The end of Chapter 21 shows us how Abraham and King Abimelech negotiate the use of a well that Abraham had dug, but Abimelech's servants had taken over. After that Abraham settled in the land of the Philistines.
Chapter 22 has the Lord telling Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He gets up really early in the morning and gets everything ready. They travel to the place where the Lord told him to go. I have a very hard time with the picture of this in my head. I'm pretty sure I don't have the kind of faith it would take to do this. I noticed that when Abraham told his servants to wait with the donkey while he and Isaac went to worship, he said "We will be back." Not "I'll be back", or "see you later" or something like that. I think he somehow knew the Lord wouldn't have him kill the son he had waited for for so long. It foreshadows God's gift of his only son and gives a little perspective of how hard that must have been. Like I said, I don't have that kind of faith. But true to his word they came back and went home after an angel shouted not to kill Isaac. The Lord provided a ram for a sacrifice.
We learn about Abrahams siblings, one of whom is the father of Isaacs wife.
On to Chapter 23 where Sarah dies at the age of 127. He wanted a certain property to bury her on and because he was so well liked and respected, he was able to buy it and bury her there.
Sarah didn't live long enough to see her son married. The Lord made Abraham rich and successful in everything he did. Abraham sent a trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. And Abraham trusted the Lord to show the servant who this woman was. The servant trusted God, because Abraham trusted God. The servant prayed to God because he didn't want to let Abraham down. God answered his prayers. I like how the servant asked for a very specific sign and Rebekah came along and did exactly what the servant had asked God to have her do! He gave her a nose ring (piercings are nothing new!) and bracelets of gold. The servant asked Rebekah if her family had room where his company and animals could stay. She said that they did and the servant prayed and thanked God.
Tomorrow we'll read Genesis 24:28-67, 25 & 26
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