# 227 A Marriage Blessing For the Ages

The Book of Genesis

Day 227

  Ge 24:57 So they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her personally."  58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And 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 The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them."

The family had asked for ten more days with their darlin' daughter, but the servant wanted to take off for home now!  Hey! How about asking Rebekah? She had no say in who  she would marry, but at least she gets to say when she can take off to meet her groom! Before she leaves, the family sends her off with an ancient blessing. It's as ancient as the blessing first bestowed upon Adam and Eve, and then to Noah and his children, “Be fruitful and multiply!” This same blessing was also bestowed upon Abraham in Gen 22:17, and is almost word for word!  "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.”

What a great way to toast the bride and groom! A wish for many children and victory over all the enemies  that lurk in their future. Very real enemies  (the devil and his demons) who would seek to destroy their marriage, the “institution that God loves” (Mal 2:11) 

Of course this kind of blessing would likely be frowned upon today, especially by population alarmists who would have you believe that we are running out of real estate! Today's marital blessing might go something like this: “May you have just two planned children and no more, and may you and your children have many possessions.”  Legalized abortion has made this an unfortunate reality in our world today, but it is a short sighted approach to prosperity.  History has repeatedly showed us that a nation that kills it's children will not prosper long term.  Mother Teresa has rightly said,  “ It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

When will we wise up and look upon the fruit of the womb as a blessing? We “believe God” for so many other things, but we refuse to believe Him and His word as it concerns His gift of children!

 Ps 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

# 226 Delayed Obedience Is Sin

The Book of Genesis

Day 226

 Ge 24:51 "Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken."  52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.  53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.  54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master."  55 But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go."  56 And he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master."

One thing I really like about Abraham's servant is that he doesn't dilly dally around. There is no hem and haw in him when he is certain things are from the Lord! “What's the point of hanging around ten days if the Lord is in this thing?  Let's get going! I've got a mission to accomplish here!”

I wonder how many blessings of God I have missed by my own dawdling. You know the feeling I'm sure! You read something in God's Word, that really speaks to your heart, and the Holy Spirit has convinced you that God is calling you to action, but you hesitate. You really mean to do it, but for some reason you delay, maybe even at the suggestion of others such as the case here with Rebekah's family.  They mean well, but they convince you to delay your obedience. Maybe it's the busyness of life that hinders you from obedience, or a lack of finances. Whatever the reason, obedience delayed is always a recipe for trouble.

James put it this way:  Jas 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";  14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."  16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Again, all parties involved here knew that the Lord was in this marital arrangement, therefore it was a good thing. Delaying obedience might bring in that old enemy, “doubt.” Second thoughts could have sabotaged this mission, and so the servant pleads, “Do not hinder me in carrying out my masters orders!”

Let us learn to guard against these hindrances in our own walk with the Lord. If it is of the Lord, don't delay! Carry out your Master’s orders! Delayed obedience is sin!

# 225 Quick To Be Thankful

The Book of Genesis

Day 225

Ge 24:52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

There’s that phrase again! One of 452 times it appears in Scripture, “And it came to pass,”  The Lord has given the green light to the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. Please note the reaction of the servant.  Wham! To the ground! Spontaneous worship from a thankful heart! Mission accomplished! All glory to God!

This servant can teach us a thing or two about prayer!  There was absolutely no hesitation in giving thanks!

I am reminded of the ten lepers that were healed by Jesus in Luke 17. He did not heal them immediately but called on them to exercise some faith in Him for their healing. He commanded them to show themselves to the priests. This was part of the Levitical law. A priest was the only one who could declare a leper truly clean. For a leper to head off to see a priest covered with leprous sores would seem to be a foolish thing to do. I mean what happens when you arrive and there is no healing?

Yet, the ten, by faith, go traipsing off, “and so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.” (Luke 17:14-16)

This one leper, a Samaritan by the way, responded correctly to his healing. He dropped all things and gave thanks! Then Jesus asks the question,  "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  18 "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:17,18)

In their defense, they were obeying Jesus and the Law of Moses to the letter, but Jesus seems to be saying here, that there would be time for that later, whereas the time for giving thanks is in the now!  1Th 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always,  17 pray without ceasing,  18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Let us learn to emulate the Spirit-led thankful leper and Abraham’s thankful servant, giving thanks for all the blessings of God. 

# 224 Trust God For the Results

The Book of Genesis

Day 224

Ge 24:49 "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." 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. 51 "Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken.”

This servant of Abraham doesn’t mess around does he? He tells the story and asks the father and brother of Rebekah, “Are you in or out?” “Tell me one way or the other, so I can make my next move.”

Wow! This wedding thing is moving along rather quickly! With the testimony of the servant ringing in their ears, Bethuel and Laban reply, “Whether this is good or bad for Rebekah and us, we really don’t know, all we know is that this is from the Lord and I guess we’ll let Him sort that out!”

Pretty good advice for us as well. When all the evidence points to the working of the Lord in your particular situation, and the call to act is placed before you, make sure it is in alignment with the Word of God, and go for it! No need to wring your hands as you try to figure out the outcome. “Will this be a good thing for me or a bad thing?” Face it, you really don’t know! Let the Lord work it out for you, confident that on the long run, it will be good!

This is God’s history! He works things out for good! Just ask Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers! Absolutely everything that happened to Joseph that seemed bad, (indeed was bad,) God used for ultimate good. Speaking to his brothers in Gen 50:20, Joseph said, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Just ask the Israelites who had received the bad news that they were going to be taken into captivity as we read in Jer 29:10,11, “For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

And if you need further proof, listen to the words of Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Will it be good or will it be bad? Don’t let it concern you! Just make sure your actions, (whatever they might be) are in alignment with God’s Word, and let Him take care of the rest….confident that the end result is good!

