WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.660 We're sort of coming to the conclusion of this story. Now, last week we looked at 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:09.759 the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife, right? And this week we see the marriage of Isaac. So we 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:14.580 have a funeral and a wedding right next to each other. Sometimes life sort of goes like that, 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:19.379 right? You have grief and sorrow, and you have joy and celebration, and sometimes they're all 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:23.940 mixed together right next to each other. That's what we see. We see an ending and a new beginning. 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:32.900 God takes away, and yet God gives. Now, tonight in chapter 24, what we're going to see is that God 00:00:32.900 --> 00:00:40.359 gives good gifts to His children, that God is… the God of the Bible is a God of steadfast love. 00:00:41.040 --> 00:00:45.140 And if you look through this chapter, that word appears four times. Let me just point it out from 00:00:45.140 --> 00:00:53.920 the beginning. Verse 12, verse 14, verse 27, and verse 49 all have that phrase, steadfast love. 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:59.979 And it's one of the most important words in the Old Testament because it's used to describe God, 00:01:00.539 --> 00:01:05.519 and you can translate it steadfast love, or you can translate it covenant faithfulness, 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:10.379 that God is utterly faithful to His promises. You can translate it loving kindness because there's 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:16.200 a tender aspect to it. So it's a word that's hard to translate, but it means all of these things, 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:22.759 steadfast love, covenant faithfulness, loving kindness. So that's what we're going to see. 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:28.060 That's the kind of God that we see in the Bible behind everything that happens in this story. 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:35.480 Now, this is a long story, but it's a really neat story. So I want to walk us through it 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:42.020 section by section. So let's begin by reading verses 1 to 9, which focus on the character of 00:01:42.020 --> 00:01:47.580 Abraham. There are four characters in this story, Abraham, Abraham's servant, Rebecca, and Isaac, 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:52.859 and we'll sort of take each one in turn. So let's begin verse 1. 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:57.719 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:02.459 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:07.640 put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:12.340 the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:17.120 dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son Isaac. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:24.360 The servant said to him, perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:30.960 take your son back to the land from which you came? Abraham said to him, see to it that you do not 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:37.500 take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:46.000 of my kindred, who spoke to me and swore to me, to your offspring I will give this land. He will send 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:52.080 his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:58.860 to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Only you must not take my son back 00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:03.740 there. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him concerning 00:03:03.740 --> 00:03:09.460 this matter. So the first thing we see here is God's faithfulness and steadfast love to Abraham, 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:15.460 right? That's how verse one begins. Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:19.680 him in all things. Think about all the ways that God has blessed Abraham through this whole story. 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:24.080 God blessed him with material wealth and possessions. God blessed him with protection 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:29.219 from his enemies. God had blessed him with a good and faithful wife, Sarah, who had walked with him 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:35.260 along his whole journey. God had blessed him with a son, Isaac, born in his old age, who would be his 00:03:35.260 --> 00:03:42.080 heir. God blessed him with promises of a glorious legacy that would be carried down to generations in the 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:51.080 future. And the greatest blessing above all that Abraham had received was God himself. God had 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:58.220 given… God had promised himself to Abraham. He said, I will be your God, and you will be mine. 00:03:59.160 --> 00:04:03.360 You know, that's the… according to the Bible, the greatest blessing in the world that you… the 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:09.680 greatest blessing you can receive from God is a relationship with God himself. And that was the 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:16.540 greatest blessing, and Abraham knew that. So, God wasn't just sort of a way to get something else 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:23.220 that he wanted. God was the greatest blessing that Abraham had. And so, Abraham's coming to the end of 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:28.240 his life. He's now over a hundred years old. He's now a widower. But he doesn't just want to end his 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:34.300 life in peace. He's not done yet. He wants to see that God's ways are handed down to the next 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:39.759 generation. And so, he calls his servant. He says, put your hand under my thigh. You might think, 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:43.980 well, that's a little weird. That was actually a common way in the ancient world of swearing an oath. 