Genesis 24:1-9, Where we Talk About Abraham's Privates, (seriously) Pt. 1

Pants...because pants are a safe picture.

Yes, you read the subject line correctly. We are going to talk about Abraham's private parts today, (sort of). Did I say that for shock value and to get your attention? Yes. Is it actually a part of the Bible? Yes. So there.

Today we're going to begin looking at the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. It involves God acting in kindness and faithfulness to Abraham and Isaac. It shows God faithfully fulfilling his unilateral and unconditional promises to Abraham. It also involves a beautiful romance and the faithfulness of a servant to his master. It would really make a great movie. (If anyone does make a movie based on this blog then I automatically get 10%. This statement may or may not be legally binding). And yes, we are actually going to talk about Abraham's private parts. And yes, it is Biblical.

Note: It would be difficult, nigh impossible, to find appropriate "privates" related pictures. So I'm going to just going to choose something a little more...suitable, (i.e. pants). I trust you'll understand.

A little background first. God had made promises to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 22. He promised Abraham that he would make from him a great nation, bless Abraham, make his name great, and through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God further promised Abraham would bear a son through his wife Sarah through whom the promises would continue, (Isaac). In Genesis 22 Abraham trusted God, even with his beloved son's life, and God reiterated his promise to bless Abraham and fulfill his covenant promises. God's promises to Abraham were unilateral and unconditional, meaning they were not based on the faithfulness of Abraham or his descendants, but rather on the unfailing faithfulness of God.

In Genesis 23, Sarah, Abraham's wife, died. She was 127 years old when she died. Considering that they were probably married at an early age, it's not inconceivable that they had been married for 100 years or more. Needless to say I'm sure Abraham and Isaac were devastated. It's a sad and important story, but a story for another time. Today for our purposes we are skipping ahead to Genesis 24.

More...um..."pants"

So what's going on here? (Genesis 24:1-9) Abraham is old, (most people over 140 years or so are considered "old"). He wants to provide a wife for his son but there's a problem. Abraham doesn't want his son to marry one of the women in his area who did not know or believe in God Almighty. He knew that the women in his area would corrupt his son and turn him away from God.

Quick question: Have you ever seen a woman have a powerful or negative influence on a man? (Think Biblically or even non Biblically). Let me count the ways: Solomon, Ahab, Samson, Adam, the nation of Israel in general, Bill Clinton, JFK, your buddy from college who married that awful harpy who ruined his life, etc. I'm not saying men don't have a responsibility to make wise choices, etc. I'm not saying men can't have a negative effect on women. I'm just saying there's a clear example in history, the Bible, and in your life and mine that women can have a powerful effect on a man, (and vice versa). Therefore men: be careful about the women you associate with. Women: use your powers wisely.

Question: What do you think the application here is about marrying people who don't share your faith in God? What do you think the conclusion should be about joining your life to someone who isn't morally, philosophically, or theologically in agreement with you? Abraham knew there was a danger there to his son, which is why he commanded his servant so seriously, (as we'll see in a moment). God knows it, which is why he repeatedly told the Jews in the Bible not to marry women from other countries or religions. So Abraham is going to make his servant swear a very serious vow that he will go to the land of Abraham's family and find a wife for Isaac and NOT take a wife for Isaac from the ungodly land of Canaan. Abraham knew that within his relatives there was belief in the one God and he was trusting the Lord to provide a wife for his son from that land.

Pants humor.

Now, on to Abraham's privates. Verse 2, "And Abraham said to his servant, '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." Now I'm no Old Testament scholar, but the idea here, from what I understand, is that either the servant was literally putting his hand under Abraham's thigh next to Abraham's "parts", or that he was literally, according to the custom, supposed to grab hold of Abraham's...um...you know. Let's just pause a moment for the gross factor to pass us by...

You ready now? Me neither.

...

Ready now? Okay? Let's continue. Regardless of what actually happened in this agreement between Abraham and his servant, the point you should walk away from is the seriousness of Abraham's request. If you've ever bought a house you know that you have to sign about 9,999 pieces of paper to show your intent and agreement to buy that house. There's no way you walk out of the office after signing those papers without a serious hand cramp as well as an understanding of the gravity of what you've just done. It's the same way with Abraham and his servant. Abraham wanted this servant to know, in no uncertain terms, of the severity of what he was asking him to do. There was no way Isaac was to be partnered with a non believing Canaanite woman. In our day we put our hand on the Bible in court to signify the seriousness of our oath. In Abraham's day you put your hand on a person's...pants. All joking aside, this agreement between Abraham and his servant is very significant.

Kind of makes you wonder how seriously God takes believers partnering with unbelievers, doesn't it? Remember, this is the longest chapter in Genesis, which speaks to its importance. Again, serious business.

It's NOT okay to go pantless on a plane.

One final point on these first 9 verses in 5-8. "The servant said to him, 'Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?' Abraham said to him, 'See to it that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there."

Implied in the agreement the servant was making with Abraham is the warning of judgment on the servant should he not fulfill his task. So if you were the servant and you were in this situation you'd probably want assurances from Abraham should things not work out. Not to worry, says Abraham. God is going to send his angel ahead of you to make sure his covenant and blessing to me and my family are fulfilled. Abraham, at the end of his life, is a man of incredible faith in God. God has brought him to a point in his life where he completely and utterly trusts the character and promises of God. Was that easy? No, (see also Genesis 22). But God was faithful to bring Abraham along to a point of utter trust and rest in God. This is good news for us all, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus," (Phil. 1:6). For those of us who believe and are walking with God we can be confident that he is always at work to grow us in faith and in our relationship with Him.

So far we've looked at Abraham's agreement with his servant, (as well as some interesting pictures of pants). Next time we're going to look at the faithfulness of this servant, as well as God's faithfulness to provide a bride for Isaac. I know you're all anxious for the next blog, but just keep your pants on...(ha!)

P.S. This may be a touchy subject for some folks. Maybe you married an unbeliever and it all worked out, they got saved, etc. Maybe you married an unbeliever and things got bad and this blog is hitting a nerve for you. My point here is to illustrate what is being said in the text and what that means for our lives. My point is to show the wisdom of God in his words to us, the seriousness about this issue, (i.e. the involvement of private parts), and the faith of Abraham. It is up to you to examine the text of the Bible yourself and see whether or not I have been faithful to God's Word. It is always my prayer and effort to do in my posts.