70. Monday after Second Sunday after Epiphany.
As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
Genesis 24, 1-7. And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh; and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
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It would be well, if many parents were as solicitous for the welfare of their children as Abraham was for the welfare of Isaac, so that they would do everything possible to secure for them a Christian and happy marriage. But is this the case among us? Many parents show great zeal in helping their children to marry money; but the question whether the daughter-in-law be a pious or wicked woman is one with which they are not concerned. Even such a man as the pious King Jehoshaphat forms an alliance by marriage with the ungodly Ahab, and takes the wicked daughter of this man as a wife for his son. It often seems that even Christian parents are more interested in marrying their child to one that is rich, than to one that fears God. Parents should not force upon their children a marriage that is distasteful to them; but they should possess the full confidence of their sons and daughters; in order that they may place experience, wisdom, and Christian judgment in the balance, and give the young people valuable assistance in making their choice. Parents should pray for their children, as Eliezer prayed when he went forth to do the bidding of Abraham and find a wife for his son Isaac; and they should do like Rebekah’s parents, who said: “Let us call the damsel and enquire of her, if she will go with this man.” Then it cannot fail that the Lord will send his angel, and bring bride and bridegroom together according to his own good will. — A happy marriage between a believer and an unbeliever is possible, and it is also possible that the believing husband or wife may be so fortunate as to win the other for the Lord; but there never can be a complete unity of heart between the two while they go their several ways. And “what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” The scriptures contain no promise that a woman of heathen mind shall be a blessing to the house of an Israelite. The very opposite is true. Christian parents and their sons should remember the daughter of Beeri, and the daughter of Elon, and the daughter of Ahab. They are mentioned in the Bible as a warning to us. (Genesis 26, 34. 35. 2 Chronicles 18, 1; 21, 5. 6). Be assured that God will give to your sons pious wives, and to your daughters god-fearing husbands, if you appeal to him in prayer, and guide them with kindness. “The price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”
God, give our young men and women piety and love in their hearts; bless them with good sense, and make them industrious in their vocations. Preserve us from unhappy marriages, and let the bond of perfection unite man and wife in the palaces of the rich and the cottages of the poor. This is our heartfelt prayer. Hear us for Jesus’ sake. Amen.*
O blessed house, where man and wife, united
In thy true love, have both one heart and mind;
Where both to thy salvation are invited,
And in thy doctrine both contentment find;
Where both, to thee in truth forever cleaving,
In joy, in grief, make thee their only stay,
And fondly hope in thee to be believing,
Both in the good and in the evil day.
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.