Marriage

I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love

I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love

  • Downloads：5711
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-27 11:55:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ravi Zacharias
  • ISBN：0849908221
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis a beautiful young woman offers assistance to a weary traveler and his camels， and out of that simple action， a marriage results-a marriage that offers profound lessons to couples today。 Bible scholar and renowned speaker Ravi Zacharias draws five points critical to the long-lasting success of every marriage from the biblical story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah。

"Real love folds together both the emotions and the will，" writes Zacharias。 "Without the emotions， marriage is a drudgery; without the will， it is a mockery。" Building upon that foundational truth， Zacharias goes on to explain the principles of seeking the counsel of others when finding a mate， cherishing your partner， remaining pure， becoming a man or woman of prayer， and， finally， risking everything in a relationship in order to experience God's ideal for love。

Couples everywhere， from those about to be married， to those who have been married for decades， will draw strength and wisdom for the journey of marriage as they learn from Ravi what it means to move from romance to lasting love。

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Reviews

Chelsey Rivas ，

Hi there！ I've seen your work and I'd like to commend you for having such talent and imagination。 Your works of art shouldn't be limited and should be recognized by many。 Maybe you'd like to check out N0velStar and consider joining their competition。 Hi there！ I've seen your work and I'd like to commend you for having such talent and imagination。 Your works of art shouldn't be limited and should be recognized by many。 Maybe you'd like to check out N0velStar and consider joining their competition。 。。。more

Rachel Djame ，

My view of marriage and sexual holiness has completely changed since I read that book。 I highly recommand it， even if you are single。

Charles Carter ，

This was a book I read before I dated Ashley。 This was a book she and I read together while we were engaged。 This is a book I gave or encouraged other engaged/married couples to read。 Since then I've come across other better pre-marital （or marital） resources， specifically Gary Thomas and Tim Keller， however this was still a very instrumental book for me， for us。 （Disclaimers probably need to be issued in light of the sad scandals now associated with RZ， but that doesn't deny the content was - a This was a book I read before I dated Ashley。 This was a book she and I read together while we were engaged。 This is a book I gave or encouraged other engaged/married couples to read。 Since then I've come across other better pre-marital （or marital） resources， specifically Gary Thomas and Tim Keller， however this was still a very instrumental book for me， for us。 （Disclaimers probably need to be issued in light of the sad scandals now associated with RZ， but that doesn't deny the content was - and is - still profitable， if readers are able to stomach the hypocrisy， a fact that must be acknowledged。） 。。。more

♥ Ibrahim ♥ ，

Moving from romance to lasting love？！ How stupid is that！ Can’t it be both and？I have lasting love as a married man and it is filled with romance more than any other time before。 Why do Christians in America like to talk about marriage as if they are the only people who know what lasting love is？Of course people like Ravi Zacharias know nothing about “both…and” mindset and for some reason they are messed up in the head and they see the world in terms of “either …or”。

India C ，

I loved this book。I recommend it for anyone who doubts that lasting love existsAnd everyone who would like to achieve it。

