Reading Through The Bible: Number 58
It occurs to me that Genesis 24 is a great place for young people to start to set down principles for finding a life partner! Abraham is old and wants the very best wife for his son, who will carry on the godly family line. No doubt Abraham has asked God for wisdom in choosing a wife for his son. Choosing the most trusted of his servants, he sends him on a long, long errand back to Mesopotamia with some strict instructions. Here are some points I see:
- Isaac is not to marry a wife from amongst the Canaanites. (Could we say that, while Christians must be in touch with ungodly people in order to lead them to Jesus, they are not to be considered as life partners unless they are thoroughly converted to Christ? I think so!)
- Isaac is not to be taken back to his father’s country to choose a wife. (While Christian young people today make their own choices as to whom they will marry, they would be very wise to listen to the advice of Godly parents whose choices are not affected by the infatuation that so often leads their own young minds. They should seek their parents’ advice and not make the mistakes their parents made!)
- A prospective spouse for one of God’s people must be a person who is led by God. (First and foremost in the mind of a godly young person, should be this thought: “God knows what is best for me and wants to bless me! Therefore I need to prayerfully seek out a life partner who obviously lives to please God!”)
- Parents of young children need to start very early to set these principles in the minds of their children if they want them to choose wisely.
Young people (and older ones too!!!) who want to please God in all that they do are swimming against the tide today! However, God still gives brilliant guidance to the earnest soul who wants to please Him!
Have a great day!