Genesis Ch24v1-27, 61-67 - The Wedding Planner

Chapter 24.

Last week we were in chapter 23.

We were at a funeral.

Today we're at a wedding.

It's the longest chapter in Genesis,

in case you ever have a question like that.

And it's all about Isaac meeting Rebecca.

But what can we learn?

Well, let's read God's Word.

We're not going to read all the chapter.

We're going to go as far as verse 28,

and then we'll pick up the end of the account.

So let's start in chapter 24, verse 1.

Abraham was now very old,

and the Lord had blessed him in every way.

He said to the senior servant in his household,

the one in charge of all that he had,

put your hand under my thigh.

It was a symbol, a sign of making an oath or a promise.

He says,

I want to swear by the Lord,

the God of heaven and the God of earth,

that you will not get a wife for my son

from the daughters of the Canaanites,

among whom I'm a living,

but will go to my country and my own relatives

and get a wife for my son Isaac.

The servant asked him,

what if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?

Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?

Make sure that you do not take my son back there,

Abraham said.

The Lord,

the God of heaven,

who bought me out of my father's household

and my native land,

and who spoke to me and promised me on oath,

saying,

to your offspring,

I will give this land.

He will send his angel before you

so that you can get a wife for my son from there.

If the woman is unwilling to come back with you,

then you will be released from this oath of mine.

Only do not take my son back there.

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham

and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

Then the servant left,

taking with him ten of the master's camels,

loaded with all kinds of good things from his master.

He set out for Aram Naharim

and made his way to the town of Nahor.

He made the camels kneel down the well

outside the town.

It was towards evening,

the time that the women go out to draw water.

Then he prayed,

Lord God of my master Abraham,

make me successful today

and show kindness to my master Abraham.

See, I am standing beside this spring

and the daughters of the townspeople

are coming out to draw water.

May it be that when I say to a young woman,

please let down your jar

that I may have a drink.

And she says,

drink and I'll water your camels too.

Let her be the one

that you have chosen for your servant Isaac.

By this I will know

that you have shown kindness

to my master.

Before he had finished praying,

Rebecca 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.

The woman was very beautiful,

a virgin.

No man had ever slept with her.

She went down to the spring,

filled her jar,

came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her 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.

Without saying a word,

the man watched her closely

to learn whether or not

the Lord had made his journey successful.

When the camels had finished drinking,

the man took out a gold nose ring

weighing a becca

and two gold bracelets

weighing ten shekels.

Then he asked,

whose daughter are you?

Please tell me,

is there room in your father's house

for us to spend the night?

She answered him,

I am the daughter of Bethuel,

the son of Milcah,

born to Nahor.

And she added,

we have plenty of straw and fodder

as well as room for you to spend the night.

Then the man bowed down

and worshipped the Lord saying,

praise be to the Lord,

the God of my master Abraham,

who has not abandoned his kindness to

and his faithfulness to my master.

As for me,

the Lord has led me on the journey

to the house of my master's relatives.

The young woman ran and told her mother's household

about these things.

Now, for much of the remainder of the chapter,

that whole account is repeated

as Rebecca's brother, Laban,

wants to know all about what's happened.

And the servant goes through

all the different things that had happened.

And so we pick it up in verse 61.

By now, everyone's come to the conclusion

that Isaac and Rebecca should get married.

It's a good idea.

Verse 61.

Then Rebecca and her attendants got ready

and mounted the camels

and went back with the man.

So the servant took Rebecca and left.

Now Isaac had come from Be'er-Lahai, Roy,

for he was living in the Negev.

He went out to the field one evening to meditate,

and as he looked up,

he saw camels approaching.

Rebecca also looked up and saw Isaac.

She got down from her camel and asked the servant,

Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?

He is my master, the servant answered.

So she took her veil and covered herself.

Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah,

and he married Rebecca.

So she became his wife,

and he loved her.

And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Well, let's pray.

Father, thank you for the privilege

of being able to hear a story like this

about real people,

a real time,

a long time ago,

but yet a story that was written down and recorded

so that we can be blessed today.

