Genesis Series #48 May 26, 2002
Title: Where God Guides, He Provides
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Welcome to New life in Christ. Today we continue with message #48 in our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis.
Read Genesis 24:12-63
Opening Prayer
When we last met, I shared with you four principles for receiving God’s guidance. They were knowledge of God word, commitment to God’s will, trust in God’s ways, and prayer for God’s wisdom. If we apply these principles, I am confident that we will receive God’s guidance. However, this does not mean we will never encounter obstacles as we proceed down God’s chosen path. Some people seem to think that if God is leading you, you will never be hindered. The Bible clearly refutes this idea!
The story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls is one example of a person in God’s will and receiving God’s guidance but at the same time also encountering opposition and obstacles. Today’s passage is another, more subtle example of that same principle.
God is guiding the servant of Abraham. His and Abraham’s prayers are being answered but many obstacles must be overcome. The right girl must be located. She must be of the right character. She must be willing to leave her family and travel 500 mi. to marry a man she has never met. Her family must have that same willingness and on top of all that, Isaac must be willing to receive her as his wife. These could all be potential problems but God overcomes each one! I believe that this is the main emphasis of this text. A popular Christian phrase, which was coined some time ago, expresses the truth of these verses; Where God guides, He provides. This phrase will serve as my summary sentence of these verses in Chapter 24.
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
With that said let us look at verse 14 where we left off last week, and see how God provided.
Read Verse 14
Abraham’s servant is looking for a sign from God. This was not an uncommon practice in ancient times. Gideon, for example, put out a fleece looking for a sign from God. Even the Apostles cast lots to find the replacement Apostle for Judas. Still today some people seek to find God’s will in such obscure ways. They might say, “God, if this is the girl you want me to marry, let her ring the doorbell three times.” Some people have even cast darts on to a paper map to determine where God would have them go to minister or start a church. I once had a person in the church counting the beams in the roof in order to find some guidance from God. Maybe you have been one of the people who has opened their Bible randomly and blindly pointed to a particular passage as a way of searching for a “word from God.”
Illustration: There is a funny story about a person who used this method of discovering God’s will. It’s about the young man who used the "flip and point" method of reading the Bible. One day while wondering what to do with his life, he flipped his Bible open and pointed to Matthew 27:5. He read, "[Judas] went and hanged himself." He thought maybe he should try again. So he flipped and pointed, this time landing on Luke 10:37, "Go and do likewise." He tried flipping one more time and arrived at John 13:27, "What you do, do quickly."
Even though it was acceptable to seek a sign from God for direction in ancient times, it is not acceptable or wise to do so today! There is no need to do this because all Believers now have the Holy Spirit in them and the completed Bible to guide them. This was not true in the Old Testament times, nor was it true in the earliest parts of the Book of Acts. On the Day at Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, as are all believers today. This is why in the Book of Acts the disciples never resort to any such method of seeking a sign from God for guidance after the Day of Pentecost. From that point on they just prayed and received direction directly from the Holy Spirit and the principles of God’s Word. They were not guided by oracles, as the pagans were, or even by personal prophecies, though Paul and Timothy were encouraged and strengthened by prophecy from God.
In verse 14 the servant sought a sign from God. It should be noted that the sign he sought was not arbitrary. He asked for a woman who would be willing to give him water and would voluntarily water the ten camels. In other words he was looking for a woman of character. While it would not have been unusual for a woman to give a stranger a drink, it would have been unusual for her to draw war for ten thirsty camels, each of which could drink about 20 gallons. A woman who was willing to do this would have to possess the godly characteristics of selflessness and hospitality. One lesson we learn from this verse is that godly character should be our priority in choosing our mates.
This test of the woman’s character was also the first obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s plan. Finding a woman of such character, in the midst of a pagan people, would be unlikely. Nevertheless this obstacle did not prove to be a problem for God. No matter how unlikely, God will see that his will is done. That should give us encouragement!
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
Read Verses 15-21
We see an example of God provision in these verses. God had provided an answer before the servant had even finished praying. This woman named Rebekah was like the perfect bride for Isaac. She was beautiful and although that is not the most important thing it is icing on the cake. She was a virgin, which demonstrated her sexual purity. Sexual purity may not be a characteristic that is high on the list of this world’s values, but is a very high priority with God. She was kind, selfless, and hospitable, which was demonstrated, by her willingness and her eagerness to help. Did you notice that the Bible emphasizes how “quickly” she emptied her jar and “ran” to water the camels? God had placed this man at the perfect place and time to meet the woman he had chosen for Isaac.
