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Bro. Otis Fisher
We're in Genesis chapter 24 verse 8 You remember when we left them last week
Abraham was Getting his servant ready to go get a wife for his son
Isaac He made him swear that he would not pick a woman from the
Canaanites But that he would return to Mesopotamia To the
Ur of the Chaldees that he would pick a young lady from Abraham's family
But a servant has been asking some questions now He says what if?
What if the woman will not come? Hmm Says then if the woman will not be willing to follow thee then thou shalt be clear from this that my oath only bring not my son thither again and The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swear to him concerning that matter and the servant took ten camels
Of the camels of his master and he departed Now he took a lot of other things too, but we're not told right here
He did this because all of the goods of his master were in his hand and he arose and went to Mesopotamia under the city of Nahor This is approximately 300 miles
And on foot or by camel that would probably consume a month
So even though we read things in one breath in one short sentence Lots of times there's more time involved in that Verse 11
And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water At the time of the evening even the time that women go out to draw water
Now since they did not have a bulletin board or a newspaper radio television
Smoke signals or whatever a Stranger in those regions
Who wanted to obtain information about anybody Would go to one of the local wells
And he was sure to find out all of the news of the place from the women who came out in the morning and evening to draw water
So it really hasn't changed much David Where is David? And he said now he's talking this is the servant speaking to the
Lord he said Oh Lord God of my master Abraham I Pray that you send me good speed this day and show kindness unto my master
Abraham to expect the proper end to be accomplished without using the proper means is contempt against God Let me say that again
To expect the proper end without using the proper means
Is contempt against God? To expect the right end to be achieved simply because the right measures are used is equally evil
You must plan pray and then commit it all to God in faith verse 13 behold
I stand here by the well of water and I remember he's speaking to the Heavenly Father and The daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water
Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say Let down thy pitcher.
I pray thee that I may drink and She shall say Drink, and I will give thy camels drink.
Also let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant
Isaac and Thereby shall I know that thou has shown kindness unto my master.
I Wonder if here we do not have that long sought -after scripture the liberals have looked for for eons
To prove that God can be influenced by man. How do you suppose this servant knew what to pray for?
Great it's too bad.
He doesn't do that now, isn't it? Yes, I Think so now this man was no different than you and I The servant moved by God's Spirit sought assurance by a sign as to whether or not
God would prosper his journey It is the comfort as well as the belief of a good man that God's providence extends itself even to the very smallest of incidents
And it serves its own purpose by these small incidents Everything is small in the beginning
Actually, everything is first a thought It is our wisdom in all of our affairs to follow providence
Not only physically but more important with our will While in the general we set
God's will before us as our rule We want to do what he wants us to do
That he will direct us in the way of our duty give us indications with his mind
Thus he guides his people with his eye and leads them in the plain truth Now this thought of this simple prayer came into his head sent there by the
Lord and Joy it was done in such a way That the servant supposed it was his own thought
That's exactly the way it works with us Now the stage is all set all he has to do is wait, which one do you suppose he's going to pick
Bill? Well, is there going to be some he won't look at there's a whole bunch of them coming
No, he doesn't do that Well, just I Guess I better ask
David David from your personal experience, which ones are you gonna look for?
No, no Not that joy The furthest one
He's gonna start with them The Most beautiful one that he sees
Then he came to pass before he had done speaking For he'd even finished with his little speech
That behold Rebecca came out Who was born to Bethuel son of Milka the wife of Nahor Abraham's brother?
With her picture upon her shoulder. What relation is she to Isaac? Cousin God gives success to all things that are done for the glory of his name and according to his word
He fails in nothing All right Let's watch this unfold and the damsel was very fair to look upon a virgin
Neither had any man known her as she went down to the well and then filled her pitcher and came up Notice the words she went down to the well
The wells in that day and time most of some of them were just an open dug well and They would put a stone upon the mouth of it
Jacob runs into one like this this particular well though had been dug out and a sloping
Stairway made down to the water. I Do not know how deep we'll say 30 foot
But she walks down that slope now to the water and Carries it back up.
She has a picture a Container bill. What do you suppose the size of the container would be?
Okay This is a young lady doing the work
Of course, she's used to work. So she is stronger than a lot of young girls are today
But at the same time, it's quite an undertaking And a servant ran to meet her and said let me
I pray they drink a little water of thy pitcher As she said drink my lord, and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand gave him drink
And when she had done giving him drink She said I will draw water for thy camels also and still until they have done drinking
Now Greg, what does this servant think? Does he believe it
Does he believe it? So just how lucky can a feller be?
This must have been a very lucky man Nothing like that for you see the same
Lord was in control of her as he was of the man He knew them both
How did this young woman Rebecca? Is that her name? How did she know what to say?
