Abraham did not want his sons to marry girls that were Canaanites. He wanted them to go to his country and find a wife. He showed his concern because he made them swear that they would do this. His concern for them also came from the fact that if they did marry someone that was a Canaanite, the sons would end up falling away from the gospel. Of course, no parent would want that. They needed to find someone that they could be one with the Lord. It just doesn’t really work when you marry someone that isn’t of the same faith as you. It isn’t a good pairing. I think we can definitely see this concerns for parents even today. We know that if we marry someone that is not of our faith or has different beliefs than we do then there are more chances for arguments which means there are more problems involved in that kind of marriage. It not only creates problems in the marriage but in the family as well.
Rebekah ends up being the one that is chosen for Isaac. Rebekah also has a lot of good traits that would be good for us to look for in a companion.
· She gave the servant a drink from her pitcher and she even drew water for his camels. I have heard that drawing water from a well is very hard and she did that several times. (18)
· She provided a place to stay for the servant. (25)
These instances show that she was a strong woman, she was kind, and she was beautiful inside and out.
Rebekah and Isaac had concern for Jacob. They were afraid that he would marry someone that wasn’t of the same faith as Jacob. They told him where he should go to find a wife. They said if he wouldn’t marry someone of Canaan then he will prosper and be fruitful.
Jacob ends up meeting someone named Rachel. She was of the same faith as Jacob. In order to be able to marry Rachel, Jacob had to work for Laban for seven years. That is a long time. After the seven years is up, he doesn’t get Rachel, he gets her older sister Leah. So he has to work another seven years for Rachel. He does all of this just so he could marry in the covenant. I think this is in the scriptures because this is an example to us that marrying in the covenant is so important that we should do anything to be able to do it. I never made this connection before but now I really see how important it is. Now that I am married I can hold an even greater importance to it because I am so grateful to be eternally sealed to my husband, someone that I love so much. It is something that is worth it to work at it for fourteen years.
