God’s Gracious Guidance

WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:29.620 Please turn your attention to God's Word in Genesis Chapter Twenty Four. So Genesis 2 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:39.890 Chapter Twenty four, I set out to a preach through these the Sud, 3 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:44.049 these generations of Abraham, this this account of Abraham, and we're coming to 4 00:00:44.090 --> 00:00:47.570 the end of that now. I think probably we'll take a break from genesis 5 00:00:47.649 --> 00:00:52.079 after we finish, not this one, but this and then the next passage 6 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:57.000 and and then moved to another book for a little while. Here, as 7 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:02.799 we come to the end of this account of Abraham's life, God's covenant with 8 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:07.790 him and all of these promises, we begin to see the transition to the 9 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:11.790 next generation, Isaac, the great child of promise, having been born. 10 00:01:12.950 --> 00:01:19.700 Now, what Right Will God continue his faithfulness even after Abraham's death? Will 11 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:23.060 he do that in Isaac? And we see the beginnings of those things beginning 12 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:29.620 to happen. Praise God for it. Let's hear his word now from Genesis 13 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:37.810 Twenty Four. Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the 14 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:42.010 Lord had blessed Abraham in all things, and Abraham said to his servant, 15 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.450 the oldest of his household, who had charge of all, that he had 16 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:51.680 put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by the Lord, 17 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:55.920 the God of Heaven and the God of Earth, that you will not 18 00:01:56.120 --> 00:02:00.280 take a wife from my son, from the daughters of the Canaanites, among 19 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.310 whom I dwell. But I will go to my country and to my kindred 20 00:02:04.349 --> 00:02:07.389 and take a wife for my son Isaac Or. But will go to my 21 00:02:07.550 --> 00:02:13.110 country and to my kindred and take a wife from my son Isaac. The 22 00:02:13.229 --> 00:02:15.139 Servant said to him, perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me 23 00:02:15.259 --> 00:02:20.139 to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from 24 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.419 which you came? Abraham said to him. See to it that you do 25 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:28.219 not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of Heaven, 26 00:02:28.780 --> 00:02:31.689 who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, 27 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:36.569 and who spoke to me and swore to me, to your offspring, I 28 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:39.969 will give this land. He will send his angel before you and you shall 29 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:45.039 take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not 30 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:47.159 willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. 31 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:53.199 Only you must not take my son back there. So the servant put 32 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.319 his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him 33 00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:00.629 concerning this matter. Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, 34 00:03:01.430 --> 00:03:06.509 taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master, and he arose and 35 00:03:06.550 --> 00:03:09.550 went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahore, and he made the camels 36 00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:13.659 kneel down outside the city by the well of water, at the time of 37 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:17.020 evening, the time and women go out to draw water, and he said, 38 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:23.259 the Lord God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and 39 00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:29.250 show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the 40 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:31.530 spring of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out 41 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:36.810 to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, please, 42 00:03:37.409 --> 00:03:40.680 let down your jar that I may drink, and who shall say drink 43 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.840 and I will water your camels. Let her be the one whom you have 44 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:50.599 appointed for your servant, Isaac. By this I shall know that you have 45 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:55.990 shown your steadfast love to my master. Before he had finished speaking, behold 46 00:03:57.389 --> 00:04:00.389 Rebecca, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milka, the wife 47 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:05.110 of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 48 00:04:05.949 --> 00:04:11.099 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man 49 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:15.300 had he known, she went down to the spring and filled her jar and 50 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:18.500 came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, please