Genesis 24
We are all familiar with the story of Abraham
and Sarah and how in their old age they were blessed with their son,
Isaac. We know about the test that
Abraham went through when God told Abraham to present Isaac as a sacrifice, and
that in the end, God provided a ram for the sacrifice because of Abraham’s
obedience.
In Genesis 24, we learn that Abraham was much
older and advanced in years and the Lord had blessed him in every way. At this time, Abraham called his chief
servant in his household and made him swear that he would go and find a wife
for Isaac. But not just any woman would
suffice. Abraham made him swear that he
wouldn’t get a wife from the Canaanites, but that he would go back to Abraham’s
home, and choose a wife from among his relatives. The servant questioned Abraham…He said “what
if the woman is unwilling to come back with me? Shall I then take Isaac back to
this land?” But Abraham said “no, make
sure you do not take Isaac back there”. He said “The Lord, the God of heaven,
who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to
me and promised me on oath, saying “To your offspring I will give this land” –
He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from
there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be
released from his oath of mine.” So the chief servant swore to Abraham that he
would do what he was asked.
So the servant took
ten of his master’s camels and left, also taking with him all kinds of good
things from his master and departed on his way.
And when he had made his way to the town of Nahor, he had the camels
kneel down near the water source outside the town. It was toward evening time, which was the
time when the women would go out to draw water. Then he prayed “O Lord, God of
my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this
spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, “Please
let down your jar that I may have a drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I’ll
water your camels too” – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant
Isaac. By this I will know that you have
shown kindness to my master.”
Before he had even
finished praying, Rebekah came into view with her jar on her shoulder. And she just happened to be the daughter of
Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin. She
went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said,
“Please give me a little water from your jar.”
“Drink, my lord” she said and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and
gave him a drink. After she had given
him a drink, she said “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have
finished drinking”. So she emptied her
jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough
for all ten of his camels. Without
saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had
made his journey successful.
He asked “Whose
daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us
to spend the night?” She answered him,
“I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor”, and she
added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend
the night.” Then the chief servant bowed
down and worshiped the Lord, saying “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my
master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my
master. As for me, the Lord has led me
on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
RECAP - When the
chief servant knelt down and prayed, he said “Lord, let it be that the young
woman to whom I say “Please let down your jar that I may drink,” and she says
Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink” – let her be the one you have
appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by
this I will know you have shown kindness to my master.”
The chief servant
stood back and watched her as she watered all of the camels. He wasn’t just watching her walk back and
forth from the trough to the spring…He was observing her. Verse 21 says “without saying a word, he
watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey
successful”.
I believe he was
reading her attitude. Had Rebekah moped
back and forth from the trough to the camels with an attitude of not really
wanting to take the time to water a strange man and his ten camels…had she
huffed and puffed…maybe rolled her eyes…maybe griped or made a snide comment
like “Did you really need ten camels…good grief”… Possibly just being
hospitable because it was what was expected of her.
1.
Rebekah had a servant’s heart.
It’s easy to know
when someone is doing something, or providing a service with a true servant’s
heart or if they are simply going through the motions because it is what they
think is expected of them. I’m sure some
(or all) of you can relate to this with your children. There are times I ask one of the boys to
start a load of laundry… Not always…but sometimes… I may get “why do I have
to…and then there’s some huffing and puffing involved…maybe “accidently”
dropping the laundry basket and a little muttering under his breath about how
unfair it is that I’ve asked him to start a load of clothes.
And then there’s
times when their servant’s heart really shines. For instance, when there is a
dinner here at the church…or it’s a rainy Sunday…or there is candy to be thrown
in a parade and it’s like 100 degrees outside…you’ll never hear a
complaint. You can see the pure joy on
their faces while they are serving others.
Who cares if they might be the last one in line to get food…or their
feet will be soaked from running back and forth with an umbrella helping others
get into church dry…or that the sweat is literally pouring down their faces and
they are hot and tired and their feet must be aching because they’ve walked
from the football field all the way downtown and back… they act as if they couldn’t
imagine anywhere else they’d rather be than serving this church and this
community.
I believe that’s what
the chief servant was looking for. He
was standing silently watching her serve not just him…but all 10 of his dirty,
stinky camels…not just a little bit of water…but it said she RAN back and forth
until each had drank it’s fill. That was
quite a bit of work…and to top it off, it was at the end of the day…Rebekah had
probably been working in or at her home all day and now some stranger was
asking for her to serve water…
The chief servant had
asked God for a sign to indicate which girl God has chosen. Watering camels would be hard work. Any young woman who would volunteer to do
this would be demonstrating humility, helpfulness and willingness to serve.
The chief servant
didn’t ask her to water his camels…..he asked for a drink for himself…
a)
But Rebekah saw a need and she served.
In the secular world,
having a true servant’s heart is referred to as giving 5 star customer service.
· Number
ONE – service with a smile
· The
customer is always right
· Anticipate
the need before it is verbalized
· Don’t
make excuses – instead say “I’m sorry, but I’m here now, what can I do to help
you now?”
If we were honest
with ourselves, How many times would you guess that you saw a need…you
recognized something needed to be done…and you ignored it because it was an
inconvenience to you. Unfortunately I
have. Rebekah put herself through a lot
of hard work for no apparent gain.
b)
She was a woman of godly character.