And Father, that is our prayer,

that as we look at your word together,

as we hear your voice,

that we will be blessed.

and we will come to know something

of your great plan

of redemption,

your blessings to this world.

So teach us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, at last,

some romance.

A beautiful love story

of a young man who finds

the wife of his dreams.

It's a script ready

for the movie makers of Hollywood,

isn't it?

Now, all this romance

can get us thinking about

weddings and funerals,

or weddings and marriages, rather.

In fact, last week,

as we looked at Sarah,

we thought about planning

for our own funeral.

And this week,

well, it all seems to be

about planning for our wedding.

So what does this chapter

have to teach us about

finding our true spouse?

Well, here's my three top tips

for finding the right spouse.

First of all,

look for a Christian.

Isn't that what Isaac had to do?

Find the right kind of person.

Not from the Canaanites.

They were pagans.

They didn't follow God.

But go find the right kind of person.

Find someone with the right character.

Wasn't Rebecca a fine woman?

Not only was she beautiful,

but what a servant she was.

going beyond and above duty,

watering 10 camels.

Somebody's worked out that

taking the average size of a container

to drop your water down into the well

to water 10 camels

would have taken 80 to 100 trips

back and forth to the well.

What character?

And then find somebody who's committed.

I mean, Rebecca was committed, wasn't she?

She was ready to leave her family

and go to Isaac's home.

We don't want to have someone

who's running back to mummy

every time they're in trouble.

They're to leave and be committed.

So there you have it.

Find your right spouse,

a Christian character and committed.

Sermon over.

Let's pray.

And we'll sing our last song.

Well, maybe it's about

finding our right spouse.

But let's be not too quick

to jump to that conclusion.

Because I don't think

this is about finding

your perfect partner.

Rather, this is actually

all about God's faithfulness to us.

In fact, this marriage story

tells us of the greatest marriage

we can all experience,

the marriage of God

to his people.

But more of that

in a little while.

Let's get back to the story itself.

Four things we're going to look at

this morning.

A marriage full of promise,

a marriage designed in heaven,

a marriage overflowing with blessing,

and a marriage filled with purpose.

So first of all,

a marriage full of promise.

Now before we get stuck

into the detail,

we need to pull back

with the camera lens

and remember the big story

of Genesis.

The big story that God

has made a promise

to renew this broken world

and restore

our disordered lives.

It was a promise

of redemption.

And that redemption

would come through

the family of a man

called Abraham.

So in Genesis 12,

Genesis 12:3

verse 3,

we read,

and all people

or all nations,

all peoples on earth

will be blessed

through you.

A seed of Abraham,

a son would come

from the line of Abraham

who would deliver

God's promise.

A son who would bring

the blessing

of redemption

to the world.

He would come

and save and rescue

the peoples of the world

from their sin

and God's judgment.

That was God's

great promise.

But at the start

of the story,

in chapter 24,

we're faced with a problem.

Look at verse 1.

Abraham is now

very old.

And as we read on

through the story,

we realise that Isaac

is not yet married.

Now that's a big problem.

You see,

if Isaac doesn't get married,

then he has no children.

And no children means

no future children.

If there's no wedding

for Isaac,

then the promises

all come to a stop.

If there's no marriage,

then all the blessings

of God

are going to dry up.

If Isaac doesn't

get a wife,

then God's plan

of redemption

fails.

Everything hinges

on Isaac

finding

a wife.

You see,

this isn't about us

searching for

our perfect spouse.

No,

this is no

ordinary marriage.

marriage.

This is a marriage

which is central

to God's promises

and God fulfilling

his promises.

The promise of bringing

blessing

to the nations

through a marriage.

marriage.

So first,

whoops,

I missed the first one,

a marriage full of promise.

And second,

a marriage

made in heaven.

Now we might know

the end of the story

that,

yes,

Isaac and Rebecca

do meet

and they do get married.

But what's important

for us to see

is how

Isaac and Rebecca

got together.

