After this morning’s message ("Why shouldn’t Happy People Get married") I thought it a good idea to switch back to marriages that are good and right for this evening. I’d like to took at a marriage made in heaven, but not every marriage made in heaven has a Hollywood existence and ends with (Or rather continues with) "And they lived happily ever after."
I can think of a few marriages in the Bible that needed some serious counseling:
Hosea’s marriage was a match made in heaven but his wife was a prostitute! (Hosea 1:1-3). Their marital history like many marriages was full of heartbreak and yet taught a powerful lesson about sacrificial love, obedience, redemption, grace and mercy. Not a bad record for a marriage after all is it?
But there are also love stories in the Bible that start happy and end well. Tonight we’ll look at the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah, so roll back to Genesis 24 with me and we’ll prepare to read the chapter together. Most of the story isn’t about Isaac and Rebekah but rather about God’s faithfulness to his covenant and About God’s faithfulness to answer the Prayer of Faith. In fact the Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah teaches us a lot about prayer - which is very much like our own marriages sometimes.
Throughout this chapter though we discover that while God’s plan is large, He still relies upon our prayers to do His work. More than 50 years prior to this time, God met with Abraham - called him out of Ur of the Chaldees and promised Abraham descendants more numerous than the grains of sand in the sea or the stars in the sky. Now Abraham senses that his time is drawing to a close and he is eager to see God’s faithfulness continued.
The story is rather straightforward and it revolves around Five people. Abraham and his son Isaac, Laban and his sister Rebekah, and Abraham’s unnamed servant - who though unknown to us was guided by God to bring about the next chapter in His master plan of redemption.
< Read Genesis 24>
Gen 24 as the first verse introduces it is about what God is doing as he exhibits his faithfulness to Abraham. Part of that faithfulness was fulfilling his word to Abraham to make him the father of many nations, which demands more than a son but a wife for that son as well. There’s no indication here that God had told Abraham it was time to act, we can only assume because nothing is said to the contrary that Abraham was finally walking in God’s will by preparing for his son’s future.
It was a monumental task, traveling 500 miles to an unknown location hoping to find someone - But This servant was given encouragement by Abraham’s words that God has always guided him, and will now guide his servant. Abraham’s promise that God’s angel would go before him preparing the way (v7), gave the servant the confidence to commit to the task (v.9).
Several things happen in this chapter which we’re told happen as a result of God going before the servant to pave the way. What the rest of the world might name "coincidences" is clearly portrayed as being God’s providential rule in every day life. The same God who went before this unnamed servant is the God who goes before us. So that the lessons we learn from this chapter are lessons that can directly apply to us. This servant was given an impossible task or rather a God Sized Task. Because God is involved in it’s completion everything works out as it should.
God was providentially involved in directing the servant to fulfill his work. Did the servant KNOW that everything was going to work out? No. Did he really know HOW things would work out at all? No - but he had a promise from Abraham that strengthened him to try. I love reading this servant’s prayer: there is both a desperation and a faith in his prayers, and still yet surprise in his rejoicing at the fulfillment of prayers. The personal application to life is that neither do we know if or rather, HOW everything might work out - and because we don’t know and yet so much depends on the results there is a desperation wrapped amidst the faith in our earnest prayers. But because God is sovereign and because God is good we can trust Him.
1. I want you to notice first however that Because God went ahead of this servant HE ARRIVED PRECISELY ON TIME.
(v11). He wasn’t early and he wasn’t late. He got there when it was time for Rebekah to come get water. He got there before she got married off somewhere else. I suppose there were a number of things that could have gone wrong and didn’t. But because Abraham and this unnamed servant trusted God and because God went ahead of him preparing the way - he got there when he needed to be there. If we’re listening to God I believe He will guide us - even in our timing.
2. Also, with God going before him, HE PRAYED THE RIGHT PRAYER (v12-14) of course depending on your point of view you could say that with God going before him HIS PRAYER WAS HEARD AND ANSWERED.