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:52.819 Okay? Circumcision was a covenant. It was sort of an oath sign. And putting your hand under the thigh 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:59.720 is basically saying, I swear on you and all your progeny. So, it was a very solemn oath in the ancient 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:07.080 world that would have been understood in that way. So, he says, promise me you will go and find a 00:05:07.080 --> 00:05:14.020 wife for my son. Abraham actually knows, sort of interesting, Abraham knows that Isaac, even though 00:05:14.020 --> 00:05:20.020 Isaac is 40 years old, Isaac is not ready to go out. Isaac is not going to go out and find a good wife 00:05:20.020 --> 00:05:26.040 on his own. He needs some help. Right? He's 40 years old. He's still living at home. He needs somebody 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:33.640 to set him up. Right? So, Abraham says, I'm sending you on a journey. And he lays down two requirements. 00:05:33.840 --> 00:05:38.860 He says, verse 3, not from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell. So, they were 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:47.400 his immediate neighbors, but they were all idol worshipers. The Canaanites did not know and did not 00:05:47.400 --> 00:05:54.040 follow the one true God who had called Abraham. But again, Abraham believed that knowing God is the 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:58.720 greatest blessing of all. And so, when he's looking for a good life partner for Isaac, that was his 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:05.480 number one priority. Find someone who knows and loves and follows and is committed to following the 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:11.439 one true God. And a Canaanite idol… a Canaanite who worshiped idols doesn't fit that description. 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:17.280 Instead, the second thing he says is, go to my country, go back home, find a wife from there, 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:22.640 but find someone who's willing to come here. Now, you might think, well, what's that about? I mean, 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:28.399 that's… but think about the story of Abraham. Where did Abraham start? He started back in his 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:33.079 homeland. And what was the first thing God called him to do? God said, leave your country and your 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:39.379 people and go to the land that I will show you and that I will promise to you and your descendants. 00:06:40.659 --> 00:06:48.300 Trust me. And so, basically what Abraham's saying is, I want you to find someone who will trust God's 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:55.460 promises just like God called me to trust His promises. Someone who will live by faith and in 00:06:55.460 --> 00:07:02.180 obedience to God. And verses 6 through 8 are actually the last recorded words of Abraham in 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:08.420 the book of Genesis. They're the last words that he speaks in the story. And so, let me… before we go 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:15.759 on from Abraham to the next character, just turn back to chapter 15, verses 2 and 3. These are the first 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:23.680 recorded words of Abraham in the story of his life in Genesis, 15, 2 and 3. Abraham said, 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:31.579 O Lord God, what will you give me? For I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of 00:07:31.579 --> 00:07:36.740 Damascus. And Abraham said, Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:44.539 be my heir. I want you to compare that to what he says in verses 6 to 8 when he says, 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:50.319 The Lord, the God of heaven, took me from my father's house and spoke to me and swore to me, 00:07:50.400 --> 00:07:54.780 to your offspring I will give this land. And Abraham says, He'll send his angel before you, 00:07:55.500 --> 00:08:02.780 and don't go back. Don't take my son back there. Don't go back on God's… don't go… don't go back 00:08:02.780 --> 00:08:08.020 and leave behind God's promises. You see… you see how Abraham begins? He begins with questions and 00:08:08.020 --> 00:08:12.900 doubts. He's saying, Lord, what are you going to give me? I don't see your promises. I don't know 00:08:12.899 --> 00:08:18.179 about this. I don't know how this is all going to go through. He's doubting and questioning, 00:08:18.299 --> 00:08:22.359 and sometimes we're there. I mean, sometimes if we're honest, that's where we are. 00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:27.579 But by the end of his life, he's got to a place of full confidence in the Lord, 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:33.720 where he can say, God took me, God promised me, God's been faithful to me, and so God's going to 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:40.819 be faithful to you too in the future. And so don't go back. Just notice how he ends his life with that 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:46.180 statement of full confidence in the Lord. He's saying, God's been faithful to me all the way. 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:51.379 So that's the first thing we see, God's faithfulness to Abraham all the way to the end of 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:57.780 his life. Second thing we see is God's faithfulness to Abram's servant. So let's read starting at verse 00:08:57.780 --> 00:09:04.740 10. Then Abram's servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts 00:09:04.740 --> 00:09:09.220 from his master. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. Nahor was Abraham's brother, 00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:13.320 father. So he probably went back to Abraham's brother's city. And he made the camels kneel 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:17.399 down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:24.160 water. And he said, O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show 00:09:24.160 --> 00:09:29.639 steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I'm standing by the spring of water, and the daughters 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:33.860 of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:39.000 please let down your jar that I may drink. And who shall say, drink, and I will water your 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:44.899 camels, let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:51.379 that you have shown steadfast love to my master. Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:56.580 who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her 00:09:56.580 --> 00:10:01.779 water jar on her shoulder. The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:05.899 known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:11.959 and said, please give me a little water to drink from your jar. She said, drink, my Lord. And she 00:10:11.959 --> 00:10:16.959 quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:22.659 she said, I will draw water for your camels also until they have finished drinking. So she quickly 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:26.819 emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.879 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:36.500 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel and 00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:41.419 two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels and said, please tell me whose daughter you are. 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:46.419 Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night? She said to him, I am the daughter 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:52.980 of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. She added, we have plenty of both straw and fodder 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:59.399 and room to spend the night. The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, blessed be the 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:05.620 Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:11.220 toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:16.779 Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things. So think about 00:11:16.779 --> 00:11:23.519 this servant in verse 10. He's got a pretty tough assignment. I mean, you've got to admit it. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:28.399 He has to embark on a long journey all alone to a place that he probably has never been. 00:11:29.579 --> 00:11:36.639 He has to find a woman from Abraham's country who is sort of from his extended family or sort of his 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:43.120 tribe or clan who's willing to come all the way back to Canaan to marry a man that she has not yet 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:50.340 met in person. I mean, talk about a shot in the dark, right? Or a needle in a haystack. I mean, 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:56.420 that's a pretty tough assignment and it's all on you. So, but look at the character of the servant. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:01.960 Verse 10, he just, he gets up and goes. He doesn't delay, doesn't procrastinate. He's not like Jonah, 00:12:02.040 --> 00:12:06.040 doesn't run the other way. He just goes. He's earnest and loyal. He does what he says he would do. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:13.480 And then he prays, okay? Sometimes God brings us into desperate situations to teach us how to pray 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:17.100 because you know what? He knows that we wouldn't learn how to pray otherwise. 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:22.300 So, he puts us in situations like this servant where we're pretty desperate and we're like, 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:28.860 this is a shot in the dark. Oh, Lord, help. But you know what? The servant says more than, 00:12:29.019 --> 00:12:36.600 oh, Lord, help. He says, oh, Lord, he thinks, he appeals to God's steadfast love. He remembers God's 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:41.960 faithfulness to Abraham and appeals to that. And then he prays for something very specific. 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:50.519 Now, you know, sometimes that's actually an important thing for us to do, to pray specifically 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:58.519 when we need specific things. You know, and not just, sometimes when we pray only vaguely and 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:05.040 generally, sometimes it's actually a sign that we're sort of want to keep our distance from God 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:12.240 in the concrete decisions and details of our lives. You know, I mean, it's fine to pray, 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:18.719 God, bless everybody in the world. That's fine. But you know what? Maybe you need to pray 00:13:18.719 --> 00:13:25.599 for somebody who is hard for you to deal with and pray, God, I want you to bless this person 00:13:25.599 --> 00:13:31.919 who's really hard for me to deal with. Because you know what? They're part of everybody in the world, 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:37.860 but maybe you need to pray for that person. It's important to let God into the details of our 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:43.059 lives to talk to him specifically about what he needs, what we need. Now, what does the servant need? 