In other words,

we want to see

how God

fulfills

his promise

and accomplishes

his plan.

Now the way

marriages happen

today

is,

so I'm told anyway,

you get a

wedding planner.

Someone who

organises your day

from venues,

flowers

and photos.

Everything is

planned out

in detail

and yes,

you get an

enormous bill

for it all as well.

But when it comes

to the wedding day

and the celebrations,

as all the guests

arrive,

you might know

who the wedding

planner is,

but it seems

that everyone

is doing

what they're

meant to be doing.

It's like

everyone has a job.

Everything has

been designed.

There's a plan

in operation.

Well,

God is clearly

the wedding

planner

for Isaac

and Rebecca.

Look at the way

God works out

his plans

and his promises.

First,

Abraham

follows

God's plan.

Abraham

goes about

the business

of looking

for a wife

for his son.

Maybe different

to our cultures

today,

but that was

what they did

then.

And he calls

in his chief

servant

and gives

the command,

we're going

wife hunting.

But he's got

two conditions.

Here's the first

condition,

verse 3.

I want you

to swear

by the Lord,

the God of heaven

and the God

of earth,

that you will

not get a wife

for my son

from the daughters

of the Canaanites

among whom

I'm living.

But go to my

country and to

my own relatives

and get a wife

for my son

Isaac.

So make sure

you get the

right kind

of girl.

Second

condition,

verse 6,

make sure

that you do

not take

my son back

there.

He's not

to leave

his home

here and

go set

up home

there.

She's to

come to

him.

So a wife

must be

found who's

going to

keep in

God's ways

and who is

going to

come to

where Isaac

lives.

Now these

aren't just

personal opinions

of Abraham.

They're in

line with

God's

promises.

Verse 7,

Abraham

knows God's

promise and so

Abraham follows

God's plan.

He didn't

know everything,

he didn't

know how it

was all going

to work out

in detail,

but with the

little bit he

had, he

sought to

obey what

God had

said.

You see,

life is not

about telling

God what

my plans

are and

who my

future spouse

might look

like or what

they'll do

and asking

God for

his blessing.

no, it's

always about

us following

and submitting

to God's

plan.

So you say,

well what is

God's plan?

Well we don't

have to imagine

and think up

what is God's

plan.

God has

clearly revealed

his plan to

us in

scripture and

Genesis 24

is part of

that big

plan and as

we'll see as

we go through

the story,

how we can

be part of

that plan.

In other

words, if you

want to know

what God's

plan is for

your life,

read your

Bible.

Get on

board with

what God

is doing.

So we

follow God's

plan.

Second,

we notice

how the

servant

trusts God's

kindness.

Now the

servant has

travelled

hundreds and

hundreds of

miles with

his ten

camels to

the family

home of

Abraham.

And he

reaches his

destination and

he pulls

into the

equivalent of

apple green and

he gets

himself a

drink and

ready to

refuel his

camels.

So he's in

the right

place.

This is where

he should be.

This is

Abraham territory.

But my

goodness me,

there's a lot

of women here.

Who's the

right one?

How am I

going to know

which is

the right

wife?

Well he

comes up

with an

imaginative

test,

doesn't

he?

Look at

verse 14.

May it

be that

when I

say to

a young

woman,

please let

down your

jar that

I may

have a

drink,

and she

says,

drink and

I'll water

your camels

too.

Let her

be the

one you

have chosen

for your

servant

Isaac.

By this

I will

know that

you have

shown kindness

to my

master.

And,

whoa,

look what

happens,

verse 17.

He spies

a woman,

she's a

beautiful

woman,

and he

goes up

to her,

verse 17,

the servant

hurried to

meet her

and said,

please give

me a little

water from

your jar.

What's she

going to

do?

Drink,

my lord,

she said,

and quickly

lowered the

jar to her

hands and

gave him a

drink.

But what

about the

camels?

Oh,

after she'd

given him

a drink,

she said,

I'll draw

water for

your camels

too until

they've had

enough to

drink.