Something of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the
wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
As women and men of
God, the greatest investment we can make in our lives is that of godly
character. People are watching you
whether you realize it or not…whether you proclaim to be a Christian or
not…people are watching…but especially if you have proclaimed to be a
Christian. You’d be surprised how many
and who is actually watching you…
And just throwing
this out there…
c)
people can see through fake…
Later in Genesis 24
it tells us that the chief servant told Rebekah’s family all that had
transpired…how Abraham had sent him to find a wife for Isaac from the place he
was from where his relatives lived and how he had prayed for the right young
woman to say the words he had prayed for her to say and that Rebekah had done
all of that. We read that Rebekah’s
father, after hearing the whole story, answered the chief servant and said
“This is from the Lord, we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is
Rebekah; taker her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son and
the Lord has directed.” And when the
chief servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the
Lord. Then the servant brought out gold
and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also
gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then they had supper and spent the night
there.
When they got up the
next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master”. But Rebekah’s brother and mother replied,
“Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go”. But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now
that the Lord has granted success to my journey, Send me on my way so I may go
to my master”. Then they said “Let’s
call the girl and ask her about it.” So
they called Rebekah and asked her, “will you go with this man?” “I WILL GO” she said. So the chief servant and Rebekah went on
their way.
2.
Rebekah was brave.
Rebekah was given a
choice in the matter. She made the
decision to GO.
To go to a foreign
land,
with a strange man…
to marry a
stranger…all knowing she may never see her family again. How many of us would CHOOSE to marry someone
we had never met? Can you imagine never
knowing your future spouse until your wedding?
a)
Rebekah made a tough decision. Three simple words… “I will go”…
I take every
opportunity I can to use my parents as an example when submission and obedience
is discussed. I’m so proud of them and
the work they are doing for the Lord. I
was not surprised when they sat me and David down (and my sister) and told us
they were seeking the approval to become AG World Missionaries. I know it surprised a lot of other people
because we kept getting the same questions…”Are they really going”..”What in
the world”…”What about all the grandboys?”
But my parents heard The Call…and they answered obediently… No it hasn’t been easy…they were actually
denied once because of their age… there have been many obstacles…cancer being
one of them…but they have stayed on path, and followed His leading until He
directs their path elsewhere. They
answered “I will…” Answering God’s call
for them was saying “yes” to His direction…no matter if it is for only one
term…two or three terms…or more. At this
point we do not know how long they will be on the mission field. All we know is that they are following God
one step at a time.
What is your “I
will”? What is God calling you to
do…Where is He calling you to go?
Sometimes I think we get the idea that if we say to God “I will go”,
He’s going to send us to a foreign country.
Rarely is that actually the case…
I think sometimes we
get ourselves all worked up and scared to fully submit to God because we are
afraid of what He wants us to do… or where He wants us to go…
I think sometimes we
let our minds run with many different scenarios of what exactly our “call” will
entail. But the fact is we may only have
one piece of the puzzle and it’s a 500 piece puzzle. There’s no way of knowing
what the end result will be from only seeing one piece. We also have no idea of knowing when we may
get the next piece of the puzzle…we should take one step forward at a time and
wait for the next piece to be given to us.
b)
God truly just wants us to be
obedient.
Don’t worry…
c)
He WONT use you if you don’t want to be
used.
He uses willing
vessles…willing hearts.
3.
Rebekah was beautiful in both appearance
and in spirit.
Genesis 24:16 says:
The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her.
In verse 63 we read
the Isaac went out into a field to meditate and when he looked up he saw the
camels approaching. Rebekah also looked
up and saw Isaac. She got down from her
camel and asked the chief servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet
us?” The servant replied “He is my
master,” The servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac then took Rebekah into his mother’s tent
and took her as his wife and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his
mother’s death.
It had been almost
two full chapters since Sarah’s passing, so we can assume that Isaac had been
carrying the pain of losing his mother with him for quite some time. But Rebekah was able to comfort him, soothe
his pain, and create a supportive foundation for their marriage.
So we know…
a) Rebekah to also be
caring and comforting.
What an amazing young
woman she must have been. To have all of these good qualities…a servant’s
heart, brave, she wasn’t afraid of hard work, she was a nurturer, a comforter
AND beautiful.
No doubt…. When the
chief servant had questioned Abraham “what if I find a girl but she won’t come
back” and Abraham answered saying “The Lord will go before you”… God did indeed
provide.
4.
But life wasn’t peachy.
Rebekah was barren
for 20 years. We learn in chapter 25:21
that “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf
of his wife, because she was barren”.
In this way, God emphasizes the spiritual principle that having a
relationship with him and fulfilling his purposes do not happen through natural
means, but through God’s supernatural action.
God chooses to grant his promises and blessings in response to prayer
and faith.
Rebekah outshines her
mother-in-law, Sarah at this particular point in her life. We know that Sarah took matters into her own
hands and brought one of her servants (Hagar) to Abraham so that he could have
the children that she had been unable to conceive. And we all know the trouble that came with
that poor decision. Rebekah waited…
So, Isaac prayed to
God for his wife, and God heard the prayer and request, and Rebekah became
pregnant.
5.
Rebekah received a revelation
directly from God.
The pregnancy was not
an easy one, however, Rebekah was pregnant with twins, and they wrestled within
her, causing her to inquire with the Lord why this is happening.
Genesis 25:23
God responds: “Two
nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be separated;
the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
Rebekah did indeed
have twins, and the younger Jacob, is born clasping the foot of the older,
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
6.
Rebekah favored Jacob.
Genesis 25: 27-28: The
boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country,
while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved
Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I would like to think
that Rebekah loved both of her children equally. However we just read that
Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.
I can’t imagine only loving one of my children…or even loving one more
than the other.