give 51 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:21.779 me a little drink, a little water to drink from your jar. She 52 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:26.730 she said, drink, my Lord, and she quickly let down her jar 53 00:04:26.889 --> 00:04:30.250 upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him 54 00:04:30.250 --> 00:04:34.050 a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also until 55 00:04:34.089 --> 00:04:39.040 they have finished drinking. So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and 56 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:42.399 ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his 57 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:47.079 camels. The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had 58 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:53.189 prospered his journey or not. When the camels had finished drinking and the the 59 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:57.470 man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for our arms 60 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:01.790 weighing in weighing ten gold Shekeles, and said, please tell me whose daughter 61 00:05:01.910 --> 00:05:05.470 you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the 62 00:05:05.509 --> 00:05:11.019 night? She said to him I am the daughter of Bethu well, the 63 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:15.180 son of Milcot, whom she bored in a whore. She added, we 64 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:17.379 have plenty of both Straw and fodder, and room to spend the night. 65 00:05:18.379 --> 00:05:23.089 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, blessed be the 66 00:05:23.209 --> 00:05:27.689 Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who is not forsaken his steadfast 67 00:05:27.769 --> 00:05:30.930 love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has 68 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:34.959 led me in the way to the House of my master's Kinsman. Then the 69 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:41.399 young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things. Rebecca had a 70 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:45.920 brother whose name was laban. Laban ran out toward the man to the spring 71 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:49.430 as soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms and 72 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:54.269 heard the words of Rebecca, his sister. Thus the man spoke to me. 73 00:05:55.029 --> 00:05:59.029 He went to the man and behold, he was standing by the camels 74 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:01.709 at the spring. He said, come in, Oh blessed of the Lord. 75 00:06:01.750 --> 00:06:05.139 Why do you stand outside? For I've prepared the house in a place 76 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:10.339 for the camels. So the man came to the House and unharness the camels 77 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:14.259 and gave Straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash 78 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:17.019 his feet and the feet of men who were with him. Then food was 79 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:21.250 set before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until 80 00:06:21.250 --> 00:06:25.970 I have said what I have to say. He said, speak on. 81 00:06:27.569 --> 00:06:32.240 So he said, I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my 82 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:36.360 master and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, 83 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:42.519 silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys, and 84 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.399 Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was 85 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:49.949 old, and to him he has given all that he has. My master 86 00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:54.230 made me swear, saying you shall not take a wife for my son from 87 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:58.470 the daughters of the Canaanites and whose land I dwell, but you shall go 88 00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.459 to my father's house and to my clan and take a wife for my son. 89 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.220 I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me, 90 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:10.860 but he said to me the Lord before whom I have walked will send his 91 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:15.379 angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife from my 92 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.490 son, from my clan and from my father's house. Then you will be 93 00:07:18.610 --> 00:07:21.769 free from my oath. When you come to my clan, and if they 94 00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:25.490 will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath. 95 00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:30.279 I came to day to the Spring and said, oh Lord the God of 96 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:33.319 my master Abraham, if you, if now, you are prospering the way 97 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.240 that I go. Behold, I'm standing by the spring of water. Let 98 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:41.720 the Virgin who comes out to the water, to whom I say, please, 99 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:44.550 give me a little water from your jar to drink, and who will 100 00:07:44.550 --> 00:07:46.709 say to me, drink, I will draw for your camels also, let 101 00:07:46.829 --> 00:07:51.470 her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's sin. Before 