Beloved, Comforting Rebekah
Scripture Reading — Genesis 24:1-16, 50-67
Isaac . . . married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Abraham wanted his son Isaac to marry a woman from among his relatives in his old homeland, so he sent a trusted servant to find Isaac a wife. The servant asked God to show him who this woman would be, and Rebekah was the one!
As it turned out, Rebekah was a granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. And she courageously agreed to leave her parents and move to a country far away to live with people she had never met and to marry a man she had never seen.
As she arrived with Abraham’s servant and camels, Isaac noticed them from across a field and went over to greet them. They met and married, and Isaac loved Rebekah. What a wonderful statement!
Rebekah found a new family with Isaac, and Isaac found a person who could bring healing to his grief over his mother’s death.
When we are mourning the loss of a loved one and we ask God to comfort us, sometimes God provides comfort through another person, someone who sympathizes with us and understands our pain and grief.
Are you mourning today? May God provide you with someone who can comfort you.
On the other side of the coin—are you someone who can provide comfort to a mourning friend? Can you stand beside them in their grief?
Dearest Jesus, comfort all who mourn today. Bring your peace and love into their grief. In your name we pray. Amen.
About the author — Thea Leunk
Thea Nyhoff Leunk has been a high school English teacher, a director of Christian education, a pastor of discipleship, and a regional coach for the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She is currently the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thea has also written courses for teens and young adults on world religions, Christian faith traditions, and science and the Bible. She and her husband have three adult children.
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