In early courtship we must present ourselves honestly and genuinely, not acting a part, projecting a personality which is not normally ours, or exaggerating our abilities and accomplishments. Such behaviour is dishonest, God is offended, and the other person seriously misled. Isaac’s approach, through the servant, was to reveal only things that could be verified, and to give assurances of his worthy intentions. The equivalent of these gifts today would be acts of kindness, and helpfulness, indicating the kind of person we will always strive to be, if the Lord encourages the relationship. Courtship is a time for love to deepen, but it is supremely a time to make sure that this is the right partner. Honesty demands that we each give a fair view of our real selves.
The writer remembers being amazed many years ago on hearing a group of believers counselling one of their number on how to make progress in a ‘match’ that was forming. The counsels they gave, some in humour, but most in deadly earnest, could have come straight from any worldly group, all the usual ‘play-hard-to-get’ ideas being wheeled out, with many other crafty strategies. The general philosophy seemed to be that courtship was rather like fishing. You ‘catch’ your fish, and then enjoy it. You trap your future husband or wife, and then build a better relationship afterwards. The reality is that a foundation of genuineness is needed, and honesty is the only fair policy. We can learn nothing from the courtship tactics of the world.
The name Mesopotamia is given by the Greeks and signifies the land between the two rivers, by which they mean the Tigris and the Euphrates, divided into Sumer in the south and Akkad in the north. It is used to translate the name Aram-Naharaim found here in the Hebrew. That name means ‘Aram of the two rivers’. Some do not agree that Mesopotamia is the right translation and Leupold says that the rivers are the Euphrates and the Chaboras, not the Tigris and Euphrates.
The city of Nahor was Haran. It was to Haran that Rebekah later told Jacob to flee, where Laban, Nahor’s grandson via Bethuel and Rebekah’s brother, lived (Genesis 27:43; 25:20). Bethuel lived there, for when Jacob was sent away to Padanaram, he headed towards Haran (Genesis 28:5, 10). It was to Haran that Terah, Abraham’s father, had moved (Genesis 11:31), perhaps taking with him Nahor, Abraham’s brother, although only Abraham and Lot, the son of Haran, another of Abraham’s brothers, are mentioned.