The Sons of Isaac(17)
“I suppose this is one of those times when you will remind us that God will provide.” He said it with respect but there was a bit of an edge to his voice.
Abraham didn’t see his face or respond to the tone of his voice. Instead he was simply pleased. He had not known whether Isaac would remember the words Elohim had given him the day he left for Mount Moriah, thinking he must sacrifice his son.
“It’s true, my son,” he said, “and what our God gives is always the very best.”
There was again silence as each thought of all this might mean to them. “Well,” Isaac said finally, “I suppose the choice I would have made seems very foolish to you, but you have not seen Anatah.”
Abraham was already planning the venture and he did not hear the lack of enthusiasm in his son’s voice. “Within the week Eleazar will leave for Haran,” he said. “It will take that long to prepare the camels and arrange for gifts for my family and the young maiden.”
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.”