The Servant’s Oath and Abraham’s Faith

Genesis 24:5–9 (NASB95)  

5The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” 6Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there! 7“The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8“But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.” 9So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 

Abraham’s servant faced a difficult question. He wondered what to do if the woman chosen for Isaac refused to leave her homeland. Should Isaac return to Abraham’s old country? Abraham’s answer was clear. Isaac must not go back. Abraham remembered God’s promise to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. He trusted that God would send His angel ahead to guide the servant and provide a wife for Isaac. Abraham’s faith did not waver. He refused to compromise the future of the covenant by allowing Isaac to leave the land God had given. If the woman would not come, the servant would be released from his oath. Still, Abraham insisted that Isaac must remain in the land of promise. 

The servant accepted the oath with a solemn ritual. He placed his hand under Abraham’s thigh, showing the seriousness of his commitment. This act marked the mission as sacred and binding. Abraham’s instructions protected the covenant line and kept Isaac’s future secure. He relied on God’s guidance, not human plans, to fulfill the promise. 

God calls His people to trust His promises and obey His commands, even when the way forward is uncertain. We must not compromise God’s calling for the sake of convenience or fear. Like Abraham, we should trust that God will provide and guide. Our faithfulness today secures God’s blessings for future generations.