13 January | EVERYONE
"So they said, ‘We will call the young woman and ask her personally.’ Then they called Rebekah and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ And she said, ‘I will go.’" Genesis 24: 57,58
Young Rebekah possessed a clean heart, noble sentiments, and a hospitable spirit. When Abraham's servant, Eliezer, stood watching her by the well, and noticing her gentleness, the Spirit whispered to him that she was the woman chosen by God to be Isaac's wife. The search had been a success, the dream came true, the joy of revelation.
"This important matter was not left with Isaac, for him to select for himself, independent of his father. Abraham told his servant that God would send His angel before him to direct him in his choice" (Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 84).
“Rebecca” literally means “rope for tying animals” or “slipknot.” Applied to a woman, the figure suggests the traits by which men are captivated.
Today's verse records Rebekah's swift and positive reaction. She decided without hesitation. She resolved to depart and be Isaac's wife. It was not typical of Oriental women to proceed with such readiness. In the Hebrew marriage tradition, no woman is forced to marry. This young woman accepted the invitation not because she felt obligated. The family called her and asked if she wanted to go, and she replied, "I will go."
She accepted because her heart, surely moved by the Spirit, was willing to obey God's Word. She understood that her marriage to Isaac was God's plan, and her example will forever be recorded as an inspiration to young people who, whatever their own ideas may be, are willing to follow God above all else.
The next morning, the caravan set out back to Canaan with the young bride among them. She knew that the best place, the safest destination, the best land in the world, is the one where the Lord leads you. A valuable lesson that we sometimes only learn in the valley of sorrow, watering our days with the blessed tears of repentance.
Take Action
Be sure to always read, listen, speak, hear, and do everything according to God's loving plan for your life. Do not think that it will limit you; nothing will open the doors of freedom to you more. Put God first and He will give you a free and safe destiny.