And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
The verse belongs to the account of Abraham's servant seeking and choosing a wife for Isaac, and records the servant's question about what to do if the woman chosen will not leave her home and follow him. If no woman would go with him, the servant would be released from his oath. Isaac was forty years old and inheritor of the promises through which the world was to be blessed, yet he submitted to his father's judgment in appointing his experienced, God-fearing servant to choose a wife for him, trusting that God would direct the choice.
The choice was not left to self or impulse but entrusted to parental judgment, experience, and God-fearing care, and its outcome was domestic happiness when Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent and loved her and was comforted after his mother's death. Marriage binds persons together for life and must be carefully considered with the counsel of older and more experienced persons, with the Bible as counselor and with divine guidance sought in prayer rather than treating the choice as one's own alone.
The account serves as an example of parental authority and responsibility for children's future happiness, showing the sacred duty to guide the affections of youth toward suitable companions and to teach them to respect parental authority. That authority is founded in love for their welfare and happiness, joins affection with authority, and trains children to love obedience. Isaac's submission to his father's experienced servant and his trust in God's guidance serve as an example for children, especially those who profess to fear God, to seek God's guidance in choosing a spouse.
The verse belongs to the account of Abraham's servant seeking and choosing a wife for Isaac, and records the servant's question about what to do if the woman chosen will not leave her home and follow him. If no woman would go with him, the servant would be released from his oath. Isaac was forty years old and inheritor of the promises through which the world was to be blessed, yet he submitted to his father's judgment in appointing his experienced, God-fearing servant to choose a wife for him, trusting that God would direct the choice.
The choice was not left to self or impulse but entrusted to parental judgment, experience, and God-fearing care, and its outcome was domestic happiness when Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent and loved her and was comforted after his mother's death. Marriage binds persons together for life and must be carefully considered with the counsel of older and more experienced persons, with the Bible as counselor and with divine guidance sought in prayer rather than treating the choice as one's own alone.
The account serves as an example of parental authority and responsibility for children's future happiness, showing the sacred duty to guide the affections of youth toward suitable companions and to teach them to respect parental authority. That authority is founded in love for their welfare and happiness, joins affection with authority, and trains children to love obedience. Isaac's submission to his father's experienced servant and his trust in God's guidance serve as an example for children, especially those who profess to fear God, to seek God's guidance in choosing a spouse.