A Bride for the Son

Genesis 24 and the Search for a Bride

Take out your Bibles with me and turn to Genesis 24 now. I want us to recognize that we have arrived the longest chapter in this book. And my goal is to preach this whole chapter today. But I do want to point out to you that there is an entire section of this chapter.

That is a repetition and So there will be portions we won't read. My intention originally was to read the whole thing. But I sat down and read the whole thing and it took 15 minutes to read the whole thing and I figure in a 45 minute sermon.

Well 15 minutes of the Word of God wouldn't be bad, but it would take a lot of time to read through it. So I encourage you we're going to read the first portion and the last portion and I'm going to encourage you in your own time to read through the whole thing if If you would and I did tell you last week to read it before today.

And I'm not going to ask for a show of hands for seeking to embarrass anyone. But I did ask that you would read it before we got here. So You probably noticed that there's a certain portion where it ran and this is very common in Hebrew literature.

That stories will repeat themselves and remember the Word of God was kept in the mind before it was kept on paper. And and and and before people were able to take books home with them and they took it home in their minds and so often the repetition in the text was a way to keep the memory of the text in the minds and hearts of the people the Bible says We're to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we will not sin against God.

So so there's a reason why there's so much repetition in God's Word. So we know that it's important. And I'm not saying there's no value in us reading it both but for the sake of my voice and for the sake of time.

We're not going to read the entire chapter. And I do want to make another point before we read this morning. In our hermeneutics class right now that I am teaching on Thursday nights. I am teaching the outline of Bible exposition how to how to study as Observation interpretation and application the third portion being how to apply the text and one of the things that I try to remind my class is that sometimes application is the hard part because We want to moralize passages that aren't intended to give us lessons and For instance, the reason what I'm saying is here.

This is not a blueprint for how to find a godly wife. So if you're having trouble finding a godly spouse I don't recommend you go get ten camels and go look for a woman drawing water out of a well. That just to just to be clear this is not necessarily an a Blueprint for that neither is it proposing a methodology for discerning God's will even though I am going to point out at a certain point in the text that.

It's it's not wrong to ask God what his desires are. And that's really what we see in this story is we see a servant and we don't even get his name. I'm gonna tell you who I think he is when we get there, but we don't even get his name.

We just get a man who is devoted to the will of God and he wants the will of God to be lived out in His life and every moment he has to make a decision. He stops and he asked God to be clear about what his will is and I love that I mean in that that's enough.

But what I'm saying is next time you're having to make a decision whether to go north or go south. I don't recommend, you know necessarily going out and getting those ten camels. That's my point is is we got to be careful how we apply the text and we don't try to over-moralize a story.

Rather we find in it the nuggets of wisdom that are there and then we learn about the providence of God because that really is the overarching Message is that God is providential and giving a bride to the son of Abraham and that's what this story is about and then as we get to the end We're going to see how I believe that points to God giving a bride to his son the Lord Jesus Christ.

So with all that being said we're only going to read verses 1 to 9 as we stand we always do stand for the reading of God's Word that we're going to hear preached so we Stand together beginning at verse 1.

We'll read verse 9 then I'm gonna pray. Now Abraham was old well advanced in years and The Lord had blessed Abraham in all things and Abraham said to his servant the oldest of his household Who had the charge of all that he had?

Put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by the Lord the God of heaven and earth. That you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell. But will go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son Isaac.

The servant said to him perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came? Abraham said to him see to it that you do not take my son back there the Lord the God of heaven who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred and who spoke to me and Swore to me to your offspring.

I will give this land. He will send his angel before you and You shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you Then you'll be free from this oath of mine. Only you must not take my son back there.

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. My father and my God, I thank you for this day. I Pray Oh God, even now that you would give me an extra measure of your spirit to preach your word With boldness and conviction, I pray that you would give me strength of body and of mind and a voice.

And I pray that you'll keep me from error. For Lord, I am a fallible man and capable of preaching error. And I don't want to for the sake of your name for the sake of your people and for the sake of my own life.