I remember the day
before I was scheduled to be induced to deliver Jake. I was at home alone with Cy…he was 2 years
old…and my mom called to check on me, knowing that I was preparing to give
birth. I remember breaking down into
tears on the phone with her…I remember the emotions going through me that day…I
was so afraid that I wouldn’t love Jake as much as I loved Cy. Cy was our world. He was the one that made us momma and
daddy. He was it…How in the world was I
supposed to love him less so that I could love another baby…AND I remember my
mom telling me that there would always be equal love for both of them and that
I wouldn’t love Cy any less…and I would just have more love to give…how right
she was…
I’m believe the
reason Rebekah loved Jacob more was not just because of his personality, but
was because of the promise that God gave her while she was pregnant.
a)
She knew Jacob was destined for great
things…
b)
She allowed that knowledge steer her
into an unhealthy example and relationship to her children and husband.
7.
Rebekah lost faith.
In Genesis 27, we
learn that Isaac was much older and had gone blind. He called for his firstborn, Esau, and told
him to get his weapons, and go out to hunt.
He told Esau to prepare a meal for him just the way he liked it so that
he may feast and then give his blessing to Esau. Rebecca overheard Isaac speaking to Esau and
her lack of faith in God to fulfill his promise moved her to deceive her
husband and provide a poor example to her children. She called for Jacob and told him to go out
and bring in two of the best goats, so that she could prepare a meal just the
way Isaac liked it so that Jacob could receive the blessing. Jacob questioned her…he said but what if my
father touches me or smells me…he will surely know that I am not Esau. Rebekah responded to him “let the curse fall
on me”…just do what I say.
As the story goes, we
know that Jacob was indeed successful in Rebekah’s plan to deceive Isaac and
received the blessing.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be
strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Sometimes it’s so
tempting to try to manipulate things ourselves rather than waiting on the
Lord. We think we know what is best or
what will benefit us most. Sometimes
when we are in a bind…or in a spiritual “waiting room”, we start to panic and
begin to move pieces of our puzzle to suit us and to relieve pressure. But we should WAIT.
a)
Waiting isn’t easy.
Waiting is very much
a hard thing to do, and if you’ve ever had to wait on something…truly wait on
something, you know what I’m talking about.
God gave Rebekah a
promise…surely God Almighty speaking directly to her would mean something to
her…would prove to her that he had a PLAN…yet,
b)
Rebekah panicked when she saw
that Esau was about to receive the blessing…which led her to sin…to
deceive her husband, and teach her son to deceive his father.
Rebekah lacked the
faith in God to fulfill HIS own promise.
How sad…and what a
slap in the face that must feel like. We
seek God…we pray and we ask for things…beg for things…and then He gives us a
promise and we don’t even trust Him to fulfill that promise. We don’t trust Him enough to WAIT. The answer isn’t always “no”…sometimes its
just “wait”.
If God gives you a
promise, HE WILL DELIVER.
I wonder how things
would have played out, had Rebekah waited on the Lord. The story could have
gone 100 different ways. One thing I DO
know…in the end, Esau would have still served Jacob, just as God said. The nation of Jacob would have still been
stronger, just like God said.
8.
There are always consequences.
When Esau found out
about what his mother and Jacob had done, he became very angry. Genesis 27:41 says that Esau held a grudge
against Jacob…even said that after he had mourned his father’s death, he would
kill Jacob.
a)
Again, Rebekah panicked…
and
sent Jacob away to live with relatives to protect him from Esau.
And the consequences…
b)
She never saw her beloved Jacob again.
I don’t know…but I
imagine what an awful feeling Rebekah must have felt…the remorse she may have
felt realizing that her actions caused bitterness between her sons and her
between she and Isaac. Maybe she beat
herself up wishing she would have waited on the Lord to fulfill His plan, His
way.
Knowing how I have
been inpatient before…and how realizing after the fact, if I had only waited a
little longer, God would have worked my situation out far better than I could
have ever imagined.
If I had only waited
on the Lord.
Rebekah
Genesis 24
We are all familiar with the story of Abraham
and Sarah and how in their old age they were blessed with their son,
Isaac. We know about the test that
Abraham went through when God told Abraham to present Isaac as a sacrifice, and
that in the end, God provided a ram for the sacrifice because of Abraham’s
obedience.
In Genesis 24, we learn that Abraham was much
older and advanced in years and the Lord had blessed him in every way. At this time, Abraham called his chief
servant in his household and made him swear that he would go and find a wife
for Isaac. But not just any woman would
suffice. Abraham made him swear that he
wouldn’t get a wife from the Canaanites, but that he would go back to Abraham’s
home, and choose a wife from among his relatives. The servant questioned Abraham…He said “what
if the woman is unwilling to come back with me? Shall I then take Isaac back to
this land?” But Abraham said “no, make
sure you do not take Isaac back there”. He said “The Lord, the God of heaven,
who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to
me and promised me on oath, saying “To your offspring I will give this land” –
He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from
there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be
released from his oath of mine.” So the chief servant swore to Abraham that he
would do what he was asked.
So the servant took
ten of his master’s camels and left, also taking with him all kinds of good
things from his master and departed on his way.
And when he had made his way to the town of Nahor, he had the camels
kneel down near the water source outside the town. It was toward evening time, which was the
time when the women would go out to draw water. Then he prayed “O Lord, God of
my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this
spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, “Please
let down your jar that I may have a drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I’ll
water your camels too” – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant
Isaac. By this I will know that you have
shown kindness to my master.”
Before he had even
finished praying, Rebekah came into view with her jar on her shoulder. And she just happened to be the daughter of
Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin. She
went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said,
“Please give me a little water from your jar.”
“Drink, my lord” she said and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and
gave him a drink. After she had given
him a drink, she said “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have
finished drinking”. So she emptied her
jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough
for all ten of his camels. Without
saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had
made his journey successful.
He asked “Whose
daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us
to spend the night?” She answered him,
“I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor”, and she
added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend
the night.” Then the chief servant bowed
down and worshiped the Lord, saying “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my
master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my
master. As for me, the Lord has led me
on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
RECAP - When the
chief servant knelt down and prayed, he said “Lord, let it be that the young
woman to whom I say “Please let down your jar that I may drink,” and she says
Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink” – let her be the one you have
appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by
this I will know you have shown kindness to my master.”
The chief servant
stood back and watched her as she watered all of the camels. He wasn’t just watching her walk back and
forth from the trough to the spring…He was observing her. Verse 21 says “without saying a word, he
watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey
successful”.
I believe he was
reading her attitude. Had Rebekah moped
back and forth from the trough to the camels with an attitude of not really
wanting to take the time to water a strange man and his ten camels…had she
huffed and puffed…maybe rolled her eyes…maybe griped or made a snide comment
like “Did you really need ten camels…good grief”… Possibly just being
hospitable because it was what was expected of her.
But Rebekah didn’t do
that. Verse 19 says that after the chief
servant had drank his fill, she QUICKLY emptied her jar into the trough and RAN
back to the spring to get more water for the camels…and she did that until the
camels had also drank their fill.
1.
Rebekah had a servant’s heart.
It’s easy to know
when someone is doing something, or providing a service with a true servant’s
heart or if they are simply going through the motions because it is what they
think is expected of them. I’m sure some
(or all) of you can relate to this with your children. There are times I ask one of the boys to
start a load of laundry… Not always…but sometimes… I may get “why do I have
to…and then there’s some huffing and puffing involved…maybe “accidently”
dropping the laundry basket and a little muttering under his breath about how
unfair it is that I’ve asked him to start a load of clothes.
And then there’s
times when their servant’s heart really shines. For instance, when there is a
dinner here at the church…or it’s a rainy Sunday…or there is candy to be thrown
in a parade and it’s like 100 degrees outside…you’ll never hear a
complaint. You can see the pure joy on
their faces while they are serving others.
Who cares if they might be the last one in line to get food…or their
feet will be soaked from running back and forth with an umbrella helping others
get into church dry…or that the sweat is literally pouring down their faces and
they are hot and tired and their feet must be aching because they’ve walked
from the football field all the way downtown and back… they act as if they couldn’t
imagine anywhere else they’d rather be than serving this church and this
community.
I believe that’s what
the chief servant was looking for. He
was standing silently watching her serve not just him…but all 10 of his dirty,
stinky camels…not just a little bit of water…but it said she RAN back and forth
until each had drank it’s fill. That was
quite a bit of work…and to top it off, it was at the end of the day…Rebekah had
probably been working in or at her home all day and now some stranger was
asking for her to serve water…
The chief servant had
asked God for a sign to indicate which girl God has chosen. Watering camels would be hard work. Any young woman who would volunteer to do
this would be demonstrating humility, helpfulness and willingness to serve.
The chief servant
didn’t ask her to water his camels…..he asked for a drink for himself…
a)
But Rebekah saw a need and she served.
In the secular world,
having a true servant’s heart is referred to as giving 5 star customer service.
· Number
ONE – service with a smile
· The
customer is always right
· Anticipate
the need before it is verbalized
· Don’t
make excuses – instead say “I’m sorry, but I’m here now, what can I do to help
you now?”
If we were honest
with ourselves, How many times would you guess that you saw a need…you
recognized something needed to be done…and you ignored it because it was an
inconvenience to you. Unfortunately I
have. Rebekah put herself through a lot
of hard work for no apparent gain.
b)
She was a woman of godly character.
Something of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the
wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
As women and men of
God, the greatest investment we can make in our lives is that of godly
character. People are watching you
whether you realize it or not…whether you proclaim to be a Christian or
not…people are watching…but especially if you have proclaimed to be a
Christian. You’d be surprised how many
and who is actually watching you…
And just throwing
this out there…
c)
people can see through fake…
Later in Genesis 24
it tells us that the chief servant told Rebekah’s family all that had
transpired…how Abraham had sent him to find a wife for Isaac from the place he
was from where his relatives lived and how he had prayed for the right young
woman to say the words he had prayed for her to say and that Rebekah had done
all of that. We read that Rebekah’s
father, after hearing the whole story, answered the chief servant and said
“This is from the Lord, we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is
Rebekah; taker her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son and
the Lord has directed.” And when the
chief servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the
Lord. Then the servant brought out gold
and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also
gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then they had supper and spent the night
there.
When they got up the
next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master”. But Rebekah’s brother and mother replied,
“Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go”. But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now
that the Lord has granted success to my journey, Send me on my way so I may go
to my master”. Then they said “Let’s
call the girl and ask her about it.” So
they called Rebekah and asked her, “will you go with this man?” “I WILL GO” she said. So the chief servant and Rebekah went on
their way.
2.
Rebekah was brave.
Rebekah was given a
choice in the matter. She made the
decision to GO.
To go to a foreign
land,
with a strange man…
to marry a
stranger…all knowing she may never see her family again. How many of us would CHOOSE to marry someone
we had never met? Can you imagine never
knowing your future spouse until your wedding?
a)
Rebekah made a tough decision. Three simple words… “I will go”…
I take every
opportunity I can to use my parents as an example when submission and obedience
is discussed. I’m so proud of them and
the work they are doing for the Lord. I
was not surprised when they sat me and David down (and my sister) and told us
they were seeking the approval to become AG World Missionaries. I know it surprised a lot of other people
because we kept getting the same questions…”Are they really going”..”What in
the world”…”What about all the grandboys?”
But my parents heard The Call…and they answered obediently… No it hasn’t been easy…they were actually
denied once because of their age… there have been many obstacles…cancer being
one of them…but they have stayed on path, and followed His leading until He
directs their path elsewhere. They
answered “I will…” Answering God’s call
for them was saying “yes” to His direction…no matter if it is for only one
term…two or three terms…or more. At this
point we do not know how long they will be on the mission field. All we know is that they are following God
one step at a time.
