en_obs-sq/content/06.md

06. God Provides for Isaac

What the Story Says

1. What did Abraham send his servant to do?

   Abraham sent him to get a wife for his son Isaac from among Abraham’s relatives (See: 06:01).

2. How did Abraham’s servant choose Rebekah as a wife for Isaac?

   God led him to Rebekah (See: 06:02).

3. Why did it seem as if Abraham would not have many descendants?

   Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, could not have children (See: 06:04).

4. What did Isaac do when Rebekah could not have children?

   Isaac prayed to God, and God allowed her to get pregnant (See: 06:05).

5. What did God tell Rebekah would happen to her two sons?

   God told her that her sons would become two nations who would struggle with each other. The nation from the older son would obey the nation from the younger son (See: 06:06).

6. Who was Rebekah’s older son?

   Rebekah’s older son was Esau.

7. Who was Rebekah’s younger son?

   Rebekah’s younger son was Jacob.

What the Story Means to Us

1. Why did Abraham send his servant so far away to find a wife for Isaac?

   Abraham wanted Isaac to marry a woman who obeyed God. He did not want him to marry a woman from the tribes in Canaan who worshiped idols.

2. Why did Rebekah agree to leave her family and marry Isaac, whom she did not know?

   Perhaps Rebekah believed that God had led Abraham’s servant to her. She trusted God to provide the right husband for her.

3. Why could Rebekah not have children?

   We do not know why Rebekah could not have children. She had obeyed God to leave her family and marry Isaac. Perhaps God wanted Isaac to pray for Rebekah, so that they would understand that God enabled her to become pregnant.

4. Why were the babies struggling with each other while they were still in Rebekah’s womb?

   While the babies were in Rebekah’s womb, God had already caused them to be the kind of people that he wanted them to be. They would continue to struggle with each other throughout their lives. Also, God had already decided that they would be large nations, and that the nation from the older brother would obey the nation from the younger brother. God decided this before they were born.

5. Why was Jacob holding on to Esau’s heel?

   Later on, Jacob would take Esau’s place by receiving the honor and possessions that should belong to the firstborn son. Perhaps Jacob was holding on to Esau’s heel as a sign that he was already trying to hold Esau back and to take his place.

Summary

Abraham wanted to make sure that his son Isaac married a woman who believed in God, and not a woman who served idols. Therefore, he sent his servant far away to the land of his relatives to find the right wife for Isaac. God directed Abraham’s servant to Rebekah, who trusted God. After Isaac married Rebekah, they could not have children. But God answered Isaac’s prayer and she became pregnant with twin boys. Even while they were in her womb, God told Rebekah that they would become two nations, and that the nation from the older son would obey the nation from the younger son. In this way, God chose to keep his covenant with Abraham through Isaac’s younger son, Jacob.