Isaac and Rebekah — Part 2 (Gen 24:28-67)
Genesis: The Book of Beginnings • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
If you have your Bible, please turn it to Genesis 24:28-67.
Our text for this morning actually starts us off with a good reason to recap what we’ve seen so far in Genesis 24. Genesis 24:28 “28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.” And of course, the question that we ought to have is, “what are the things that she told her mother’s household?”
Because of its context, its proximity to the other part of Genesis 24, we can rightly assume that the things that she told her mother’s household deal with this servant from Abraham who comes in Abraham’s name to find Isaac a wife. Of course, I think we would understand if all that had occurred to her happened to be the first things that she would say to her family.
The text is long, so we won’t be able to read it all in one go at the onset (it would take us about eight minutes to read through the text in one sitting). Instead, I’m going to explain how we’ll divide up the text and we’ll read each section as we get to it.
This passage has three parts: (1) The Servant’s Request (29-49), (2) Her Family’s Reaction to the Proposal (50-61), and (3) Isaac’s Reaction to Rebekah (62-67). As the servant meets the rest of Rebekah’s family, her family tries to practice significant hospitality towards him, but he insists on making his request formally first. We then witness how her family reacts to the proposal before we get to the end of the chapter, in which we see Isaac’s reaction to Rebekah. Because this text ties into last week’s text, you’ll notice that today’s application is similar—though it isn’t identical.
Last week, I emphasized the fact that the passage was not prescriptive—meaning, don’t go home, pray like how the servant prays and then expect God to act the same way that He did in this particular situation. I explained that this is not a passage concerning how we ought to pray, it’s a passage that shows us how God providentially worked in that situation regardless of how the servant prayed. Instead I explained a better way to biblically make decisions—that if the decision deals with sin, then you run from the sin; but then, afterwards, through your conscience and the working of the Holy Spirit, you determine what’s best for you as you deal with decisions that aren’t sin-related.
Today’s passage ties into the idea of God providentially working in the situation and the main idea is really simple—when you see God working don’t hesitate, get on board.
Keep that in mind as we start working through the text, but first, let’s pray.
Prayer for Illumination
THE SERVANTS REQUEST (29-49)
THE SERVANTS REQUEST (29-49)
The first twenty verses does two things. The first is that it shows us Laban’s response to the servant initially. Look at vv. 29-32 with me, Genesis 24:29–32 “29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister,
“Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 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 and the feet of the men who were with him.”
Notice something a little unusual in this situation. All that Laban knows is what Rebekah has told him—and we already know from last week’s passage that Rebekah really doesn’t know much either.
And all that Rebekah knew was that this man was a servant of Abraham, he wants Rebekah to marry Abraham’s son, and he has wealth—he’s rich.
I think noticing that gives us some insight into why Laban is responding this way. Despite not knowing much about the servant, the servant has shown wealth—and Laban wants that wealth.
Now, you might hear me say that and think that I’m being too harsh towards Laban—maybe Laban is just a nice guy.
But, we actually see—with the benefit of hindsight—that Laban wasn’t a very nice guy. In Genesis 28-29, we see Laban showing his true colors, as someone who tricks and lies and deceives other people.
I don’t think that Laban is just being nice—I think he saw the wealth and so, he responded in light of the wealth.
Laban invites the servant inside, he’s prepared the house and he’s prepared a place for the camels.
Again, it sounds nice, but not if you consider how Laban responds to things later in Genesis.
However, despite Laban’s initial response to the whole situation, the servant insists on retelling the whole situation in vv. 33-49,
Now, we’re not going to read vv. 33-49 in its entirety because it is literally a retelling of what happened in Genesis 24:1-27, which we just worked through last week. However, I do want to point out three details from vv. 33-49.
The first is this, the servant of Abraham felt so firmly that he had to make this statement, that he refused to eat before he could.
That might not seem like a big deal until you remember that he had journeyed for at least 30 days to get to that location and while he probably had some sustenance throughout the journey—there’s a big difference between what you can take on a journey and what you would eat in someone’s home—consider what all you eat on a road trip contrasted with what you eat during Thanksgiving.
The servant’s mission to find a wife for his master’s son was so important to him that he refused to eat a great home-cooked meal until he could say what he wanted to say.
The second is that he provides an answer to a question that Laban and Rebekah might have had that I think you would expect them to have. If Abraham and his son were well-to-do and if Issac is a younger man who had never been married—why is the servant so far from home to find a wife for Isaac.
We already know the answer, but he hasn’t really explained that to Rebekah and Laban until v. 37, “My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.”
He clarifies that the only reason he came to Laban’s family was because he had promised to.
And third, note his emphasis on God’s providence through this situation.
He reminds us through his conversation that Abraham was convinced of God’s providence—v. 40, “The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way.”
We see the servant’s prayer in vv. 42-44 in which he asks God to show him who this person ought to be and his reliance on God’s providence through the prayer.
And we notice the speed through which God responds in vv. 45-49.
Or, in other words, we see this clear picture from the servant that he knew that God was working in these situations and since he knew that God was working in these situations—he trusted God, he believed, and he obeyed Him.