For Lord God, you do not you do not deal well with those who mistreat your word. So I pray that I would never mistreat your word in this pulpit anywhere God. I pray that you would be glorified today in the preaching of your word save sinners.

Oh God and sanctify Saints in Christ's name. In our last study of Genesis We read about the death of Sarah the wife of Abraham and We read about how only two verses of that chapter gave us the The picture of Abraham weeping and mourning over his wife and then 18 verses of that chapter dealt with a land Negotiation that Abraham made with the sons of Heth otherwise known as the Hittites.

But I want you to understand something. Even though Sarah's death was only two verses of that last chapter Sarah's death still looms heavily over chapter 24 because the reason why Abraham is now focusing on getting a wife for his son is.

Because what we find at the end of this chapter is that his son is still reeling over the loss of his mother. In fact, I'll show you that since we didn't read all that way if you'll go down to the end of the chapter.

This is after all of the events have taken place. Verse 66 Isaac is there the servant is there. Rebecca's there again. Everything's taken place. We'll get to the story in a moment, but listen to what it says.

It says in the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death so we see this chapter.

Chapter 24 the longest chapter in Genesis 67 verses still really is a continuation of what happened in chapter 23 the death of Isaac's mother. Weighed heavily upon his heart and Isaac knew it. He knew that Isaac not only needed a bride for procreation.

He not only needed a bride to fulfill the promise of the covenant that God had made. He needed a bride for comfort and strength. The Bible tells us that Abram or rather Adam was created and God said it was not good that he'd be alone and He made him what?

He made him a one who was meet help for him or one who was a helper one who was appropriately designed to be the Comforter and helper to him the one who was to come alongside him and support him and love him and the two would become what?

One flesh and. What we're seeing here is Abraham knows his son needs a wife. Abraham wants to get a wife for his son, and that's what leads us into chapter 24. It says in verse 1 now Abraham was old well-advanced in years and the Lord had blessed Abraham and all his all things.

And Abraham said to his servant The oldest of his household who had charge of all that he had put your hand under my thigh. Now I want to explain something. The text never names this man. The text never tells us who this servant is.

But I have a proposition of who I think it is and you know how dangerous it is when a pastor says I think. So sometimes it's not even good to go there. But in this case, I think it's safe enough that I can tell you what I think and if you think different We can talk about it later.

It's not that big a deal, but I do think it's important to point this out. If you go back to chapter 15 of Genesis, there's a man named his name was Eliezer. He was Abraham's Adopted son. He was a servant.

You remember when God said your? Descendants are going to be like the sea or the stars of the sky rather like the sand of the sea the stars of the Sky. And Abraham said, but I don't even have a son. All I have is this servant Eliezer of Damascus.

Is he the one who is going to carry on my lineage. Is he the one that's in and God said no. You're going to have a son through your own loins. He's going to come through your own seed. It won't be this adopted son now.

God was not Discounting the value of adopted children. I have two of my own. God uses adoption as a blessed Picture of the gospel in the New Testament where we're adopted into the family of God. So there's nothing wrong with adoption.

But in this moment God was telling Abram You are not going to give your the promise is not going to come through your adopted son. It's going to come through your own line. But I have a feeling in my heart.

This is the man Eliezer and here's here's something else to say about this man. If that is in fact who this is. Then what we have here is the man who would have gotten all that Isaac has. He would have been the inheritor of all that Isaac possesses.

But now Isaac is the one possessing it and we don't find in this man a spirit of bitterness. We don't find in this man a spirit of of Jealousy or hatred but what we find in this man is a spirit that loves his master and loves the Lord and He's willing to be a servant.

You know, where does the spirit of jealousy comes from. When we're not willing to do what God has called us to do when we see what somebody else has and say boy I I deserve that. It's where that Tenth Commandment comes in about coveting.

