From One Generation To Another
Genesis 24
July 25, 2021
Before we jump into our text this morning, it might be helpful to review where we are in the midst of Genesis. Since we began with Abraham in Chapter 12, we have seen repeated the promises God made regarding land and offspring.
- In Chapter 12, Abraham was told to leave his home country and family and everything he knew. The LORD would make Abraham a great nation (offspring) and would give him the land that the LORD would show him.
- In Chapter 13, that promise was renewed with the LORD telling Abraham to raise his eyes, that as far as Abraham could see was as far as the LORD would give to Abraham and his offspring.
- In Chapter 15, the LORD covenanted with Abraham to give the Promised land to Abraham’s descendants.
- In Chapter 16, Sarah got impatient and sent Abraham into her servant, Hagar, to have a son. Ishmael was born.
- In Chapter 17, the LORD commanded Abraham to institute circumcision as a sign of the covenant. The LORD also declared that Ishmael was not the heir of the promise, that Sarah herself would be a mother.
- In Chapter 18, the LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. Abraham extended extravagant hospitality and was told that Sarah would give birth within the next year. Sarah laughed. The LORD posed the question that we still consider today, “Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?”
- In Chapter 21, Isaac was born. Sarah declared, “God has brought laughter for me, everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
- In Chapter 22, we have one of the most mysterious and puzzling events in Scripture: the LORD instructed Abraham take Isaac – his beloved son and promised heir – and to go to Mount Moriah to offer Isaac to the LORD as a burnt offering. If you have read this chapter, you know that Abraham bound Isaac and put him on the wood to be burned. Abraham was stopped as the knife was in his hand to kill Isaac. A ram was provided as a substitute.
- In Chapter 23, we read about Sarah’s death.
That brings us to our chapter for this morning. This is a lengthy reading. Given how economically the author had been through other chapters, this kind of detailed narrative stands out: why? Why so in-depth? I want you to listen for two things: 1) how important to Abraham were God’s promises; and 2) how God is faithful to his promises. Land and offspring; listen to how God moves the narrative forward to provide Abraham’s heirs in the Promised land.
Read Genesis 24
There are six scenes: 1) Abraham and his servant; 2) the servant’s prayer; 3) the initial encounter with Rebekah; 4) the dealings with the family; 5) Rebekah’s consent; and 6) encountering Isaac. Obviously, there is more going on here than we will cover in this sermon. I am going to touch on a couple of things in these scenes and then talk about what is important for us to hear.
Scene 1: Abraham and his servant
We begin with the setup for the story. Sarah had died. Abraham was old – really old. Abraham was concerned for his son, Isaac. He called his most trusted servant who – like Joseph would be for Potiphar and Pharaoh later – had charge over all the affairs of his house. He had the man put his hand under his thigh to make a promise. He had this trusted servant put his hand under his thigh – an odd thing for us looking back from modern times, however, what it signified to Abraham was that the servant was going to take an oath that would have significant consequences for generations to come. Thus, putting his hand near Abraham’s genitals – the place from where his descendants were produced – signified that the oath would have generational consequences.[1]
How many of you thought you were going to hear about that this morning?
At any rate, Abraham had his servant take an oath to seek a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s kin. These were the same kin that Abraham had left at the direction of the LORD. The point was that intermarriage with the people of the land was not acceptable to either Abraham or the LORD. God was going to fulfill his promises to Abraham through Abraham’s descendants, and intermarriage posed the very real threat to the covenant promises that God would deliver the land to Abraham. In short, Abraham (and his descendants) would rely on the LORD to provide the land – they would not intermarry into it, conquer it by their own might, or purchase it with their own money.
Further, the servant was specifically prohibited from taking Isaac back to the land of Abraham’s birth. To go back there would be to deny faith in the promises God had made – which Abraham now was unwilling to do. He had learned from the disastrous early sojourn into Egypt during the famine. Having renewed the relationship with God upon his return to Canaan, Abraham was not willing to risk losing God’s promises by having Isaac leave the land God had shown and given him.
If God commands you to do something; do it. If God promises you something; God will do it – don’t try to do it for him.
