Today’s Reading: Genesis 23-24 & Matthew 15-16
Today’s Passage: Genesis 24 – Here Comes The Bride
(Please excuse the picture of Swamp Thing. It will seem fitting as you read on. How do you think you looked before you got saved?)
Good morning. Genesis chapter 24 tells the story of how Rebekah became Isaac’s wife. Most of you reading this have heard a sermon on this chapter. Abraham is a picture of God the Father, who wants a bride for his son. Isaac is a picture of God the Son, waiting for the day he will take his bride. The servant is a picture of God the Holy Ghost, who is sent to find the bride and bring her safely to the son. And then there is Rebekah, the bride. I want to focus on her, and give you something to think about.
The first characteristic I noticed was her attitude toward Abraham’s servant at the well: she gave water to the servant and then watered his camels. She was not working her way to get to Isaac. She didn’t know about Isaac, or the mission of the servant. She wasn’t chasing after money or fame. Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” After you received Jesus as your Saviour, and met the Holy Spirit, are you still walking in the good works that God gave you to walk in? Are you an answer to prayer as Rebekah was?
The second characteristic I noticed about Rebekah is that she had to make the decision to go: to leave her world in Nahor and dwell in the promised land. Genesis 24:55-58 tell us she had he mother and brother holding her there…
“And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” (Gen. 24:55-58).
We had to make the decision to receive Jesus as our Saviour. We had to decide to leave this world behind. Is part of this world still holding onto you? It tries to keep it’s claws in us, and a tight hold on us. Thank God we have the Holy Spirit giving us the power to leave the ways of the world behind. (See Acts 1:8).
The third characteristic I noticed is in last five verses of this chapter…
“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Genesis 24:63-67).
The vail: she covered herself. When we come to the Lord, we tend to put a veil over ourselves. Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover up their nakedness. Peter put on his fisherman’s coat before jumping in the water and swimming to meet with the Lord (Peter was naked in his boat). Sin puts a veil on us. Only Jesus, our Saviour, our Bridegroom, can lift the veil of sin. He sees us exactly as we are. Thank God that He included in His Word, the Bible, verses like 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When I think about the love that Jesus has for me, I am always drawn back to Ezekiel 16…
“Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.” (Ezekiel 16:1-8)
Remember, today, Who drew you out of the muck and the mier of the world.
Peace. (John 14:27)
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I LOVE this passage. As I was reading it I noticed how the servant obeyed to go without knowing what the outcome would be. After he obeyed, he prayed trusting God to lead him in the way, then before he was even done praying God answered his prayer and showed him God's perfect will in a great way. We often want God to show us what He is going to give us before we obey His command to first follow Him and be in prayer. Im thinking of the teen girls that often ask me, "will God tell me who I am supposed to marry, right now?" This scripture gives them a perfect example of first following Christ in prayer, and then God bringing the perfect one into their lives.
Thank God for His divine guidiance!