102 00:07:51.509 --> 00:07:56.910 I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca came out with her 103 00:07:56.990 --> 00:08:00.620 water, with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to 104 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.259 the spring and drew water. I said to her, please, let me 105 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:07.259 drink. She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said drink and 106 00:08:07.379 --> 00:08:11.339 I will give your camel's drink also. So I drank and she gave the 107 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:16.370 camel's drink also. Then I asked her whose daughter are you? She said 108 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:20.970 the daughter of Bethwell, Nahor's son, whom milk aboard him. So I 109 00:08:20.050 --> 00:08:24.529 put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. Then I 110 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.439 bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and bless the Lord, the God of 111 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:31.240 my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the 112 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:37.320 daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. Now then if you are going 113 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:41.389 to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me, and if 114 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:46.309 not, tell me that I may turn to the right hand door to the 115 00:08:46.389 --> 00:08:50.990 left. Then Laban and Bethwell answered and said the thing has come from the 116 00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:54.779 Lord. We cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold Rebecca's before you 117 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:58.259 take her and go and let her be the wife of your master's son, 118 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:03.580 as the Lord has spoken. When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed 119 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:09.700 himself to the Earth before the Lord, and the servant brought out jewelry of 120 00:09:09.009 --> 00:09:13.850 Siller and of gold and garments and gave them to Rebecca. He also gave 121 00:09:13.929 --> 00:09:18.850 to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments, and he gave to those 122 00:09:18.889 --> 00:09:22.889 men who were with him, and he gave the men who were with him 123 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:26.559 ate and drink. Let me start again, sorry, fifty four and he 124 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:30.039 and the men who were with him ate and drink, and they spent the 125 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.720 night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, Send Me 126 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.639 Away to my master. Her brother and her mother said, let the young 127 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.750 woman remain with us a while, at least ten days. After that she 128 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:46.110 may go. But he said to them, do not delay me, since 129 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:48.710 the Lord has prospered my way. Send Me Away that I may go to 130 00:09:48.830 --> 00:09:52.299 my master. They said, let us call the young woman and ask her, 131 00:09:54.059 --> 00:09:56.419 and they called Rebecca and said to her, will you go with this 132 00:09:56.620 --> 00:10:01.620 man? She said I will go. So they sent away Rebecca, their 133 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:05.700 sister, and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men, and they blessed 134 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:09.730 Rebecca and said to her, our sister, may you become thousands of tens, 135 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:15.529 that of ten thousands, and may your offspring possessed the gate of those 136 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:20.490 who hate him. Then Rebecca and her young women arose and rode on the 137 00:10:20.570 --> 00:10:24.600 camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebecca and went his way. 138 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:31.279 Now Isaac had returned from Beer Lehigh Roy and was dwelling in the NAGEB 139 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:35.750 and Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward the evening and he lifted 140 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:39.269 up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. And 141 00:10:39.429 --> 00:10:43.950 Rebecca lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the 142 00:10:43.029 --> 00:10:46.710 camel and said to the servant, who is that man walking in the field 143 00:10:46.750 --> 00:10:50.940 to meet us? The Servant said it is my master. So she took 144 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:56.019 her veil and covered herself and the servant told Isaac all the things that he 145 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:58.779 had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother, 146 00:10:58.940 --> 00:11:03.529 and took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her. So 147 00:11:03.730 --> 00:11:18.120 Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Praise God for his word. Is 148 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:24.720 Such a wonderful story and super sweet there at the end, right the eyes 149 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:31.279 lifting up to each other, meeting and falling in love and God's promises all 150 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.070 coming to pass, and then this final line that Isaac was comforted, comforted 151 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:41.710 