It is remarkable how often I need to hear that. I would be afraid to count the number of times in my life where I was so busy trying to do God’s job that I messed up the one thing I was supposed to be doing. After years of a developing relationship with God, Abraham finally reached the place where he took God at his word and wanted to make sure that the servant did too. We know this because – when the servant said, “What happens if the woman does not want to come back here,” Abraham responded with, “If not, you are released from this oath.” Then, paraphrasing, “However, God promised this land to my offspring, and he will send his angel before you so you won’t have to deal with that hypothetical.” The servant was worried about convincing the girl, Abraham was worried about obeying God.
Scenes 2 and 3: The Servant’s Prayer and Initial Encounter
From there we move onto the servant’s prayer and the encounter between the servant and Rebekah. There is a lot of repetition here. Why? The story is told in such vivid detail in order to highlight the hand of God at work. The servant prayed for a sign that his journey would be successful; specifically, that the girl he would ask for water would offer to water his ten camels too. To us, this may seem like a simple thing, however, this was like asking to win the lottery.
After such a long journey, each camel could drink up to 25 gallons. There were 10 camels. The jugs carried by many women of the day could hold about 3 gallons. Quick math tells you that means she could have been required to go down to the spring to draw water more than 80 times.[2] Hospitality required her to offer the servant a drink; nothing was required for the camels. “[The servant] intentionally selected an extreme alternative that was not just unlikely but totally outside the realm of possibility in order for there to be no doubt that God was controlling the situation.”[3]
The servant watched to see what Rebekah would do. Specifically, he “gazed at her in silence to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.” Remember: his prayer was that his journey would be successful. Rebekah’s performance of this kindness to him was the answer that his journey had been successful.
Discernment of God’s hand at work is a key part of this story. The servant expected God to show up and reveal himself. Do we? How often do we pray for clarity, for a direction, or for God to reveal to us what it is we are supposed to do – only to not look or not be willing to accept when God does answer? Or, as I have realized on several occasions in my life, how often do I not ask because I do not expect God to answer?
Scene 4: Dealing With The Family
When Rebekah completed her kindness to the servant, he gave her gifts and inquired about staying with her family overnight. When she welcomed him, “the man bowed his head and worshipped the LORD,” declaring how God had been faithful to Abraham and to himself.
I am not going to spend a lot of time here because there are multiple repetitions of the events we just covered. Rebekah told her parents. Then the servant told the whole story, specifically highlighting God’ hand at work. It was at the end of this repetition that Rebekah’s family concurred with the understanding that God was leading them. “This thing comes from the LORD.” They agreed to making the arrangements for Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife, “as the LORD has spoken.”
Scene 5: Rebekah’s Consent
I think one of the most overlooked aspects of this story is where Rebekah is asked and gives consent to leave immediately. It seems like a small thing in the overall picture, yet it is a powerful reminder of God’s hand at work in the midst of these events.
Laban encouraged Abraham’s servant to venture ahead and they would send Rebekah ten days later. Again, this may sound odd in our modern ears, but it would not have been thought an unreasonable request in those days. Because all of these events occurred in rapid succession, Rebekah’s family wanted some extra time to make sure that things were legitimate. The servant, on the other hand, was anxious to return to Abraham. The servant was convinced that God’s hand was directing things; thus, delayed obedience would be disobedience. That was the point where the family turned and asked Rebekah if she agreed.
It was unusual in the ancient world for the woman to have any part in major decisions. Rebekah is not consulted with regard to the marriage (vv. 50–51), but when the servant asks to leave right away, the men look to Rebekah for consent. Marriage contracts of this general period show a great concern for maintaining the woman’s security within her husband’s family. The presence of her own family was one of the guarantees that she would be cared for and treated properly. The ten days that Rebekah’s family requests (v. 55) would give them a little more opportunity to make sure that everything is as it appears to be. She is probably consulted because of the substantial risk involved in leaving family protection under such unusual circumstances.[4]
Asked, Rebekah responded, “Let’s go.” This is why Rebekah’s response is noteworthy: Rebekah consented to going from her country and her kindred and her father’s house to the land that the servant (the agent of Abraham and of God) would show her. She was invited to take a journey of faith, just like Abraham. She was required to leave everything she knew and the security of the status quo to go outside of her safe place to an unknown circumstance. This parallel with Abraham was not coincidental. Just as God called Abraham, so God was now calling Rebekah.