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:50.679 Right? He needs, he needs a lead, right? He needs, he needs a, he needs a contact, right? He needs a lead 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:56.500 to a woman who might be the one he's been sent to look for. So he says, I'll ask someone for a drink, 00:13:56.500 --> 00:14:04.559 and if she offers to water the camels too, let her be the one. Now, what do we take from that, right? 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:11.340 Some of us might think, oh, okay, he's asking God for a sign. You ever ask God for a sign? 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:18.080 Right? All kinds of people ask God for all kinds of signs. But notice this is not a random or arbitrary 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:28.520 sign. Okay? So camels can drink up to 25 gallons of water each when they're rehydrating after a long 00:14:28.520 --> 00:14:37.060 journey, as they would have been in this case. The man has 10 camels. 10 times 25 is 250. 250 gallons. 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:47.600 So imagine what kind of woman would volunteer without being asked to draw 250 gallons of water 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:54.980 from a well to feed, to water the camels of a foreigner who just arrived in town. 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:05.759 Well, it would have to be a woman who is generous and hospitable, even to strangers. 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:11.920 It would have to be a woman who is kind, who's willing to go the extra mile to help someone in need. 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:15.799 It would have to be a woman who's hardworking and diligent. 00:15:17.839 --> 00:15:23.339 You see, the servant's not asking for sort of a random sign. He's looking for an indication 00:15:23.339 --> 00:15:33.559 of this woman's true character. And God answers his prayer, and God answers it fast, right? The story 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:38.000 starts going really fast in verse 15. Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebecca comes on the 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:44.139 scene. Verse 17, the servant runs to meet her. Verse 18, she quickly let down her jar and gave him a drink. 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:48.960 Verse 20, she quickly emptied her jar, ran again to the well. Verse 21 is a bit of a break in the action. 00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:54.200 The man gazed at her in silence. He's watching her while she's running back and forth, watering the 00:15:54.200 --> 00:16:00.320 camels, drawing more water, watering the camels, drawing more water, and he's looking and thinking, 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:08.220 is God led me exactly where I need to go. And then she invites him to come and spend the night 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:12.820 at her father's house, and he realizes that the first part of his journey has succeeded. 00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:18.440 And notice his response, verse 26, he bowed his head and worshiped the Lord. 00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:28.100 His success did not lead him to pride and having an inflated ego. His success led him to humility 00:16:28.100 --> 00:16:35.420 and praise and worship of God. Where does your success tend to lead you? When you're really 00:16:35.420 --> 00:16:42.200 successful at something that maybe seemed like a really big task that was beyond your capabilities. 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:46.639 Does it lead you to pride and inflate your ego, or does it lead you to humility and praise? 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:50.980 And notice verse 27, notice his prayer. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:58.000 The servant's concerned about, number one, the Lord, that's who he starts talking about, 00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:06.700 number two, Abraham, his boss, and number three, me, as for me. Do you notice he goes in that order? 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:14.519 His priority list is God, the one, Abraham, myself. 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:23.640 Most of us, right? Most of us were the other way. Our priority is myself, maybe the person I'm 00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:29.620 working for if I really have, if I'm going to get fired otherwise. And God, as much as he 00:17:29.620 --> 00:17:39.160 helps me get what I want to get. But no, Abraham's servant is focused on God. 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:43.560 So the story goes on. It's a long story, so I'm going to summarize. Verse 29 to 33, basically, 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:47.560 he comes to the house, and they welcome him into the house, and they put dinner before him. 