ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL
Rev. Troy Denson
Preached at Full Gospel Baptist Church’s Installation of Officers
January 25, 2015
GENESIS 24: 17-20
"The servant hurried to meet her [Rebekah] 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 had enough to drink.” 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." (Genesis, 24:17-20)
ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY
Introduction
Beloved, in the extensive history of the Lord’s modern church we find that many people went above and beyond the call of duty. For example in 1517, Martin Luther could have comfortably lived his life as a young college professor in Germany, but his fellow Catholic priests’ and bishops’ selling of indulgences as a method for alive and deceased church members to perceptually receive forgiveness for their sins, moved Martin above and beyond the call of duty of being a teacher. And he simply wrote and posted a document on the doors of the churches called “95 Theses”; which explained that people could find forgiveness and grace by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Jones, 2012). Who would have known that his simple “document” would lead to the beginning of Protestant Christianity in which we worship today, and the translation of the bible into languages whereas the common person could read the Word of God for him/herself?
Similarly, around 1600-1603, John Smyth could have lived peacefully practicing medicine, studying at Christ College in Cambridge, England, and pastoring his humble church, but his desire to see his parishioners move away from the Book of Common Worship and back to the bible, away from baptizing babies, and away from hierarchies outside of the local church, he went above and beyond the call of duty. How? He shared his convictions of the book of Acts 2 to the Anglican Church in England that “believers ought to be baptized upon the profession of their faith”, and then re-baptized himself (Smyth, 2008). Who would have known that his single “witness” would eventually lead to the establishment Baptist Church throughout the world? All because one person above and beyond the call of duty.
Likewise, in the Black Church’s history we find that many folk’s went above and beyond the call of duty. In 1787 Richard Allen could have simply been obliged to attend the White Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (St. George Methodist Episcopal Church); however, when his fellow black parishioners were pulled up off of their knees while praying, he was called to go above and beyond the call of duties of an a black church member. How so? They simply walked out of the church and later on into a humble metal shop [down the road and around the corner]. And in 1794 Bethel AME was dedicated, and in 1815 the church was incorporated (Dennis, 2014). Who would have known that simply walking out of the racist church would have led to the to freedom of Blacks to worship in their own churches, sit or pray where ever they chose in their churches, select their own Black pastors, elect their own Black bishops, and plant churches worldwide? This is because one day one man went above and beyond the call of duty. Similarly, in 1955 Martin Luther King, Jr. could have comfortably lived his life as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, in Montgomery, Alabama, but the suffering and injustices due of his fellow people due to racist White folks and Jim Crow laws called him to go above and beyond the call of duty of just being a pastor, husband, and father. Who would have known that simple peaceful protests, or boycotting a bus ride and walking, and/or preaching the unmitigated gospel message, all would convict the heart of the President of the United States, the government, and people worldwide and lead to the African American’s freedoms of the right to vote, right sit where we chose on a bus, live where we want to in a community? Just as Martin Luther King went above and beyond his call, just as John Smyth went above and beyond his call, just as Martin Luther went above and beyond his call, and just as Richard Allen went above and beyond his call, in our text today, at Genesis 24: 17-20, God is calling us to go above and beyond the call of duty, of being parents, of being employees, being church members. And who knows what great things God will do in our lives, in our church, and in the community, when we go above and beyond the call of duty? In our scripture today, Rebekah not only gave the servant water from her hands, but she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.”, and her entire life changed (Gen., 24:19a).
First, Go Above and Beyond "as a Servant or Follower"
There are many who seek to go beyond the call of duty… but only as a leader; however, in order to go beyond the call of duty as a leader, one must first have gone above and beyond the call of duty as follower. In other words, we cannot “put the cart before the mule”. In the Bible, because David had first defeated lions and bears while protecting his father’s small heard of sheep, he possessed the courage, faith in God, and the skills to go above and beyond the call of duty of a sheep herder (I Samuel 17:34); and conquer the regional giant of their day, whose name was (Goliath). Illustration: David, the little sheep-herder boy in I Samuel chapter 17, was told by his father (Jesse) to take food and drink to his older brothers. And David inquired further, asked, “Who is this man who defies the armies of the Living God?”, and they told him, Goliath. [Further illustration] “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” (v. 36). [Further illustration of the battle with Saul]. Beloved, when we go above and beyond the call of duty when we use the courage, the faith in God, and the skills from our sheep herder experiences; when we use the courage, faith in God, and skills from our low wage job experiences, our 1-2 bedroom apartment experiences, our bus-stop/train-stop experiences… then God can elevate us to use the courage, faith in God, and requisite skills on a leadership level, on a pent-house level, on a corporate levels. Don’t exalt yourself. Matthew 23:12 says, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. God will elevate you. I Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Go above and beyond the call of duty…first as a follower (servant), and God will elevate you.