I see what somebody else has and say, you know what I deserve that. But we don't see that spirit in this man. If in fact I am correct to say this is who it is we don't see that spirit in him, but instead we see a spirit who loves Abraham and Loves Isaac and he's willing to submit to his master's commands.

So Abraham says come and put your hand under my thigh. That's another portion. That's a little awkward for us because we don't do that today if my child and I are entering into a promissory Relationship and you know what how that goes daddy.

Will you do X for me? And I say yes, son. He says do you promise. I don't say we'll come put your hand under my thigh and we'll make a promise. That's not how we do it. But we do have in our world a similar Methodology when you go to court and you have to give testifying words.

You go under what's called under oath. Right and to lie under oath is in our legal system a crime. And what do you do when you go under oath? Well, at least you used to I don't know if they do it this way.

Anymore, but used to you would come and put your hand on the Word of God. You put your hand on a Bible and you would say I swear to tell the truth. The whole truth because we know a half truth is a whole lie.

So we swear to tell the truth the whole truth. Nothing, but the truth so help me God. So we understand the concept of putting our hand on something and swearing by that thing. Now we have to take a step back and say but why the thigh?

Why did Tom put his hand over his heart? That's how you know. That's how we get the Pledge of Allegiance put our hand over our heart. Now he put his hand under the thigh and there's a lot of debate about this and I'm not going to spend a thousand years Trying to convince you one way or another but I give you a few thoughts as to why the thigh the thigh in Hebrew writing and especially and I did look this up through the Bible.

We see the thigh connected to the loins and so it could be it's almost like when you put your hand under someone's thigh. You're saying you swear on My children, you know, you're swearing on procreation.

You're swearing on your livelihood. Another thing could be that that the loins is where the Covenant circumcision was made and it could be Sam. It's almost like putting my hand on but the Bible. I'm I'm swearing by the Covenant.

But one rabbi said this and I did print this. I wanted to Quote him directly. This is rabbi even Ezra. He said the phrase under the thigh. Is literally that and what it is is someone sits on the hand of another person to establish a position of authority.

So by putting your hand under the essentially under the seat of someone you were saying I'm I'm at your behest I'm at your command. You're sitting on my hand. My hand is yours to do with so again. These are all options.

We weren't there. We don't have any extra biblical literature to really dial in but we do know this this same thing happens later in the Bible in Genesis 4729 when Jacob tells Joseph to put his hand under his thigh to promise him that he's going to bury him in the promised land.

So this was a custom of the day similar to our putting our hand on the Bible and making an oath and swearing a promise. Abraham put put your hand under my thigh and you promised me and what's the promise.

Promise was simple. You are not going to take for my son a wife from the women of the Canaanites. Now a couple things we can draw out of that one it was up to the servant to get the wife. That's that he didn't tell him you're going to go get a wife.

He said don't go get a wife from the Canaanites, which means it was already understood that that was his job. It was his job to go and retrieve a wife and he says I don't want you to retrieve a wife from the Canaanites.

Why? Because the Canaanites were a wicked people and I want to point out to you and remind you that The Bible tells us that the wicked often have much more influence over the good. Rather than the good influencing the bad the Bible says what about about immoral company it I came for the life of me thinking the verse right now, but you know, I'm what does it say?

Bad company corrupts good morals. Thank you, brother Mike it just flew out of my mind, but you understand bad company corrupts good morals. And so Abraham says no, you're not going to take a wife for my child from among these pagan women but rather.

You are going to go back to my homeland and you're going to get a wife for my son. From my relatives now for us in modern day. We might feel a little weird about that because we don't go to the family reunion looking for a wife.

Well, if you're from here, maybe but. In general, we don't go to the family reunion looking for a wife, but this is Abraham. He says you're going to go and you're going to get a wife from my household.

You're not going to get a wife. From these wicked neighbors of ours. She will not be a Canaanite. She is going to be Really one of the daughters of Abraham's ancestors. She's going to be a Shemite now.

Just for historical reminder Abraham is from the line of Shem. The Canaanites are from the line of Ham that cursed line and That could be another reason why you're not going to take a wife from that line.

