“You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son” (Genesis 24:37-38 ESV)

Abraham instructed his servant to get a wife for his son Isaac from his “father’s house,” not from the Canaanites which surrounded them. Abraham wanted to make sure that his son’s spouse believed as they did, not only for marital compatibility, but also for the future upbringing of their children. We have to be careful in drawing an application from a narrative passage, but there does seem to be one here. Believers should choose to marry other believers who belong to the “Father’s house,” and not choose a spouse from this world. Another application might be that we should let the Father help in selecting our future mate. These are practical applications. We might also see a spiritual foreshadowing in this beautiful story of God the Father, sending His Spirit to bring the bride, which is the church, to His awaiting Son, Jesus.