What is your “I
will”? What is God calling you to
do…Where is He calling you to go?
Sometimes I think we get the idea that if we say to God “I will go”,
He’s going to send us to a foreign country.
Rarely is that actually the case…
I think sometimes we
get ourselves all worked up and scared to fully submit to God because we are
afraid of what He wants us to do… or where He wants us to go…
I think sometimes we
let our minds run with many different scenarios of what exactly our “call” will
entail. But the fact is we may only have
one piece of the puzzle and it’s a 500 piece puzzle. There’s no way of knowing
what the end result will be from only seeing one piece. We also have no idea of knowing when we may
get the next piece of the puzzle…we should take one step forward at a time and
wait for the next piece to be given to us.
b)
God truly just wants us to be
obedient.
Don’t worry…
c)
He WONT use you if you don’t want to be
used.
He uses willing
vessles…willing hearts.
3.
Rebekah was beautiful in both appearance
and in spirit.
Genesis 24:16 says:
The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her.
In verse 63 we read
the Isaac went out into a field to meditate and when he looked up he saw the
camels approaching. Rebekah also looked
up and saw Isaac. She got down from her
camel and asked the chief servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet
us?” The servant replied “He is my
master,” The servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac then took Rebekah into his mother’s tent
and took her as his wife and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his
mother’s death.
It had been almost
two full chapters since Sarah’s passing, so we can assume that Isaac had been
carrying the pain of losing his mother with him for quite some time. But Rebekah was able to comfort him, soothe
his pain, and create a supportive foundation for their marriage.
So we know…
a) Rebekah to also be
caring and comforting.
What an amazing young
woman she must have been. To have all of these good qualities…a servant’s
heart, brave, she wasn’t afraid of hard work, she was a nurturer, a comforter
AND beautiful.
No doubt…. When the
chief servant had questioned Abraham “what if I find a girl but she won’t come
back” and Abraham answered saying “The Lord will go before you”… God did indeed
provide.
4.
But life wasn’t peachy.
Rebekah was barren
for 20 years. We learn in chapter 25:21
that “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf
of his wife, because she was barren”.
In this way, God emphasizes the spiritual principle that having a
relationship with him and fulfilling his purposes do not happen through natural
means, but through God’s supernatural action.
God chooses to grant his promises and blessings in response to prayer
and faith.
Rebekah outshines her
mother-in-law, Sarah at this particular point in her life. We know that Sarah took matters into her own
hands and brought one of her servants (Hagar) to Abraham so that he could have
the children that she had been unable to conceive. And we all know the trouble that came with
that poor decision. Rebekah waited…
So, Isaac prayed to
God for his wife, and God heard the prayer and request, and Rebekah became
pregnant.
5.
Rebekah received a revelation
directly from God.
The pregnancy was not
an easy one, however, Rebekah was pregnant with twins, and they wrestled within
her, causing her to inquire with the Lord why this is happening.
Genesis 25:23
God responds: “Two
nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be separated;
the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
Rebekah did indeed
have twins, and the younger Jacob, is born clasping the foot of the older,
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
6.
Rebekah favored Jacob.
Genesis 25: 27-28: The
boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country,
while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved
Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I would like to think
that Rebekah loved both of her children equally. However we just read that
Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.
I can’t imagine only loving one of my children…or even loving one more
than the other.
I remember the day
before I was scheduled to be induced to deliver Jake. I was at home alone with Cy…he was 2 years
old…and my mom called to check on me, knowing that I was preparing to give
birth. I remember breaking down into
tears on the phone with her…I remember the emotions going through me that day…I
was so afraid that I wouldn’t love Jake as much as I loved Cy. Cy was our world. He was the one that made us momma and
daddy. He was it…How in the world was I
supposed to love him less so that I could love another baby…AND I remember my
mom telling me that there would always be equal love for both of them and that
I wouldn’t love Cy any less…and I would just have more love to give…how right
she was…
I’m believe the
reason Rebekah loved Jacob more was not just because of his personality, but
was because of the promise that God gave her while she was pregnant.
a)
She knew Jacob was destined for great
things…
b)
She allowed that knowledge steer her
into an unhealthy example and relationship to her children and husband.
7.
Rebekah lost faith.
In Genesis 27, we
learn that Isaac was much older and had gone blind. He called for his firstborn, Esau, and told
him to get his weapons, and go out to hunt.
He told Esau to prepare a meal for him just the way he liked it so that
he may feast and then give his blessing to Esau. Rebecca overheard Isaac speaking to Esau and
her lack of faith in God to fulfill his promise moved her to deceive her
husband and provide a poor example to her children. She called for Jacob and told him to go out
and bring in two of the best goats, so that she could prepare a meal just the
way Isaac liked it so that Jacob could receive the blessing. Jacob questioned her…he said but what if my
father touches me or smells me…he will surely know that I am not Esau. Rebekah responded to him “let the curse fall
on me”…just do what I say.
As the story goes, we
know that Jacob was indeed successful in Rebekah’s plan to deceive Isaac and
received the blessing.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be
strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Sometimes it’s so
tempting to try to manipulate things ourselves rather than waiting on the
Lord. We think we know what is best or
what will benefit us most. Sometimes
when we are in a bind…or in a spiritual “waiting room”, we start to panic and
begin to move pieces of our puzzle to suit us and to relieve pressure. But we should WAIT.
a)
Waiting isn’t easy.
Waiting is very much
a hard thing to do, and if you’ve ever had to wait on something…truly wait on
something, you know what I’m talking about.