after his mother's death. It's a reminder that the promises of God are not 152 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:46.299 just good, but there's a sweetness to them, pleasure in them, beauty 153 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:52.139 and joy, and this is what God intends for his people and the fellowship, 154 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:56.779 the of community that he creates. Of course there's a lot of trials 155 00:11:56.860 --> 00:12:03.090 and struggles and tribulations along the way. Isaac will struggle, Rebecca will struggle, 156 00:12:03.210 --> 00:12:07.289 their offspring will struggle, even as we do. But the message of 157 00:12:07.370 --> 00:12:13.730 this chapter teaches us that God is indeed good, that he does keep his 158 00:12:13.850 --> 00:12:20.519 stead past promises, that he his love and his promises are true. So 159 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:24.639 I want to consider that with you this evening so that we might, like 160 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:30.429 the servant does in this story, seek our guidance from God, that we 161 00:12:30.549 --> 00:12:33.950 might look to his promises, rely on him and trust in him for all 162 00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:41.389 things. As I said, this story begins about three years after Sarah had 163 00:12:41.470 --> 00:12:46.220 died. Abraham was now older and knew that it was time for his son 164 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.700 to marry. But this, as you've seen, is not a usual growing 165 00:12:50.740 --> 00:12:56.220 up and getting married a story, though that's certainly there. There's a lot 166 00:12:56.379 --> 00:13:03.929 more that's at stake than just Isaac's happiness or Rebecca's happiness or Abraham's happiness, 167 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:09.049 because, remember, it was through Isaac that God, God, would fulfill 168 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:18.000 his promises to Abra Him. Everything has is hinging on this child who is 169 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:22.879 now grown and is ready to marry, and that's why the promises from early 170 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:31.669 on in the in this section are repeated here, the promises that they would 171 00:13:31.669 --> 00:13:33.710 dwell in this land, that it would be given to the offspring. All 172 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:37.990 of that repetition there's is there for a reason. It's to remind us of 173 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:43.460 the importance of these things, of what's going on, of what's at stake. 174 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:50.220 The promises of God would require Isaac to be married, for him and 175 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:56.289 his wife to have children, for the family to grow. But there were 176 00:13:56.330 --> 00:14:03.809 some very serious obstacles to this happening, very serious challenges, challenges which really 177 00:14:03.850 --> 00:14:09.090 seem like insurmountable difficulties when you think about it. But if we've learned anything 178 00:14:09.129 --> 00:14:11.919 yet, and if we haven't learned it yet, we can learn it here 179 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:16.200 tonight. God knows how to overcome difficult challenges, to keep his promises, 180 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:22.080 and that he does here as well. God doesn't waiver. God's love is 181 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:28.629 steadfast. He goes before us, he takes care of things, he fulfills 182 00:14:28.789 --> 00:14:33.070 his purposes for us. Remember, it was God who made this covenant with 183 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:37.350 Abraham. It was God who called him, him out of his homeland and 184 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:43.820 into the land of Canaan. It was God who gave him this miraculous child. 185 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:48.980 It was God who recently provided the Ram. It was God who is 186 00:14:48.019 --> 00:14:56.730 at work. God doesn't leave us alone to figure things out. God guides 187 00:14:56.769 --> 00:15:01.690 us, having ordained the end from the beginning, and we can trust him 188 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:07.320 even when we don't know exactly what's going on, exactly what he's doing. 189 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.120 So what kinds of challenges does Abraham face? What kinds of challenges does his 190 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:20.399 servant, likely Eliazar of Damascus, face here. Well. The first one 191 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.710 is that Isaac needed a wife, and for those who have ever struggled to 192 00:15:24.789 --> 00:15:30.629 find a spouse, enough said, it's not always easy. That's challenge number 193 00:15:30.669 --> 00:15:33.990 one, but there of course more difficult than that here. Number two is 194 00:15:35.070 --> 00:15:41.620 that Isaac needed a life, a wife who wasn't where they lived right. 195 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:46.259 So, anyone who is sort of struggled to find a spouse where you live, 196 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:54.610 this was their situation. Why was that a struggle? Because they lived 197 00:15:54.809 --> 00:16:00.490 in Canaan. Remember, God had called Abraham out of his homeland to live. 198 00:16:00.610 --> 00:16:04.960 Where to live? In Canaan. But there were several problems with Canaan. 