The back story of Genesis 24:57-59 is terrific. The Scripture states, “Then they said, ‘Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.’ So, they called Rebekah and asked her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ ‘I will go,’ she said. So, they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.”
I understand the moral imperative of asking a woman if she will marry a man is Jewish teaching based on Genesis 24:57-59. This passage of Scripture is where the servant of Abraham asked Rebekah if she would go to be the wife of Isaac. She said, “yes.”
Within God, there’s compelling respect for choice. He made mankind “free moral agents,” meaning He has given us the freedom to choose. What we choose reveals our character, who we trust, and who we love. Every choice carries an aspect of morality. It’s like the French language, which has gender characteristics to its words, so our choices carry moral characteristics. God gave us the freedom to choose even when our choice can harm us and others. And, He holds us accountable for our choices.
God doesn’t do evil; we do evil because we can. God can and will stop evil, but this usually requires much prayer from His children. Not until there is a unity of God’s people asking Him to intervene in the affairs of mankind does He step in and say, “No more!” This truth is one of the reasons we are admonished to pray for our leaders: leaders in the church, government, and all positions of authority.
As I mentioned, every choice has a moral imperative – an immediate moral impact from our choice. God seems to hold this freedom so highly that nothing He does will override our freedom in this life. People can even choose to shoot people, steal money or reject Jesus – each carries a moral impact.
Jesus tells us to: “ask and ye shall receive.” Asking changes our direction, from selfishness to surrender. That very act of asking, of surrendering, is a recognition that God has something you don’t have. The power of asking is underappreciated. All around the world today, somewhere, a young man will ask a young woman to marry him. He may not know it, but he is following the tradition outlined in Genesis chapter 24. If she says “yes,” then they are bound by moral commitment to fulfill that to which they have committed. Rebekah committed herself to marrying Isaac. I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life, so I committed myself to yield to Christ’s will. I hope the same is true for you!
Image by Alec White from Pixabay
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