What's the D.I.L. Part 2

Prayer for Mark and Jenny

Mark is heading off on his sabbatical

At 5 years, we get a week off for Spiritual rest every year of service

Time to rest, seek God, spend time in prayer and fasting...

We also have a perk to visit our missionaries, so Mark is doing both

- He’ll be seeing missionary friends in Latvia

- The Rumboldt’s in Slovakia

- Then he’s meeting Jenny in Vienna - how romantic!

- Two different missionary friends in West Africa

Don’t want people knowing they’re there!

Then they’ll be back for a well deserved season of rest and communing with God

PRAY TO SEND THEM OFF

Speaking of prayer...

Prayer Team Meeting

May 7th in 103

If you want to be but can’t be there, talk to me after

Sermon

This morning we’re continuing on in the life of Abraham

Also, the we’re continuing directly from last weeks story about Rebekah

YouVersion: What’s the D.I.L. Part 2

We’re in Genesis 24:29-33 and 49-67

Recap

Last week, Abraham sends Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac

Rules:

Don’t choose a Canaanite

Don’t force her to come

Don’t take Isaac out of the promised land

If it doesn’t work, Eliezer is released from his duties

He went north and found a watering hole

He asked God:

I’ll ask for a sip

She’ll offer to bring water for camels

She worked for 2 hours feeding 10 camels

Before he finishes the prayer, Rebekah shows up and does everything he asked God for

He asks whose daughter she is, and she’s related to Abraham

He gives her a nose ring, and she accepts

Let’s get started:

Genesis 24:29–32 ESV

29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 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 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

Notice the behavior of Laban and Rebekah:

It’s evident that they come from a home where hospitality is a value

This brother and sister know how to treat guests

They selfless and kind

They bestow honor and show genuine care

On the other side, we learn later that Laban isn’t always a great guy...

Children often reflect the values of their environment

Every reliable source suggests that parents have a significant impact on their children

As kids get older, other influences tend to take hold

And I have yet to meet a kid where the kids don’t reflect their parents

Even if their views are opposite, it’s likely because of parents!

Often, you’ll see a family who’s dad is an alcoholic

One child will say, “I was always around it, I learned that behavior, I thought it was normal.”

Another child will say, “My dad was always angry, I hated the way I acted, I wanted no part of it.”

Two different views, both encouraged by their parent...

That’s why it’s important that we instill good values with our kids

Have relationship with God, be good to people, stand for what is right...

But we don’t do it in a way that puts a bitter taste in their mouths...

The things you instill in your kids will affect them when they go off into the world

Just like Rebekah is about to do

For Abraham, we see their learned behavior brings positive things

Bethuel taught their kids the value of hospitality

And now Rebekah is going to find a good husband

And it will begin the people of God

Check this out

Genesis 24:33 ESV

33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”

Eliezer is all about getting this job done

“I’m not even going to eat until I tell you what’s up!”

We’re going to skip this next portion (vv. 34-47) - it’s in YouVersion

He’s going to recap everything we already know from last week

If you want the details, listen to last week’s sermon on website

Eliezer excitedly tells Laban what has happened

Abraham is old

His son needs a wife

He sent me

I asked God to send the right woman

Abraham’s relative

A virgin

Someone who gives water to my camels when I ask for a sip

Rebekah came, did that, and accepted the nose ring and bracelets

Then, Eliezer closes out his story with this:

Genesis 24:48–49 ESV

48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”

He says, “This is what God did, but there’s one more thing...”

Remember the rules:

No Canaanites

Don’t take Issac there

And don’t force the woman

But, Eliezer isn’t going to force her family either

He says, “Now it’s your part. Are we going to do this or not?”

If not, let me know so I can move on

He’s saying, “Let me tell you how you’re an answer to my prayers, and the prayer of my master.”

Essentially he’s saying, “God is doing this, so what are you going to do?”

He’s not going to beg them, he’s not going to argue, he’s not going to get mad

God’s doing this so you better get on board!

But he also knows this is of God, and he’s making that plain

The fact is, hearing truth matters more than hearing what we want

As Christians we feel pressure to perform

We are torn between feeling we have to manufacture something for God

And having to follow the rules of the world that says, “Don’t talk about Jesus.”

