Do the right thing
One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. — Genesis 24:2-3
Someone is going to ask you to do the really big thing. It’s not picking up groceries while you’re out, or even loaning your car for a three-day weekend. This is a heart-driven request to get it done.
Finding a wife for Abraham’s son is a really big thing because beyond all human measure God has blessed Abraham with being a father not just to one—Isaac—but to an entire nation through Isaac. Abraham himself doesn’t seek a bride for his son. He has someone else do it.
Notice how this scripture starts. “One day…” It’s as if Abraham wakes one morning and thinks, “Oh! My son! I should put finding a bride for him on my to-do list today.”
There’s more to this story than we read, but there’s enough to this story that we can understand that our loved one asks us to do the very, very important. As God blessed Abraham with Isaac, Abraham is blessing his most trusted and valued “employee” to do the work necessary to fulfill God’s plan for an entire nation.
No one can truly figure out the meaning with the placement of a hand under the thigh except to say this ancient oath is on par with our putting our left hand on a Bible before we testify in court. It’s a big deal.
Thigh or no thigh (probably no thigh!), you were asked, are being asked, or will be asked by God through someone who values you to do the right and good thing. Do the right thing.
PRAYER: Father God, through those who call on us, help us do the right thing, which is what Abraham’s servant did, and that’s secure love for the future. Amen.
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