God Provides for His Promise
The Gospel Project • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 3 viewsGod works providentially to bring others into His family and fulfill His promises
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
You know there is something about this time of year that really lends itself to experiencing the drama of a good story. As the days gets shorter, the air gets colder and we start spending more time inside and we start thinking of family and the holidays, our minds are drawn to memories of good stories. Often times these are stories where decisions create drama that point to someones true destiny. I can think of two particular places where stories like these are often found:
1. The Hunting Shack
2. Hallmark Channel
Have you experienced this? People talking about how excited they are about even the preparations for these upcoming dramas. As the deer hunters prepare for a new season of hunting and have to make decisions on where and when they will go out to hunt they are reminded about where and when they were successful in years past. This brings up a lot of “remember when’s” stories that are fun to tell. And you can’t have a good story without a little exciting drama can you?
And I have heard other people talking about how excited they are about the upcoming holiday dramas season. Just like hunting there is a season for this. They are actually scheduling time to make sure that they see these favorite feel good movies. Typically there is some sort of unlikely romance, where some big city executive gets back to their small town roots and falls in love again with either their high school sweet heart or falls in love with the small town and the feel of the holidays there. They are looking forward to cuddling up on the couch with a blanket and a hot drink and watching this drama of true destiny unfold.
I am being careful this morning to not attribute either of these two activities to one specific gender. Right! Because there truth is thre are a lot of women really into hunting, and there are some big burly men who turn into tear filled teddy bears at the end of a good holiday movie. The point is, that in one way or another, we can all relate to enjoying a story where decisions create drama that reveals someones true destiny.
The reason that I mention this is because we are continuing our series in the book of Genesis today, and Genesis is just full of stories of drama like this. The one that we are going to look at today is found in chapter 24, the longest Chapter in the book of Genesis. While this story does include a beautiful young woman who’s destiny is to marry into this wealthy family, but the real thrust of the drama is not found in their. The bulk of this story lies in the decisions made by the person who introduces them. A trusted servant of the wealthy family who is sent out on a long journey to find a woman that is fit to marry the son of his beloved masters. And it is the decisions that he makes, and how he makes them that creates the drama of destiny. And this destiny is not one governed by romantic interest, or by an authors great story line. The destiny of this couple is a divine one, and this trusted servant is sent out to discover it.
The reason that I mention this is because today’s text is a story. A story of both adventure and romance, but better than anything hallmark can bring it is a romance that includes a divine destiny.
Tension
Because this is a divine destiny, we find the servant asking God for direction in it. This is actually the first time in the Bible that anyone directly asked God for guidance like this. This servant was not a prophet. He was not a prince. He was not a priest. We don’t even really know his name, but he does know the name of LORD. He has served his master for many years and so he understood the power behind the God of his master Abraham. So since he was sent to discover a divine destiny, he asked the divine for His help.
serving the LORD and it was this very same master that sent him on this Holy quest. Knowing that he could not accomplish something like this on his own, he asks God for guidance.
Having a “true destiny” might be easy to relate to in the throws of a great hunting story or the drama of holiday special, but sometimes it is harder for us to remember that this is something that is true for each one of us. We each were created for a purpose. We were created with a divine destiny to know God, to worship Him and to build his Kingdom here on earth. This is the destiny that God has declared over us and when we are after these things then God invites us to come and ask Him for His guidance, just like the servant in this story does. And He promises to help.
The trouble that many of us run into is that we are not looking to discover the story that God has written for us. We are just wanting Him to play a part in the story that we are writing for ourselves. So in our selfishness, we make decisions that cause drama too. But this drama isnt’ the exciting kind that reveals true destiny - it is a drama of despair and destruction.
The servant in this story knew the difference between the two, and we can learn from him this morning.
This is where you and I can probably best relate. Most of us would not submit our lives to made into a Hallmark movie, but we probably all have had times when we had needed help making a decision. A decision that had potential for great drama. One where if we made a good decision then we saw the potential for great things, but just as real was the prospect of terrible things if it goes poorly. This servant found the key to making decisions like this, and we can learn from him this morning.