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:54.359 And then verse 34 to 49, he says, actually, I'm not going to eat until I tell you how I got here. 00:17:54.639 --> 00:18:01.659 So he retells the whole story. He, the God's blessing to Abraham, the promise to Abraham, 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:07.259 his prayer at the spring, God's provision of Rebekah, praise to God, and then a proposal for 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:12.599 marriage. Verse 49, he says, now then, if you're going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:17.319 my master, tell me, and if not, tell me that I may turn to the right hand or to the left. In other 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:27.859 words, he's saying, yes or no. So he's sort of asking the heads of household for their permission 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:33.359 to take Rebekah to become Isaac's wife. Now their response is verse 50 and 51, behold, 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:39.119 Rebekah, verse 51, behold, Rebekah is before you, take her and go and let her be the wife of your 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:44.219 master's son as the Lord has spoken. And again, note the servant's response. When Abraham's servant 00:18:44.219 --> 00:18:50.039 heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. His first prayer, he's standing 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:57.659 at the well, and he prays, standing, boldly asking God for what he needs. When Rebekah invites him, 00:18:57.719 --> 00:19:04.239 come to my house, he bows his head. And when the heads of household give permission for Rebekah 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:12.599 to come with him and become Isaac's wife, he bows to the ground in praise to God. Again, 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:19.740 his success leads him to humility and praise. The more successful he becomes, the more humble he gets. 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:24.900 Because again, this story isn't just about the servant's success, it's about God's faithfulness 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:32.819 to the servant. God heard his prayer, God answered his prayer. God was faithful to Abraham all the days 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:37.599 of his life. God is faithful to the servant when he's facing this difficult and crazy task. 00:19:40.179 --> 00:19:47.700 And now we come to God's faithfulness to Rebekah. Okay, we've already seen Rebekah, 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:54.539 her character, that she's generous, she's hospitable, she's kind, hardworking, vigorous, and strong. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:01.700 But now we come to what might be the climax of the story, starting at verse 53. The servant brought 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:06.440 out jewelry of silver and of gold and garments and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:11.580 and to her mother costly ornaments. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:16.319 and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, send me away to my master. 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:22.059 Her brother and her mother said, let the young woman remain with us a while, at least 10 days. 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:28.140 After that, she may go. But he said to them, do not delay me since the Lord has prospered my way. 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:34.580 Send me away that I may go to my master. He doesn't want to delay this and sort of, you know, 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:40.220 of course, if you delay it, then people might change their mind. So, he's sort of like, 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:48.820 I've been given a task. I need to stay focused on it. And so, you know, I've laid it out before you. 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:56.079 You freely answered. And so, let's go. You know, let's not procrastinate here. 00:20:57.399 --> 00:21:03.460 Verse 57, they said, let us call the young woman and ask her. Right? Because the heads of… you know, 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:07.819 he's been welcomed into the household, and the heads of household have given their blessing, 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:15.399 their permission, but Rebekah needs to say yes. Right? Even in the ancient world, when there's 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:22.820 arranged marriage in situations like this, you still have to have consent. She still has to say 00:21:22.820 --> 00:21:30.840 yes. Otherwise, it ain't a marriage. And they called Rebekah and said to her, will you go with 00:21:30.840 --> 00:21:39.960 this man? She said, I will go. So, they sent away Rebekah, their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:45.440 servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, our sister, may you become thousands 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:52.460 of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him. Then Rebekah and 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:57.600 her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus, the servant took Rebekah 00:21:57.600 --> 00:22:04.920 and went his way. So, again, we've seen God's faithfulness to Abraham, God's faithfulness to the 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:12.980 servant. And now we see God's faithfulness to Rebekah. Again, Rebekah's repeating the journey of 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:19.620 faith that Abraham's story began with, when God called Abraham to leave his country and his people 00:22:19.620 --> 00:22:25.279 and his father's household and go to the land that he would show him, and trust that God would lead him 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:30.820 every step of the way, and trust that God had made this promise to him. And Rebekah says, 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:38.700 I will go. I'm in on that too. I want that. I believe God's promises. I'll follow his call. 00:22:39.139 --> 00:22:45.200 I want in. And as a result, Rebekah receives the blessing that God had promised. She gets in on the 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:53.240 blessing that God had promised to Abraham and his offspring in verse 60, which is similar to some 00:22:53.240 --> 00:23:00.339 words that God spoke to Abraham in 2217, when God says, I'll surely bless you and multiply your 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:06.119 offspring, and your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies. So, God promises protection and 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:14.939 victory. So, there's Rebekah. And finally, number, finally, we come to Isaac, verse 62 to the end of 00:23:14.939 --> 00:23:22.179 the chapter. Now, Isaac had returned from Bir Lahai Roy and was dwelling in the Negev. And Isaac went out 00:23:22.179 --> 00:23:28.959 to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:34.980 coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes. And when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel and said 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:40.700 to the servant, who is that man walking in the field to meet us? The servant said, it is my master. 