events in the life of Elijah. For the most part, however, it more as we experience life: The supernatural activity has to do with God acting in our hearts, so that we can perceive his action, guidance, providence and purpose in things – maybe not as they happen, but in prayerful reflection and as we give everything to him in trust, and even then it may be a matter of just that: trust.

There are no outward supernatural occurrences in the story of the finding of a wife for Isaac. Even the prayer of the servant in the first part of the story looks for nothing out of the ordinary, but to see a sign from God in very ordinary events indeed. It is probably to be taken as significant that the turning point in the story is when divine guidance is acknowledged by both main parties to the action: the representatives of both Isaac’s and Rebekah’s families.

The ending of the story does not mention Abraham again, which might seem odd when he set all this in motion. We aren’t given any details about what Isaac was doing where he was when the and Rebakah came across each other. What matters is that the business of matchmaking was done. The narrator mentions Sarah’s tent, probably to underline that the serious matter of family lineage has been tended to.

But the real matchmaking is between purpose and events.

Prayer:
God, so often life just seems to bump along and then something hits us like a ton of bricks and we wonder what’s all about. And we may never make sense of it. Work in my heart to trust you are putting the pieces of this puzzle together, and that each of us has a place in the picture you have in mind. Through Christ. Amen.