The Sons of Isaac (7 page)

Isaac found it hard to be excited about the venture. He had many questions that no one seemed to be answering.
What father would willingly let his daughter travel so far from home, and what young woman would agree to go with a complete stranger? Also, if she is very attractive, she will already be promised to someone.
Though he did not express his reservations, he was not satisfied that Eleazar would be able to choose the right bride for him.

Finally he gleaned some comfort from a conversation he chanced to overhear between his father and Eleazar. “The Lord God of heaven,” Abraham said, “which took me from my father’s house; which swear unto me saying, ‘unto your seed will I give this land,’ He will send an angel before you. The angel will guide you to the right one and will have prepared her heart to come with you.”

How strange this was. Elohim, the Creator of the whole earth and sky and creatures and fish and fowl, cared enough about him to actually send an angel to guide Eleazar. He was immediately curious to know what sort of woman this would be. What woman would the angel lead Eleazar to, and how would he know it was the right one?

*  *  *

Later that night Abraham made another difficult decision. It would be impossible under the circumstances for them to spend so much time in the city of Gerar and to continue such close ties with the king. They must move again, and this time farther into the Negev, where they would not be expected to participate in the life of any of the cities. “We will move to the region of the well at La-hai-roi,” he said aloud.

The name had been given the well after Hagar had met the angel there. “The well of the living God who sees me,” it had been called. It was on the way to Shur and in the midst of a desert region where they would encounter only merchants and travelers going to and from Egypt.
As soon as Eleazar leaves I will send to have the house in Gerar closed and give the order to move our camp. This will help Isaac forget the princess and will keep any new bride from being influenced by the temptations of the city.

*  *  *

In the palace in Gerar, Anatah was furious with her father and the clay goddess. She felt they had both failed her. Isaac had wanted her as much as she had wanted him. What had gone wrong? She was too proud to show her disappointment before her father and his court, but she was not too proud to confront the goddess who had cruelly tricked her.

She made her way to the small garden near the quiet pool just at moonrise when the court of the women was quiet and everyone was supposed to be asleep. A mist hung in the air; the leaves of the small trees were already wet with the evening dew. Just as she reached the niche where the goddess stood, she broke off a branch from the olive tree nearby. With a few swift movements, she soundly thrashed the stone figure. “That will show you,” she whispered. “You have totally failed me and I won’t forget it.”

She was so angry she wanted to do something that would hurt the cool, silent goddess that seemed to sit unmoved by her pain. “I hate you,” she said. “You have no shame. It’s because of their God they call Elohim that Isaac won’t marry me. Doesn’t that burn your ears?”

She stood gazing at the image and it infuriated her that it seemed so calm and confident. She had trusted it so completely. It had never occurred to her that it could fail her.

She sat down on the bench beside the pool and tried to think.
Perhaps the clay goddess may not have totally failed. Where will the family of Isaac ever find another bride for him? He can’t marry any of the shepherd folk and his father has been at a loss to find a bride for him all these years. Why would they think that now it will be any different?
She smiled. “The goddess may win yet. I may not have lost him if there is no one else available.” With that she went to the image and twisted the olive branch into a crown around her head. “Forgive me, oh wise one,” she said. “You may yet have other means to bring about my desire.”

With that assurance, she went to bed and slept soundly. Isaac must surely be hers soon.

I
t took fifteen days for Eleazar to prepare the camels, round up the supplies, and consult on the best route to take for the journey. During this time Abraham was restless and thoughtful. He remembered vividly how his brother had acted the last time he had seen him. Nahor had been totally against his leaving Haran, had accused him of breaking up the family, deserting his father’s grave, and making it impossible for their family to continue in their lucrative trading enterprises. Abraham wondered if he had changed. More to the point, would he let anyone from his family go off with a stranger to marry the son of this brother who had so disappointed him?

He paced back and forth, keeping within the bounds of the tent’s deep shadow as he pondered the intricacies of the situation. This was the strange part of the whole thing. He was making all these plans and sending his steward on this long journey and he had no real assurance there was a suitable maiden available. He had only the nudging feeling when he prayed that this was what he should do.

I must send the ring with the family emblem on it so my brother will know Eleazar comes at my bidding,
he thought as he turned the ring on his finger and pondered the difficulties. For a brief moment he considered sending Isaac so they could see the fine lad and be more sure to approve a marriage.

“No, I must not do that,” he muttered. “Nahor has always been crafty and it would be just like him to keep him there. He’d let him marry one of their young maidens but would insist on his staying and working for him. No,” he concluded, “the lad stays here.”

Next Abraham began to fear that Nahor might convince Eleazar to take a bride from the local women. He was totally capable of hiding any relatives and offering some other young woman instead. He would not easily be willing to part with anyone from his own family. Abraham wondered how he could keep Eleazar from falling for such a ruse.

If he insisted that Eleazar take a strong oath to propose marriage only to someone from the family of old Terah, this should work. Oaths were respected in every country and among all people.

There were many ways of making an oath binding, but an oath taken on the honor of one’s ancestors and one’s descendants was the most binding. To place the hand under the thigh invoked both groups as witnesses and guardians. It was just this sort of oath Abraham had in mind.