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:47.500 So, she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:53.140 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and took Rebekah. And she became his wife, 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:57.800 and he loved her. So, Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:04.340 Now, interestingly, right, the story begins with Abraham, but the servant doesn't return to Abraham. 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:09.960 The servant returns to Isaac, right? This is a signal that the story is shifting, right? For so long, 00:24:10.020 --> 00:24:15.320 we focused on Abraham. But Abraham is, again, coming to the end of his life and moving out of the picture. 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:19.639 And the focus of Genesis is going to move on to Isaac for the next few chapters. 00:24:21.439 --> 00:24:24.599 But what do you see? You know, look at the character of Isaac for just a minute. 00:24:26.379 --> 00:24:33.179 Isaac's sort of out there, seems to be on his own. He had returned from Beer-le-hi-Roi. Now, 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:42.220 that word means, that place name means, the well of the living one who sees me. It's the place where 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:48.759 Hagar had gone when she ran away from home. And it's the place where God saw her and found her 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:56.779 and told her to come back home. So, he had been there, and now he's dwelling in the Negev, which 00:24:56.779 --> 00:25:01.819 just means the south. Sort of a dry… it was a dry area southwest of the Dead Sea. And then he goes 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:08.079 out to meditate in the field. It seems like Isaac's a bit aimless, right? He's the 40-year-old bachelor 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:17.399 who is living on his own, and he's going out to meditate in the field. And there's… and let me 00:25:17.399 --> 00:25:21.439 just say, there ain't nothing wrong with being a 40-year-old bachelor, right? God has called some 00:25:21.439 --> 00:25:25.919 people to singleness, and you can live a fruitful life as a single person. And the New Testament talks 00:25:25.919 --> 00:25:29.519 about that, and Jesus talks about that, and Paul talks about that. So, don't hear anything I'm saying 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:36.259 tonight as putting that down. But Isaac's life here looks a little aimless. He's living on his own. 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:40.140 He's thinking a lot, but he's not really going anywhere. And the end of verse 67 gives us a 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:45.460 hint as to why that might be he was grieving the loss of his mother who had died three years previous. 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:52.619 But again, just as we saw God's faithfulness to Abraham, to the servant, and to Rebecca, 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:58.839 we see God's faithfulness to Isaac here. Isaac… one of Isaac's… Isaac… Isaac was not called to be 00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:05.500 single for his whole life. God… Isaac was called to… to marry and to have children and carry on 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:13.220 God's promise through that means. And so, God brings Isaac a wife. He receives her as a blessing 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:20.099 from God. So, as I said in the beginning, this story is all about God's faithfulness. It's about 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:25.740 His steadfast love to every one of these characters, these four characters. So, let me end with two 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:32.720 categories of applications. Number one, do you know this God who is a God of steadfast love, 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:38.900 who's faithful to His promises? You know, maybe… maybe… maybe this is your first time in church 00:26:38.900 --> 00:26:45.099 or your first time in a long time. You know, maybe this is sort of new to you. Let me just say to you, 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:51.539 according to the Bible, there's a God who made you and who loves you. And He made you to know Him, 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:55.740 to know Him and to treasure Him like Abraham did is the greatest blessing of all, to know 00:26:55.740 --> 00:27:02.859 Him as your God, the one who knows you and loves you. But the Bible also says that none of us have 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:08.799 loved and treasured God as we ought to. Some of us just make ourselves the center of our lives. 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:17.139 Sometimes we idolize someone else and live for their approval. Sometimes we use God to get other 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:22.380 things that we want. We try to obey God, but we really obey Him in order to get something else. 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:29.420 And the Bible calls all of this sin, putting something else in the place of God, not loving 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:35.720 and treasuring God like we ought to. And sin separates us from God. It alienates us from God. 