Family Status

Family Status

Genesis 22:19 – Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer Sheeba where Abraham stayed. 20 – After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 21 – Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 – Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 – (Now Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

God had called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.  Abraham had gotten as far as lifting the knife to slay his son according to God’s command when God called out to him “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said, “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.” Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. – Genesis 22:12,13.

God then renewed His promise to Abraham to bless him and multiply his descendants so that they would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore.  Along with the covenant renewal God gave Abraham a status update on what was happening with his relatives.  It turns out that his brother Nahor, who was married to Milcah, was also having children, one of which would become the father of Isaac’s future wife.  God’s update was an important hint to Abraham when it came time to choose a wife for Isaac.

Genesis 24:2 says – Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 3 – so that I may make you solemnly promise by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 4 – You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac.”

God had given Abraham enough of a hint about his relatives to be confident that there would be eligible children for Isaac to marry when the time was right.  Sometimes we fear that if we follow God we will be placed at a disadvantage compared to other people.  Not so!  God is many moves ahead of us and many moves ahead of the devil and is already preparing for our future – we only need to trust Him today!  Let’s stay close to Jesus in prayer and in the Word to get our daily family status updates.  God will not steer us wrong when the time comes to make crucial decisions – Let’s trust Him today!