You're going to take a line from a wife from my line a line of the Shemites so. The other thing he asked he said well, what if I go and she won't come? What do you want me to take him over there and Abraham said no.

You are not to take him out of this land. Remember God's promise to Abraham had two Specific Points he were to give him a land and a seed. Now the seed is fulfilled in Isaac who will then have Jacob and Esau and out of Jacob there will be the his name will change to Israel and Israel will give him 12 and out of that 12 will be the nation of Israel, right.

But the land is also part of the promise. So God or Abraham says do not take my son out of this land. Because he's going to stay right here. This is his land. You go get her and you bring her back. You don't take him over there you bring her over here and So the servant not in and understand.

I really have a lot of respect for the servant. I think he is the one of the most important side characters in the Bible when I say side characters is we most people don't Even know him. We certainly don't know his name for certain.

But he's so important because as we all see he's so in tune with God and he's praying to God every moment. But he says what if she won't come. He's and then Abraham being that kind-hearted patriarch.

He says then you're released from your duty if you go over there and you find the woman and she won't come here. It's obvious. She ain't the right one and You're released from this command. So he's got his marching orders.

He's got the commands from Abram. He knows what he's supposed to do now. Let's see him do it. We begin that in verse 14. Then the servant took ten of his masters camels and departed taking all sorts of choice gifts from the master and he rose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor and Renee horse Abraham's brother and He made the camels kneel down outside the city.

By the well of water at the time of evening the time when women go out to draw the water. And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham Please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham behold I am standing by the spring of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

Let the young woman to whom I say Please let down your jar that I may drink and who shall say drink and I will water your camels. Let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac by this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.

All right. So here's here's the deal. This guy the servant he takes ten camels filled with all kinds of good stuff. We're gonna see later. It's all kinds of his gold. It's all kinds of treasures because he's going to get a wife and wives weren't cheap.

Amen indeed. He's going to get a wife and he's taking all these treasures. He does not want. He does not want the dowry to be the issue. He does not want the bride price to come up short. So he takes the ten camels and he goes and he finds him put he finds himself in the city of Nahor.

This is the land where Abraham's relatives live. It was about a 500 mile journey. Based on some of the things I looked at this week. So you figure it's a several weeks of travel with them ten camels in tow.

And he comes up and he has the camels kneel down and he prays and he says God. Oh. By the way, he and you know where he went. He went where the ladies gather. If you're looking for a woman go where the women are.

I mean that that may be one of the young men looking for a wife. I know what I want. I know what women are. He know where the women were they were getting water in the evening. They went in the evening because it was cooler in the evening.

They they didn't go out in the middle of the day. They went in the evening and we remember if you go fast forward a little bit to John chapter 4. There was a woman who went out in the middle of the day and she went out because she was Not welcome with the other women.

It was the woman at the well that Jesus came to so there's a little little historical connection there. But he went to the evening and he had his camels kneel down and he says, okay God. Here's here's what I'd like for you to do for me.

And by the way, I don't mean to make that sound in any way irreverent because this guy is super reverent. By the way, the the covenant name of God is used 19 times in this chapter. Yahweh. Yahweh. Yahweh when he says in verse 12 Oh Yahweh God of my master grant me success today.

He knows God. He calls him the God of Abraham, but that doesn't mean he's not his God. Anymore than when you say Yahweh is the God of Abraham. He's not your God. He's not he's not denying that he's a follower of God or trusting in God.

He just knows who this God is. He's the God of Abraham. He's the God who called Abraham out of this same land. Called him into the promised land and now has sent him back to this land to bring out a wife and he says Oh Lord God of my master, please grant me success today and then he gives God a little a little outline.

He says when I see the woman come and I ask her for a drink and she gives it to me and then she offers To water my camels then I will know That this is the woman you've chosen now again, as I said, this isn't necessarily a blueprint.