She'd never seen this guy before He did in such a way she didn't know it she just responded
You suppose you she said that to all the men Well, God leaves nothing for man to dream up or to do 20 and she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough
Harvey what's a trough? It's it's exactly like a tub only a trough
All right Galvanized So she enters her water into the watering trough
He ran again under the well to draw water and drew for all his camels ten camels They've been a road on the month a road on a month.
That's good they've been a month on the road and I don't know if he stopped at a filling station any place or not
But how much can a camel drink? What's a lot?
Thirty thirty one gallon What'd you say
Well Then for ten that would be how many And she's carrying this up at about three maybe five gallon at a time
But This This would force me to put in forced water somehow
But you see it was no small event She is a very unusual woman
And she hastened and emptied her pitcher and drew for all of his camels and the man wondering that her held his peace
Greg I would have wondered too To wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not
He he doubts not he doesn't really doubt It's more like can this really be true.
Is this exactly what? Everything fits everything
Well, I can't help but be amazed at the kindness of Rebecca Well, we don't know we're not told
Well but I'm still amazed at Rebecca and I'm also amazed at the lack of assistance from this young man to help her
Just think about the time and effort and this was for a stranger. I Really believe that only
God could cause such a thing to happen And it came to pass as the camels had done drinking they drank all they wanted
That the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight two bracelets for her hand ten shekels weight of gold
Now Freddy didn't take him off of himself. He brought those with him The man took a golden earring and so forth
Golden earring Jim, where would you wear an earring? She didn't
Where dispose she wore it in her nose
Earrings were for the nose You know, we put a ring in the bull of a nose to lead him around The armlets such as young women in Syrian Arabia still wear
And they still wear them to the wells They're worn from the elbow to the wrist commonly made of silver copper brass or from horn and Said whose daughter art thou tell me
I pray thee. Is there room in my father's house for us to lodge in? She said unto him.
I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Melchizedek which she bear unto Nahor She said moreover unto him we have both straw and provender
Enough and room to lodge him Profender joy, what's provender?
Fred It's father
Well, this wasn't for the human They have straw and provender
Straw and provender means fodder means a coarsely chopped Well anything
And a man bowed down his head and he worshiped God now, there's two acts here.
He bowed his head Unto Rebecca But he
Prostrated himself upon the earth to worship God And he said blessed be the
Lord God of my master Abraham who hath not left destitute of my master and of his mercy and his strength
I Being in the way the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren
And Greg he traveled for so long and went straight to where he's supposed to go All of the kindness which we received from men and all our successes in business
We should acknowledge as coming from God Be excited by it in learning and doing his will
Well, the damsel ran and told them of her mother's house all these things
Now from that one verse a lot of people decide that her father was dead
Because it says her mother's house But we must understand that her mother
Though the wife had a house of her own and the husband had a house of his own
She raised the children in her house So it doesn't necessarily mean
Although it could but it doesn't necessarily mean That her father was dead
Rebecca had a brother his name was Laban. I wish you would mark that word That name that man
Laban It's important that we remember uncle Laban He is one that you'll never turn want to turn your back on Who's talking
What'd she say Who was it that had seven brothers
Okay, I Didn't know that Laban ran out unto the man unto the well
Harvey why do you suppose he did that? Well, let's read a little bit more and it came to pass when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands and When he heard the words of Rebecca his sister saying this thus spake the man unto me
That he came unto the man and behold he stood by the camels at the well
From what we know of the character of this man. There's reason to believe that the sight of the dazzling presence
And gold increased both his haste and his invitation And he said come in thou blessed of the
Lord Wherefore standest thou without for I have prepared the house and room for the camels and just Pay a little close attention here
Rebecca runs home She's telling them all about this man She's showing them things and she has
Her uncle Aban sees it and sees the expense and the wealth and runs back
And says why you stand out here? Come on home. He said I have already prepared everything for you
Now, how could he do that when ten minutes ago? He didn't even know he was there So the first mark against him
The man came into the house and he Ungirded his camels and it means uncle
Aban ungirded his camels not the servant He's doing everything that he can to be most hospitable and he gave strong preventer for the camels and water to wash his feet meaning the servants and The men's feet that were with him
Now notice first things first and There were set meat before him to eat, but he said
I will not eat Until I have told my Aaron and he said meaning
Laban spoke on Do we see anything here that instructs us
What? All right, what else
David right The master's work comes first not our comfort
He came looking for a bride for his master. Jesus came for the same reason you remember
The bride of Jesus is who Who is the church?
We is And he said I am Abraham's servant perhaps you've heard of Abraham and the
Lord has blessed my master greatly and he meant materially and He has become great and he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold and men servants made servants camels and asses and Sarah my master's wife
Bear a son to my master when she was old and unto him has he given all that he has so in one short breath, he tells the group that This young man now has all of the possessions that Abraham possesses
It will all go to him And my master made me swear saying thou shall not take a wife to my son of the daughter of the
Canaanites in whose land I dwell But thou shall go unto my master's house and to my kindred and take a wife unto them
To whom did Jesus come to seek and to save?
