Soil from Stone

Some more thoughts on The Life of Sarah:

In the Scriptures, unnamed servants are often symbolic of God’s Spirit. Although we know Abraham’s senior servant was Eliezer, he is not named in the course of this story. Abraham, whose name means “Father,” charged his Servant with the task of finding a wife for his son, Isaac. When he arrived at the well of Haran, he prayed that God would reveal the right woman by way of a test of selflessness. When Rebekah passed the test, she was given gifts and asked to accompany the servant back to Canaan to be with her new husband.

This story is an image of the Messiah and his Bride. Abraham represents God, the Father. He sends the Spirit into the world to find those who are qualified to be his people. When the Spirit has identified God’s people from among all the others at the well, he gives them an extravagant gift and asks if they will accompany him to the Messiah. The bride price was paid before the bride had even been asked. It was a downpayment, an “earnest,” of the covenant that was promised. (2 Cor 1:22, 2 Cor 5:5, Eph 1:13-14) The bride of the Messiah leaves the world of her own free will and follows the Spirit to the Messiah in the Promised Land, sight unseen. She joins the Messiah in faith that he is who he claims to be and has the power to deliver on his promises.

Important points to ponder:

1. Not everyone who is called to the well is chosen.
2. The defining characteristic of God’s people is selflessness, a willingness to put oneself out for the benefit of others.
3. Rebekah (aka the Bride of Christ or the Congregation of Israel) was not kidnapped in the middle of the night, but was asked to leave suddenly without time to make extensive preparations or say long goodbyes.
4. The Bride joins the Messiah in the Promised Land for Sukkot (aka the Feast of Tabernacles/Tents). How much do you want to bet that Isaac’s marriage really was on the anniversary of Sukkot 400 years in advance?

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Genesis 23:2 – And Sarah died… I have heard that not much is told of Abraham after the death of Sarah so that Abraham was no longer a vital force without her, implying that there is only one true mate for every person. In reality, the opposite seems to be the case. This is the sequence of events given at the end of Abraham’s story:

• Akeda
• The death and burial of Sarah
• Marriage of Isaac
• Distribution of inheritances
• Death and burial

It seems that if any event marked the end of Abraham’s significance to the continuing redemption story it must be Isaac’s marriage and not Sarah’s death.  I will go a step further and say that Sarah’s significance also ended at Isaac’s marriage. Their story reached its climax in the Akeda and the rest of the narrative is concerned with handing the reins to the next generation.

Technorati Tags: sarah, abraham, isaac, rebekah, akeda, chayei sarah, torah