“I am well aware of the honor. I wish it were possible to accept, but I must be honest, this marriage can never take place.”
There was a moment of stunned silence and then the scribe backed off with a look of scorn. He snapped the scroll back into its case, gathered up the reeds and the stand, and then retreated to the waiting retainers. The steward stood to his feet. “The princess is very desirable,” he said as his mouth twisted into a sneer. “She has other suitors who will be glad to hear that your son no longer stands in their way.”
“I have no doubt this is true,” Abraham said, standing. “It’s not that the princess is not desirable or that the king’s offer is not generous. It’s because of our faith and commitment to the creator God we call Elohim. He is the one who governs our lives and makes such an agreement impossible.”
It was obvious the steward did not understand. He motioned for his chariot and then turned back to Abraham. “You must realize that we also worship the creator God. It’s just that we worship the other gods too.”
“Ah yes,” Abraham said, “I remember. When the old king took my wife into his harem, it was the creator God who warned him in a dream.”
For a few moments the steward stood and thought about all that had been said. Then turning to Abraham with a stern, forbidding look, he said, “It would be better for you to leave this god if He spoils such opportunities. That is what most of us do.”
As the chariot of the king’s steward disappeared in a cloud of dust and his retainers followed with their half-running march, Abraham sank back among the cushions and mopped his brow. “Eleazar,” he said at last, “I hope I never have to do a harder thing.”
Eleazar sat down beside him, obviously very thoughtful. When he spoke it was with foreboding. “You still have an even harder thing before you. I know you well, and to tell Isaac the news will be most difficult.” Abraham did not answer but Eleazar noticed that his face turned pale and his eyes registered the pain that he felt.
* * *
Isaac found his father still sitting where the king’s steward had left him. Eleazar was beside him and the half-eaten trays of dried fruit and sweet cakes were stacked over on the side. Abraham stood and Isaac came and kissed his hand and embraced him. “My father,” he said, “I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.”
“I wish there could have been some other choice,” Abraham said.
“The goatherder Zeb came and told me everything,” Isaac said. “I wish I had been here. Perhaps then things would have been different.”
“I know how disappointed you are. We must understand that to the king his terms were not difficult. They were to be expected.”
“How will I ever find a bride? Most fathers will have terms that would not be pleasing to Elohim.”
“Ah, my son, that is where we have failed. We should have asked Elohim to find the right bride for you.”
Isaac sat down where his father had motioned. He was obviously puzzled. He didn’t understand how such a thing could be done.
“I have been thinking,” Abraham said, “and I have already talked to Eleazar. We both feel the right bride will be found among our own people in Haran.”
“But that is very far away,” Isaac said.
Abraham didn’t answer. The silence was broken only by the sound of dried thistles snapping in the fire and the lonesome cooing of a pair of doves in the nearby hedge.
“As you know,” he said finally, “I have another son, a firstborn son, and I may have many more sons, but you are the son of promise. You will inherit both the blessing and the birthright, and those that come from you will in turn inherit the promise and the blessing. This is a great privilege and a great responsibility. You cannot marry a Canaanite or an Egyptian as Ishmael did. You are the chosen one, the son of the promise, and there are choices you cannot make.”
“And do we know there is going to be someone in Haran for me?” Isaac asked.
“No, we only know that some time ago, before your mother’s death, a merchant brought news that Nahor had a large family. Certainly any woman who is of age will be promised to someone, but there may be a young woman who hasn’t been spoken for. We must also realize that even if she is unmarried, she may not agree to travel so far to marry someone she doesn’t know. We are trusting Elohim to lead us.”
There was a long moment of silence and then Isaac asked, “So what do we do now?”
“It takes a wise man to observe and choose quality. Eleazar is such a man. He is also a man who listens closely for guidance from Elohim just as I do. He will choose the very best for you.”