Amazing!

Everything

is working

out.

But let's

remember,

this is not

random

coincidence.

This is the

result of

faithful

dependence.

Look at

how the

servant began

his search.

Verse 12.

Then he

prayed,

Lord,

God of

my master

Abraham,

make me

successful

today and

show kindness

to my

master

Abraham.

There's his

prayer,

show kindness.

Now,

kindness is

much more

than just

generosity.

It means

God's

faithful

covenant

love.

love that

is steadfastly

loyal to

his promises.

So,

as he

prays,

the servant

is asking

God to

be faithful

to his

covenant,

that God

would fulfil

his promises.

We can

almost imagine

him praying

as the

women are

at the

well.

Lord,

I need

to find a

woman here

and I

haven't got a

clue who

the right

one is,

but I

trust that

as I

choose,

you will

be faithful

to your

covenant.

May the

one I

choose be

according to

your promise.

Show this

kindness.

Amen.

And he

opens his

eyes and

he follows

through.

And so

when he

finds a

woman who

passes the

test,

look how

he prays.

Verse 26.

Then the

man bowed

down and

worshipped the

Lord,

saying,

praise be

to the

Lord,

the God

of my

master

Abraham,

who has

not

abandoned

his

kindness

and

faithfulness

to my

master.

As for

me,

the Lord

has led

me on

a journey

to the

house of

my

master's

relatives.

The Lord

has been

faithful to

his covenant

promises.

partners.

You see,

the principle

here is not

come up with

an imaginative

test to

find out

who your

future

partner will

be.

So for a

modern day

application,

let's swap

camels for

cars.

So you drive

to the nearest

petrol station

with your

prospective

partner and

they don't

know that you

fancy them

and all the

rest of it

and you say,

I need some

petrol.

And they

respond,

oh, let

me buy it

and guess

what, I'll

fill up your

whole tank.

Ah, there's

your answer,

I found the

right person.

No, that's

madness, we

can't do

that.

This is all

about trusting

God's

kindness.

Live your

life in the

knowledge that

God's promises

are best for

you.

Rather than

decide what

we think is

right, we

trust what

God says

is right.

We read

his revealed

will in

his word

and we

entrust

ourselves to

a God who

is steadfastly

committed to

working out

his promises

to us.

Promises that

are always

good for

us.

So we

follow God's

plan and we

trust God's

kindness.

love.

And then we

meet Laban,

the brother

who accepts

God's will.

Laban is

like the

big protective

brother.

Rebecca has

returned home

and she's got

a pile of

jewellery in

her bags.

Well, where

did they come

from?

Oh, I met

this guy, a

servant, and

he's looking

for a wife

and I think

this might be

it.

I haven't

met him

yet but

it seems

pretty good.

So he's

wanting to

check out

who this

guy is and

well, is

this going

to be a

good match

for my

sister?

And he

agrees and

arranges to

take the

servant back

to his

house because

he wants

to know

the story.

Verse 33.

Then food

was set

before the

servant but

he said,

I'm not

going to

eat until

I've told

you what

I have to

say.

Well, then

tell us,

said Laban,

tell us

the story.

And the

servant then

recounts the

whole course

of events.

He tells

them all

about Abraham

sending him

off to get

a wife for

his son

Isaac,

how she

must be

from his

family,

how she

must leave

that land

and go

to be

with Isaac,

all according

to God's

promise.

He explained

how he

prayed,

how he

sought God's

help,

how he

trusted in

God's

kindness,

leaning

upon God's

promises.

And he

describes the

events at

the well,

the little

test that

he had,

how he

asked for

a drink

for the

woman,

and how

she was

to offer

water for

the camels.

And guess

what,

Laban?

She did

everything that

we required.

Now, what

would big

brother Laban

think of

such a

story?

Well, we're

told,

verse 50,

Laban,

that's the

brother,

and Bethuel,

the father

he was

in listening

to,

answered,

this is

from the

Lord.

We can

say nothing

to you

one way

or another.