Cassandra Chung ，

I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend of mine who exclaimed to me that it was the "best book on marriage [I've] ever read！！！"。 Truth be told， I've never actually listened to Ravi Zacharias's sermons （though I have listened to some people on his team i。e。 Sam Alberry） so reading this book was the first time I was getting a feel of what this great evangelist was like。 I was also encouraged to pick up this book because I was curious to know what insights Zacharias gleaned from the I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend of mine who exclaimed to me that it was the "best book on marriage [I've] ever read！！！"。 Truth be told， I've never actually listened to Ravi Zacharias's sermons （though I have listened to some people on his team i。e。 Sam Alberry） so reading this book was the first time I was getting a feel of what this great evangelist was like。 I was also encouraged to pick up this book because I was curious to know what insights Zacharias gleaned from the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah。What I liked about this book is that Zacharias focusses on the role of parents in the selection of their child's spouse， drawing from the fact that Rebekah was technically chosen by Abraham。 I think what he has to say on this point is logical， practical and does not err from the principles in the story itself。 I liked that he also highlighted that parental blessing is not the ultimate deal-breaker either， because in some cultures， parents have abused their roles in this selection process。 He uses the story to bring out the good parts about having parental blessing and also uses it to highlight how parental blessing in today's world is used sinfully。As for the rest of book， while I think what Zacharias says makes a lot of sense， I would have appreciated it more if he expended more effort to link it back to the story of Isaac and Rebekah or at least instruct on where he gets his Scriptural backing from。 There were also some bits in the book where I found question marks lingering in my head upon reading it i。e。 the following statement:— "It used to be that when one partner was out of the home working， the other partner carried the primary responsibility of keeping the marriage intact"。 Personally， I'm not sure what he specifically means by "primary responsibility" because as far as I am concerned， both partners are responsible for preserving the marriage， albeit in different capacities。 If I'm being honest， I vastly preferred "Mingling of Souls" by Matt Chandler （https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。） and "The Meaning of Marriage" by Timothy Keller （https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。） compared to this book。 However， I wouldn't dismiss this book completely。 It does have some good insights; perhaps I just need a bit more time to think through Zacharias's thought process as well as his flow of logic。 。。。more

Jun Sung Lee ，

A few solid pieces of advice， but the book feels rather forced due to a surprising amount of eisegesis。

Readers Truss ，

This book was worth the time， the effort and the hype✌️

PAGES Highlights ，

This book was really insightful， it takes you from a level of unknown to a level of understanding and full awareness of how love is a matter of will and how you could love if you will。 It was really thought provoking and the conversational approach of Ravi Zacharias made it really easy to drive the point home with several illustrations。 I learnt so much and I think young intending couples as well as single people hoping to be married should read this book， the older couples are not left out beca This book was really insightful， it takes you from a level of unknown to a level of understanding and full awareness of how love is a matter of will and how you could love if you will。 It was really thought provoking and the conversational approach of Ravi Zacharias made it really easy to drive the point home with several illustrations。 I learnt so much and I think young intending couples as well as single people hoping to be married should read this book， the older couples are not left out because they would definitely learn something from Ravi。 I shared a review of this on my YouTube channel: Pages Highlights， you can check it out for a full review of my thoughts 。。。more

Ruth ，

This book is a must read for anyone thinking they will marry。 It should be read when you start to date， start to think about getting engaged and when you start to think this person is the only one for me！ I read it after 41 years of marriage and it helped me appreciate my husband even more。 These are the Biblical truths we were taught and cherished。

Vyshnavi ，

Super book about marriageVery good illustration from the lives of Isaac and Rebecca。 Loved the book presenting views about behaviour patterns， Ravi explained it from the Bible

Vanne Stch ，

Looking forward to this book！

Abbi ，

Wow， what a wonderfully-written book drawing applications to marriage from the story of Isaac and Rebekah’s wedding。 I can’t remember if I’ve ever read an entire book by Ravi Zacharias， but I wouldn’t have guessed that the first would be on the topic of marriage！ I particularly loved the chapters on the Indispensable Element in Love and the importance of prayer。 “Many pray for the right partner but cease to pray for the right union—that they be one as Jesus and the Father are one and so experien Wow， what a wonderfully-written book drawing applications to marriage from the story of Isaac and Rebekah’s wedding。 I can’t remember if I’ve ever read an entire book by Ravi Zacharias， but I wouldn’t have guessed that the first would be on the topic of marriage！ I particularly loved the chapters on the Indispensable Element in Love and the importance of prayer。 “Many pray for the right partner but cease to pray for the right union—that they be one as Jesus and the Father are one and so experience the full measure of His joy in the relationship。” So many wonderful insights in this eloquently written book。。。I will be sharing this one with others！ 。。。more

Benjamin Tdh ，

I read this because the cover and the title is really cute。 Lol。 It's a really good book on marriage。 You wouldn't need another。 I read this because the cover and the title is really cute。 Lol。 It's a really good book on marriage。 You wouldn't need another。 。。。more

Libin George ，

Good read。 My wife gifted this to me when we got engaged， and I enjoyed reading it in preparation for our big day。