II. Why Was Rebekah Chosen to Become Isaac’s Wife? To be blessed to become a part of God's promises to Abraham?
A. Because she was a Hebrew (basically qualified)
In our scripture, Genesis 24: 17-20, we find that Rebekah was chosen for a work, to be Isaac’s wife. How was she chosen? Abraham sent a servant with a long job description to identify and bring back the woman with certain required qualities: She cannot be a Canaanite. This description may seem small, however, this was an extensive description. Because (back in Genesis 12) God had made a covenant with Abraham, to make him the father of many nations, and to bless him spiritually and bless him financially, the work of Isaac’s future wife would make her the incumbent mother of many nations, and the co-manager of God’s riches unto the Abrahamaic family. So, Abraham wanted the woman to be a Hebrew and not a Canaanite (which is a non-Hebrew). A non-Hebrew will not take serving the Lord-God of Abraham to seriously. And because a non-Hebrew will not take serving the Lord-God of Abraham seriously, the non-Hebrew will not take the vision of God’s covenant seriously. And because the non-Hebrew will not take the vision of God’s covenant seriously, the tithing rule will not be taken seriously. And if the tithing rule would not be taken seriously, the importance of child-bearing would not be taken seriously. The selection cannot be a Canaanite or a non-Hebrew. So, why was Rebekah chosen? She satisfied Abraham’s job description, she was a Hebrew, a child or follower of God.
B. Rebekah was chosen to become Isaac's wife because she made herself available to serve.
In our scripture, Rebekah came to the Sichim well to take care of her family’s responsibilities of providing water to the home. I am sure that no one really wanted the responsibility of going to the well. One would have to wash the water-pots, fill the water-pots with water, and to carry the heavy water-pots back to the home. And depending on the needs of the home, several trips back and forth would need to be made each day. But there was something special about this Sichim well. The Sichim well was the well of the Abraham’s covenant with God. He went to the Sichim well to talk with God when he had problems with the Promise and God made covenant with him (). It was the Sichim well here where the servant choses Isaac’s wife. It was the Sichim well where the enemy had covered in order to prevent Isaac from his inheritance, but Isaac and his men uncovered in order to reestablish their covenant (). It was the Sichim well where Jacob fought all night long with God, and God named him Israel. And the Sichim well was translated to Greek in the New Testament, and called Shechem; and it was the Shechem well where the woman at the well met Jesus, and found deliverance. And so, Rebekah was chosen, partly because she was available to God, at the well.
C. Rebekah was chosen because she went above and beyond the call of duty.
1. She gave him water served from her own hands (Genesis 24: 18)
2. She gave water to not only one camel, but the ten camels. "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."
Although in the near future, Rebekkah would sit on the right hand of Isaac as his wife, the servant did not intervene, but rather allowed her to serve all 10 of the camels. As a result of her service above and beyond the call of duty, beyond expectations, Rebekkah not only becomes a wife, she became rich, co-heir of the Abramic possessions, and co-producer of God's promises to Abraham: many, many, many children.
Song: I am available to you.
REFERENCES
Lang, A. (2010). Water the camels. Retrieved http://touchingheaven-changingearth.blogspot.com/2010/05/water-camels-30510.html
Dickerson, D. (2014). African Methodist Episcopal Church: Our history. Retrieved from www.ame-church.com/our-church/our-history/
Jones, J. (2012). Against the sale of indulgences by Martin Luther. Westchester, PA: Westchester University. Retrieved from http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his101/web/37luther.htm
Smyth, J. (2008). Christian history: The “Se Baptist”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/denominationalfounders/smyth.html?start=2