God gave Rebekah a
promise…surely God Almighty speaking directly to her would mean something to
her…would prove to her that he had a PLAN…yet,
b)
Rebekah panicked when she saw
that Esau was about to receive the blessing…which led her to sin…to
deceive her husband, and teach her son to deceive his father.
Rebekah lacked the
faith in God to fulfill HIS own promise.
How sad…and what a
slap in the face that must feel like. We
seek God…we pray and we ask for things…beg for things…and then He gives us a
promise and we don’t even trust Him to fulfill that promise. We don’t trust Him enough to WAIT. The answer isn’t always “no”…sometimes its
just “wait”.
If God gives you a
promise, HE WILL DELIVER.
I wonder how things
would have played out, had Rebekah waited on the Lord. The story could have
gone 100 different ways. One thing I DO
know…in the end, Esau would have still served Jacob, just as God said. The nation of Jacob would have still been
stronger, just like God said.
8.
There are always consequences.
When Esau found out
about what his mother and Jacob had done, he became very angry. Genesis 27:41 says that Esau held a grudge
against Jacob…even said that after he had mourned his father’s death, he would
kill Jacob.
a)
Again, Rebekah panicked…
and
sent Jacob away to live with relatives to protect him from Esau.
And the consequences…
b)
She never saw her beloved Jacob again.
I don’t know…but I
imagine what an awful feeling Rebekah must have felt…the remorse she may have
felt realizing that her actions caused bitterness between her sons and her
between she and Isaac. Maybe she beat
herself up wishing she would have waited on the Lord to fulfill His plan, His
way.
Knowing how I have
been inpatient before…and how realizing after the fact, if I had only waited a
little longer, God would have worked my situation out far better than I could
have ever imagined.
If I had only waited
on the Lord.
Rebekah
Genesis 24
We are all familiar with the story of Abraham
and Sarah and how in their old age they were blessed with their son,
Isaac. We know about the test that
Abraham went through when God told Abraham to present Isaac as a sacrifice, and
that in the end, God provided a ram for the sacrifice because of Abraham’s
obedience.
In Genesis 24, we learn that Abraham was much
older and advanced in years and the Lord had blessed him in every way. At this time, Abraham called his chief
servant in his household and made him swear that he would go and find a wife
for Isaac. But not just any woman would
suffice. Abraham made him swear that he
wouldn’t get a wife from the Canaanites, but that he would go back to Abraham’s
home, and choose a wife from among his relatives. The servant questioned Abraham…He said “what
if the woman is unwilling to come back with me? Shall I then take Isaac back to
this land?” But Abraham said “no, make
sure you do not take Isaac back there”. He said “The Lord, the God of heaven,
who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to
me and promised me on oath, saying “To your offspring I will give this land” –
He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from
there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be
released from his oath of mine.” So the chief servant swore to Abraham that he
would do what he was asked.
So the servant took
ten of his master’s camels and left, also taking with him all kinds of good
things from his master and departed on his way.
And when he had made his way to the town of Nahor, he had the camels
kneel down near the water source outside the town. It was toward evening time, which was the
time when the women would go out to draw water. Then he prayed “O Lord, God of
my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this
spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, “Please
let down your jar that I may have a drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I’ll
water your camels too” – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant
Isaac. By this I will know that you have
shown kindness to my master.”
Before he had even
finished praying, Rebekah came into view with her jar on her shoulder. And she just happened to be the daughter of
Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin. She
went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said,
“Please give me a little water from your jar.”
“Drink, my lord” she said and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and
gave him a drink. After she had given
him a drink, she said “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have
finished drinking”. So she emptied her
jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough
for all ten of his camels. Without
saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had
made his journey successful.
He asked “Whose
daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us
to spend the night?” She answered him,
“I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor”, and she
added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend
the night.” Then the chief servant bowed
down and worshiped the Lord, saying “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my
master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my
master. As for me, the Lord has led me
on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
RECAP - When the
chief servant knelt down and prayed, he said “Lord, let it be that the young
woman to whom I say “Please let down your jar that I may drink,” and she says
Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink” – let her be the one you have
appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by
this I will know you have shown kindness to my master.”
The chief servant
stood back and watched her as she watered all of the camels. He wasn’t just watching her walk back and
forth from the trough to the spring…He was observing her. Verse 21 says “without saying a word, he
watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey
successful”.
I believe he was
reading her attitude. Had Rebekah moped
back and forth from the trough to the camels with an attitude of not really
wanting to take the time to water a strange man and his ten camels…had she
huffed and puffed…maybe rolled her eyes…maybe griped or made a snide comment
like “Did you really need ten camels…good grief”… Possibly just being
hospitable because it was what was expected of her.
But Rebekah didn’t do
that. Verse 19 says that after the chief
servant had drank his fill, she QUICKLY emptied her jar into the trough and RAN
back to the spring to get more water for the camels…and she did that until the
camels had also drank their fill.
1.
Rebekah had a servant’s heart.
It’s easy to know
when someone is doing something, or providing a service with a true servant’s
heart or if they are simply going through the motions because it is what they
think is expected of them. I’m sure some
(or all) of you can relate to this with your children. There are times I ask one of the boys to
start a load of laundry… Not always…but sometimes… I may get “why do I have
to…and then there’s some huffing and puffing involved…maybe “accidently”
dropping the laundry basket and a little muttering under his breath about how
unfair it is that I’ve asked him to start a load of clothes.
And then there’s
times when their servant’s heart really shines. For instance, when there is a
dinner here at the church…or it’s a rainy Sunday…or there is candy to be thrown
in a parade and it’s like 100 degrees outside…you’ll never hear a
complaint. You can see the pure joy on
their faces while they are serving others.