# 223 Tell Your Story Every Chance You Get

The Book of Genesis

Day 223

Ge 24:36 "And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. 37 "Now 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; 38 'but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.' 39 "And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.' 40 "But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house. 41 'You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.' 42 "And this day I came to the well and said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, 43 'behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink," 44 'and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also," -let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.' 45 "But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' 46 "And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. 47 "Then I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 "And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.

Sometimes, we read the Bible and we just want to say, “OK I’ve heard this before! Let’s get on with it!Why is it necessary to repeat this whole story?”

But then 2Ti 3:16 comes to mind! “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”

This repeated story is here for a reason! It is profitable for our instruction!

How so?

It’s profitable because it is the servant’s story! It is his testimony if you will. You and I also have stories to tell about God’s working in our lives! We have a God-given testimony!

The story of God’s faithfulness in blessing Abraham and leading the servant on this journey through answered prayer is just too good to not share! And your story is likewise too good not to share! Never mind that the food is getting cold! Tell your story! Don’t leave out any of the details of what God has done for you! No need to embellish! It is just as Sargent Joe Friday used to say on the old TV show Dragnet.” “Just the facts ma’am, just the, facts.”

You say, “well, my story isn’t as exciting as some of the other stories I have heard, I mean, I’ve been a follower of Jesus all my life. ” Maybe you didn’t have a spectacular conversion story of deliverance, like many others experience, but that may qualify you for an even more powerful testimony! Because how can you explain NOT walking away from the Lord with all that the devil, your flesh, and the world throws at you????????

Only the power of God could keep you in His tender care! Talk about it! Give God the glory! It’s what Abraham’s servant did throughout the retelling of His story, He kept giving God the glory and honor, and as we shall see, it had a tremendous impact on his audience!

1Pe 3:15 says, “ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

Be short! Be thorough, and be truthful, and be sure to include those events in which God’s hand is evident. Will they believe you? It doesn’t matter! It’s your story! Tell it and let the chips fall where they may! You have done your part, now let the Holy Spirit do His!

# 222 An Attitude of Gratitude

The Book of Genesis

Day 222

Ge 24:28 So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things.

29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well.

30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.

31 And 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 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told about my errand." And he said, "Speak on."

34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.

35 "The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

A couple of things to note here. Rebekah runs to her MOTHER’S house, no mention of her father, only her brother Laban, which would indicate that her father , (though alive) was in the process of handing his duties and responsibilities over to his son Laban. Laban was now in charge of the household.

The first thing Laban notices, is all the new jewelry being worn by Rebekah. This could only mean one thing, someone was interested in Rebekah as a bride! And this someone was kinfolk! So Laban rolls out the hospitality mat and does some of the same things his great uncle Abraham would do. He unloads the camels, provides bedding and straw for them. He provides water for the weary travelers to wash their feet, and then sets food before them.

But the servant refuses to eat until he tells the whole story of his mission. Please note how he begins!

He speaks of the material blessings of Abraham but uses phrases like, “The Lord has blessed,” and He has given.” Immediately we see that this servant has biblical world view that starts with acknowledging God as the source of all blessing! He knew that , “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.”

In the 104^th Psalm we read more of this “biblical world view”as the Psalmist proclaims, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions, these all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. What You give them, they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created.”

Passages like these remind us of our absolute dependence upon God. And if we find ourselves prospering in any way, we would do well to remember that it is the Lord who blessed us greatly. Never forgetting that the same God who created us is also able to bring about our final breath. So it is this humble, “biblical world view,” that gives us the spirit of thankfulness we ought to have.

This God acknowledging attitude of the servant of Abraham, ought to be the attitude that we as servants of the most High God have as well.

#221 Thanks Deferred Often Becomes Thanks Never Offered

The Book of Genesis

Day 221

Ge 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher." 18 So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, 23 and said, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?" 24 So she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor." 25 Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge." 26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. 27 And he said, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren."

Before the servant can even finish praying, the Holy Spirit is presenting the answer to the servant!. Note the reaction of the servant. He RAN to meet her and then throws out his part of the fleece to see what she would do. He asks for a drink of water and she replies almost word for word according to his prayer and then offers to water his camels!

Note too, Rebekah’s willingness to do this. She quickly emptied her pitcher in the trough and RAN to start the first of many trips to fill the trough and the camels! This response of Rebekah’s caused wonderment in the servant…..he was literally stunned by it all! She had passed the first test in flying colors, will she pass the others? Is she the one that will “make his journey prosperous?”

The servant then gives Rebekah a nose ring and two bracelets of gold. This should tell Rebekah that this guy is well off, and that he is after a little more than water for his camels! Then he digs a little deeper. “Whose daughter are you?” Her answer is a “home run!” She is the the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor, the kinfolk his master had requested! She invites him to her father’s house, and upon hearing the news, the servant is so awestruck, that he immediately slips into thankful worship and prayer! Overcome by the turn of events and his answered prayer, he gives glory and honor to his God, the God of mercy and truth!

I wonder if we are as quick to give glory and honor to God for His mercy and truth and answered prayers in our own lives? Thanksgiving is a vital part of worshiping in spirit and in truth. Let us learn from Abraham’s servant today.

Has the Lord blessed you recently with answered prayer. Have you thanked Him? Thanks deferred often becomes thanks never offered, and that my friend can lead to the greatest enemy of faith…..pride.