Open up with me if you will to Genesis chapter 24 (p 17) we won’t be reading all 67 verses of it, but we will cover a lot of it today. I’ll pray and then we will learn from God’s Word together.
Truth
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
There is a little bit of a back story needed as we begin this passage in want to say a special thanks to Denny for teaching last week. The Bibles says that the role of an Overseer includes the trait of being “able to teach” and it is such a blessing that we have Overseers who are taking on that role and teaching in the various ministries of the Church. So thanks Denny for such a great review last week, that really walks us right into the story today.
We are in Unit 2 of the Gospel Project, and the focus of this unit is on the promise that God made to a man named Abraham. This “Promise” or Divine Covenant was
1. He would be given a great Name
2. He would be given a great Land
3. He would be the father of a great Nation
4. Someone from his family will bring blessing to every person on the earth
All of this was overwhelming, and the idea of being a father was particularly curious to Abraham because his wife was barren right up into their old age, but Abraham had faith that it would happen. The aged Sarah gave birth to a little boy named Isaac, which means laughter. Mostly because the idea of someone as old as they were having a child was laughable, but God was faithful. Abraham and Sarah got to watch young Isaac grow. They longed to be parents for so long and when it happened they loved being his parents. Anyone who has every struggled with infertility can relate to this. In fact, they took such great joy in being Isaac’s parents that God decided to test Abraham’s faithfulness to him, by way of his relationship with his son.
As Denny covered last week, God commanded that Isaac the only son of the promise, the only son of Abraham and Sarah,God commanded him to be sacrificed. This is probably one of the hardest stories for any parent to wrap our mind around. Why God might do this. How Abraham could even consider doing this, but Abraham trusted that the faithful God who made the laughable happen by giving them a Son in the first place, would follow through in his promise that Isaac would be his heir. And before Abraham’s knife could end his sons life, God stepped in and offered a substitute sacrifice of a lamb. Isaac marched up that mountain to be the sacrifice that God demanded, and God returned his life to him.
How Abraham could even consider doing this, but Abraham trusted that the faithful God who made the laughable happen by giving them a Son in their old age would follow through in his promise that Isaac would be his heir. And before Abraham’s knife could end his sons life, God stepped in and offered a substitute sacrifice of a lamb. Isaac marched up that mountain to be the sacrifice that God demanded, but God gave him back his life.
This is a beautiful foreshadowing of how God the Father will one day offer HIS only son as a sacrifice for you and I.
Abraham had seen that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper and God did indeed give Abraham a great name. He was living in a great land and he was watching his son Isaac grow up into a great man. Then something significant happened. Right before the story we will experience this morning, Abraham’s beloved wife Sarah dies. Suddenly Abraham is reminded of his own mortality. This great promise is not just for him in his lifetime, but it will flow up through his family tree until it becomes a blessing to all people, even to us some 5,000 years later. So with this in mind, he begins to make arrangements for the next step in the covenant promise that will lead to the entire world being blessed by his family. He needs to find a wife for his son Isaac.
Abraham had seen that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper and God did indeed make Abraham a great man, He was living in a great land and he was watching his son Isaac grow up into a great man. Then, right before the story we will cover today, his beloved wife Sarah dies. Suddenly Abraham is reminded of his own mortality. These great things are not just for him in his lifetime, but they will flow from his family long after he is gone. So in the fear of the Lord, he arranges for the next step in the covenant promise that will lead to the entire world being blessed by his family.
So that is where we are in the big story, lets dive into our story for today.
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Abraham’s descendants will one day possess all the land that God had promised Abraham, but right now Abraham is still living in a land that is not his own. The land is inhabited by the Canaanites, a pagan and idolatrous people who come from the cursed lineage of Noah’s son Ham. Abraham knows that he needs to find a wife for his son, but he does not want her to be someone who will draw him into ways that will dishonor God. As Abraham had become very wealthy, there were probably many Canaanite families who would like to get their daughter married into Abraham family, but Abraham knows that would not help Isaac to honor God.
Every Christian parent should be concerned about this when it comes to who their children marry. Too often we get caught up in the worlds idea of “love” and thats the only question we ask our children. “Do you really love him”. That’s an important question, but not the most important. Will marrying this person draw you closer to Jesus, or pull you away? That is the question that Christian parents should be asking their children, and it is the question that is guiding Abraham as he makes his trusted servant swear to YHWY that He will return to where his extended family is and find a wife from them.
