ISAAC AND REBEKAH

What happens?

After the death of his wife, and seeing his son alone, Abram orders one of his servants to go and obtain a
wife for his son from another town, so that Isaac isn’t forced to go with a Canaanite girl. Armed with
expensive jewellery, the servant finds Rebekah, whose appearance was prophesised by God (added to
the fact that she offers the servant and his camels some water), and requests she join him in becoming
Isaac’s new wife.

As they arrive back, Rebekah catches a glimpse of Isaac praying, and covers herself in a veil. Isaac brings
Rebekah immediately into the tent where his mother, Sarai, died and marries her. As Rebekah entered
the tent, miracles that were apparent when Sarai lived (and departed when she died) reappeared.

What does this show us about love?

It seems that Isaac was in desperate need of a woman figure in his life; especially once his mother had
died. Rebekah, similarly God-sent, was seemingly the perfect substitute – seen through the re-
emergence of the miracles that were present when Sarah lived. Every man needs a woman in his life to
keep him on the straight and narrow, be it his mother or partner – Isaac found his replacement. Or was
it possible that he just needed someone to help him get over his mother’s death?