Genesis 24 - God Writes Love Stories Series

Genesis 24

INTRODUCTION

GOD WRITES LOVE STORIES

She was there in the park, sitting on the bench in the mist, this mysterious beautiful woman in my life, and I realised that I was falling in love. We met with others in that early morning prayer meeting, but I wasn’t aware of them. I listened as she prayed and knew that we were being drawn together by God Himself. Like a window into her soul, her words enabled me to see her faith, intelligence, strength and beauty. I have known and loved this awesome woman twice as long as I was without her. We have been married for 37 years and this morning as I look out on a Autumn day in 2011, I remember being dressed in my school uniform on that cold misty morning when our journey began. I was 17. Years later Julie admitted that she had secretly prayed that if I showed up on that day it would be a sign that this would be the person she would marry.

HIS CHARACTERS ARE TAKEN FROM REAL LIFE

God writes love stories. He is vitally concerned with the actual lives of people as they meet, fall in love, marry. Afterall, the first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding. Our everyday lives and the decisions have bearing upon His purposes for us, especially concerning the one we marry.

Notice I said God writes love stories. Not romance novels and soap operas. "And they all lived happily ever after" was not in our story. There were times when Julie and I had some serious struggles when happiness wasn’t characteristic of our relationship, but God has been merciful and we are here in Sydney, Australia all these years later, with children and grandchildren, amazed at how rich and full and yes, how happy and in love we are.

GOD THINKS GENERATIONALLY

In the advancing years of my life, and I am not even half Abraham’s age in Genesis 24, I watch with prayerful interest the lives of my grandchildren and pray for God’s choice of a marriage partner for each of them. The oldest is not quite marriageable age yet. He is only five!

Sarah’s laughter has disappeared in the mists of time as we look at the love story of Genesis 24:1-67. She has been gone now for many years. Abraham is an old man. Isaac, his promised son, is forty years old (Genesis 25:20). One thing must play upon his mind as Abraham approaches the end of his life. GRANDCHILDREN! God has "blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1 NASB), and part of that blessing is the promise of becoming a great nation through the lineage of Isaac (Genesis 12, 15). And so it is about time Isaac got married!

The traumatic events where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac to test his faith in Genesis 22 conclude with the words "Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons" (Genesis 22:20 NLT). Somehow they had some kind of social network happening, e-mails, facebook, or messenger going to and from the relatives he had left behind. It seems he even knew about Rebekah by name (Genesis 22:20, 23 NLT) and perhaps of her faith and beauty as she grew. Perhaps he knew that she would be compatible.

"Abraham said to his servant,... go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac. For the Lord, the God of heaven, ... will send His angel ahead of you, and He will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine." (Genesis 24:5-8 NLT)

DON’T MAKE CREATIVE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STORY LINE!

Looking at this passage it looks like God has a contingency plan B should Rebekah stubbornly refuse to come and wipe Isaac off the e-marriage list. I know, God doesn’t have a plan B but so often WE DO. God writes love stories but so often we try to write our own chapters and do some creative adjustments to the story line. I was speaking recently with a woman who said she didn’t find the right person. He was an alcoholic and verbally and physically abusive.

GOD BASES HIS STORY ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM

God sees that marriage is a picture of Jesus and the Church. Ephesians 5:22 says that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.

Seeking God’s choice in a marriage partner is important, but even that relationship is not as important as our relationship with Christ. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

God is a generational God. We have a part to play in the lives of our descendents. Are you praying now for your children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren to find the "THE RIGHT ONE" as a marriage partner?