Javier ，

Beautiful I deeply enjoyed reading this book， it is for anyone and everyone in any aspect of a relationship。 It gives insight and guidance to the young; and rekindle the flame of love to the old。 My favorite is “the will to love”

Lauricia Dawn ，

"Train the eye to see the good， and the imagination will follow suit。"I really respect Ravi。 He is so very wise， and speaks so eloquently and well on so many different subjects。 This read left me with good questions， good answers， thoughts to ponder， and truths to remember。There was a time or two I knew he was talking to a different audience than me， but that's to be expected。 "Train the eye to see the good， and the imagination will follow suit。"I really respect Ravi。 He is so very wise， and speaks so eloquently and well on so many different subjects。 This read left me with good questions， good answers， thoughts to ponder， and truths to remember。There was a time or two I knew he was talking to a different audience than me， but that's to be expected。 。。。more

Iris Wong ，

This book has clarified a lot of questions I had about a Godly marriage， and I think the most important question that is answered is that "Why do I want a Godly marriage and is the wait worth it？"。 Now I have my answer， it is worth it。 And there is nothing more beautiful than a God-orchestrated marriage where it's Him that at the end of the road who I can give all the credit to。 This book has clarified a lot of questions I had about a Godly marriage， and I think the most important question that is answered is that "Why do I want a Godly marriage and is the wait worth it？"。 Now I have my answer， it is worth it。 And there is nothing more beautiful than a God-orchestrated marriage where it's Him that at the end of the road who I can give all the credit to。 。。。more

Ampurire Lillian ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I want to read it

Enrique Venegas ，

Un buen libro que nos lleva en la responsabilidad del matrimonio contra la cultura actual。

Rocky ，

The topics covered were not relevant topics for a marriage in 2019

Samanta Sauro ，

So insightful and a great pre-marriage read。

Monica Willyard Moen ，

This is a relatively small book。 You might be tempted to think that it’s advice would be simplistic， not going beyond the surface。 You’d be mistaken。The topic of this book is the journey from feeling attracted to a person to falling in romantic love and then deepening that into a love that has strong roots and endures。 To love well， the Author contends that we must go beyond cosmetics， above circumstances， and reach beyond our own selfishness and expectations of others。 He urges us to really gra This is a relatively small book。 You might be tempted to think that it’s advice would be simplistic， not going beyond the surface。 You’d be mistaken。The topic of this book is the journey from feeling attracted to a person to falling in romantic love and then deepening that into a love that has strong roots and endures。 To love well， the Author contends that we must go beyond cosmetics， above circumstances， and reach beyond our own selfishness and expectations of others。 He urges us to really grasp the idea that love is a choice， a series of actions， an action verb and not a near passing feeling。 。。。more

Grizzly Sports Auto Sales ，

A good read For anyone wanting more out of their marriage Zacharias gives excellent advice。 I think this should be required reading for every couple😍

Kingsley Layton ，

It's a fine book， but is better suited to pre-marriage than to addressing a mid-marriage transition。 It's a fine book， but is better suited to pre-marriage than to addressing a mid-marriage transition。 。。。more

