This site is revered in modern day Hebron, Israel and is known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, Genesis 23.
Here Abraham buried his beloved Sarah.
Abraham called his trusted servant and the one who ruled his house, Eliezer, and made him swear by the Lord God of Heaven that he would go to Abraham's family and find a wife for Isaac, for he did not want Issac to marry from the Canaanites of the land where he dwelt. Eliezer asked if he could take Isaac, but Abraham said no, God would send an angel before him and find a wife. So Eliezer went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor, modern day Turkey near Haran where Abraham's father had died.
Eliezer stopped his camels near a well outside the town there and prayed that the God of his master Abraham would let the woman who offered to draw water for him and also for his camels would be the one.
Rebekah came down to draw water and Eliezer went to her and asked for a drink, she gave it and offered to water his camels too. He knew that she was the one, picked by God, for this was not a common thing she had done.
Abraham's servant then gave her gold earrings and bracelets and prayed in thanks to the Lord for finding him a wife for Isaac of Abraham's kin.
When Eliezer told Rebekah's brother, Laban, all that had happened, he agreed it was from God. So according to custom, Eliezer gave precious things to Laban and the family and more to Rebekah and she agreed to go and be Isaac's wife.
When she arrived in Canaan and met Isaac, it was love at first sight.
Isaac took her and went to his mothers tent and they were married. Abraham was also happy and took another wife, Keturah, and had other children (previous blog). Isaac was comforted in Rebekah after his mother's death and was very happy to have her as his wife.
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. Abraham died at 175 and was buried with Sarah in the cave of Machpelah by Issac and Ishmael. His Cenotaph is there in the Cave of the Patriarchs, Genesis 25.
This is how the Cave of the Patriarchs looked in 1906.
Isaac entreated God for his wife for she was barren. In time Rebekah became pregnant with twins which struggled in her womb. She asked God why and God told her that two nations were inside her and two manner of people, one stronger to the other and the elder would serve the younger. 20 years after they were wed, the twins were born when Isaac was 60 years old.
The first born came out covered in red hair and they named him Esau. Next was his brother, Jacob, which had hold on Esau's heel.
The boys grew and Esau became a hunter and a man of the field. Isaac loved him and the tasty venison that he would prepare.
Jacob was a plain man and dwelt in tents. Rebekah loved him.
One day Jacob was cooking a stew and Esau came in from the field faint and hungry. He asked Jacob to feed him some of that red stew. Jacob said, "Sell me this day your birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" So he swore to Jacob his birthright for a pot of red stew. Red is Edom which became the name of the land that Esau fathered. Esau despised his birthright, but this was what God had told Rebekah before they were born, the elder would serve the younger.
There was a famine in the land and Isaac took his family down to the Philistines land and there God told him that hie would bless him and continue the covenant that He had made with his father, Abraham. That his seed would be as the stars of heaven and own all this land and that through his descendants would all the world be blessed. Isaac sowed in the land there and reaped 100 fold return. The king, Abimelech asked Isaac to go away because Isaac was mightier than he. Isaac re-dug his father Abraham's wells and had some strife over the locals over them. But God's blessing was upon Isaac and Abimelech came and made a covenant with him for peace.
Esau married 2 local Hittite women at 40 years old and grieved his parents. It was obvious that Esau had no respect for his family in the matter of his wives and of his birthright. He was not the one to carry on the promise of God, Genesis 26.
In time Isaac became old and blind and he knew that he needed to give his blessing of inheritance. He planned to give it to Esau and so he would be of good cheer, he sent Esau out to hunt and make him some tasty venison. Rebekah heard this and went to talk with Jacob. She told him to go into his father, Isaac and impersonate Esau for the blessing. He had some reservations but she told him to fetch her two kid goats and she would prepare the meal and she would put the skins on his arms and neck so he would feel hairy like his brother.
Jacob did not want a curse on himself for deceiving his father. Rebekah said upon me be thy curse, just obey me. She knew that it was God's will for Jacob to continue in the Covenant with God that was cut with Abraham, Jacob's grandfather. So the meal was made and Jacob went into his Father.
When Isaac had eaten and drank wine, he called for Jacob to come and kiss him and he smelled the field and felt the hairy skins and thought it was Esau. So he said may God give you the dew of heaven, fatness of the earth and plenty of corn and wine; let people serve you and nations bow down to you; be lord over our brethren and cursed is every one that curses you and blessed is every one that blesses you.
As soon as Jacob had received the blessing, Esau came in from the field with tasty meat for his Father. When Isaac asked who it was and Esau answered, he told him that the blessing was given to Jacob. Esau was angry at his brother. He asked if there was any blessing left for him. Isaac said, your dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above and by your sword shall you live, and shall serve your brother, and it shall come to pass when you shall have the dominion you shall break his yoke off your neck.
Esau hated Jacob for the birthright and blessing going to him. He said that the days of mourning for Isaac were at hand, but after that he would kill his brother.
Rebekah found out about Esau's plans and called her son Jacob and told him to go spend some time with her brother, Laban in Haran until Esau's wrath had passed. She then went to Isaac and said that her life would be worthless if Jacob took a local wife as Esau had done.
Isaac listened to Rebekah and told Jacob to go to Padan-aram and take a wife from his mother's brother who had daughters. Isaac also further blessed him as said, "God Almighty bless thee and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thy art a stranger, which God gave to Abraham." So, Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran, Genesis 27-28.
In all of this God's hand was at work to complete the Covenant He had cut with His friend Abraham and to bring in the line that would birth the Messiah....Jesus.
Quotes are from the KJV Bible. Art and pictures were found on the Internet.
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