But there is some wisdom here because he's saying this is what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a woman who is concerned with hospitality and Who is strong? They're gonna tell you a little something. Watering him not a problem, but watering them camels.

Now, that's a chore. That's a chore that she is offering to do if you notice in the text he didn't say I'm going to ask her to water My camels. He said I'm going to ask her for a drink and she's going to offer to water my camels.

Now depending on what commentary you read some of them read a little differently. But they all kind of express about the same thing at this point and that is that a standard camel drinks about 25 gallons at a shot and a Standard water pitcher that she would have been carrying on her shoulder Held about three gallons and He's got ten camels.

And there would have been a big stone watering trough that had to be filled for the camels to come drink out of and she Would have had to walk down steps to get to the well pull that up walk back up and pour water into that stone Cistern and and it would have taken Carried to taking about 80-something times.

There's a reason why I don't have anything to do with calculating around here. But I know this. It's 250 gallons. 25 gallons per camel. 10 camels is 250 gallons. That's about 80 trips. So so let's read on.

I want to show you something that's funny. Because this is what it says in verse 15 says before he had finished speaking. This is him praying before he had finished speaking behold Rebecca who was born to Bethuel the son of Milka.

The wife of Nahor by the way, that's Abraham's brother. So this is his grandniece. Abraham's brother came out with her water jar on her shoulder. The young woman was very attractive in appearance a maiden whom no man had known.

I don't know how I mean, we know how God knows but I have no idea how the guy knew that. That she was a virgin maybe there was something she was wearing that indicated that she was not married. But that that's the only way I could think of it.

Like how would he know that this is a virgin maiden, but it's clear that somehow he does. She went down to the spring filled her jar came up and then the servant ran to meet her and said please give me a Drink and he says a little water to drink from your jar.

She said drink my lord, and she quickly let down the jar Upon her hand and gave him a drink and when she had finished giving him a drink. She said I Will draw water for your camels also until they have finished drinking until they have finished you gonna fill them up.

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough ran again to the well to draw water and she drew for all his camels. Verse 21 the man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.

So if it did in fact take 80 trips. And we don't know for sure maybe she didn't fill him to the brim. But if it did in fact take multiple trips old dudes just watching. Now it could be that he was an older man, and she didn't expect him to help however, I Don't know about the guys in the room.

If I had lady was pouring water in a trough after about the third trip I'd be helping her out or at least offering. He didn't do nothing. He just watched. The whole time down and up and down and up and down and as brother Brian Boardman said she had to think this guy was The biggest jerk she ever saw just didn't let her let him go back and forth putting the water and put one.

But he's he's watching her and he's seeing not only the physical beauty of this woman. But he's seeing her strength and her character. She said she's gonna do something and she does it. And so down and up she goes bringing the water to the To the men or I'm sorry to the camels.

And she passes the test. This is the test. This is it. This is the one so verse 22 When the camels had finished drinking the man took a gold ring. Weighing a half a shekel and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels and said Please tell me whose daughter you are.

Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night? She said I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milka whom she bore to Nahor. She added we have plenty of straw and fodder and room to spend the night and the man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord.

Because he knew Verse 26 he knew he he bowed his head right then he said, thank you God. He said blessed be the Lord verse 27 the God of my master Abraham Who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness towards my master and as for me The Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's Kinman.

Kinsman then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things this guy. This is it. This is her. This is it. This is what I was hoping would have this what I prayed would happen.

This is what I asked God to do and God did it. Not only is she hospitable but she is Or hospitable with the water for the camels, she's hospitable with her house. Come stay in our house. Come we have plenty of food plenty of fodder plenty of everything come.

And so the man worships God. For all that God has done. By the way, that's a this just continues this guy's worship his attitude of worship continues as he sees the providence of God. And his hand working out of his life.

Then we get to verse 29. It says Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man. To the spring as soon as he saw the ring and bracelets on his sister's arms and heard the word of Rebecca his sister.

Thus this man spoke to me. He went out to the man and behold. He was standing by the camels at the spring. He said come on in. Oh blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside for I have prepared a house and a place for your camels so the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels and there was water to wash his feet the feet of the men who Were with him and then food was set before them to eat.

But he said I will not eat until I have said what I have come here to say and Laban said speak on. Now for a moment before we get to the next portion because the next portion is the repetition portion.

I just want to point out this man Laban. If you're unfamiliar with Bible history, or maybe you haven't read much in Genesis recently Laban will come back into the story later. And we will learn some more about his character that we don't know now.

But we can start to pick up at least a little bit now on Laban. Laban is the brother of Rebecca and later on when Isaac Runs away from home, and he runs he runs to his uncle Laban's home and Laban is going to as many of you will remember will basically be somewhat of a conniving fellow.

When it comes to dealing with his brother big one was the night of the wedding. Those who don't remember he thinks that he's laying down with one sister. And he wakes up to find that he's in bed with the other one.

So this guy has a future history. When I say future history we know what kind of a man. He is based on what we learn later, but we can kind of see the seed form of that now because Laban has this man come and say Come come to his house, and he's excited to welcoming it welcome him in.

Why is he excited to welcome him in? Because he knows old dudes rich. That's why I mean you can say it as simple as you want. But as soon as this woman gave the water to the camels he puts Bracelets on her arms that are very heavy with the weight and a nose and by the way it wasn't a ring on her finger.

Put a ring in her nose. That would have been the standard. You know gift and so he boom puts a ring on her nose ring rings on her on her Bracelets on her wrist so he sees this and what does he see. He sees dollar signs y 'all.

Of course you can stay the night. I'm like Airbnb for people who've got money. Of course you can come and so Laban's hospitality May not have been as noble as his sister. Rebecca's hospitality was from the heart.

But Laban is maybe not so and again you might think I'm being too hard on him. I'm just reading in this what I know about him later and what we're going to see even in this story is I think later on and I'm going to show you in the text.

I think he tries to get a little more out of this situation, but we'll see that in a moment. So when we get to verse 34 from verse 34 to verse 49, it's the whole thing over again. Because the servant has stood up before dinner, and he says all right before dinner.

I am going to tell you why I'm here and It's important to note that he includes everything including his talk with the Lord. He does not leave that out. If you read verses 34 to 49 you will see he recounts everything even the prayers to the Lord.

So that this guy knows Laban and his family knows not only have I come here at the behest of Abraham but I have come here at the leading of the Lord of hosts Abraham's God and he is the one who when I when I was praying that a woman would come and and I would be able to get a drink of water and she would Offer that to my camels when I was praying for that I didn't even get the words out of my mouth and here she comes walking with her water jar, and I knew.

That's the one. So he tells this story he recounts it verse or step by step verse by verse step by step and he mentions his Worship of the Lord and then we pick up at verse 50 and I want you to pick this up because this is important at verse 50 it says this then Laban and Bethuel answered and said This thing has come from the Lord.

We cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold Rebecca is before you take her and go and let her be the wife of your Master's son as the Lord has spoken. Notice what they're saying when they English here is is not really Capturing the heart of what the Hebrew says because when it's when they say this thing has come from the Lord.

We cannot speak to you bad or good that sounds to us sort of like sort of him hawing. Well, we can't say anything good or bad. What the actual idiom underneath the Hebrew phrase means is This thing is from the Lord.

We have nothing to say. Because who can answer back to God. I Mean isn't what you know what the Bible tells us when the Lord spokes when the Lord speaks who can answer back to God. You know what we read in Romans 9.

Who are you old man to answer back to God? So at least Laban and Bethuel Recognize that they cannot deny the hand of Providence in this moment. I'm gonna tell you a story and I was I was sort of on my way in this morning.

I was praying whether or not I Should even mention this because I certainly don't want this to be misunderstood, but I'm gonna tell you the story and hopefully it won't misunderstand. There was a time when I was in seminary and I was a youth pastor here.