Tyler Collins ，

I began reading this book because I have watched many videos of Ravi Zacharias speaking and read some of his writing and have found him to be a very wise man when it comes to world religions and the Christian faith， so I figured he would bring a lot of wisdom to the table in regards to relationships and marriage。 It turns out that he does！ At just over 150 pages and seven chapters， this book is an easy read。 It could be read in one， long sitting or in sections over the course of a week。- - - - - I began reading this book because I have watched many videos of Ravi Zacharias speaking and read some of his writing and have found him to be a very wise man when it comes to world religions and the Christian faith， so I figured he would bring a lot of wisdom to the table in regards to relationships and marriage。 It turns out that he does！ At just over 150 pages and seven chapters， this book is an easy read。 It could be read in one， long sitting or in sections over the course of a week。- - - - - - - - - -The KEY TOPICS he writes on are: The importance of parental counsel; the commitment of the will; kindness to your spouse; purity; careful thought before important decisions; three steps for preparing for marriage: consideration of maturity， pre-marital counseling， and commitment to conflict resolution; three disciplines that lead to character: continual engagement in prayer， scripture， and church; and reasons for romantic fatigue， in particular， the thought that there is someone better out there for you。- - - - - - - - - -In his INTRODUCTION to the book， Zacharias begins by making the point that marriage "is hard work。" He says that "it demands nurture and care， and like a tender shoot， the better the care， the better the blossom" （xiv）。In CHAPTER ONE， Zacharias states that he is convinced "that marriage is at once the most powerful union and the most misunderstood relationship we can experience" （6） and "[t]hat word， love， is probably one of the most used and abused epithets that mankind has ever pondered" （11）。 In discussing Adam and Ever， he writes，"The woman met the desire， the need， and the insufficiency of the man in a way that God precluded Himself from and that another man was not intended to meet" （14）。 He goes on to conclude the chapter by discussing the importance of godly parental counsel in deciding who to marry， claiming that in the moment "our emotions can take over and prevent our minds from functioning with legitimate objectivity" （19）， so "[w]hile not a guarantee， parental counsel and blessing is nevertheless the way of wisdom and must be seriously considered" （21）。In CHAPTER TWO， he discusses the importance of both will and emotion in regards to love。 He quotes his brother who said， "Love is as much a question of the will as it is of the emotion。 And if you will to love somebody， you can" （29）。 He goes on to make the statement that "Without the will， marriage is a mockery; without emotion， it is a drudgery。 You need both" （30）。 He emphasizes that the first hard lesson to learn is that we must serve each other even when the charm fades—and it will。 He declares that "the reason we have a crisis in our gender relationships is that "we would rather be served than serve" （35）。 Zacharias wants to make sure that we are not "deceived by the flutter of the heart" （36） but rather， after thoughtful consideration， that we come to a commitment to "live a life of continual dying to oneself" before we walk down the aisle （36）。 "No one likes to begin life with a funeral。 But in a sense， that is where marriage begins" （39）。In CHAPTER THREE， he writes on the importance of kindness in marriage。 He states， "I would go so far as to say that there is never a reason to be unkind" （50）。 "I do not know what mileage you have been asked to walk with your partner， but I have no doubt there is another mile you will still need to walk when things get tough" （56） and "the commitment of the will and kindness are components that blend into a lovely mix" which will help your relationship flourish in these hard times （61）。In CHAPTER FOUR， Zacharias begins by stating that "parental counsel and the commitment of the will with its flip side of kindness" are essential in deciding who we are going to marry （65）， but it is also important to remember one of the most valuable gifts we can give to our spouse: purity。 He contends that there are few gifts one can give that are more sacred （66）。 He states that the best advice he can give to the young man is to train his eyes， for "where the eye is focused， there the imagination finds its raw material。 The right focus must be won at immense cost and discipline。 Train the eye to see the good， and the imagination will follow suit" （80）。In CHAPTER FIVE， he expounds on the idea that the best decisions are made after careful， protracted thought。 He gives three ways to prepare yourself best for marriage。 The first is "to ask yourself if you truly have the maturity to sacrifice your selfishness for the responsibility that lies ahead" because "[w]hen you say， 'I do，' you enter a whole new world of fiscal， emotional， and manual responsibility" （97）。 The second step is "to get the best premarital counseling you can" （100） and to seek， in particular， the wisdom of those older and wiser than you （102）。 The third is to have a "commitment to conflict resolution" （103）。 He says that personality matters that could be contentious "will only grow exponentially with time" （105）， so they "must be talked over so that the relationship is not put in jeopardy" later on （104）。 He claims that "talking [issues] over in the light of the other person's personality is the key to conflict resolution" （105）。In CHAPTER SIX， Zacharias discusses three "governing disciplines" that "sow the seeds of character" which should be practiced before marriage and throughout your whole life （124）。 The first is that "your personal life must be ordered by prayer as a commitment each day。" He declares that it "should not be seen as a burden but as a privilege to seek the face of God before you face the day" （124）。 "Become a man or woman of prayer，" he instructs （121）。 The second is to "study God's Word with a disciplined regularity" （127） because scripture "leads you to the Savior and then becomes a source of instruction to help you grow in character and wisdom" （128）。 The third step is "active involvement in a local church， especially when a family is young and needs to grow in faith and knowledge" （129-130）。In CHAPTER SEVEN， he begins by talking about how sometimes， even when all the elements are in place for a marriage to thrive， "there is romantic fatigue" （135）。 Despite the reasons for this being "far too complex to try to sort out" in the book， he goes on to "take a stab at what can go wrong and how to keep it from happening" （137）。 The most important， he says， is to "not even flirt with the idea that there may have been somebody better out there or someone else with whom you may connect better" （137）。 He emphasizes that "infidelities are not always physical" and that "[m]ind games can bring bigger losses than imagined and should be stifled early。 Receiving the partner as a gift from God， 'warts and all，' is a commitment with which one begins" （137）。 He states that "[a]ffairs often begin because one person finds someone else he or she relates to better and with whom he or she experiences more intimacy or warmth， without all the burdens of carrying a family" but "the truth is that the new car will lose its appeal， too，" so we should "[f]rom its very inception， kill the thought that there is somebody better out there， with arms wide open， just waiting to bring you perfect happiness" （138）。 "There is no perfect person out there， and 'better' can be a very misleading term" （139）。 There are several other issues he discusses after this。He closes the book with the thought that each day， we must "take a good look at the face before [us] and see， in the light of God's grace， the face of God reflected in that precious face。" He urges us to "see the beauty or frailty， as the case may be， as the character given to the individual and the trust given to you" （154）。 "Marriages that are Christ-centered are beautiful to behold and wonderful to enjoy，" he says。 "Romance as God intended it can last a lifetime" （156）。- - - - - - - - - -"I， Isaac， Take Thee， Rebekah" was a wonderful book to read。 Zacharias' simple presentation of the important principles for preparing for and thriving in marriage is powerful and challenging。 The only reason that I gave it four stars is because I felt he could have organized the book a little more strictly。 I would have liked more clearly defined sections that did not blend together as much as his did。 The content is invaluable， however， even if it is not organized how I would have done it！ Thank you Ravi！ 。。。more

