Book of Genesis - Ch. 24, Vs. 8-67 (11/12/2000)

Park Meadows Church

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We're in Genesis chapter 24 verse 8 You remember when we left them last week

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Abraham was Getting his servant ready to go get a wife for his son

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Isaac He made him swear that he would not pick a woman from the

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Canaanites But that he would return to Mesopotamia To the

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Ur of the Chaldees that he would pick a young lady from Abraham's family

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But a servant has been asking some questions now He says what if?

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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

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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

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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

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And on foot or by camel that would probably consume a month

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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

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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

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Now since they did not have a bulletin board or a newspaper radio television

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Smoke signals or whatever a Stranger in those regions

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Who wanted to obtain information about anybody Would go to one of the local wells

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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

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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

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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

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Abraham to expect the proper end to be accomplished without using the proper means is contempt against God Let me say that again

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To expect the proper end without using the proper means

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Is contempt against God? To expect the right end to be achieved simply because the right measures are used is equally evil

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You must plan pray and then commit it all to God in faith verse 13 behold

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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

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Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say Let down thy pitcher.

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I pray thee that I may drink and She shall say Drink, and I will give thy camels drink.

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Also let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant

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Isaac and Thereby shall I know that thou has shown kindness unto my master.

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I Wonder if here we do not have that long sought -after scripture the liberals have looked for for eons

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To prove that God can be influenced by man. How do you suppose this servant knew what to pray for?

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Great it's too bad.

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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

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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

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And it serves its own purpose by these small incidents Everything is small in the beginning

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Actually, everything is first a thought It is our wisdom in all of our affairs to follow providence

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Not only physically but more important with our will While in the general we set

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God's will before us as our rule We want to do what he wants us to do

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That he will direct us in the way of our duty give us indications with his mind

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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

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Lord and Joy it was done in such a way That the servant supposed it was his own thought

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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

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Bill? Well, is there going to be some he won't look at there's a whole bunch of them coming

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No, he doesn't do that Well, just I Guess I better ask

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David David from your personal experience, which ones are you gonna look for?

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No, no Not that joy The furthest one

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He's gonna start with them The Most beautiful one that he sees

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Then he came to pass before he had done speaking For he'd even finished with his little speech

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That behold Rebecca came out Who was born to Bethuel son of Milka the wife of Nahor Abraham's brother?

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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

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He fails in nothing All right Let's watch this unfold and the damsel was very fair to look upon a virgin

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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

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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

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Jacob runs into one like this this particular well though had been dug out and a sloping

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Stairway made down to the water. I Do not know how deep we'll say 30 foot

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But she walks down that slope now to the water and Carries it back up.

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She has a picture a Container bill. What do you suppose the size of the container would be?

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Okay This is a young lady doing the work

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Of course, she's used to work. So she is stronger than a lot of young girls are today

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But at the same time, it's quite an undertaking And a servant ran to meet her and said let me

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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

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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

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Now Greg, what does this servant think? Does he believe it

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Does he believe it? So just how lucky can a feller be?

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This must have been a very lucky man Nothing like that for you see the same

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Lord was in control of her as he was of the man He knew them both

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How did this young woman Rebecca? Is that her name? How did she know what to say?

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She'd never seen this guy before He did in such a way she didn't know it she just responded

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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

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Harvey what's a trough? It's it's exactly like a tub only a trough

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All right Galvanized So she enters her water into the watering trough

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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.

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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

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But how much can a camel drink? What's a lot?

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Thirty thirty one gallon What'd you say

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Well Then for ten that would be how many And she's carrying this up at about three maybe five gallon at a time

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But This This would force me to put in forced water somehow

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But you see it was no small event She is a very unusual woman

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And she hastened and emptied her pitcher and drew for all of his camels and the man wondering that her held his peace

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Greg I would have wondered too To wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not

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He he doubts not he doesn't really doubt It's more like can this really be true.

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Is this exactly what? Everything fits everything

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Well, I can't help but be amazed at the kindness of Rebecca Well, we don't know we're not told

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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

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Just think about the time and effort and this was for a stranger. I Really believe that only

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God could cause such a thing to happen And it came to pass as the camels had done drinking they drank all they wanted

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That the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight two bracelets for her hand ten shekels weight of gold

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Now Freddy didn't take him off of himself. He brought those with him The man took a golden earring and so forth

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Golden earring Jim, where would you wear an earring? She didn't

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Where dispose she wore it in her nose

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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

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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

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I pray thee. Is there room in my father's house for us to lodge in? She said unto him.

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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

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Enough and room to lodge him Profender joy, what's provender?

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Fred It's father

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Well, this wasn't for the human They have straw and provender

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Straw and provender means fodder means a coarsely chopped Well anything

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And a man bowed down his head and he worshiped God now, there's two acts here.