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:41.700 The good news is God has made a way for us to know Him and to be made right with Him through His Son, 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:47.680 Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross. He came into this 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:52.140 world so that we can be restored to a right relationship with God, so we can know this God 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:57.580 and receive His blessing. So, if you turn to Him in faith, He'll receive you, 00:27:58.120 --> 00:28:01.160 and you can begin the journey of knowing the God who made you. 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:08.059 Now, for those of you who do know this God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:13.519 Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ, let me give some practical applications about looking for a 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:19.579 spouse. Because isn't that sort of what this story is about? I decided to save this for the end. I 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:23.639 debated about putting it in the middle. But you have to see all four characters before you can really 00:28:23.639 --> 00:28:28.440 get a big picture of what this story is saying. So, here's… I think each of these characters in the 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:33.519 story has something to teach us about looking for a spouse. So, let me give you one quick thing from 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:39.819 each character, and then we'll be done. Number one, Abraham teaches us, look for someone who shares 00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:45.339 your faith in Christ. Someone who believes God's promises, who's willing to follow God's call. 00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:51.119 That's what Abraham says to his servant, don't settle for anything less. I mean, think about it this way. 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:58.539 What's the most important goal that you're pursuing in your life? What's the principle that you hold most 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:04.619 deeply that you wouldn't want to compromise on? What is it that you love and desire more than anything 00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:10.899 else? And if you're going to spend the rest of your life with someone, wouldn't you want that person to 00:29:10.899 --> 00:29:18.039 share that loyalty, to understand it deeply, and to pursue it alongside you? Not just to say, 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:26.899 I can respect that, but that's not really me. But to embrace it along with you, to walk with you on 00:29:26.900 --> 00:29:32.600 that journey side by side, arm in arm, pursuing that same goal that you both are going towards. 00:29:33.860 --> 00:29:41.880 If you belong to Jesus, if you are a follower of Jesus, He is that goal. He's that number one loyalty. 00:29:43.060 --> 00:29:48.640 Your eternal goal, your greatest treasure. So, that should be the number one question as you 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:53.860 get to know someone, is do we share a common faith? Are we fixing our eyes on Jesus together 00:29:53.859 --> 00:30:06.279 and helping each other follow Him? And if the answer is no, then it's better to, hard as it may be, 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:16.319 it's better to, it's better to go your separate ways and not continue a dead-end dating relationship. 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:25.179 Second, what do we learn from the servant? The servant teaches us, pray and put yourself out there. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:34.839 Okay? The servant does both. He prays, and full dependence on God. And he also puts himself out 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:38.899 there. I mean, verse 17, he goes up to the woman and he says, please give me a drink of water. 00:30:39.899 --> 00:30:44.159 Right? He's willing to make himself feel a little awkward in an unfamiliar situation, 00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:48.980 in a city he's never been to, in a foreign country. I mean, he's got to put himself out there. 00:30:50.600 --> 00:30:55.660 Sometimes you need to put yourself out there in appropriate ways, in the right kind of ways. 00:30:57.580 --> 00:31:03.220 So, ask yourself, am I praying, and am I willing to put myself out there? Am I willing to walk up to 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:10.240 somebody, maybe even, maybe even in church? Sorry, I don't want to make it too awkward, but maybe even 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:21.680 in church, right? Yeah, I know it can be awkward. But hey, what do you have to lose? Okay? Yes, you 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:28.819 might be rejected. You know what? That's, sorry, unavoidable. Anyway, now, just a warning about the 00:31:28.819 --> 00:31:34.599 servant. Some people look for signs. Some people love this story because they're like, oh, the servant 00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:42.980 got a sign. And by signs, they mean unusual coincidences. Like, I had a dream last night 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:51.359 about someone who looked just like you, so we should be together forever. That's a bad way 00:31:51.359 --> 00:32:00.679 to look for a spouse. Don't rely on those kind of unusual coincidences that are crazy and random 00:32:00.680 --> 00:32:07.680 and mean nothing. The sign the servant prayed for was not just an unusual coincidence. It was a sign 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:14.400 of her true character. So, that leads us to our third point. What Rebecca teaches us is let inward 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:20.460 character attract you even more than outward appearance. Rebecca was attractive. Verse 16, 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:26.740 she was very attractive in appearance. But you know what? Her character stands out far more than her 00:32:26.740 --> 00:32:35.079 looks in this story. Her generosity, her hospitality, her kindness, her diligence, her unselfishness, her 00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:45.240 courage. All of those things stand out. You know, the outward stuff is going to change. Beauty will fade. 