When God Appoints a Godly Wife
"God has one woman picked out for you to marry. You are destined to be with her, and God will guide you to her."
- And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.
- And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
- And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
- And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
- And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.
- And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
Laban is a picture of the typical lost churchgoer or carnal Christian who walks by sight, not by faith. When “he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands,” he was looking to see what benefit this man can bring to him. Even though Laban is of the household of Abraham, he worshiped idols and got very upset when they were stolen.
- It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
- And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?
- And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
- With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
- My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
- For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
- And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
- Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
The faithful servant, as a type of the Holy Ghost, puts his master’s work before his own needs when he said, “I will not eat, until I have told mine errand.”
- In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
- But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
- Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
- Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
- And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.
- And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
- And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
- And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
- But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
- And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
- And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:
- Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
- And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
- Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
- And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.
- And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
- And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
- And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
- And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.
As a type of God the Holy Ghost, this faithful servant testified of his master and declared, “I am Abraham’s servant.” Speaking boldly of his master’s commission of him, he glorified the Lord God of Abraham and “the son,” taking no glory for himself.
- But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
- Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
- And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Christians, who magnify the Holy Ghost or His gifts instead of the Master, are carnal Christians. Nowhere in Scriptures is anyone authorized or commanded to glorify the Messenger over the Master.
- But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
- I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
- For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
- But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
- And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
- Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
- Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
- And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
- Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
- But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
- And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
- Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
- That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
- And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
- In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
- Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
- For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
- And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
- And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
- And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
“It shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh” is not just any virgin but THE virgin, the appointed one for the Son. This is, again, a reference to the virgin Bride of Christ as well as Isaac’s virgin bride.
- For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
- And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
- Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
- Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
In this part of the world, the father and/or the older brother have complete control over the daughter’s/sister’s marriage.
- But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
- Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
- So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
While the servant’s meat is getting cold, he presses on to finish his errand and seeks a “yea” or “nay” from the family. This won’t be the only time that the Lord tells Laban to mind his own business or else. Laban has no choice but to give God what is required. No one can take credit or be disagreeable with this business, for it is of the Lord.
- And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
When we are faced with a decision like this, are we going to cling to our own desires or are we going to sacrifice our desires to the Lord’s Will? We always say that “God knows best.” Will our actions support our words? Do we practice what we preach? In deed the family submits to the Will of God and gives its consent.
- Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
- And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
- And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
- And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
- And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
- And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
- And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
- And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
When “the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah,” she was receiving the “earnest” of her inheritance from the servant, a type of the Holy Ghost. The “earnest” of our inheritance through salvation is being “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”
- In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
- That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
- In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
- Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Now the servant, a type of the Holy Ghost, longed for his master whom he loves, and said, “Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.” Laban tried to delay his departure by 10 days, the Gentile way of reckoning time, probably to party as the custom is. The Holy Ghost, however, has zero interest in any carnal party.
Rebekah is facing a huge unknown, especially with a blind marriage. She has never seen these men before and how can she know that she won’t be robbed, raped, and sold into slavery far from home and safety? How can she believe the incredible story that God blessed Abraham with a son in his old age? Like us, she has never laid eyes on the Bridegroom. But Rebekah by faith trusted God and, moved by the Holy Ghost, obeyed the Will of God, becoming the mother of the future Saviour of the world — the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Being a type of the church, Rebekah showed herself to be a godly Virgin — as did Mary generations later — by obeying the word of God spoken by the faithful servant, a type of the Holy Ghost. By pleasing God with her faith and obedience, her safety and life is assured — she is in God’s hand.
- But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
- And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
- Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
- For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
- Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
- My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
- And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
- My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
- The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
- Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
“Wilt thou go with this man?” This question is repeated in every marriage ceremony for western peoples, altered only by the word “have” instead of “go.” The question is asked in view of the marriage vows taken by a couple who are about to sail out on the stormy seas of life together. The only answer required is a “yes” or “no.”
And she said, “I will go.” Coming to Jesus for life lies in the WILL. It’s not that you can’t; it’s that you WILL not. It’s not a lack of knowledge, or ability to “see it in that light,” or “live it,” or “feel something.” It is just plain rebellion against the blessings that God has in store for you.
- Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
- And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
- Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
- But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
- And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
- And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
- And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
Rebekah’s blessing was very similar to Abraham’s blessing.
- That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Rebekah undoubtedly became “the mother of thousands of millions.” When David was king, he had over one million fighting men under his command. Her seed did possess the gates of her enemies as the Lord fought their battles and overthrew many kingdoms. Furthermore, “the holy Jerusalem” has the name of a tribe of Israel written on each gate.
- And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
- Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
- And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.
- And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
- And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
- And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
- Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
- And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
Rebekah not only has a nurse, but she also has “damsels” which are attendants in waiting, known as bride’s maids in modern times. These “damsels” correspond to the virgins of Matthew 25 who “went in with him to the marriage.”
- Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
- And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
- They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
- But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
- While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
- And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
- Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
- And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
- But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
- And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Rebekah went “the way” of the servant, not her way. How about you? Do you choose the way of life or the way of death? Sadly, many carnal Christians will live unto themselves instead of Christ Who died for them and rose again.
- And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
- There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
- And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
- And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
- And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
- And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
- For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
Isaac is in the field meditating over the death of his mother and of the blind marriage that his father was arranging. Without a doubt, he is wondering what’s in store for him.
This meeting of the virgin, Rebekah, with the bridegroom, Isaac, is a beautiful picture of the Son of man coming into the world to pick up His virgin for the future coming of the kingdom of Heaven, a physical kingdom with a physical wedding.
- He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
- The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
- Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Up to this point, Rebekah has believed in her Bridegroom by faith, but now she is about to meet him face-to-face. She is anticipating a wedding and has prepared herself with her wedding garment.
- Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
- For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
- And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
- And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
When Rebekah became “one flesh” with Isaac, she became his wife at that same time. Somehow, when we become saved, we also become “one flesh” with Christ, which is a mystery.
- Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
- For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
- For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
- This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.