When really, our role is much more simple

Francis Chan: “When I read through the Bible, what hit me the most was I’m reading one prophet after the next, they all sound the same. Then you get to Jesus, He sounds just like them… Then you get the apostles; everyone sounds the same. They have the same tone, directness... and I’m like, ‘I don’t sound like them. No one sounds like them...' This is how you get people to your gatherings: You’re thinking, ‘what do people want to hear and what will turn them off,’ and that determines what you say. And I’m going, “They didn’t teach that way. They just said it.”

Church, we’re not salesmen

And we’re not God’s police force

Our job is tell people about Jesus, and let them give their own response

Let God do His job, He doesn’t ask us to do it for Him

When you measure my job up here, it shouldn’t be

How’s attendance looking?

How’s the budget?

It should be, “Is he telling the truth?”

So Eliezer says straight up, this is what God is doing, so what are you doing?

Genesis 24:50–51 ESV

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”

Rebekah’s dad and brother say, “Yeah, of course, take her to Isaac...”

This isn’t just about us making a decision, because we believe in God

And if God has done this, how can we argue?

It’s hard to argue when you see God move

I challenge you, go to people in this room and ask them...

Were you saved because someone beat you in an argument?

How many yes’s do you think you’ll get?

It’s probably because you knew someone who had God active in their life

I can stand up here and spout off all sorts of apologetic facts and people will argue for days!

But you can’t sway me when I think about what I’ve seen God do

I can’t argue when I think about how He’s changed me

All I know is I used to be this way, now I know Jesus, and I’m this way

Genesis 24:52–53 ESV

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.

At this moment, it’s official that Eliezer has seen God move in a wonderful way

He bows to the earth, “Thank You LORD.”

Then he gets up and just starts raining gifts down on this family

Finally then, Eliezer can relax

Genesis 24:54–55 ESV

54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.”

This is quite the scene

First they say, “Yes! Take her! God is clearly at work! We won’t stop you!”

There are two ideas about what happens here

They’re trying to get more out of Eliezer

Man, did we give her away too cheap? Maybe he’s got some more gold bracelets in there...

2. The gravity of the situation hit them

Often times when someone dies, I try to call the family 2 weeks to a month after

In the midst of planning the funeral, divvying up the stuff, family flying in… people don’t process

But a few weeks after, the cards stop coming, the phone stops ringing, the family goes home...

Then things get hard

I think that’s a little bit of what’s happening here

Eliezer shows up, they’re excited for Rebekah, the gifts they got, for the big feast...

But now she’s ready to go and it’s like, “Wait!”

Yesterday began as a normal day, by today, we’ll never see our daughter again

This wasn’t some years long betrothal, this happened yesterday!

Now, she’s going 300 miles away

From here to Cincinatti

Today we can do that in 4-5 hours

Back then, we’re talking weeks of travel

I moved away from California in 2018 - I’ve been back twice with air travel

Its a safe bet they won’t see Rebekah ever again

So they’re saying, “Please! Just 10 more days...”

I understand that - they’re saying goodbye forever

They know Abraham, but they’ve never met Isaac

They’re sender her off, and they’ll never even know if she’s in a good marriage

But church, Christians know something about God’s timing

It’s not always how we want it to be

Genesis 24:56–58 ESV

56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

Eliezer says, “No, God is doing this, He wants us to go. Please don’t stand in His way.”

God doesn’t like it when we drag our feet

Jesus put it this way when a disciple tried to do things in his timing:

Matthew 8:21–22 ESV

21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

When God is moving, He’s moving

You’ve got to get up and walk!

When God is moving, don’t try to stop Him

Honestly, if Rebekah’s family wants to do what’s best for her...

They should put her in the center of what God is doing

That’s why Jesus prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done!”

Instead of choosing, they ask Rebekah, and now she has to choose

Get up, move 300 miles away to marry a man you don’t know

Or stay home...

She chose to place God’s will before her own

She’s throwing away things we really value

Safety, comfort, familiarity, choosing her own husband...

Today, if a woman marries without meeting him first, we make it a reality show!