So he makes his trusted servant swear to YHWY that He will return to where his extended family is and find a wife from them.
The servant does have a question though.
5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
Genesis 24:
Do you see how Abraham is fiercely protecting the promises that God had given him.
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. 1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.” 25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. 1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. 1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in. 17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. 1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore. 13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” 18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed. 20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” 28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.
Because He is to become God’s great nation, his Son cannot marry a woman who will pull him away from God. Because He is to inherit this land that God has given him, his son is not to leave it.
Abraham is probably concerned that his family might convince Isaac to stay there with them, and never return. I am from Illinois, I met my wife here in Wisconsin and we have never moved back. It could happen. Abraham knows the power that a young woman and her family can have on a man, but Abraham also knows that God is a promise keeper, and He will honor Abrahams desire for a godly daughter in law and send an angel, a messenger, to prepare the way to the girl that his son Isaac will marry. He is so confident in this that he rests the oath on it.
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
God directs the paths of His people for His purposes ()
God directs the paths of His people for His purposes ()
That was only the
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
This servant of Abraham needed help. He had just traveled some 3 months journey to a place that he may never have been to before. He is standing at the well and he notices that the women of the city start to come out to gather the water for the evening. And he is supposed to find this one special girl, amongst all the girls from the city. So he prays to the “LORD, the God of his master Abraham”. It was Abraham that told him that the LORD will show him the right girl. So the servant prays to his LORD.
o depend on the LORD to make this happenwill send his angel the servant is now crying out to the LORD to accomplish this.
Understand that in our English Bibles when you see the word “LORD” in all capital letters like this it means that the servant in using the personal name of the God of the Bible. It is the Hebrew word “YHWY” יהוה. So the servant is calling on the LORD (YHWY) to help him to identify the woman that God has for Isaac. Not only is the servant asking God to point out the right girl, but he is also asking God to demonstrate his “steadfast love” to his master Abraham in this way.
This is clearly a significant asking, because the servant uses the term several times in the story. These two words in English are only one word in Hebrew. It is the word “Has’ed” חֶ֫סֶד . When applied to the LORD it is his “steadfast love” his “loyal love”, his faithful covenantal kindness. The servant wants to make sure that whatever happens here is not something that he fabricated, but something that God caused to be done. That God’s purposes are realized here in this experience.
We claim this same thing for us as a New Testament People. In it says
God directs the paths of His people for his purposes ()
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God works for our good, when we are after his purposes - not when we are doing our own thing. This servant has witnessed this in Abraham’s life, and he desires for this event to follow in line with the covenantal promises that he has seen God be so faithful in the past. Because he knows that...
His ‘loyal love” being on display and moving forward his covenantal promises. Showing that
God directs the paths of His people for his purposes ()
God directs the paths of His people for his purposes ()
And God does not disappoint, as this is where the story really gets good...
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
Of all the women in the city (not villiage) while he was still praying Rebekah comes out. Of course the servant doesn’t yet know who she is, but the narrator of the story lets us know. And what kind of girl is she?
16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
This was not what Rebekah had come to well to do today. She was heading to the well, probably in the same way she did every evening to get water for the household. Then this man traveling with a large caravan asks for a drink. She could have stopped there, but she didn’t. In what turns out to be a dramatic turn of events she decides to offer to water his camels.
Remember how many camels there were? 10 camels. Camels were used for long journeys like this because they can go for a long time without water. How do they do it? They can drink a lot at one time. After a long journey like this a camel can drink up to 30 gallons in about 10 minutes. She had 10 camels. That means she was toting 300 gallons of water from the well to the trough. That is a lot of work. And while she ran back and forth, the servant just watches her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not.
What is he waiting for? Didn’t she already say the “magic words”? Didn’t she already offer to water the camels just like he proposed in his prayer? She had to be the one now, right?
This is where a word of caution is needed. Sometimes when we are looking for guidance from the Lord on a particular decision we might be tempted to think that we can set up some physical sign that will tell us God’s will. We ask God to speak to us in some completely unrelated way. Later on in the book of Judges we find Gideon doing this. He wanted to know if God really wanted him to lead the people into battle, even though God had already proved himself through a sign of fire. If you read the account in you will find that even Gideon knew that he should have enough faith to just obey God at his Word. He begged God to not be angry with him for asking for yet another sign. And we have to remember that we are not Gideon. Gideon did not have what Christians today does have. The whole of Biblical counsel and the constant presence of the Holy Spirit to understand it. And remember that Jesus didn’t take to kindly to people asking him for signs. On at least two occasions he said that “a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (; ).
So don’t think that this kind of “set up” is the way to know God’s will. And that is actually not what the servant here in our story is doing. He is not looking for the magic words or some unrelated sign. He is looking for a wife for Isaac from the family line of Abraham. And understand that Abraham’s interest in finding a wife for Isaac was not just because his son looked lonely, it was to continue the promise that God had made. Rebekah would not just become Isaac’s wife, but as Sarah has died she will become the Matriarch of the family of Abraham, and the next mother in the line that will eventually bring the Messiah.
This is what the servant was looking for in the young woman. In order to be the kind of leader that she would need to be as the Matriarch of Abraham’s family...
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” 15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
She would have to be strong, she was strong enough to carry literally a ton of water
She would have to be compassionate, she could see that these men had traveled a great distance
She would have to have a servant’s heart, She is carrying this water for a caravan of people that she didn’t even know
Not to mention that it was probably a big plus for for Isaac that she was good looking
These were all attributes that the servant was looking for, but that didn’t mean that she was the one. The servant was still waiting because he did not know if she was from Abraham’s family.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.”
Now here the man’s response, not to the fact that they had a place to stay tonight, but to who her father was:
Genesis 24:
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
Genesis 24:
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” 15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”
The servant recognized that God had directed him in the path to accomplish God’s Purposes and in response the servant worships the LORD. The girl freaks out and runs home to tell her mother. This is big news! They don’t know all the details yet but a distant relative has come to town and this is huge.
We don’t have time to read all of the story this morning, but the next thing to happen is that Rebekah’s brother Laban, (who will be a significant player down the road in Jacob’s story), he invites the servant into their home and provides for their needs but the servant will not eat until he delivers his proposal message. So from verse 34 - 48 he recounts the whole story of how
Abraham had made him swear to YHWY that he get a wife from his family
And how YHWY was going to send a messenger to prepare his way to this girl
And how he had prayed to YHWY to identify the girl by how she responded to his request for a drink
And how he had worshiped YHWY when he found out that Rebekah was that girl.
Then he asks her family to make a decision. He says in verse
Rebekah was from his masters househow.he came to identify their daughter Rebekah as the one that Abraham’s son should marry. And of course He includes in the story every place where the LORD had been involved. Then he asks her family to make a decision. He says in verse
49 Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
There is dramatic tension right here in the story. The servant got his mission from the LORD, The LORD led him in the right way, He worshiped the LORD in thankfulness, but the final step of success in the journey was in the hands of these men sitting before him.
Isn’t this often the point when we have the hardest time trusting God. It’s one thing when God has been leading us in a particular way and then we see him work and we celebrate the doors that seem to be opening to us until some point when we realize that everything up to this point hinges on the response of another person. We can’t make their decisions for them, so we feel powerless to do anything. We just have to wait to see what they say. After all our trusting, all our faithfulness, all our hard work going back and forth with God and learning to walk with him we come to a place where the next step hinges on someone else. Can God work here too? In and through this person?
Remember God called Abraham away from a family that practiced idolatry. Would they even care about this God YHWY and the divine destiny that the servant has claimed for their Rebekah? It is one thing for God to show “Has’ed” but will these men?
where we are in the story of God’s people. Abraham left his ill they too show “cHa sed” to Abraham? And listen to their response:
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
:
God is not limited to the
God provides the way to advance His covenant promises (6)
God provides the way to advance His covenant promises (6)
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
Genesis 24:52-
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.
28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.
The servant understood what had happened here - God had accomplished his purposes.