Who cares if they might be the last one in line to get food…or their
feet will be soaked from running back and forth with an umbrella helping others
get into church dry…or that the sweat is literally pouring down their faces and
they are hot and tired and their feet must be aching because they’ve walked
from the football field all the way downtown and back… they act as if they couldn’t
imagine anywhere else they’d rather be than serving this church and this
community.
I believe that’s what
the chief servant was looking for. He
was standing silently watching her serve not just him…but all 10 of his dirty,
stinky camels…not just a little bit of water…but it said she RAN back and forth
until each had drank it’s fill. That was
quite a bit of work…and to top it off, it was at the end of the day…Rebekah had
probably been working in or at her home all day and now some stranger was
asking for her to serve water…
The chief servant had
asked God for a sign to indicate which girl God has chosen. Watering camels would be hard work. Any young woman who would volunteer to do
this would be demonstrating humility, helpfulness and willingness to serve.
The chief servant
didn’t ask her to water his camels…..he asked for a drink for himself…
a)
But Rebekah saw a need and she served.
In the secular world,
having a true servant’s heart is referred to as giving 5 star customer service.
· Number
ONE – service with a smile
· The
customer is always right
· Anticipate
the need before it is verbalized
· Don’t
make excuses – instead say “I’m sorry, but I’m here now, what can I do to help
you now?”
If we were honest
with ourselves, How many times would you guess that you saw a need…you
recognized something needed to be done…and you ignored it because it was an
inconvenience to you. Unfortunately I
have. Rebekah put herself through a lot
of hard work for no apparent gain.
b)
She was a woman of godly character.
Something of great worth in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the
wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
As women and men of
God, the greatest investment we can make in our lives is that of godly
character. People are watching you
whether you realize it or not…whether you proclaim to be a Christian or
not…people are watching…but especially if you have proclaimed to be a
Christian. You’d be surprised how many
and who is actually watching you…
And just throwing
this out there…
c)
people can see through fake…
Later in Genesis 24
it tells us that the chief servant told Rebekah’s family all that had
transpired…how Abraham had sent him to find a wife for Isaac from the place he
was from where his relatives lived and how he had prayed for the right young
woman to say the words he had prayed for her to say and that Rebekah had done
all of that. We read that Rebekah’s
father, after hearing the whole story, answered the chief servant and said
“This is from the Lord, we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is
Rebekah; taker her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son and
the Lord has directed.” And when the
chief servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the
Lord. Then the servant brought out gold
and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also
gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then they had supper and spent the night
there.
When they got up the
next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master”. But Rebekah’s brother and mother replied,
“Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go”. But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now
that the Lord has granted success to my journey, Send me on my way so I may go
to my master”. Then they said “Let’s
call the girl and ask her about it.” So
they called Rebekah and asked her, “will you go with this man?” “I WILL GO” she said. So the chief servant and Rebekah went on
their way.
2.
Rebekah was brave.
Rebekah was given a
choice in the matter. She made the
decision to GO.
To go to a foreign
land,
with a strange man…
to marry a
stranger…all knowing she may never see her family again. How many of us would CHOOSE to marry someone
we had never met? Can you imagine never
knowing your future spouse until your wedding?
a)
Rebekah made a tough decision. Three simple words… “I will go”…
I take every
opportunity I can to use my parents as an example when submission and obedience
is discussed. I’m so proud of them and
the work they are doing for the Lord. I
was not surprised when they sat me and David down (and my sister) and told us
they were seeking the approval to become AG World Missionaries. I know it surprised a lot of other people
because we kept getting the same questions…”Are they really going”..”What in
the world”…”What about all the grandboys?”
But my parents heard The Call…and they answered obediently… No it hasn’t been easy…they were actually
denied once because of their age… there have been many obstacles…cancer being
one of them…but they have stayed on path, and followed His leading until He
directs their path elsewhere. They
answered “I will…” Answering God’s call
for them was saying “yes” to His direction…no matter if it is for only one
term…two or three terms…or more. At this
point we do not know how long they will be on the mission field. All we know is that they are following God
one step at a time.
What is your “I
will”? What is God calling you to
do…Where is He calling you to go?
Sometimes I think we get the idea that if we say to God “I will go”,
He’s going to send us to a foreign country.
Rarely is that actually the case…
I think sometimes we
get ourselves all worked up and scared to fully submit to God because we are
afraid of what He wants us to do… or where He wants us to go…
I think sometimes we
let our minds run with many different scenarios of what exactly our “call” will
entail. But the fact is we may only have
one piece of the puzzle and it’s a 500 piece puzzle. There’s no way of knowing
what the end result will be from only seeing one piece. We also have no idea of knowing when we may
get the next piece of the puzzle…we should take one step forward at a time and
wait for the next piece to be given to us.
b)
God truly just wants us to be
obedient.
Don’t worry…
c)
He WONT use you if you don’t want to be
used.
He uses willing
vessles…willing hearts.
3.
Rebekah was beautiful in both appearance
and in spirit.
Genesis 24:16 says:
The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her.
In verse 63 we read
the Isaac went out into a field to meditate and when he looked up he saw the
camels approaching. Rebekah also looked
up and saw Isaac. She got down from her
camel and asked the chief servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet
us?” The servant replied “He is my
master,” The servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac then took Rebekah into his mother’s tent
and took her as his wife and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his
mother’s death.
It had been almost
two full chapters since Sarah’s passing, so we can assume that Isaac had been
carrying the pain of losing his mother with him for quite some time. But Rebekah was able to comfort him, soothe
his pain, and create a supportive foundation for their marriage.
So we know…
a) Rebekah to also be
caring and comforting.