If there was any doubt, the blessing the family bestowed on Rebekah puts that to rest: God was clearly at work here. “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads;” in other words, the blessing of offspring. “May your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” Land . Offspring and land. They blessed her with the very promises Abraham had received.
Take note: God is not bound by our conventions. As patriarchal as was this society, God was calling a woman just as he had called a man. Rebekah was being called to partner with Isaac and, as we will see, ends up having a critical role in the furthering of God’s plan for redemption.
Scene 6: Encountering Isaac
The final scene cemented the plan God put in place. Rebekah saw Isaac in the fields. She prepared herself to be given to her betrothed. The servant explained to Isaac who she was. Isaac took Rebekah as his wife, and he loved her.
We are going to talk about this more through the next couple of weeks, but Isaac has to be the most passive patriarch in Scripture. His birth was long in coming. He was protected from his stepbrother, Ishmael. He allowed Abraham to tie him up and put him on the pyre as a sacrifice but was saved when God provided a ram to substitute for him. Now, after his mother’s death, Abraham went to extraordinary lengths to comfort him with a wife. God provided Rebekah for him and she ends up being the person most instrumental in moving forward God’s purposes and plans. Isaac was along for the ride most of his life.
That said, it is important to recognize that God identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not every life is heroic. Not every life is epoch changing. Not every life is filled with swash-buckling adventure. Not everyone is called to be a hero. Sometimes simple quiet lives are faithful too. I have known way too many people who have been haunted because they were not called to spectacular feats of faithfulness; instead, they lived simply, faithfully, and worshipfully. Those are not wasted lives.
What Do We Need To Hear?
As I mentioned when we started, there aspects of this story I want you to hear: how important to Abraham were God’s promises and how God moves the narrative forward from generation to generation to accomplish what he has promised.
Let me start with Abraham. Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Abraham learned to trust God and to hold onto God’s promises in any and all circumstances. He made his servant swear an oath to act in accordance with God’s promises – even at the risk of seeing his line cease to be.
Friends, let me ask you: how important to you are the promises God has made? Are you willing to trust God’s promises when something valuable to you is at risk? Jesus promised, “I will be raised again in three days.” He was. He also made other promises. Just as he kept his promise and was raised again in three days, we believe and trust he also will keep these other promises. What are they?
In the gospel of John, Jesus said:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst; (John 6:35)
I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life; (John 8:12)
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture; (John 10:9)
I am the good shepherd; and I know my own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep; (John 10:14,15)
I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25,26)
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me (John 14:6).
What else? After his resurrection and ascension, the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (Romans 6)
The preacher of Hebrews declares, “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4)
Peter wrote these words of encouragement to the early church, “By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1)
Luke wrote in Acts about Peter’s answer to the Temple leaders’ question about what power was used to allow a lame man to walk; Peter said, “Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. …There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
How important to you are these promises? Are you willing to risk anything – or everything – holding onto those promises? Abraham did. Rebekah did. And God was faithful to his promises.
And that leads to the second thing to take from today: God does exactly as he promises. He accomplishes his purposes, just as he promises. T hat was true in Abraham’s time, Rebekah’s time, through the generations, in Jesus’ time, and through the generations into our time. We see that in Jesus: Jesus is exactly as the Bible reveals he is: Lord of lords, King of kings, savior, redeemer, our hope, our life and our salvation. Praise God!
Amen.
Questions:
Have you ever been so busy trying to do God’s job that you messed up the one thing you were supposed to be doing? What happened? How did you recognize what was going on and what changes did you make?
- Discernment of God’s hand at work is a key part of this story. The servant expected God to show up and reveal himself. Do we? How often do we pray for clarity, for a direction, or for God to reveal to us what it is we are supposed to do – only to not look or not be willing to accept when God does answer?
- How important to you are the promises of God? What does living into those promises look like in your life? How does it impact your day-to-day?
[1] John Walton, NIVAC Old Testament, Genesis, p. 529.
[2] Ibid, p. 530.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., p. 532.