Who else

could be

in it?

Here is

Rebecca,

take her

and go,

and let

her become

the wife

of your

master's

son,

as the

Lord has

directed.

There's no

debate.

They can

clearly see

God's hand

in all of

this.

They submit

themselves to

God's will,

they accept

God's will,

when they

consider God's

promises to

Abraham,

when they

think about

the servant's

prayer and

his dependence

on God's

kindness and

his covenant

faithfulness,

the circumstances

at the well,

well, put it

all together,

it makes

perfect sense.

The God

of heaven

and earth

is in

all of

this.

This is

a plan

they can

follow.

You see,

God doesn't

do coincidences

or chance

happenings.

This is not

a random

event.

No,

God is

directing

the whole

show.

Isn't that

what we see

here?

God has

made a

promise

and God

has a plan

to fulfil

that promise.

Abraham

may send

his servant,

the servant

may set

a test,

but this

is God's

plan.

This is

from the

Lord.

This has

all come

about,

end of

verse 51,

as the

Lord has

directed.

You see,

God is

the wedding

planner.

This is a

wedding made

in heaven.

love al��rrr,

amen.

Now,

it's a

random

event in

the

Lord's

age and

Almighty,

everything we

experience

is all

under

God's

sovereign

will.

In fact,

this story

is teaching us that God is so intricately involved with this world.

He's so invested in our lives

that he is working out his plan of salvation for you.

His purpose for you is that you would know God's blessing.

His plan is that you would experience the ultimate marriage,

a marriage relationship with God.

Are you sure?

Absolutely.

Let's see.

So third, a wedding overflowing with blessing.

The wedding may be planned.

Laban and the servant and Bethuel think this is good

and they give the thumbs up.

Well, what about Rebecca?

I mean, doesn't she have a say in all of this?

After all, she's getting married to Isaac.

What does she think?

Well, there's been a bit of discussion about things

and verse 57, they said,

I know.

Let's call the young woman and ask her about it.

Good thinking.

Verse 58.

So they call Rebecca and ask her,

will you go with this man?

Now, she doesn't go,

oh, what colour are his eyes?

What kind of job has he got?

Has he got money?

No, nothing like that.

I will go, she said.

She's heard the story.

She's heard the story.

God's promises to Abraham.

God's kindness to the servant.

She's heard her brother's response.

It all makes sense.

This is the Lord's will.

This is of the Lord.

You see, Rebecca isn't just committing herself in marriage to Isaac.

That's part of the story.

But the big story in all of this is,

Rebecca trusting God's promises and kindness.

By saying, I will go,

Rebecca is entrusting herself,

not just to her new husband,

but to God.

By saying yes to all of this,

Rebecca isn't just sharing in Isaac's wealth,

she is sharing in the promised blessings of God.

Remember, it's through Isaac

that the blessings are going to come.

So Rebecca's yes to the marriage

is Rebecca saying yes to God.

I will go.

It's an act of faith.

She doesn't know the future,

but she has God's promise and God's blessing

and she's going to leave behind her life,

her family,

and step out and entrust herself

to the God of redemption and blessing.

But it's not just Rebecca who gets blessed.

And it's not just Rebecca who gets called

to share in the blessing.

God's plan of salvation, remember,

is that all the nations would be blessed.

That all people would get to share

in what God has to give.

And as we read through Scripture,

we see God's heart for the nations.

And the big theme,

the big picture we see of this is

God as the husband

pursuing us, his people,

as his bride.

Listen to what God says.

You might remember these words from Hosea.

You can follow on the screen.

This is what God says.

In that day, declares the Lord,

you will call me my husband.

You will no longer call me my master.

I will betroth you to me forever.

I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,

in love and compassion.

I will betroth you in faithfulness

and you will acknowledge the Lord.

I will show my love to the one I called,

not my loved one.

I will say to those called,

not my people,

you are my people.

And they will say,

you are my God.

You see,

this is God's plan.

This is God's love for the world,

his love for the nation.