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
It is not just in choosing a marriage partner that God provides and guides. He overcomes obstacles in every area in which he guides us. Several years ago I felt God was directing me to commit to a verse by verse teaching method as the major practice of the teaching ministry at New Life in Christ. As I thought about this and looked at various books of the Bible, it seemed that it would be impossible to give a relevant message from many of the passages. Many of the passages were often confusing and difficult to outline. I wanted to have an entire book of the Bible mapped out before I would begin such a series through a book of the Bible but God did not provide the core of the messages in advance. So I had to just step out in faith and begin the Bible book series as God had guided me to. For over two years now, Each week God has been faithful to give the needed insight, direction and wisdom necessary for me to prepare biblical messages, so I can say from personal experience…
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
I want you to notice in verse 21 that the servant does not make this event is self-fulfilling answer to prayer. He does not manipulate or in any way interfere with Rebekah. He just waits to see if she is God’s answer to his prayer. He does not try and motivate or manipulate Rebekah to be the right kind of person rather he just waits to see if she is the right kind of person. He had asked the Lord to direct and the Lord was faithful to do that.
Read Verses 22-26
I hope you noticed that the servant did not show Rebekah the money, or in this case the jewelry, until he knew her character! He first wanted to know her heart condition because many people marry for financial reasons. Those who marry for this reason are asking for trouble. He then asked her about her family, since one of the conditions Abraham had given was that Isaac’s wife be one of his own relatives. This condition probably served as an example to later Israelites who were instructed only to marry other Israelites in order to protect the people from pagan corruption. After learning that God had provided a relative so perfectly, the servant did something we all should do when God blesses our lives; he worshipped and thanked the Lord. (Verses 26,27) When we praise God we are acknowledging that the Lord is responsible for our success.
Read Verses 28-33
Laban is of a different character that Rebekah. He does hurry to meet the needs of the stranger but, as verse 30 notes, he does this in response to seeing the kind of wealth this potential suitor had as a dowry. He some dollar signs and was therefore all too willing to help this stranger in order to help himself. We will get to see more of Laban’s greedy character in the story of Jacob. Even though Laban was ungodly, God had provided for Abraham and the servant to overcome this obstacle. God knew that Laban would not let Rebekah go unless he could profit financially, so God had provided Abraham with the riches he needed to succeed in advance.
After the servant arrived at Laban’s house, we see in verse 33 that he was unwilling to accept any accommodations or comforts until he had assurances that his mission was a success. The servant is committed to his mission above his own needs, which serves as a great example to us also. God’s will should always be our priority.
In verses 34-49 the servant shares how the Lord has guided and provided by retelling the story that we have already covered. Since books and scrolls were not readily available, Old Testament stories are often repeated in order to fix the details into the hearer’s mind. I do the same today by repeatedly emphasizing the important points of a sermon. For example the main point of this story and this message is...
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
Read Verses 50-61
At first things are going really well. Rebekah’s brother and father readily agree to the marriage and it seems like smooth sailing from that point. But after they had received the “costly gifts” (Verse 53) they were not so anxious to have Rebekah leave. It begins to seem that things will not succeed in the end, but God is faithful to provide where he guides. God is working in Rebekah’s heart so that she will be willing to do what God desires her to do.
The servant and the family come to an agreement to let Rebekah make the decision whether to leave or to stay at home indefinitely. It seems entirely unfair to let the decision be made this way since it is very likely that she will side with her brother and father instead of a stranger she had only met yesterday. It seems that this situation is totally against the servant of God. I hope you realize and know that God can work through unlikely and seeming impossible situations. God is able to work through people who are opposed to his will. He certainly did in this case as Rebekah decides to leave immediately. You and I can be sure God is working behind the scenes.
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
Read Verses 62-67
The last obstacle to overcome was Isaac’s acceptance of Rebekah. These few verses indicate that what God had begun, he would complete. Rebekah presented herself as eligible for marriage by covering herself with a veil and Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother, Sarah. This was both an act of marriage and an indication that Rebekah was to be the new matriarch of the family.
The particulars of this story may not apply to our situations, but the principles do. If God is leading us, we can count on him to remove any obstacles and every opposition to his will for our lives. This does not mean we will live a life without hindrances, it just means that when we are being led by God, we can be confident in him.
I. Where God Guides, He Provides.
Briefly expound upon Genesis 25:1-18 which serve as a conclusion to the story of Abraham. In this passage, the loose ends are tied up and we see the fulfillment of various prophecies given in earlier chapters.
Closing Prayer.
