Getting Guidance From God

April 27, 2003

Getting Guidance from God

Text: Then Isaac brought her into the tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death (Gen. 24:67).

Each day thousands of airplanes fill the skies all around the world.

Guiding them so that they avoid accidents is a serious responsibility that is shared by air traffic controllers and pilots.

Also, each plane has an intricate guidance system as well, that the pilots depend on.

In the book of Genesis we can read the story of how Abraham received guidance from God to obtain a wife for his son Isaac.

We can examine this story to learn what steps Abraham, his servant, and Isaac took to obtain God’s guidance.

Then, we will see what we can do to get God’s guidance.

The scripture for our lesson is all sixty-seven verses of Genesis 24, but instead of reading it to you; I’ll just tell you the story of how Isaac got his wife.

Isaac’s father Abraham was now very old, and one day He said to the servant that was in charge of his household, “Promise me that you will get my son a wife, but don’t take her from the Canaanite girls who live around here. Instead, go back to my home town and get him a wife from among my relatives.”

There is a reason why Abraham didn’t want his son to marry a local girl.

The local people worshipped idols, and he didn’t want Isaac to be influenced by a wife who worshipped false gods.

Then the servant asked, “What shall I do if this woman won’t return with me?”

Abraham replied, “God will send His angel ahead of you to help, but if she refuses to return with you, you will be released from this oath.”

Abraham is known as the man of faith and God has told him that he will have grandchildren.

In fact He said, “You will be the father of a great nation.”

So he is confident, and he doesn’t demand anything from God.

He simply says to his servant, “If this doesn’t work out, then God has another way to work it out.”

The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels, loaded with gifts and left for the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia.

He arrived at Nahor after a long journey.

And they arrived at evening time, when the women come out to draw water.

The first thing he did was to make the camels kneel down at the well outside the city.

Then he prayed to God, “Lord God of my master Abraham, allow me to find a wife for his son today. Please show this kindness to my master Abraham. Here I am, standing by the spring, and the girls from the city are coming out to get water. I will say to one of them, ‘Please put your jar down so I can drink.’ Then let her say, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels.’ If that happens, I will know she is the right one for your servant Isaac and that you have shown kindness to my master.”

While he was still praying, Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother came to draw water.

The servant ran to her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

Rebekah said, “Drink, sir.”

And then she quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink.

After he finished drinking, Rebekah said, “I will also pour some water for your camels.”

So she quickly poured all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels.

Then she kept running to the well until she had given all the camels enough to drink.

The servant quietly watched her.

He wanted to be sure that she was the one that the Lord wanted him to pick.

After the camels had finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ring and two gold arm bracelets.

He asked her, “Who is your father? Is there a place in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”

Rebekah answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.”

Then she said, “And, yes, we have straw for your camels and a place for you to spend the night.

Her words filled him with joy, and the servant bowed and worshiped the Lord and said, “Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord has been kind and truthful to him and has led me to my master’s relatives.”

Then Rebekah ran and told her mother’s family about all these things.

She had a brother named Laban, who had heard what she had said and had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms.