WILT THOU GO WITH THIS MAN?
Genesis 24:51-67
Intro: Abraham is dying. Before he does, he wants to find a bride for his son Isaac. He sends a servant to his homeland to find this bride. The servant does what he was sent to do, and God demonstrates to the servant that Rebekah is the one. For Rebekah, her encounter with Abraham’s servant came down to one important question, “Wilt thou go with this man?”, v. 58. She said, “I will go” and this response changed her life forever!
From a spiritual viewpoint, everything boils down to the very same question. In this story, Abraham is a picture of God the Father. The Servant represents the Holy Spirit. Rebekah represents the church, or those saved by grace and Isaac is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father has sent His Holy Spirit into this world to call out a bride for Jesus Christ. Like Abraham’s servant, the Holy Spirit does not promote Himself, but He talks about Jesus and calls lost people to come to Him for salvation. When a man falls under conviction and the Holy Spirit reveals Christ in his heart, he is brought face to face with the greatest question man will ever encounter! “WILT THOU GO WITH THIS MAN?” How you answer that question determines where you spend your eternity!
Notice:
I. SOME MATTERS ARE CLEAR TO REBEKAH
A. Isaac Is A Man Of Mystery- The name of this man is not even revealed to Rebekah, but for over 500 miles the servant talked about him, and Rebekah learned about him. The Spirit of God will teach us all about Him as we journey toward home! The Spirit is in the teaching business. John 16:13-14, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
B. Isaac Is A Man Of Money- Everything Abraham owns is in the hand of the son, v. 35-36. Laban is very interested in this! He is well able to care for His bride!
C. Isaac Is A Man Of Matrimony- The whole purpose of the journey was to find Isaac a bride! He was not teasing her… leading her on… playing hard to get. He wanted it known from the beginning that he was looking to marry! God is not interested in an on again off again relationship. He’ll not participate in a one-night stand. He does not get involved in meaningless courtships. He’s made his intentions known from the beginning: HE’S LOOKING FOR A BRIDE!
II. SOME MATTERS ARE CONCEALED FROM REBEKAH
A. Her Road Is Concealed - She does not know what lies between where she is and where he is! There are many unknowns along the way, but the servant has all the necessary resources to make the journey successful! She probably had many questions about the journey, about the destination, about the man Isaac. She might have even wondered along the way if the roughness of the journey was worth it.
B. Her Reception Is Concealed- She may have wondered, “When he sees me, what will he think of me? Will I be accepted? Will I be loved? If he is all that I have been told, he may not be too impressed with me!” All her fears were in vain, v. 67! You need not wonder whether Jesus will have you or not. If you will come to Him, He will never turn you away! If you are already saved, you need not fear His rejection at the end of the journey!
C. Her Reward Is Concealed- What is in this for Rebekah? Is this offer for real? If I could answer her, I would tell her, “Rebekah, you get a new Father, a new Family, a new Faith, a new Fortune, a new Future, a new Fame. Rebekah, you get more than you could ever imagine when you get Isaac!” The world, the flesh, and the devil will try to tell the believer that there is no payoff in serving God, but the rewards for coming to Jesus are without number and without limit!
III. SOME MATTERS ARE CERTAIN TO REBEKAH
A. She Is Willing To Choose- v. 58, Even though she does not know all there is to know about Isaac, she knows that she wants to be with him. She doesn’t have all the information, but she has enough to choose! He sounds just like the man she wants to be married to. Salvation boils down to your wanting Him more than you want anything else in life. Being saved means coming to a place where you are willing to choose Jesus over your sins; Heaven over Hell; God over Satan. Salvation is about you reaching a place where you want to be free more than you want to be bound! Salvation is faith in Jesus Christ alone. Rebekah determined, “I want him more than anything I have here. I will go!” Salvation comes down to your being willing to make Him your choice, after He has made you His choice! Don’t allow anything to stand between you and your soul’s salvation! Nothing you can name in this world or in the world to come is more valuable than your being saved!
B. She Is Willing To Change- Rebekah esteems Isaac as being more valuable than anything else in her life. She is willing to turn her back on everything to go be with Him. She is willing to live in a new place, in a new way, under new management! This is the essence of salvation. It is a total life change, because it is a new life. You cannot change yourself, but until you are willing to let God change you, you can never be saved!
C. She Is Willing To Commit- Rebekah is willing to commit the rest of her life to being Isaac’s wife. She is willing to give her all to him! Salvation is not about mere profession; it is about total commitment! Salvation is a radical commitment to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of your life, with no reservations! Salvation comes when a lost sinner is convicted of his sins and is drawn to Christ, believes the Gospel and repents of sin! Salvation is a total commitment to a new life!
Conclusion: Rebekah made her decision to go to Isaac. As a result, she was loved, blessed and lived a happy, joyous life. It all happened because she said, “I will go!” when she heard the question, “Wilt thou go with this man?”
What about you my friend? In your heart, you are hearing that same question asked today, “Wilt thou go with this man?” Will you? If you will come to Jesus, He will save you and change your life forever. You and you alone can decide what you will do with Jesus!
Jesus is standing at your heart’s door.
Standing and knocking, He’s knocked before;
This is the question we face once more:
What will you do with Jesus?
At your sad heart He is knocking still,
Longing to enter your soul to thrill;
You must accept or reject His will:
What will you do with Jesus?
Oh, will you leave Him alone outside?
Or, will you choose Him whate’er betide?
This is the question you must decide:
What will you do with Jesus?
What will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be;
Someday your heart will be asking:
What will He do with me?