Aharon ，

An exegetical journey of Isaac and Rebekah; a story bathed in prayer。

Ali Chatham ，

I’ve read quite a few Christian Marriage/Relationship books， but this one really stands out！ Ravi uses the biblical account of Isaac and Rebekah in genesis as biblical evidence for his arguments about necessary behaviors， practices， and beliefs in marriage。 Although I’m not yet married， I found that many of his points were also applicable for any sort of friendship。

Abigail ，

I had to listen to this book/sermon for school this week and I am recommending it to everybody I know！！！ It is AMAZING！！！！！ If you don't have time to read the book， you can listen to the sermon on youtube。 It is a five part sermon （each part 14 mins）。 It is defiantly worth the hour and 20 minutes of your life。 You will NOT regret it！！！！！ It goes through everything about marriage from a biblical point！！ I defiantly learned a lot from this sermon！！ So now it is your guys time to go and listen and/ I had to listen to this book/sermon for school this week and I am recommending it to everybody I know！！！ It is AMAZING！！！！！ If you don't have time to read the book， you can listen to the sermon on youtube。 It is a five part sermon （each part 14 mins）。 It is defiantly worth the hour and 20 minutes of your life。 You will NOT regret it！！！！！ It goes through everything about marriage from a biblical point！！ I defiantly learned a lot from this sermon！！ So now it is your guys time to go and listen and/or read this book/sermon！！！！ （This sermon is for both genders so whether you are a guy or girl you MUST listen to it！ :D） 。。。more

Vunny Wijaya ，

Pacaran tidak harus lama， Tuhan dapat mempertemukan seseorang dengan pasangan hidupnya dalam waktu yang singkat namun berkomitmen selamanya。 Hidup dalam ikatan keluarga dengan Kristus sebagai kepala。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving from Romance to Lasting Love&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0