The text then continues by showing us how her family responds to the proposal from Abraham’s servant in vv. 50-61. Let’s read those verses.
HER FAMILY’S REACTION TO THE PROPOSAL (50-61)
HER FAMILY’S REACTION TO THE PROPOSAL (50-61)
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”
61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
Laban and Bethuel respond to this request in a way that might surprise you. Without any sort of hesitation, without any sort of worry, they respond with “[This] things has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
This response might surprise you because most parents today wouldn’t respond in the same way. And I say that for two reasons:
First, parents today wouldn’t allow their daughter to be married simply because someone claimed that God wanted their daughter to marry someone—this happens a lot if you go to Christian colleges by the way (you get the guy who claims that Jesus wants them to marry the first girl that they see, but that’s a different discussion).
And there’s wisdom in being cautious when someone claims that they know what God wants you (or your daughter) to do—here’s why, if Scripture doesn’t clearly tell you to do something, you don’t know if that person is making that claim because they truly think God wants you to do something or they want you to do something and they’re masking it behind God supposedly telling them to tell you to do something.
Or, in other words—if someone comes up to you and says “God told me to tell you something” be skeptical and ask them to prove it with God’s Word.
But that’s not entirely what’s going on in this section of Genesis 24—we don’t see the servant going up to Laban and Rebekah and saying, “God told me that Rebekah is going to marry Isaac.”
What we see is the servant showing the people how God had worked providentially through the situation—to validate that Rebekah was the right person.
What we see is the servant showing them that God had indeed blessed Abraham and Isaac through the giving of the jewelry to Rebekah.
What we see is the servant pointing out how God not only providentially proved that Rebekah was to be Isaac’s wife, but how God had providentially worked in Abraham’s life in multiple ways.
So, it makes sense that Laban and Bethuel would respond to the servant in this way.
Secondly, this might surprise you again, because many parents today don’t respond well when they hear that their children are going somewhere far and distant.
Most parents today do whatever they possibly can to keep their children as close as they possibly can—of course, they do this because they love their children and they love their grandchildren.
But if a similar situation were to occur—many parents today would just say no, they wouldn’t even entertain the idea of their child moving to a faraway place.
The problem with this is two-fold: (1) once a child is married, their responsibility is to their own spouse and their own children, not to their parents; and (2) if a child thinks that God is calling them or leading them elsewhere—by trying to stop their children from going, they’re unwittingly working against the Holy Spirit—which is sin.
Consider the Sanhedrin, when they got together to determine how best to deal with the apostles and Gamaliel’s wise council is for them to slow down before making a decision that would directly oppose God.
There’s wisdom in making sure that God is the one directing the situation, but if God is the one directing the situation, then the proper response is what Laban and Bethuel determine to do, this “has come from the Lord . . . behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go . . . the Lord has spoken.”
Now, that doesn’t make it emotionally easier nor does it make it less difficult, but that’s always the right decision when its clear that God is directing the situation, the proper response is to get on board with what God is doing.
That emotionally difficult aspect is really seen in their hesitancy to let her go immediately. The servant of Abraham wants to leave immediately, but v. 55, tells us “Her brother and her mother said, ‘Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.’”
The only reason that her brother and mother would want her to stay is to give them more time with her before her departure—and the reasoning for that is really simple:
You have to consider the fact that the distance is quite vast—by the time the servant makes it back to Abraham with Rebekah, it’ll be at least two months of journeying.
There’s a real possibility that Rebekah’s brother and mother will never see her again—that’s probably why they want her to stay a few more days.
But the servant’s response to their request in v. 56 is “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”
In the mind of the servant, there is no reason to stay—he’s perfectly content to take Rebekah to Isaac as soon as possible.
And Rebekah is of the same opinion in v. 58. They ask if she’s ready to go, and she says “I will go.”
That might be surprising, but remember, they’re certain that God has indeed providentially worked in this situation and that God is for sure, working through all of this.
If they’re certain that this is all of God—the only proper response is to just get on board.
And so, Rebekah chooses to leave immediately with the servant, but before she goes, we see her family give her a blessing in v. 60, “And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, ‘Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!’ Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.”
The blessing that they offer Rebekah is simple and yet, it still shows a great show of love towards her.
To hope that she will have thousands of ten thousands of descendants and that her descendants will have power and authority is a simple way to say that they hope and they pray that she will experience great prosperity in her new life apart from them.
And so they send Rebekah and Abraham’s servant off (albeit with a handful of other people) and we finally get to the conclusion of this whole event in vv. 62-67, let’s read those verses:
ISAAC’S REACTION TO REBEKAH (62-67)
ISAAC’S REACTION TO REBEKAH (62-67)
62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
While Abraham’s servant was away, Isaac had also been away, but he had returned to where they live in Beer-lahai-roi and he was dwelling in the Negeb, the southern portion of what eventually becomes Israel.
The Bible tells us that he had went out into the field in the evening to meditate and while he was in the field, he sees the convoy coming.
And as he spots the convoy, Rebekah spots him. And in culture, it makes sense that when he does spot him, she covers herself with a veil.