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He bowed his head Unto Rebecca But he

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Prostrated himself upon the earth to worship God And he said blessed be the

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Lord God of my master Abraham who hath not left destitute of my master and of his mercy and his strength

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I Being in the way the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren

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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

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We should acknowledge as coming from God Be excited by it in learning and doing his will

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Well, the damsel ran and told them of her mother's house all these things

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Now from that one verse a lot of people decide that her father was dead

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Because it says her mother's house But we must understand that her mother

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Though the wife had a house of her own and the husband had a house of his own

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She raised the children in her house So it doesn't necessarily mean

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Although it could but it doesn't necessarily mean That her father was dead

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Rebecca had a brother his name was Laban. I wish you would mark that word That name that man

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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

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What'd she say Who was it that had seven brothers

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Okay, I Didn't know that Laban ran out unto the man unto the well

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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

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That he came unto the man and behold he stood by the camels at the well

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From what we know of the character of this man. There's reason to believe that the sight of the dazzling presence

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And gold increased both his haste and his invitation And he said come in thou blessed of the

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Lord Wherefore standest thou without for I have prepared the house and room for the camels and just Pay a little close attention here

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Rebecca runs home She's telling them all about this man She's showing them things and she has

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Her uncle Aban sees it and sees the expense and the wealth and runs back

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And says why you stand out here? Come on home. He said I have already prepared everything for you

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Now, how could he do that when ten minutes ago? He didn't even know he was there So the first mark against him

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The man came into the house and he Ungirded his camels and it means uncle

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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

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Now notice first things first and There were set meat before him to eat, but he said

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I will not eat Until I have told my Aaron and he said meaning

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Laban spoke on Do we see anything here that instructs us

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What? All right, what else

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David right The master's work comes first not our comfort

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He came looking for a bride for his master. Jesus came for the same reason you remember

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The bride of Jesus is who Who is the church?

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We is And he said I am Abraham's servant perhaps you've heard of Abraham and the

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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

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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

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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

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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

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To whom did Jesus come to seek and to save?

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Make it a little more specific. We get the picture here

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Abraham sends the servant back to his family But Jesus came to seek and save who

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That's that's all true What? The Abraham servant went to who?

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his family Jesus came seeking who?

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His family You see the correlation

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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?

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And he said unto me the Lord before whom I walk my what a statement can we say that?

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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

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Then shalt thou be clear from my oath when thou comest to my kindred and if they give not the one

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Thou shall be clear from my oath In other words if there's no one there

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Then you have no more responsibility Let me ask you do men go to hell because they reject

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Christ they don't well, why do they go then?

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All right Because they're sinners And I came this day unto the well and said

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O Lord God of my master Abraham If now thou do prosper my way, which

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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

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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

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Lord has appointed out from a master's son and Before I had done speaking in my heart so his prayer was uttered how

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It Was not audible was it Before I had done speaking my heart behold

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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.

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I pray thee She made haste and let down her pitcher from the shoulder and said drink

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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?

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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

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Bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord Bless the Lord God of my master

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Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master brother's daughter unto his son and now

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If you will deal kindly and truly with my master tell me and if not tell me

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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

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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

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I must continue to look someplace else Even though a lot of this has fit up to this point

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Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said the thing proceedeth from the Lord We cannot speak unto thee bad or good

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Behold Rebecca is before thee take her and go Let her be my master's son's wife as the

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Lord has spoken Now they're deciding for Rebecca Is that the way

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Christianity works It might be from God's viewpoint, but not from our viewpoint

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And it came to pass that when Abraham's servant heard these their words He worshiped the

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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

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They rose up in the morning, and he said send me away unto my master And her brother and her mother said

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Let the damsel abide with us a few days At the least ten after that she can go.

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What do you suppose happened? Think like uncle

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Laban I Think you're right uncle

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Laban had time during the night to think of a plan to gain even more And he said unto them hinder me not

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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

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And they said we will call the damsel and inquire her mouth They called

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Rebecca and said to her wilt thou go with this man she said I'll go

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Do you see how all of this reflects present -day salvation she had to make the decision as far as she was concerned

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The person is made willing And they sent her away

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Rebecca their sister and her nurse and Abraham servant and his men and They blessed

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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

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They rode upon the camels and followed the man and the servant Took Rebecca and went his way

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Who does this man represent? In this particular verse who leads us to Jesus the

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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

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Now this has been quite a while He went out to meditate Bill how do you meditate?

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What other term do we get anybody answer what are the term do we get from the same root that gives us meditate

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One count Sure, and it's good

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It calls back what it has swallowed Brings it back up and choose and choose.

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That's what meditation is you recall you go out and feed You drink the water of the

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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

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That's what Isaac was doing Rebecca lifted up her eyes and when she saw

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Isaac she lit off the camel For she had said unto the servant

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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

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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

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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

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Forefathers of the children of Israel and he goes through quite a

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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