Blessed Him in Every Way
Piety
Abraham had now reached a ripe old age, and the LORD had blessed him
in every way. Abraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had
charge of all his possessions: "Put your hand under my thigh, and I will
make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you
will not procure a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among
whom I live, but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred to get a
wife for my son Isaac." Genesis
24:1-4
Study
Sometimes, it is amazing what you learn in reading the Hebrew
Bible. Like today, when Abraham insists
that his servant put his hand under Abraham's thigh when swearing to follow out
his wishes.
Pardon me but, “How weird is that?”
To me maybe it is weird but not to the people in biblical time.
The notes to the NABRE explain to the humble modern reader like me that
the symbolism of this act was apparently connected with the Hebrew concept of children
issuing from their father’s “thigh” (the literal meaning of “direct
descendants”). The notes go on to
speculate that (perhaps) the man who took such an oath was thought to bring the
curse of sterility on himself if he did not fulfill his sworn promise. Jacob
made Joseph swear in the same way.
When the time
approached for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him: “If it
pleases you, put your hand under my thigh as a sign of your enduring fidelity
to me; do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my ancestors, take me out
of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” “I will do as you say,” he
replied. (Genesis 47:29-30).
In both these instances, the oath was taken to carry out the last
request of a man upon his death.
Action
Taking such an oath and making a physical connection with the person to
whom you make that promise cements the encounter for both parties. Abraham and Jacob could now die in peace
contented in the knowledge that their final wishes would be followed.
Think of the many ways we also make a physical connection when making
oaths today. Couples hold hands when
making marriage vows. They exchange rings. Then they share a kiss before God and the congregation. Leaders place their hand on the Bible (or the
holy book of their faith) when taking their oath of office.
Whose wishes have you vowed to carry out? How did you cement that vow in your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment