Abraham – Father of Faith - 10 Isaac & Rebekah

A Solemn Promise Genesis 24:1-5 MKJV And Abraham was old, going on in age. And Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. (2) And Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, I pray you, put your hand under my thigh. (3) And I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of Heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. (4) But you shall go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife to my son Isaac.

Being Equally Yoked Who we marry is incredibly important Paul tells us to only marry believers (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) The mother often determines the spirituality of the children A prayerful and godly mother has been behind many great people

No Going Back Genesis 24:5-9 MKJV (5) And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I necessarily bring your son again to the land from which you came? (6) And Abraham said to him, Take care that you do not bring my son there again. (7) Jehovah, 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 who swore to me, saying, To your seed I will give this land: He shall send His Angel before you. And you shall take a wife to my son from there. (8) And if the woman will not be willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath of mine. Only do not bring my son there again. (9) And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning the matter.

Waiting For God’s Choice The success of the mission was not as important as obeying God’s will God would ‘send His angel before you’ Abraham was confident of guidance but also prepared to wait for “the right one” Destiny cannot be rushed

The Prayer For Guidance Genesis 24:10-14 MKJV And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed. For all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. (11) And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, the time that women go out to draw. (12) And he said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, I pray You, send me good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. (13) Behold, I stand by the well of water. And the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. (14) And let it be that the young woman to whom I shall say, Let down your pitcher, please, so that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also. Let her be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by it I shall know that You have shown kindness to my master.

Praying For Guidance He placed himself at a time and a position to make a good human choice He sought God’s selection It was a silent prayer (see v.45) The prayer request was moderately improbable The answer related to the desired outcome (to find a woman of good character) Human wisdom + prayer

The Prayer Is Answered Genesis 24:15-20 MKJV And before he had finished speaking, it happened, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. (16) And the young woman was very beautiful to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. And she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. (17) And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Please let me drink a little water of your pitcher. (18) And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hurried and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave a drink to him. (19) And when she had finished giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking. (20) And she hurried, and emptied her pitcher in the trough, and ran again to the well to draw water. And she drew for all his camels.

Watering The Camels The servant took 10 Arabian camels Dromedaries drink 40-60 liters of water each. This totals 400 – 600 liters – about 3 large 55 gallon drums full.

Rebekah’s Attitude Servant heart Beautiful in form and in character Sees what needs to be done – a man obviously needing water for his ten camels Completes the mammoth task Shrewd - sizes up Abraham’s servant as being important When attitude means opportunity you get fulfilled destiny

The Introduction Genesis 24:21-28 MKJV And the man was watching her, keeping silent, in order to know whether Jehovah had prospered his journey or not. (22) And it happened, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hand, weighing ten shekels of gold. (23) And he said, Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father's house for us to stay? (24) And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. (25) And she said to him, We have both straw and fodder enough, and room to lodge in. (26) And the man bowed down his head, and worshiped the Lord. (27) And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has not left my master destitute of His mercy and His truth. Jehovah led me, I being in the way to the house of my master's brothers. (28) And the young woman ran and told her mother's house these things.

The Confirmation Rebekah turns out to be Isaac’s cousin. This means she was from a family who worshipped the true God God had guided Abraham’s servant to the right place The servant thanks God for the guidance and then follows it.

The Welcome Genesis 24:29-32 MKJV And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. And Laban ran out to the man, to the well. (30) And it happened when he saw the earrings and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, So spoke the man to me, he came to the man. And behold, he stood by the camels at the well. (31) And he said, Come in, blessed of Jehovah. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. (32) And the man came into the house. And he unloaded his camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were with him.

Laban Laban, as the elder brother had some authority in the house His acceptance indicated the venture would be successful. Laban was greedy and was influenced by the lavish wealth – gold bracelets and earrings

The Servant’s Story Genesis 24:33-49 MKJV And food was set before him to eat. But he said, I will not eat until I have told my errand. And he said, Speak on. (34) And he said, I am Abraham's servant. (35) And Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great. And He has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and male slaves and slave women, and camels and asses. (36) And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old. And he has given to him all that he has. (37) And my master made me swear, saying, You shall not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. (38) But you shall go to my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife to my son.

The Servant’s Story - 2 (39) And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not follow me. (40) And he said to me, Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send his Angel with you, and prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my kindred, and from my father's house. (41) Then shall you be clear from my oath when you come to my kindred, and if they do not give you one, you shall be clear from my oath. (42) And I came this day to the well, and said, O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if now You prosper my way in which I go, (43) behold, I stand by the well of water. And it shall be when the virgin comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, please, a little water from your pitcher to drink, (44) and she says to me, Both you drink, and I will also draw for your camels, may she be the woman whom Jehovah has appointed for my master's son.

The Servant’s Story - 3 (45) And before I finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, Please let me drink. (46) And she hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give drink to your camels also. So I drank, and she made the camels drink also. (47) And I asked her and said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the earring upon her nose and the bracelets upon her hands. (48) And I bowed my head and worshiped Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter to his son. (49) And now if you will deal kindly and truthfully with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.

Retelling What God Has Done Abraham’s servant gives the divine and human context of the events He retells in detail what God has done, without embellishment He shows it to be a “marriage made in Heaven”. He is clever enough to include the fact that Abraham was wealthy and that Rebekah would marry the sole heir. We should include the actions of God when we explain our decisions to others.

The Marriage Is Arranged Genesis 24:50-54 MKJV And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing has come forth from Jehovah. 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, even as Jehovah has spoken. (52) And it happened, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth to Jehovah, bowing himself to the earth. (53) And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. (54) And they ate and drank, he and the men with him, and stayed all night. And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away to my master.

Recognized Destiny Rebekah’s destiny was evident to all and was recognized by the entire group The family agreed to follow the leading of the Lord Eliezer helped them to agree to the difficult decision by giving lavish gifts Destiny is often recognized in us, by those close to us Destiny can seem to be “imposed’ on us by family and circumstances and still be of God

Rebekah Is Sent Away Genesis 24:55-61 MKJV And her brother and her mother said, Let the young woman stay with us perhaps ten days. After that she shall go. (56) And he said to them, Do not hinder me, since Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away, that I may go away to my master. (57) And they said, We will call the young woman and inquire at her mouth. (58) And they called Rebekah, and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go. (59) And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. (60) And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Our sister, be the mother of thousands of millions, and let your seed possess the gate of those who hate them. (61) And Rebekah rose up, and her young women, and they rode upon the camels and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

No Procrastination The family try to delay departure Rebekah recognizes this and sides with God and with her destiny We agree with God by quickly acting on His will Procrastination is a subtle form of spiritual rebellion The word “immediately” (Gk. ‘euthos’) is often used in the gospels and Acts (Matthew 4:18-22)

The Blessing of Faith The family blesses Rebekah This was a formal spiritual blessing that carried weight Families can bless one another spiritually Generally the parents or elder children bless those that are younger We need to pronounce blessing from God on our children The blessing affirms and releases the work of God in the life of the child The blessing can be a prophetic word from God.

Isaac Meets Rebekah Genesis 24:62-67 MKJV And Isaac came from the way of the well, The Well of the Living One, my Beholder. For he lived in the south country. (63) And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the beginning of the evening. And he lifted up his eyes, and looked. And behold, camels coming! (64) And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and she saw Isaac. And she dismounted from the camel. (65) For she said to the servant, What man is this that walks in the field to meet us? And the servant said, It is my master. Therefore she took a veil and covered herself. (66) And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. (67) And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. And he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

The Culmination Isaac agrees to marry Rebekah He makes his home with her He cherishes her and loves her He “moves on” from the death of his mother and focuses on the marriage relationship with his wife. Isaac was a man of prayer and meditation He may have been praying about who he would marry Though he did not choose Rebekah himself he accepted her as the Lord’s choice. God’s choice is the best choice