And then permit me to summarize some. The servant gave the family many expensive gifts and they ate and drank and the next morning the servant wanted to get going. Rebekah’s family objected to such a quick departure, they just met this guy yesterday, but the servant pleaded with them on behalf of his master to return at once. It was a 3 month journey back and Abraham was old and fading quickly. So the family decided to leave it up to Rebekah.
Genesis 24:28-36
58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.
Genesis 24:
Here we are deep into the story and we haven’t even heard anything about the groom. In verse 62 we finally hear about what his happening with the heir Isaac.
62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
The Hebrew word translated “meditate” here can also mean “to pray, to walk, to stroll, or to wander about uncertain”. Basically Isaac went out this evening to be alone with his thoughts. What might a young man who’s future wife is arriving any moment be thinking about? Probably the game last night… sorry, I am hopeless as a romantic. Ill try to do better..
Genesis 24:
Genesis 24:
Genesis 24:64
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 24:63-
This story does end with the kindling of a romantic love affair, but the bulk of it is really about decisions made that brought about the drama of a revealed true destiny.
62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 24:62
Historically we learn how: God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
God’s covenant family will continue through Isaac ()
Principally we learn how: God directs the paths of His people for His purposes ()
God directs the paths of His people for His purposes ()
God directs the paths of His people for His purposes ()
Providentially we learn that: God provides the way to advance His covenant promises (;-67)
Gospel Application
Symbolically we can see Rebekah as an image of the of Christian Church. Donald Grey Barnhouse said it this way:
“She was thought of before she knew it and was chosen when she did not know the existence of the bridegroom”.
“She was thought of before she knew it and was chosen when she did not know the existence of the bridegroom”.
Isn’t this true of us as the Church? The Bride of Christ?
Ephesians 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
God chose us to be a part of his Bride, the Church, before the foundation of the World. And how are we to know of this great blessing? How are we to know of this true destiny of ours that God has divinely designed? Just like the servant was sent in the this story for Rebekah, Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to us, to seeks us out and draws us to Him.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
So it is with us - we are chosen before the foundation of the world () Isaac passed through his experience of sacrifice and resurection before Rebekah even knew him. The faithful servant is like the Holy Spirit who seeks us and draws us to Jesus. As we pass through this life, he prepares us to meet Jesus just like the servant undoubtedly prepared Rebekah to meet Isaac - Boyce p. 722 (not direct quote)
:
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Landing
The question I have for you this morning is, “Is the Holy Spirit drawing you to Jesus today?” If he is then I hope that you respond like Rebekah did. When she was asked if she will “go with this man” Her response was “I will go”. She sensed that this was a significant calling, a life changing decision that had true destiny written all over it. Just like Abraham did, she left everything she knew in order to follow after the purposes of this God YHWY who had called her.
If I was to ask you if you will “go with Jesus” today, how would you respond? Maybe just like Rebekah today will be the day that changes everything for you. The day that you realize your true destiny and become part of the bride of Jesus Christ. If that is you then let me encourage you to come talk to me, or one of the Overseers or someone else that you trust. We would love to talk to you about what “going” with Jesus is all about.
Many of us would say that we have been “going” with Jesus for a while now, but if someone was to look down on our past week, is that how they would describe it? If we have been with Jesus this past week then wouldn’t that be evident in our life? Maybe we did “go with Jesus”, but right now we are having a hard time “going with Jesus”. I am not talking about doing it perfectly, none of us are getting it perfect, but is this our desire? Do we desire to live our true destiny in the story that God has written for us, or are we still trying to write our own story and wonder why God keeps messing up his part? We have to remember who the true story writer is, remembering how God has shown us his ultimate act of “Steadfast love” or “Has’ed” in the person and work of Jesus. The Gospel. Have we been living a life worthy of the Gospel? Maybe we need to make some changes this week, remembering our true destiny.
The passage in Ephesians continues to say that: In Love
And we are not going to get it perfect, at least not on this side of heaven, but God is working in us to sanctify us and make us holy and blameless.
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
This life is full of decisions that bring drama, but it is in the fullness of time when we, the Church, will fully realize our destiny. We will see our bridegroom “face to face” are you ready for that day?
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1:4-
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Let me invite the worship team forward as I pray