God has accomplished his plan

and he has done that in love

by sending the person of his son,

Jesus.

And he's demonstrated this love

and compassion by giving his life for us,

by taking our sin,

the curse of judgment on himself,

so that we might enjoy the wealth

of his blessing.

God's plan to bless the nations,

which means we are blessed.

You want to know how much God loves you?

How much God is committed to you?

He's saying,

look at my faithful promises.

Look at what I've accomplished.

Look at the cross.

Even though you've rejected me

and turned your back on me,

and wandered away,

I have come

to win you back

so that you might be one with me,

that we might be married.

This is God's plan.

He is pursuing the nations in love.

To those not yet belonging to me,

he says,

I will be your faithful, loyal husband

and I'm not going to fail you,

but I'm going to bless you.

God, who is kind and compassionate,

stands before each one of us today

and is asking for our hand in marriage.

And like Rebecca,

we are called to step out in faith

and say,

I will go.

So fourth,

a marriage filled with purpose.

You see, when we say yes to God,

when we say,

I will go,

I will follow you,

we're committing ourselves

to serving God's great purposes.

You see,

the way in which God is going to bring blessing

to the nations

is through his people,

through people like you and I.

So,

two things for us to think about

as we finish.

This means that your life

has purpose.

God is now calling you

to share

his story of redemption,

to declare the good news

of God's ultimate marriage.

Like Abraham,

we are to follow God's plan.

Like the servant,

we are to trust in God's kindness,

that he will be faithful

to his promises.

And we can step out

with confidence and assurance,

knowing that God

is directing all things.

He is the planner of our life.

He is the planner

of every situation.

Because there are no coincidences.

Think about your own life.

It is all according

to his design and purpose.

Where you live

and the people next door to you

is not an accident.

The people you meet each day

when you are out walking the dogs

or when you go to work

is not random.

The family that you have been born

into is not by chance.

You might be the only Christian

in each of those contexts.

It may be difficult.

But remember,

God has you

where you are meant to be

so that you can be

a conduit

of God's blessing

to those around you.

This is God's purpose

for your life.

Bringing the blessing of God

to the nations.

That's the big plan.

It really doesn't matter

what college you go to

or what job you take up.

It's whatever you're doing,

see that the purpose

of your life

in that context

is to bring the blessing

of God to the nations.

And also it means

if you are married

or you plan on being married

that your marriage

has a purpose.

This might not be

an account about

how to find

your future spouse

but it does reveal

to us something

of the purpose

of marriage.

Look,

when Isaac and Rebecca

got married,

they weren't just

committing themselves

to one another,

they were serving

the grand big purposes

of God.

You see,

marriage isn't about

satisfying your need

or fulfilling your desire

and if that's your view

of marriage,

you're heading

for a train wreck.

God's design

for marriage

is that we partner

together

to serve

the greater

and bigger purposes

of God.

It's not about

me and my spouse

or me and my children

hiving away

and doing our own thing.

It's about husband

and wife

partnering together

in God's mission.

Now maybe some of us

need to remember that

and recommit to that.

Somehow in the

busyness of life,

the pressure to take on

more into our lives

or invest more

into the lives

of our kids

running here,

there and everywhere,

means that we've

lost sight

of what marriage

is all about.

Whatever our status

here today,

whether we're married

or unmarried,

whether we would love

a husband

or a wife,

let's just take

the bigger step back

and remember that

God is the wedding

planner

who is working out

his plan of redemption

through us.

So trust

God's kindness.

Follow God's

plan.

The Lord

is directing

your life

so we can go

with confidence

and assurance,

being a conduit

of God's blessing

to all we meet.

Let's pray.

Father God,

we thank you

for this

marriage account

of Isaac

and Rebecca.

thank you for the way

in which it points

us

to the ultimate

marriage

with you,

Father God.

We pray

that we would

take from this

all that we need

that we might

become the people

you call us

to be.

Help us to live

our life

trusting you,

following your

revealed plan

in Scripture

and walking

confidently

as you direct

every one of our

steps.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.