FBT Daily Devotional: Genesis 24

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Let's get it going. All right. So, as you guys know, today we do have Genesis 24. Now, just a brief review. Genesis begins with God's sovereignty, his power, and authority. And it says, in the beginning, God created, correct? So we have seen creation, we've seen the fall, we've seen the flood, we've seen the covenant and the calling. So God chose Abraham, established a promise through Isaac, okay, and proved the covenant survives famine, failure, fire. Right now in Genesis 24, we are watching not just a romance unfold, if you will, but the preservation of the promise through God's divine orchestration. It's a story of divine providence because God's guiding a servant. And it's highlighting how God's plan was accomplished through the different efforts and character of people involved, correct? Now, God does arrange what we cannot. And Genesis 24 is the longest chapter of Genesis. Not for the miracle, not for a battle, but for a marriage. Okay. So God dedicated 67 verses to securing the covenant alignment. He is meticulous about what carries his promise forward. He always has been. He knows exactly what he's doing. Now the servant did repeat the whole story of why he was where he was and what was happening. And that may have been something that made it longer, but I guess he had to tell it again to the new people, right? So here Abraham is old. He are old. He's over 100. And Saragone, she done went to see the Lord already. And the covenant must continue, though, through Isaac. Now Isaac is the child God blessed them with. Because you know, instead of sitting down somewhere in a rocking chair, though, Abraham, he did remarry and had more children. But okay, I'm not gonna get into that. That's another story. We're gonna hear that tomorrow. And he sends his unnamed, we never got his name, of his top servant back to his homeland, Mesopotamia, to find a wife for his son Isaac. Now notice Isaac didn't go chase and look for a woman. Abraham does not manipulate anyone, and the servant that was chosen did not try to improvise his assignment. I got this, I'm gonna do it myself on my own. He didn't do that, but he did put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swore to Abraham that he would do what he was sent to do. And he collected his provisions and he left. Now, upon arrival to where he was going, the homeland, he stopped and he prayed. So in verse 12, it says, Oh Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day. And he goes on. But before he even sees or speaks to Rebecca, he spoke to God. Amen. So that's something interesting, and that's important. Just like the parent praying over their adult children's future, their spouse before they ever met them, or a leader praying before hiring someone, a Christian leader, like the entrepreneur prays before signing contracts. Some of us move before we even pray. And this is showing we need to pray before we move. Okay. This servant prayed before he moved. So Rebecca was chosen, but not for her beauty, for her initiative. Let's talk about it. So in verse 16, it says, She was very fair to look upon. That means she was ugly. Okay, but that's not what confirmed her. The servant's test wasn't random, y'all. In Genesis 14, the statements made, let the same be she that thou hast appointed. So, where else did something amazing happen at a well for taking a drink? That was with Jesus in John 4, right? He went to the city uh in Samaria and asked a woman at the well for water. Connections all over the place. So I looked it up. Did you know that a thirsty camel can drink 20 to 30 gallons of water at one time? And there were 10 camels. Now that is labor, that is effort, that is service without spotlight. This was not a beauty test, it was a servant heart test. Okay. Luke 16, 10 says, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful and also much. Amen. She wasn't performing, she was living her daily life, her way, what she does. That's how she rolled, doing what she does. Okay. So she was just being nice and offered the camels water. And she went and took care of all of them. That's a lot of water. Okay. So today is the woman in comparison who serves in a ministry when nobody's watching. She continues to do what she needs to do, what God is asking of her. This is the employee who does excellent work without constant recognition, or the person who lives consistently, not selectively. They're consistently the same. Favor found Rebecca working, doing what she normally does. So the servant worshiped before the results even came or were fully complete. And in verse 26, and the man bowed down his head, as we're always to do, to worship the Lord. So he worshiped before seeing Rebecca and before she agreed to leave with him, before the family approved. She didn't go talk to anybody just yet, before the journey back. Now he was praising after he asked, he praised and thanked the Lord. God will fulfill what you ask of him if it's in alignment with him. In Psalms 34, verse 1, it says, I will bless the Lord at all times. Some people wait to worship after confirmation of what they've asked for. Wrong way. That's backward. But covenant walkers worship in progress all the time, in the middle of it. Amen. So did you notice that he went to the town of Nahor in Mesopotamia, which is where Abraham's from? Nahor is Abraham's brother's name, it's named after him. She's Nahor's granddaughter. That means she's the great niece of Abraham. Yep. Go back and read verse 24. Go back and read. Her father, Bethel, was the son of Milka and Nahor. So that makes her and Isaac second cousins. They did that there. We're moving on. I wouldn't recommend that today. But Rebecca had to choose. In verse 58, her brother Laban asked, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. He gave her the erang gold embracement. Stranger danger, though. I won't do that today either. But no coercion, no delay, no committee. She chose her destiny. She agreed and she went. So this was not just marriage, this was migration. She was leaving comfort for covenant, the same hometown of Abraham, and he couldn't go back himself. That would have been against what God had told him when he left to begin with. So Hebrews 11:8, it says, Abraham went out not knowing whether he went, what was gonna happen. And Rebecca is mirroring that same faith. Okay, so she is a person who leaves stability to obey a calling. This is the woman who relocates for purpose, divine purpose. And she's a believer who says yes to ministry before knowing the full map of what's happening. Destiny requires our departure sometimes from what's familiar and comfortable to where God is taking us to fulfill that purpose. Okay. When she arrived in verse 63, Isaac was meditating. He started meditating before she arrived. Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even tide, it says in verse 63. Wow, while the servant was working, while Rebecca was traveling, Isaac was praying. Covenant alignment happens when one is praying, another may be serving, and another is obeying. God coordinates what humans cannot calculate. And Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good. But Genesis 24 shows us how through prayerful obedience and unseen orchestration things happen. So what I want you to take away in this is pray before you pursue anything. Character confirms your calling. Worship in the middle, not just at the end of what you want. And destiny requires movement. God arranges what obedience activates. Amen. So we saw how Abraham proactively arranged for the future, trusting the promise God told him about. The servant who acted with wisdom, prayer, and hard work. He didn't just wait for the woman to appear out of thin air, but he went to the right place. Rebecca displayed proactive hospitality by watering the ten thirsty camels, which was a massive undertaking. So as we prepare to go to the breakout rooms, I'll leave you with these thoughts. Stop focusing or forcing, I'm sorry, what God is arranging with forcing stuff. If it is covenant, it will require prayer, character, and courage. Don't chase what hasn't been appointed for you or to you. Don't settle for beauty without having the backbone to do the work. Don't delay obedience when destiny calls your name. Go. And when God brings it together, go ahead and give him glory before it's fully complete. Amen. All right, we can go to breakout rooms. Thank you guys. Appreciate it.