199 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:12.000 One was the place. This, this country, was characterized by idolatry, 200 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:19.950 by immorality and very gross and great and, I guess, disgusting as 201 00:16:19.990 --> 00:16:26.389 well, both meanings of that word. Immorality, immorality towards one another, 202 00:16:26.429 --> 00:16:33.779 lack of boundaries, disrespect for authority, disrespect for basics, basic decency, 203 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:41.940 for order, for life, for relationships with one another. Consider Moses's words 204 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:49.450 and Deuteronomy, chapter twelve versus thirty through thirty. One he writes, he 205 00:16:49.529 --> 00:16:57.129 writes there. Sorry, almost got it he says to the Israelites that remember, 206 00:16:57.129 --> 00:17:03.559 this is right before they are about to enter into Canaan, having been 207 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.960 out of it for a while. They are about to enter into can. 208 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:11.480 He says, Take Care that you be not ensnared to follow them after they 209 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:15.670 who have been destroyed before you. But this is God's plan for the Canaanites 210 00:17:15.990 --> 00:17:21.230 to Judge Them. He says to the Israelites, take care that you not 211 00:17:21.390 --> 00:17:23.509 be that you not being snared after they have been destroyed before you, and 212 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:27.869 that you do not inquire about their God, saying how did these nations serve 213 00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:33.779 their gods, that I may also do the same name you shall wear. 214 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:37.619 You shall not worship the Lord, your God in that way, for every 215 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:42.500 abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods. For they 216 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:52.650 even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. So 217 00:17:52.809 --> 00:17:56.609 this is one of many warnings in the Old Testament. The particularly as they 218 00:17:56.609 --> 00:18:02.519 are about to enter into the land of Canaan, God tells them that the 219 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:06.359 Canaanites are a people not to be messed with. Don't marry that them, 220 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.400 don't be with them, don't interact with them in these ways. Now. 221 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:15.269 Right now, Canaan or Israel, is not in a place as not at 222 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:19.789 the time when she will judge, will judge by God's will, the Canaanites. 223 00:18:19.869 --> 00:18:23.829 Right now, Abraham is a pilgrim, but he knows that he is 224 00:18:23.990 --> 00:18:32.500 not to mix with them because of the idolatry and in morality. Another difficulty, 225 00:18:32.579 --> 00:18:36.339 as I said, is that the destiny of these Canaanites is destruction. 226 00:18:37.019 --> 00:18:41.099 This is, of course, the exact opposite of God's promises to Abraham. 227 00:18:41.730 --> 00:18:45.289 God's promise to Abraham and into his family was life and abundant life, not 228 00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:52.490 the destruction under his wrath. And remember that he had been promised this land. 229 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:59.480 And this all hearkens back to another important promise God made in general, 230 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:03.720 as we find it in genesis chapter nine. I want to read this to 231 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:11.829 you now. This comes after the flood. We begin to see in a 232 00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:18.109 seed form all of these events that we are reading about now and we can 233 00:19:18.230 --> 00:19:26.339 think of falling out from here. I'm beginning to happen right after the flood, 234 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:30.299 what we might say, right at the new beginning of the earth, 235 00:19:30.940 --> 00:19:34.059 where man is again called to be fruitful and multiply, right at the beginning 236 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:37.609 when all things are set in order. Noah has made it through the flood. 237 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:42.329 We and then we read this in genesis eighteen, the sons of Noah 238 00:19:42.369 --> 00:19:48.410 who went forth from the Ark where Shem, Ham and Jff Ham was the 239 00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:53.079 father of Canaan. These were the sons of Noah, and from these people 240 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:59.400 the whole Earth was dispersed. Noah began to be a man of the soil 241 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:03.680 and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and 242 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:07.390 lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw 243 00:20:07.509 --> 00:20:14.309 the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and 244 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:18.589 J ff took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward 245 00:20:18.269 --> 00:20:22.539 and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward and they 246 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:29.619 did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah folk from his wine and knew 247 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:33.460 what his youngest son is had done to him, he said, cursed be 248 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:38.849 Canan Servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. He also said, 249 00:20:38.890 --> 00:20:42.569 blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be his 250 00:20:42.690 --> 00:20:47.450 servant. May God in large JFUV and let him dwell in the tense of 251 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:53.960 Shechem and and let Canaan be his servant. Well, it is from Shechem's 252 00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:03.079 descendants that Abraham comes. It is from Shechem's descendants that Abraham comes. And 253 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:07.509 in keeping with these promises and keeping with these curse and keeping with what God 254 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:14.029 had promised to do here, Abraham cannot get a wife from the Canaanites. 