Make it a little more specific. We get the picture here
Abraham sends the servant back to his family But Jesus came to seek and save who
That's that's all true What? The Abraham servant went to who?
his family Jesus came seeking who?
His family You see the correlation
Do you under what what about family do you not understand? And I said unto my master peradventure now the woman won't go with me what what do we do then?
And he said unto me the Lord before whom I walk my what a statement can we say that?
Will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way and thou shall take a wife for my son of my kindred and of my father's house the very same thing of the church
Then shalt thou be clear from my oath when thou comest to my kindred and if they give not the one
Thou shall be clear from my oath In other words if there's no one there
Then you have no more responsibility Let me ask you do men go to hell because they reject
Christ they don't well, why do they go then?
All right Because they're sinners And I came this day unto the well and said
O Lord God of my master Abraham If now thou do prosper my way, which
I go behold I Stand here right here by this well of water being sure that God knew where he was and it shall come to pass that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water and I say to her give me
I pray thee a little water of thy pitcher to drink and She's saying to me both drink thou and I will also draw for thy camels let the same be the woman whom the
Lord has appointed out from a master's son and Before I had done speaking in my heart so his prayer was uttered how
It Was not audible was it Before I had done speaking my heart behold
Rebecca came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder And she went down and under the well and drew water, and I said to her let me drink.
I pray thee She made haste and let down her pitcher from the shoulder and said drink
And I will give thy camels drink also So I drank she made the camels drink also and I asked her and said whose daughter are you?
She said the daughter of Bethuel day or son who milk a bear unto him and I put the earring upon her face notice it was her face and The bracelets upon her hands and I bowed myself
Bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord Bless the Lord God of my master
Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master brother's daughter unto his son and now
If you will deal kindly and truly with my master tell me and if not tell me
That I may turn to the right hand or to the left Now he was instructed by Abraham that if the woman will not come then you're free
He did not say if the first woman you asked does not come so the servant is asking now you tell me if You will permit her to go and if you won't then
I must continue to look someplace else Even though a lot of this has fit up to this point
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said the thing proceedeth from the Lord We cannot speak unto thee bad or good
Behold Rebecca is before thee take her and go Let her be my master's son's wife as the
Lord has spoken Now they're deciding for Rebecca Is that the way
Christianity works It might be from God's viewpoint, but not from our viewpoint
And it came to pass that when Abraham's servant heard these their words He worshiped the
Lord bound himself to the earth and the servant brought forth the jewels of gold so Fred there's even more coming and Silver Let's see jewels of silver jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebecca He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things he come loaded and They did eat and drink he and the men that were with him and tarried all night
They rose up in the morning, and he said send me away unto my master And her brother and her mother said
Let the damsel abide with us a few days At the least ten after that she can go.
What do you suppose happened? Think like uncle
Laban I Think you're right uncle
Laban had time during the night to think of a plan to gain even more 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 They said there's no need tarrying any longer
And they said we will call the damsel and inquire her mouth They called
Rebecca and said to her wilt thou go with this man she said I'll go
Do you see how all of this reflects present -day salvation she had to make the decision as far as she was concerned
The person is made willing And they sent her away
Rebecca their sister and her nurse and Abraham servant and his men and They blessed
Rebecca and said to her thou art our sister be thou the mother of thousands of millions and Let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them and Rebecca rose and her damsels
They rode upon the camels and followed the man and the servant Took Rebecca and went his way
Who does this man represent? In this particular verse who leads us to Jesus the
Holy Spirit He led them straight led these straight to Isaac Isaac came from the way of the well of Lahoria For he dwelt in the south country and Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide and they lifted up his eyes and saw and Behold the camels were coming
Now this has been quite a while He went out to meditate Bill how do you meditate?
What other term do we get anybody answer what are the term do we get from the same root that gives us meditate
One count Sure, and it's good
It calls back what it has swallowed Brings it back up and choose and choose.
That's what meditation is you recall you go out and feed You drink the water of the
Holy Spirit and then you get off by yourself real quiet And you recall what you've been taught what you've heard and you extract all of the good out of it that you can
That's what Isaac was doing Rebecca lifted up her eyes and when she saw
Isaac she lit off the camel For she had said unto the servant
What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us and a servant has said it is my master therefore she took a veil and covered herself and A servant told
Isaac all things that he had done Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent see it's a separate dwelling and Took Rebecca and she became his wife and he loved her and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death
He had not been until now so now we have the beginning of yet another family and This man is going to give us the
Forefathers of the children of Israel and he goes through quite a
His one of his sons is going to go through quite an ordeal If there's nothing else and I'm just assuming that there isn't let's stand and we'll be dismissed