It was a matter of decency in their culture for the bride to be covered before the actual wedding and she takes this seriously.
The Bible says in v. 66, that the servant told Isaac everything that happened and Isaac “brought her into the tent . . . and she became his wife, and he loved her.” That might sound rapid, but when you think about it:
It’s an arranged marriage that took over two months to arrange. It is something in which the servant has repeatedly stressed that God had been working in and through.
And there’s certainty that the servant would’ve told Isaac of how God had worked in all these things—v. 66, ‘the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.”
We can assume that means that the servant told Isaac about the prayer, about how God answered the prayer.
About how Rebekah and her family clearly saw the situation as one in which God was working providentially.
And about how Rebekah saw the situation as one in which God was providentially working.
It’s right then, that when Isaac hears of everything that had happened and about how God worked all these things together—that he jumped on board God’s plan.
He doesn’t hesitate—he sees God working and he follows God.
And that’s where our application comes into play.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Throughout this whole historical narrative, it is abundantly clear that the individuals in the narrative are open to obeying God when they see God providentially working. Or, in other words, when it’s clear that God is leading them or directing them, they don’t hesitate—they jump on board. And there’s a lot that we can learn from this, but we do have to make two statements abundantly clear from the start:
First, just because someone claims that they know that God wants you to do something, doesn’t make it true. You need to practice discernment.
I used that example of young men in Bible colleges or Christian schools claiming that the first girl they meet is who God wants them to marry.
It’s a funny example, but there are plenty of people who think that this is how God works, but the reality is that it isn’t how God typically works.
Yes, you could end up marrying the first person that you meet or you might not marry anyone.
The reality is that the world is filled with wolves and false teachers that will claim that they know what God wants you to do, but they’re wolves and false teachers who don’t have your best interest in heart.
So, when you find yourself being told something like this—you need to cross check it with Scripture. If what they claim is contrary to Scripture, I don’t care who they are, they’re wrong—and if they keep insisting that they’re correct, they’re a false teacher.
When you find yourself being told something like this—you need to filter it through the lens of Scripture and if its something that’s not necessarily opposed to Scripture, then you need to use godly wisdom to determine how to proceed.
Consider what’s best for you and your family, consider how that decision will effect your ability to obey God and to worship Him properly.
Don’t just assume that someone with a title (like pastor or reverend; or mother or father or teacher or whatever else) is speaking on behalf of God.
If God’s Word doesn’t say it, then they aren’t speaking on behalf of God and you need to use discernment to determine whether they’re right or not.
Second, God will never direct you to do sinful things. So, if you think that God is leading you and you come to the conclusion that you must sin to follow God—you’re wrong. If you’re being enticed to sin, you need to run away.
I don’t think I need to give many details or even examples of how that works because I’m almost certain that you already know exactly what I mean.
It sounds something like this, “I know that I ought not do this” referring to some type of sin, “but if I do this sin, I’ll have the opportunity to do what I think God wants me to do.”
No, that’s not how it works. God will never lead you to sin for the potential of doing something He wants you to do.
The fact that you might think that simply shows us the pervasive and deceptive nature of sin itself.
God will never lead you in such a way that the only option is to sin and if you find yourself in a situation where you’re tempted to sin, you need to run.
Now, with that in mind, here’s the application for this passage.
It’s really simple, it’s one sentence—if you believe God has called you to do something—don’t hesitate, just do it.
Of course, that requires you having certainty in what God has called you to do.
For instance, Jesus has made it abundantly clear that we are to make more disciples—that’s clear, we need to just go and do it.
Or, even consider even 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Did you catch that? It is God’s will for you to rejoice, to give thanks, to pray without ceasing. There’s certainty there—it’s clear, go and do it.
Or 1 Peter 3:15 “15b “[be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” God expects us to be ready to defend our beliefs with gentleness and respect—it’s clear, go and do it.
Now, of course, when there are decisions that have multiple good answers—the goal isn’t to anxiously worry about every one of those decisions. The goal is to use the wisdom that God has granted to us in His Word, to go and make that decision, and then to trust Him.
So, is God calling you into ministry? Do you have this desire or this yearning to proclaim the Gospel, to proclaim His Word, to go into the mission field. Use the wisdom that God has granted to us in His Word to determine whether He is—and then stop hesitating, go into ministry.
Is God leading you through the means of the Spirit burdening your heart for your neighbor or for your friend or for someone in your family. You know they’ve been struggling, but you haven’t reached out to them. Use the wisdom that God has granted to us in HIs Word to determine if He is indeed leading you in that way—and then stop hesitating, go and reach out to that person.
Is the Spirit impressing upon your soul to get more involved with our church’s ministries—whether that’s with children or as part of the music team, or through outreach ministries? Use the wisdom that God has granted to us in His Word to determine if He is indeed directing you in that way—and then stop hesitating, go get involved.
And through all this, as you make these decisions and you seek to follow God’s prompting and His leading—trust Him.
God is calling and He is leading and He is providentially moving—are you listening? Are you jumping on board?
Pastoral Prayer