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:51.240 Charm doesn't always last. Money doesn't always last. And we all know that in principle, but how many 00:32:51.240 --> 00:33:01.740 times do we let beauty and charm and money be our first filter? Well, I'll find somebody who is my 00:33:01.740 --> 00:33:07.660 type, my body type, and who seems sort of charming and not socially awkward and who seems to be doing 00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:17.240 pretty well financially. Why would we make the things that we know aren't going to last be our first 00:33:17.240 --> 00:33:25.380 criteria to consider who we would even consider getting to know better? Let inward character 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:32.980 attract you even more than the outward stuff. And that's sort of a heart issue about how do we 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:44.740 view other people. But there we go. So, number one, so just to review, look for someone who shares 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:49.740 your faith. Pray and put yourself out there. Let inward character attract you even more than 00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:56.259 outward appearance. And fourth from Isaac, don't just marry the one you love. Love the one you have 00:33:56.259 --> 00:34:02.420 married. So, this is the point for you if you're married. But also if you're thinking about getting 00:34:02.420 --> 00:34:10.340 married. Verse 67 says, she became his wife and he loved her. Now think about that. Notice, most of us 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:15.980 think that's backwards. Most of us think, most of us think, I'll marry you because I love you. 00:34:17.480 --> 00:34:22.260 But this verse says, because I married you, I'm going to love you. 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:32.260 So, if you're married, cultivate your love for your spouse. Fan the flame. Don't let it die 00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:38.740 in the mundane activities and the burdens and sicknesses and the interpersonal frustrations 00:34:38.739 --> 00:34:44.459 and disappointments that will inevitably come along in every marriage. If you're married, 00:34:44.819 --> 00:34:50.879 love each other because you're married. That's what God made marriage to be anyway. 00:34:52.259 --> 00:34:57.919 Because what marriage is supposed to be is, again, a reminder, a picture of God's steadfast love, 00:34:58.059 --> 00:35:00.799 which is what this story is all about anyway. 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:08.440 To know the steadfast love of God, whether you're single, whether you're married, whether you're 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:11.000 pursuing marriage or not pursuing marriage, if you're single. 00:35:13.720 --> 00:35:18.860 What this story is inviting you to is to receive and experience the steadfast love of God 00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:21.340 through Jesus Christ. 00:35:21.340 --> 00:35:30.039 And what we see as we prepare to take communion tonight, when we take the bread and take the cup, 00:35:31.300 --> 00:35:34.360 it's as if Jesus Christ is standing right beside you and saying to you, 00:35:34.780 --> 00:35:37.720 I will be yours and you will be mine. 00:35:39.780 --> 00:35:41.920 It's like renewing your marriage vows. 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:46.500 It's renewing our loyalty to Jesus and saying, 00:35:47.619 --> 00:35:49.639 Jesus, I trust in your steadfast love. 00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:55.539 And I want to walk in the path of faithfulness to you because you've been faithful to me. 00:35:57.579 --> 00:36:00.380 Let's pray and then we're going to share communion. 00:36:03.340 --> 00:36:05.220 God, we thank you for your steadfast love. 00:36:05.300 --> 00:36:07.240 We thank you that you are faithful to your promises. 00:36:07.500 --> 00:36:10.500 We thank you that you are unceasing in your kindness. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:13.200 And compassion to us. 00:36:14.300 --> 00:36:17.019 Lord, we pray that we would know your steadfast love. 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:24.500 Lord, as Abraham did, as he was coming to the end of his life, as the servant did in the midst 00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:29.860 of a difficult assignment, as Rebecca did as she prepared to embark on this new journey, 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:37.420 as Isaac did when you met him in his aimless, aimlessness. 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:42.380 Lord, we thank you for your steadfast love and your faithfulness to us. 00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:49.659 We pray that as we receive the bread and the cup, that you would assure us once more of your 00:36:49.659 --> 00:36:51.000 steadfast love and faithfulness. 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:59.880 Give us renewed resolve to continue in the journey of faith and obedience to you. 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:02.800 In Christ's name we pray. 00:37:03.220 --> 00:37:03.480 Amen. 00:37:03.480 --> 00:37:03.599 Amen. 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:03.639 Amen. 00:37:03.639 --> 00:37:03.680 Amen. 00:37:03.680 --> 00:37:03.720 Amen. 00:37:03.720 --> 00:37:03.760 Amen.