(v15) Either way look at what happened as this servant prayed. From our perspective it really doesn’t matter whether God put that prayer into his mouth, or if God answered the prayer as the servant made it up. What really matters is that the prayer - is not only VERY SPECIFIC but it is also answered VERY SPECIFICALLY.
Now I catch myself too often praying for things like "Oh God - bless so and so..." Or "oh God you know what’s best." That’s all fine and good - sometimes I really don’t know what to ask God for - So I just express faith in him. But you know sometimes I think we have to be specific. Look at what the servant prayed - and then look how he watches to see if God has answered his prayer. How are we going to watch and see if God is answering our prayers if all we do is pray in glittering generalities?
3. With God going before him, GOD PREPARED THE GOAL FOR COMPLETION.
Practically speaking we look to verse 16 and we discover that the right girl for the job was kept pure and undefiled. Lest we think, "That was then but this is now." I think the fact that her virginity is mentioned is proof enough that not every young girl in that day and age kept herself pure. Either through temple prostitution - or frivolous relationships just like today, all the way back then people were having sex outside of marriage. She however was pure.
4. With God going before him, HE BOLDLY ACTED IN FAITH ON HIS PRAYERS. (v17, 21, 33, 49-52)
Think about how boldly he acted. First he finishes his prayer and charges up to the first girl he sees to start testing searching for the answer. Then he faithfully watched for the answer. After that he breaks a social rule by refusing to eat until he’s discussed "business." Then he forces the issue when it came time to go home. He acted with great boldness because he was sure that he was in the middle of God’s will.
5.th I want you to notice that even with God going before him, THE TASK WAS NOT EASY.
Don’t forget the 500 mile trek v10. Laban and the girls mother tried to delay the journey’s completion (v55-56). Prayer is not an easy task - and neither is following through in faith. There are going to be obstacles to obedience but this servant knew his task, he had assurance that he was obeying God - and he pushed on to obedience.
Friends, let’s not get discouraged when the going gets tough when we’ve been called to a task.
6. And almost finally: With God going before him, HE SUCCEEDED IN HIS IMPOSSIBLE TASK. (v62-67).
Looking back to the first few verses, Abraham asked him to go on a difficult journey to complete a nearly impossible task. And even Abraham acknowledged the possibility that he may not succeed in getting a wife for Isaac. But he pushed on and claimed the success and the victory.
So What is OUR impossible task? Like Abraham’s servant we are sent into the foreign territory of this world to collect the bride for Christ. Hebrews 11 lumps us in with Abraham and the faithful prophets as aliens and strangers to this world - because our citizenship is in heaven.
Metaphorically speaking our task is not much different from the servant’s task - to journey into this world at great personal and emotional risk - not to mention the risk of failure and being made a mockery. But our goal is clear - as the church is called the bride of Christ we are called to gather a bride for our master, and it really is a humanly impossible task.
In fact if God does not go before us, we will not succeed. There are too many things that can go wrong. We ourselves might make a wrong turn - or we will miss our divine appointments. But as God goes before us - and we submit to Him. I think God will guide our relationships: WE WILL MEET THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
As we draw near to God, He will GUIDE OUR PRAYERS, AND ANSWER THEM.
As God protected and prepared Rebekah: HE WILL PREPARE THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE WE ENCOUNTER TO RECEIVE HIS WORD.
Then we need to ACT BOLDLY IN FAITH.
OUR TASK WILL NOT BE EASY, we will meet with objections, obstacles, and obstinate people but as God goes before us He has a vested interest in the final goal.
WE TOO CAN SUCCEED IN AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
I have one final note to make about success. Notice that this servant asks Abraham what should happen if the girl doesn’t want to come back? The answer: The servant is released from his duty. I suppose we’re not guaranteed a new disciple all we have to do is be faithful to the task we’re given. Our Father will fill in the details.
God will be faithful to provide what we need to accomplish his task - let us be faithful to Him.
