The Secret of Greatness
Genesis 24:15-25
May 9, 2010
Morning Service
Introduction
What NOT to Buy Your Wife: Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience is a stressful one. Many a man has felt extreme frigid temperatures for a long period based on a poor present decision. As a veteran of these wars, I'm still not sure what to buy my wife, but I'll pass on what not to buy her:
1. Don't buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.
2. Don't buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she'll say. Too small a size doesn't cut it either: "I haven't worn a size 8 in 20 years!"
3. Don't buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She'll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that's she's overweight.
4. Don't buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can't afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn't want.
5. Finally, don't spend too much. "How do you think we're going to afford that?" she'll ask. But don't spend too little. She won't say anything, but she'll think, "Is that all I'm worth?"
Herb Forst in Cross River, NY, Patent Trader, in Reader's Digest, p. 69.
If you have your Bibles with you please open them to Genesis 24:15-25
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." 18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." Genesis 24:15-25
Basic insights about Rebekah
1. Rebekah was in the right place at the right time
Rebekah is described as coming before Eleazer can finish his prayer. God had appointed this moment for Rebekah and had set His plan in motion. Rebekah needed to be obedient to gain the most from God’s plan for her life. How many times have we been in the right place at the right time and missed the opportunity?
2. Rebekah was beautiful
When the Bible says that a woman is beautiful there is no mistaking the meaning. The writer means that the woman is beyond the typical sense of physical attractiveness. The moment the word very is added to beautiful, it takes on a whole new meaning. The words literally mean that the woman is drop dead gorgeous. There were only four women described as very beautiful throughout the Bible: Sarah, Rebekah, Bathsheba and an unnamed attendant to King David.
3. Rebekah was unmarried
Rebekah was single and had never been married. These were traits that were highly favored in Jewish society. The fact that she was unmarried also meant that she had not been pledged in marriage either. The word used to describe Rebekah is girl and likely refers to the fact that she was under the age of thirteen. Most marriage contracts would have been completed by that age.
Life lessons from Rebekah
Giving leads to greatness
Rebekah was rewarded because she gave more than was needed. The only thing that Abraham’s servant asked for was a drink of water for himself. Rebekah went above and beyond the moment that she offered to water the camels as well. The thing that most people forget is that it takes higher levels of effort to reach higher levels of blessing.
Let me clarify this statement. There is no way to earn grace or to develop a higher level of salvation. There are ways that we can gain additional blessings. We are blessed when we serve God and when we serve others. The more that we serve and do things out of a right spirit, the greater the blessing of God will be on our lives. We cannot earn blessings. The only way to enter into the blessing of God is to serve Him.
What would have happened if Rebekah had only given a drink to the servant? Nothing, she would likely not even be mentioned in scripture. The moment that she went above and beyond in her giving, she stepped into greatness. Rebekah was made great because of her generosity.
Insights on generousity
1. Generosity brings its own blessings
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
When people give to God and serve God, something amazing happens, they get blessed. Blessings flow from God to His people daily and greater blessings flow from additional giving. Think about what people give when they come to church: time, talent, and treasure. Each time you come into the church you are making an investment and God makes a return investment in your life.
2. Give the best effort
Rebekah willingly gave of her time and her effort to help a complete stranger. It was likely obvious that the stranger was from far away and was wealthy or represented someone wealthy. The motive was not to gain something in return. Rebekah gave of herself with no thought of reward.
3. Be responsible
There are many times that we get involved in doing many good things. Good is the enemy of great. We cannot settle for just being good when God has created us for greatness. Doing too many good things may hinder us from becoming great as God intends us to be. The issue is one that we must not simply choose what is good but what is best.
Be willing to go the second mile
One of the biggest issues of our society is that very few actually go the extra mile in anything. There are people who refuse to go the extra mile in their work. Couples refuse to go the extra mile in their relationships. Parents do not go the extra mile with their children. Students refuse to go the extra mile in their studies. The reality is that there is so much untapped potential in society and in the church that we fail often because we seldom give our all.
Mathematics of extra effort
Notice that the only request given was for a drink of water from the servant. Rebekah gives the man a drink and then takes on an additional task of watering the camels as well. Most of us think that this was a relatively insignificant gesture. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There were ten camels to be watered and these camels had been on a long journey. The journey was over 300 miles and by camel that trip took weeks. Camels were chosen for distance travel through difficult territory because they did not need much water. What water was found along the way was first given to the travelers and then the camels. The reality is that they had likely not had a large amount of water for days.
Some research uncovered the amount of water a camel can drink after not having large amounts of water available. The average size camel can drink anywhere between 30 and 45 gallons of water. However, in extreme circumstances camels can drink up to 52 gallons of water each. After such a long journey with little water available, these camels were going to drink up the water.
Ten camels drink approximately 45 gallons of water each after such a long journey. This means that Rebekah needs to provide 450 gallons of water to complete the job of watering the camels. The average water jug held about five gallons of water. Using only a five gallon water jug means that Rebekah must get water 90 times before she can finish. 90 trips back and forth from the well to the trough. There would have been some space between the animals and the well to prevent them from drinking right from the well.
Each trip meant that Rebekah carried about five gallons of water one way. A gallon of water weighs about eight pounds and Rebekah was carrying 40 pounds each time. This would have been labor intensive. There was also the investment of time. Each trip would take anywhere between three to five minutes, assuming there was no line to wait in. Conservatively call each trip four minutes with some taking longer and some being faster. Rebekah made at least 90 trips to the well. At three minutes per trip this comes to a grand total of 270 minutes. Rebekah invested four and a half hours doing this task.
Service leads to significance
Rebekah made the choice to serve others that day so long ago. She invested her time, her effort and her compassion. Little did she know that her service would change her life. The service that she offered became an incredible moment in history. Rebekah is remembered because she rose above and beyond to lift others up.
How can we become make a difference people?
1. Put others first
When we live our lives placing others ahead of our own wishes, plans and desires, we are changed. The focus becomes others centered and we live for something bigger and greater than ourselves. Understand that when we live to invest our lives in people, the return is amazing and the rewards are far greater than anything we may see in our lifetime.
2. Positive attitude
Rebekah never complained about the work that she chose to do. Rebekah never stops giving until the job is done. Rebekah even offers these strangers a place to stay. The attitude that Rebekah displays is one of incredible positive focus. If we want to make a difference in the lives of others, we need to be positive. Our attitude needs to be one that lifts others up instead of tearing others down.
3. Take Initiative
No had to tell Rebekah to water the camels. No one suggested for Rebekah to water the camels. Rebekah saw a need and jumped in to take care of it. Rebekah was a self starter and she took initiative to meet the needs of others.
4. Add value to others
Could the servant have gotten the water for the camels? Of course. However, Rebekah stepped and did the work for the servant. Rebekah stepped in and added value to this stranger by offering to assist. Every time that we lend a helping hand to those around us, we are lifting them up. Each time we do something for others, we add value to their lives.
5. Give without strings
Rebekah gave her time and effort without thought of what she might gain. There was a sincerity to her giving that made it genuine. There was no thought of gaining glory for herself. There was no consideration of getting something in return. If we are going to make a difference, we need to give our best without expecting anything in return.
Through the service that Rebekah gave that day, her life was changed. Rebekah gained a place in the Bible but also she earned a special place in history. Rebekah became the wife of Isaac and entered into the house of Abraham. Rebekah became part of the line of the Messiah and in a small way Rebekah played a role in God’s plan to save the world.
The same is true of everyone here today, God wants to use you in His plan to save the world. Your role may not seem significant to you but in the hands of God, everything we do matters.
