Abraham's Last Command 

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.  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, 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,  but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24: 1 to 4) 

After the death of Sarah, Abraham realized that he was getting very old and needed to find a wife for Isaac.  However, not just any wife but a wife from his own country.  Especially no daughters of the Canaanites.  That's the same command that God instructed Moses to give to Israelites in the Sinai desert.  In the Bible, Moses stated as below. 

You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. (Deuteronomy 7: 3 4) 

God commanded it repeatedly.  It seems that Abraham could read God's mind more than 400 years ago before the commandment.  No wonder God blessed Abraham in every way.  But why a wife from Abraham's country?  History showed that after the great flood, most of Shem's descendants moved to the east, such as Asia.  History also showed that Eber stayed in Aram Naharaim (Upper Mesopotamia).  Eber was sometimes translated to Heber (Luke 3: 35).  That's the origin of the name Hebrew.  And Abraham was born and raised as Eber's descendant.  So, it seems that Abraham knew ahead of time to select a wife for Isaac for the sake of a nation called Hebrew.  History shows that Hebrews since then stayed within themselves and never mixed up with other nations 

Actually, there was an unsung hero in this story, that was the senior servant.  After receiving his order, he had no idea how to fulfill the task.  He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor as described below. 

And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.  Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.  Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”  Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. (Genesis 24: 12 to 15) 

Rebekah was a very attractive maiden and did exactly what the servant prayed for.  No wonder Abraham chose this servant to handle this task.  This servant really knew how to pray.  When he prayed, he focused on Abraham's will.  That was God's will too, to fulfill God's covenant with Abraham to have many offspring.  To serve that purpose, the wife needed to be beautiful so that Isaac would love her.  Not only that, but she also needed to be strong.  Just imagine that she could draw water from the well to feed 10 thirsty camels.  No wonder she could give birth to twins and raise them.  Just as the servant prayed, God responded right away in every detail. 

This is exactly what Jesus taught disciples to pray as below. 

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6: 9 10) 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6: 33 34) 

So, the key to pray is to pray according to God's will.  Then you will see God's response in no time. 

However, to know God's will, we need to be familiar with God's words first.  Not just words, we need to know the spiritual meaning of God's words.  In the Bible, Jesus says: 

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) (John 6: 63 64) 

The Bible also says: 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1: 14) 

Jesus is the Word who became flesh.  If we believe in Jesus Christ, then the Word will dwell in us.  Not only that we would know how to pray but also receive the glory that is full of grace and truth.  Emmanuel. 

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