What an amazing young
woman she must have been. To have all of these good qualities…a servant’s
heart, brave, she wasn’t afraid of hard work, she was a nurturer, a comforter
AND beautiful.
No doubt…. When the
chief servant had questioned Abraham “what if I find a girl but she won’t come
back” and Abraham answered saying “The Lord will go before you”… God did indeed
provide.
4.
But life wasn’t peachy.
Rebekah was barren
for 20 years. We learn in chapter 25:21
that “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf
of his wife, because she was barren”.
In this way, God emphasizes the spiritual principle that having a
relationship with him and fulfilling his purposes do not happen through natural
means, but through God’s supernatural action.
God chooses to grant his promises and blessings in response to prayer
and faith.
Rebekah outshines her
mother-in-law, Sarah at this particular point in her life. We know that Sarah took matters into her own
hands and brought one of her servants (Hagar) to Abraham so that he could have
the children that she had been unable to conceive. And we all know the trouble that came with
that poor decision. Rebekah waited…
So, Isaac prayed to
God for his wife, and God heard the prayer and request, and Rebekah became
pregnant.
5.
Rebekah received a revelation
directly from God.
The pregnancy was not
an easy one, however, Rebekah was pregnant with twins, and they wrestled within
her, causing her to inquire with the Lord why this is happening.
Genesis 25:23
God responds: “Two
nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be separated;
the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
Rebekah did indeed
have twins, and the younger Jacob, is born clasping the foot of the older,
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
Esau. It was as if Jacob was vying for first place. The competition between the two brothers had already begun.
6.
Rebekah favored Jacob.
Genesis 25: 27-28: The
boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country,
while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved
Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I would like to think
that Rebekah loved both of her children equally. However we just read that
Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.
I can’t imagine only loving one of my children…or even loving one more
than the other.
I remember the day
before I was scheduled to be induced to deliver Jake. I was at home alone with Cy…he was 2 years
old…and my mom called to check on me, knowing that I was preparing to give
birth. I remember breaking down into
tears on the phone with her…I remember the emotions going through me that day…I
was so afraid that I wouldn’t love Jake as much as I loved Cy. Cy was our world. He was the one that made us momma and
daddy. He was it…How in the world was I
supposed to love him less so that I could love another baby…AND I remember my
mom telling me that there would always be equal love for both of them and that
I wouldn’t love Cy any less…and I would just have more love to give…how right
she was…
I’m believe the
reason Rebekah loved Jacob more was not just because of his personality, but
was because of the promise that God gave her while she was pregnant.
a)
She knew Jacob was destined for great
things…
b)
She allowed that knowledge steer her
into an unhealthy example and relationship to her children and husband.
7.
Rebekah lost faith.
In Genesis 27, we
learn that Isaac was much older and had gone blind. He called for his firstborn, Esau, and told
him to get his weapons, and go out to hunt.
He told Esau to prepare a meal for him just the way he liked it so that
he may feast and then give his blessing to Esau. Rebecca overheard Isaac speaking to Esau and
her lack of faith in God to fulfill his promise moved her to deceive her
husband and provide a poor example to her children. She called for Jacob and told him to go out
and bring in two of the best goats, so that she could prepare a meal just the
way Isaac liked it so that Jacob could receive the blessing. Jacob questioned her…he said but what if my
father touches me or smells me…he will surely know that I am not Esau. Rebekah responded to him “let the curse fall
on me”…just do what I say.
As the story goes, we
know that Jacob was indeed successful in Rebekah’s plan to deceive Isaac and
received the blessing.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be
strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Sometimes it’s so
tempting to try to manipulate things ourselves rather than waiting on the
Lord. We think we know what is best or
what will benefit us most. Sometimes
when we are in a bind…or in a spiritual “waiting room”, we start to panic and
begin to move pieces of our puzzle to suit us and to relieve pressure. But we should WAIT.
a)
Waiting isn’t easy.
Waiting is very much
a hard thing to do, and if you’ve ever had to wait on something…truly wait on
something, you know what I’m talking about.
God gave Rebekah a
promise…surely God Almighty speaking directly to her would mean something to
her…would prove to her that he had a PLAN…yet,
b)
Rebekah panicked when she saw
that Esau was about to receive the blessing…which led her to sin…to
deceive her husband, and teach her son to deceive his father.
Rebekah lacked the
faith in God to fulfill HIS own promise.
How sad…and what a
slap in the face that must feel like. We
seek God…we pray and we ask for things…beg for things…and then He gives us a
promise and we don’t even trust Him to fulfill that promise. We don’t trust Him enough to WAIT. The answer isn’t always “no”…sometimes its
just “wait”.
If God gives you a
promise, HE WILL DELIVER.
I wonder how things
would have played out, had Rebekah waited on the Lord. The story could have
gone 100 different ways. One thing I DO
know…in the end, Esau would have still served Jacob, just as God said. The nation of Jacob would have still been
stronger, just like God said.
8.
There are always consequences.
When Esau found out
about what his mother and Jacob had done, he became very angry. Genesis 27:41 says that Esau held a grudge
against Jacob…even said that after he had mourned his father’s death, he would
kill Jacob.
a)
Again, Rebekah panicked…
and
sent Jacob away to live with relatives to protect him from Esau.
And the consequences…
b)
She never saw her beloved Jacob again.
I don’t know…but I
imagine what an awful feeling Rebekah must have felt…the remorse she may have
felt realizing that her actions caused bitterness between her sons and her
between she and Isaac. Maybe she beat
herself up wishing she would have waited on the Lord to fulfill His plan, His
way.
Knowing how I have
been inpatient before…and how realizing after the fact, if I had only waited a
little longer, God would have worked my situation out far better than I could
have ever imagined.
If I had only waited
on the Lord.