Just as he was mulling over these problems, Eleazar appeared around the side of the tent. “My lord,” he said, “the camels are being groomed for the trip, and early tomorrow morning we will load them and start out for Haran.”

“Come sit with me,” Abraham said. “There is much to be discussed.”

“Yes,” Eleazar said as he went into the tent and sat down in the place Abraham had indicated. “I hope my journey to Haran is successful. It has occurred to me that even if I find the girl and she meets all our requirements, she may not agree to come with me. Should I offer to bring Isaac to Haran?”

“No,” Abraham said quickly. “If she will not come, you are free from any responsibility, but do not consent to take my son to Haran.”

Now to make the agreement binding, Abraham called witnesses and Eleazar put his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swore to abide by all Abraham’s instructions.

*  *  *

The next morning, long before dawn, Eleazar assembled his entourage. He took ten camels loaded with provisions for the trip and with presents for Abraham’s family in Haran. The journey had been carefully planned. The first goal was to reach the wells at Beersheba before the heat of the day, and then the next evening travel on to Hebron. From there they would discuss with other travelers whether to go down to Jericho or travel up the central ridge to the fords of the Jordan.

Many routes led to Damascus and they must determine which were the safest and best for them. From Damascus to Haran they must again gather information from fellow travelers. It was a long and tiresome journey but comparatively safe since most of the area was under Egyptian control.

Before they left, Abraham appeared out of the shadows of his tent leaning on Isaac’s arm. “I must speak a final blessing on your journey,” he said.

At that Eleazar gathered the camel drivers, guards, and general servants to come and stand before Abraham. It was like many other mornings but strangely different. The moon had not set and the east was still dark beyond the jagged mountains of the wilderness of Zin. The brook Besor with its narrow band of oleanders and reeds was dank and mysterious with the rising mist. The nesting birds and small animals that lived along its banks were not yet awake.

It was a magical time and they were all caught up in the romantic purpose of their journey. This time it was not for trade or adventure but to find a young woman and bring her back as a bride for Abraham’s handsome son. None of them knew if such a woman existed. After all their effort and struggle, the journey could prove futile. To any thoughtful man it would seem foolishness. The dream of the old man who stood before them spurred them on. To him it was all-important and so they must go and do their best.

Abraham must have sensed some of their doubts because he again reminded them, “The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and which spoke to me saying, ‘unto your seed I will give this land’; He shall send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there.” The steady look in his eyes and the firm assurance in his voice gave them confidence. However, their ultimate comfort during difficulties on the road would come from his reminder that an angel would go before them to prepare the way.

At the last moment, just as Eleazar was ready to mount and give the word for the caravan to move out along the path, Isaac motioned for him to wait. From his leather girdle he took a small box of intricate design. “When you find the maiden it would please me for you to give her these. They were my mother’s most prized possessions.”

He opened the box and showed Eleazar the earrings of pure beaten gold and two bracelets of ten shekels weight. “You will have other jewels to give her and other more costly ornaments, but this is more precious because it is all that I have of real value from my mother.”

Isaac was confused and unsure of his true feelings. He simply knew that this would have pleased his mother and he determined, for her sake, to go along with the plans peacefully.

Abraham wept in the darkness of the predawn mist and was comforted. He knew by the gift that Isaac too was beginning to trust the dream. Perhaps, in time, he would also stop yearning for the princess of Gerar.

They stood together and watched as the camels moved out and away onto the road that led up the valley to Beersheba.

*  *  *

As Eleazar traveled, he thought about the young woman he was to choose. What sort of woman must she be, and how would he recognize her? At first he thought that surely he must choose the most beautiful maiden. She would be competing for Isaac’s heart with the princess of Gerar. He pictured himself looking over any women who might be in Nahor’s family and then choosing the most attractive one.

However as he rode along he found his whole concept changing. Physical beauty did not last. He had seen young girls who were astonishingly beautiful who soon after the marriage became frumpish and coarse. Then again he had seen women who were quite plain blossom into women of real beauty.

How could one possibly tell what a woman would become? How would Elohim judge the right woman for Abraham’s son? He thought of Isaac’s attraction to Anatah’s beauty. He knew nothing about her disposition or character. It was obvious that this was not the way to choose a partner for life.

He pondered over the various traits that were important. She should be honest and kind; one almost took these for granted. Beyond that, he began to see that if a woman was always complaining and unhappy, a husband would soon tire of her, and if she was selfish, it would color all her relationships.

His final conclusion was that a generous, happy woman would make the best choice. One would not tire of her and he had noted that generous people were usually happy. Sorting out the women of Haran might be very difficult. He would have to take it one step at a time and depend on Elohim to guide him.

*  *  *

The caravan traveled at night when it was cooler, and finally arrived in sight of the town of Haran just at daybreak. Eleazar knew the women of the village would soon be going to the well to draw water, and so he found the well and camped there. He could observe them and perhaps get some clue as to what sort of women he would find in Haran. Surely the women who came for water at this hour would not be the lazy, unpleasant ones.

He stopped near the well and directed his camels with their drivers to rest in the shade of a large almond tree. It was the time of year that the tart, green outer shell of the almond was especially good, and since the tree was out in the open and unprotected, they felt sure it was public property. Eleazar plucked a handful of green almonds and then sat on the low stone wall beside the well.