255 00:21:14.869 --> 00:21:18.579 He is not to subdue the land, as so many rulers do, through 256 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:26.579 intermarriage. The political the the political power that comes through marriages, is not 257 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:33.009 to be exercised here. Instead, he is to get a wife from within 258 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:37.450 his own clan. But, as I said, there weren't any women around. 259 00:21:38.329 --> 00:21:42.769 They weren't there because God had called him out of his homehland, away 260 00:21:42.809 --> 00:21:49.640 from his clan, to a land that he didn't belong to. So where 261 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:55.799 do we go from here? Abraham says to his servant, as a way 262 00:21:55.880 --> 00:22:02.230 to overcome these difficulties, I want you to go back home. Well, 263 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:06.390 this isn't without problems either. Not to overly discourage you, but you know 264 00:22:06.509 --> 00:22:11.309 the ending right. This is not without its problems either, because home, 265 00:22:11.950 --> 00:22:18.740 the homeland, has its own share of immorality and idolatry. Remember Joshua Twenty 266 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:23.819 four, verse two, and Joshua said to all the people, thus says 267 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:29.299 the Lord, the God of Israel. Long ago, your fathers lived beyond 268 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:33.329 the fray, Euphrates, Tara, the father of Abraham, and no whore, 269 00:22:33.769 --> 00:22:38.890 and they served other gods. So you see what Joshua he's saying in 270 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:42.690 line with Moses. He's saying, don't go and do the things that the 271 00:22:42.809 --> 00:22:48.119 Canaanites did and don't go back to where you came from, which was also 272 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:53.480 idolatry, also immorality. Instead, I am creating something new here. I'm 273 00:22:53.599 --> 00:23:03.150 creating a new people, and this is what this is what Abraham and his 274 00:23:03.269 --> 00:23:07.269 servant was facing and trying to find a wife. He could go home, 275 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:14.700 and things do seem to be better there. A Laban will address them and 276 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:19.420 reference the Lord, he will reference Yahweh. There seems to be it seems 277 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:25.140 to be not quite as bad as the Canaanits, and yet, nevertheless it 278 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:30.329 is still a mixed place. Remember, after all, Abraham was called out 279 00:23:30.569 --> 00:23:36.690 of that place and Israel was called not to go back to that place where 280 00:23:36.730 --> 00:23:41.839 they served other gods. We also might know this Laban. Here we see 281 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:48.759 again foreshadowing when he says of his his sister, can't you just stay ten 282 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:53.599 days you perhaps you know the story of Isaac Sun who will go to Laban 283 00:23:53.720 --> 00:24:00.069 for his wife, and there's all kinds of delay and various problems that that 284 00:24:00.390 --> 00:24:03.549 happen with that arrangement. We have a little taste of that here. It 285 00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:07.910 doesn't work out in Laban's favor. But we see other things about Laban that 286 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:14.500 are a little off, we might say. The scripture tells us that it's 287 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:18.380 when he saw the ring and he when he saw the gold bands on her 288 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:21.740 arms that he said we need to deal with this, let's talk, let's 289 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:27.250 find out, let's make a deal. This Laban seems interested in some ways 290 00:24:27.289 --> 00:24:33.250 and protecting his sister and protecting the household, but he, even though he 291 00:24:33.369 --> 00:24:36.849 speaks of the Lord, that doesn't seem to be where his hard is, 292 00:24:37.009 --> 00:24:41.279 here or in the future. Remember that Jacob, Isaac's son. I'm sorry, 293 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.960 I'm jumping a little bit all over the place here, but when they 294 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:52.109 leave Laban, it is will his wife whole olds the household. God's right. 295 00:24:52.309 --> 00:25:00.349 She steals from her father. Laban is God's this is not a Yahway 296 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:04.230 family. This is not a Christian family. This is not a family that 297 00:25:04.390 --> 00:25:11.859 loves and serves the Lord. This is a family that is tolerating this Weirdo 298 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:18.059 who left the homeland, left the clan, has been gone for a long 299 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:22.730 time and is now coming back, but who also happens to be very wealthy. 