And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Genesis 23:19Picture: Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron
A lot of important history is transpiring in these chapters. Abraham is very significant because he is the Father of the Jewish people. God promised him he would be the father of many descendants even though his wife Sarah was barren. Sarah eventually does conceive and give birth to Isaac. When Sarah dies Abraham buys a cave near the city of Hebron to bury her. Remember this because we will see a lot of important figures from this family buried at this site.
And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Genesis 24:15
Abraham sends his servant to find a wife from his own people. The servant prays that God will lead him to the right girl and he meets Rebekah on her way to draw water from the well. This verse gives us enough information to see that Isaac and Rebekah were second cousins. This sounds so odd to us today but in ancient times in Mesopotamia and Egypt it was common practice. These people believed that marrying foreigners contaminated the family’s bloodline. God will eventually condemn this when he gives the law to Moses. It is not harmful for a few times but eventually inbreeding weakens the bloodline and genetic disorders set in.
In the upcoming chapters we will see more of this trend. Jacob returns to this family to get his wife. The famous Laban is Rebekah’s brother. Rebekah and Rachel both experience barrenness before conceiving. God appears to be demonstrating his power over nature and seeing if his people will trust him and have faith. I always think of these chapters when I wonder what God is up to and waiting for an answer to prayer. May you find comfort in these chapters as well.
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