The Secret Of Greatness

The Secret of Greatness

Genesis 24:15-25

May 9, 2010

Morning Service

Introduction

What NOT to Buy Your Wife: Although the only person a man usually shops for is his wife, the whole experience is a stressful one. Many a man has felt extreme frigid temperatures for a long period based on a poor present decision. As a veteran of these wars, I'm still not sure what to buy my wife, but I'll pass on what not to buy her:

1. Don't buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.

2. Don't buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she'll say. Too small a size doesn't cut it either: "I haven't worn a size 8 in 20 years!"

3. Don't buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She'll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that's she's overweight.

4. Don't buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can't afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn't want.

5. Finally, don't spend too much. "How do you think we're going to afford that?" she'll ask. But don't spend too little. She won't say anything, but she'll think, "Is that all I'm worth?"

Herb Forst in Cross River, NY, Patent Trader, in Reader's Digest, p. 69.

If you have your Bibles with you please open them to Genesis 24:15-25

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." 18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." Genesis 24:15-25

Basic insights about Rebekah

1. Rebekah was in the right place at the right time

Rebekah is described as coming before Eleazer can finish his prayer. God had appointed this moment for Rebekah and had set His plan in motion. Rebekah needed to be obedient to gain the most from God’s plan for her life. How many times have we been in the right place at the right time and missed the opportunity?

2. Rebekah was beautiful

When the Bible says that a woman is beautiful there is no mistaking the meaning. The writer means that the woman is beyond the typical sense of physical attractiveness. The moment the word very is added to beautiful, it takes on a whole new meaning. The words literally mean that the woman is drop dead gorgeous. There were only four women described as very beautiful throughout the Bible: Sarah, Rebekah, Bathsheba and an unnamed attendant to King David.

3. Rebekah was unmarried

Rebekah was single and had never been married. These were traits that were highly favored in Jewish society. The fact that she was unmarried also meant that she had not been pledged in marriage either. The word used to describe Rebekah is girl and likely refers to the fact that she was under the age of thirteen. Most marriage contracts would have been completed by that age.

Life lessons from Rebekah

Giving leads to greatness

Rebekah was rewarded because she gave more than was needed. The only thing that Abraham’s servant asked for was a drink of water for himself. Rebekah went above and beyond the moment that she offered to water the camels as well. The thing that most people forget is that it takes higher levels of effort to reach higher levels of blessing.