300 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:27.849 So Yay for us. Right. So here comes this servant and he 301 00:25:29.009 --> 00:25:33.170 says, my master is wealthy, God has blessed him greatly. Hears everything 302 00:25:33.289 --> 00:25:41.079 that has happened and they agree amazingly, and I think by God's grace, 303 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:48.839 Rebecca also agrees to this and she is willing to go and not delay in 304 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:59.390 these things. One last problem. What if she won't come? Right, 305 00:25:59.430 --> 00:26:03.859 so remember Isaac is he, Abraham's servant, Eliezar he. He's not supposed 306 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:07.859 to find a servant in Canaan. He's supposed to go home to the old 307 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:11.779 to the clan, to the homeland, and find a wife. But what 308 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:15.539 if she doesn't come? What if she refuses to go? What if he 309 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:18.259 can't find her? What if her family won't let her? This is a 310 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:22.809 very, very difficult challenge that Abraham is making his serve and place his hand 311 00:26:22.849 --> 00:26:26.009 under his thigh and square to him, and you can see Ellie is ours 312 00:26:26.329 --> 00:26:33.200 hesitancy a little bit. Yes, Abraham's rich, but this is a big 313 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:37.880 ask. He's the one who left home, he's the one who's following these 314 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:41.440 new this new God. He's the one who's traveling homeless, without a place, 315 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:45.559 without a land. Where are we going to let our daughter go? 316 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:52.150 And a servant says perhaps it makes more sense for Isaac to go back home. 317 00:26:53.869 --> 00:26:56.869 But this is me testing you. Now. Why can't Isaac go back 318 00:26:57.029 --> 00:27:02.859 home? Because it's against the whole covenant. It's against everything that God has 319 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:07.579 been doing. Remember, God called them out to give them this other land. 320 00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:10.700 He didn't call them out to send it back home and stay home. 321 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:15.769 He called them to a new place. To Send Isaac back home would be 322 00:27:15.849 --> 00:27:21.529 to go the exact opposite way that God was calling him. You would be 323 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:25.529 a Jonah, move right. God says go this way and the prophet goes 324 00:27:25.609 --> 00:27:30.920 the other way, and that's why Abraham's so serious. No, swear to 325 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:36.640 me that you will not do do that. What does Abraham want? Yes, 326 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:40.279 he wants a wife for his son Isaac, but he wants to see 327 00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:45.710 faithfulness in his household. He wants to see his household truy ust the promises 328 00:27:47.349 --> 00:27:52.309 of God, and that's what he does and that's what the servant does, 329 00:27:52.509 --> 00:27:57.549 even though they don't necessarily know how it's all going to turn out, and 330 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:00.779 that's how we come to the solution to all of these challenges, all of 331 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:07.980 these very this very difficult situation. The answer to these things is faith, 332 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:14.890 faith, faith in God. Abraham and his servant needed to trust the Lord 333 00:28:14.970 --> 00:28:19.210 for his past promises to Abraham and even to Shen before him. They needed 334 00:28:19.410 --> 00:28:26.450 also to trust God's power, his providential power, to work all things out 335 00:28:26.650 --> 00:28:30.200 for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. 336 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:37.200 He needed to trust God, he needed to trust that things would work out 337 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:41.549 some way, somehow, and that's what he does. In a number of 338 00:28:41.710 --> 00:28:47.109 ways. The Servant does this. He he does it by clearly understanding Abraham. 339 00:28:47.750 --> 00:28:51.069 Notice how he does it. Also in his prayers, when he prays 340 00:28:51.190 --> 00:28:55.150 to God, he prays that God would hear him. He addresses him in 341 00:28:55.190 --> 00:29:00.180 verse twelve. Is Yahwegh, God of my master Abraham, please grant me 342 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:06.740 success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. This servant is a 343 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:12.410 covenant theologian. He understands his how to pray. He prays a core waring 344 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:18.089 to the promises. He understands that his relationship of blessing is in direct connection 345 00:29:18.250 --> 00:29:23.089 to the promises God has made to his servant or to his to his Master, 346 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:30.240 God Servant, Abraham. And so this is the way the servant Prais, 347 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.920 this is the way he he heads. If this is indeed Eliezar of 348 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:38.430 Damascus, as many commentators think it is, a Meredith Klein notes that he 349 00:29:38.470 --> 00:29:42.910 would have had to travel through his own land in order to get to where 350 00:29:42.910 --> 00:29:48.349 he was going with Isaac. You imagine the challenges of this. Right, 351 00:29:48.430 --> 00:29:52.430 Elia is our is not of this family. Eliazar is not a wasn't belonged 352 00:29:52.589 --> 00:29:56.579 by birth to this household. Remember a back there was a time when God, 353 00:29:56.660 --> 00:30:02.059 when Abraham said of Eliezar, said could this one be the air of 354 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:07.410 my household? And God said no, it's going to be Isaac. So 355 00:30:07.569 --> 00:30:11.289 alias are in a prehess sense, has been demoted. He is a servant, 356 00:30:11.329 --> 00:30:17.289 a servant, a servant. He's going, perhaps through his own land 357 00:30:17.450 --> 00:30:19.170 on a way to accomplish this thing that he doesn't know how it's going to 358 00:30:19.250 --> 00:30:26.240 work out. What does he do? He prays, he trusts, Yahweh 359 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:32.119 the god of Abraham. He trusts the promises and he asks God to show 360 00:30:32.680 --> 00:30:40.309 to him that steadfast love that has given to his master. The faith here 361 00:30:41.150 --> 00:30:45.869 is wonderful, as we as we see this, and then, of course, 362 00:30:45.869 --> 00:30:49.579 as we end, notice how the Lord Blesses, the Lord grants to 363 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:53.259 him even before, when it's not, I was going to say words were 364 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:57.140 out of spoken on his lips, but it was in his heart. Eliazar 365 00:30:57.220 --> 00:31:00.579 doesn't even pray this prayer out loud. He tells us in the second half 366 00:31:00.619 --> 00:31:03.490 of the chapter that he's praying this in his heart. When all of a 367 00:31:03.569 --> 00:31:10.650 sudden there is the woman and all of it falls out. We notice one 368 00:31:10.690 --> 00:31:17.609 other detail as we come to a conclusion here. Even though the Lord Answers, 369 00:31:17.930 --> 00:31:23.240 answers Eliazar's prayer about the whole situation with the camels and the water and 370 00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:30.119 all of that, notice how he doesn't pursue presume that everything settled. He 371 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:36.150 still continues to watch and to trust and to wait on the Lord. He 372 00:31:36.390 --> 00:31:41.349 still goes forward and continues his task because he knows best how to do it. 373 00:31:41.190 --> 00:31:45.390 We see that in his watching and is gazing at this woman, wondering 374 00:31:45.549 --> 00:31:51.099 whether this is in fact the one, if I could put it this way. 375 00:31:51.140 --> 00:31:56.740 He's not overconfident in his reading of God's providential events, even though they 376 00:31:56.779 --> 00:32:04.970 are so to a tea of what he has asked for. I think it's 377 00:32:05.009 --> 00:32:08.970 because he continues to show faith, faithfulness, he continues to wait on the 378 00:32:09.049 --> 00:32:14.089 Lord. He knows there's a number of obstacles still in his way, but 379 00:32:14.170 --> 00:32:19.119 he waits on the Lord to know what will happen. And, of course, 380 00:32:19.160 --> 00:32:24.519 the notice how God blesses. He gives rebecca a heart to go. 381 00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:34.390 She goes, she sees Isaac. Isaac brings her into his tent, into 382 00:32:34.390 --> 00:32:38.069 the tent of his mother. Rather, she becomes his wife, and he 383 00:32:38.190 --> 00:32:43.069 loved her. And of course, I as we know, the Lord gives 384 00:32:43.109 --> 00:32:46.339 them children and they're the promises of the Lord are fulfilled in one day. 385 00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:53.380 The people do multiply greatly and inherit the land. So my question to use 386 00:32:53.740 --> 00:33:00.569 simply this. If Elias are an Abraham and Isaac can trust God to fulfill 387 00:33:00.690 --> 00:33:06.690 his promises at this time and in this way, if they can trust for 388 00:33:06.849 --> 00:33:12.960 God for guidance, how much more can we trust God, who have already 389 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:17.640 seen all the promises fulfilled? We've seen the sun born. We've seen the 390 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:23.720 landfilled. We've seen God bring forth a Messiah to establish a Covenant People that 391 00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:30.990 includes the not only the Abraham's and and Sarah's and Isaac's, but also the 392 00:33:31.069 --> 00:33:38.109 rebeccas and the Eliazars of Damascus has and all of us gentiles, a family 393 00:33:38.230 --> 00:33:42.420 of Jew and gentile, of male and female, slave and free, this 394 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:49.740 great family feeling not just Canan but the whole world. And all of this 395 00:33:49.940 --> 00:33:57.569 was accomplished because God has kept his promises. God knows how to move the 396 00:33:57.690 --> 00:34:05.210 events of history in such a way that he gave his own son into history 397 00:34:06.369 --> 00:34:10.719 to die on a cross to fulfill all of these things and to bring in 398 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:16.960 all of his elect people. We've seen it. We're at the end of 399 00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:21.079 the story, where this is this is genesis right. This is the very 400 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:27.469 beginnings. We're at the very end, simply waiting for the Lord to come 401 00:34:27.670 --> 00:34:32.110 and consummate all of these things. Can we trust for God to guide us, 402 00:34:32.949 --> 00:34:37.579 to provide our way, to clear our paths, to use the obstacles 403 00:34:37.780 --> 00:34:44.900 to strengthen our faith in him? Yes, we can, because he's already 404 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:50.139 done it. He's already fulfilled these covenant promises in the Lord Jesus Christ. 405 00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:55.530 And so let us rest on him, let us wait on him, let 406 00:34:55.570 --> 00:35:02.690 us trust him for everything that we need him, our heavenly fought