It’s so crazy we’re entertained by it

It’s called “Married at first sight” on Lifetime

But Rebekah did it because she wanted to honor God

He’s clearly at work, she won’t stand in His way

Genesis 24:59–61 ESV

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 thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!” 61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

I imagine a heavy scene

Eliezer is loading up the camels, the men are working

Rebekah walks out, ready to go

And her family is hanging on her in tears

Eliezer’s like, come on, let’s go...

And as she’s ready leave, the last thing they do is bless her

And even this blessing shows more proof about God’s will in this

May you become thousands of ten thousands

May your offspring posses the gate of those who hate him

You know what’s great about that? Look back to Gen. 22 to see God’s promise to Abraham

Genesis 22:17 ESV

17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

Rebekah’s final blessing is truly a continuation of God’s blessing on Abraham

What an incredible sendoff!

So she climbs up on a camel, and heads off down the road

All the while, her family watches, crying their eyes out

Happy for their daughter, thrilled to be honoring God, but devastated at their loss

Genesis 24:62–65 ESV

62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.

Fast forward a couple of week, and Rebekah gets to Isaac

He’s outside praying and meditating

Back then, people felt that if they were inside with a roof God couldn’t see them

Here’s what I see here:

Good marriages begin with Godly foundations

Let me explain a little bit:

Isaac is sitting in the field, praying...

I don’t know what he’s praying for, but I like to imagine

“God, please don’t let her be ugly. Please don’t let her be mean. Please don’t let her be barren...”

Then he looks up, “Oh my gosh, they’re here!”

Rebekah’s like, “Whoa, who is that?!”

Rebekah hops down, but the Jewish interpretation is literally that she falls off the camel

Why? Because she’s never seen a person who could communicate with God before...

Eliezer says, “That’s the guy right there.”

She immediately covers her face

This was a sign of chastity, humility and submission

Single guys, you want to sweep a woman off her feet?

Show her how much you love God...

Single ladies, you want to win over a good man?

Anchor yourself on things like chastity, humility and submission

More than just how you look...

In other words, lean on the things of God

Genesis 24:66–67 ESV

66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

This is a beautiful scene

Men, if you have any brains on you, remember the importance of a woman’s love

There’s a reason we have men’s and women’s ministries - we’re different!

You want to make a husband happy? Give me some nachos and put on the game

You want to make a wife happy? Make sure her family is together and at peace

Women hold the keys to the love of a family

Here in Abraham’s camp, Sarah’s tent is sitting there

That’s where you go for food

That’s where you go when you fell and need mom to kiss it

It’s where you go to get a hug, even when you’re 30-whatever years old

But it’s been sitting empty for a year

There’s probably been times where Isaac has walked that way out of habit

Only to remember his mother Sarah is gone

But now, he takes Rebekah in there - why?

Because she is now the lady of the family

She is the one who holds the keys to the love of the camp

And then something great happens

Isaac loves Rebekah

And it doesn’t say it directly, but I think she loved him too

It says he was comforted after his mother’s death

Nothing is more uncomfortable that hanging out with a lady who doesn’t want to be with you...

Conclusion

So what do we learn in this story?

We see Abraham doing his part to find a wife for Isaac

We see Eliezer doing his part to set out and retrieve her

We see Rebekah doing her part to leave home and seek Isaac

We see Bethuel and Laban doing there part to let their daughter go

All these things were done for one purpose! To fulfill the will of God

So if you’re going to take something home, take this:

Wonderful things happen when God’s people come together

One of my favorite things about Sunday is walking around and watching people

Head downstairs and watch people working in the nursery

See the people gathered around the coffee area

Watch the kids pour out the door

Enter the room and see the worship team praising

And I just thank God that His people still come together

After thousands of years, we still think it’s important to gather and to seek God as one body

We read these stories about Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebekah...

And sometimes we see them as some complete separate story from years and years ago

But the truth is, that was one part of God’s story

And today, we’re still living God’s story!

We are the continuation of the lessons and history or Abraham and Isaac!

I kinda wonder someday, how things will be in heaven!

Sometimes we walk around like, “Hey, what high school did you go to?”

Oh, I went to Dunlap!

Oh yeah, I went to East Peoria! Cool!

I was homeschooled!

I’m pretty much the only one here who went to Ontario High School

Tash did as a freshman but graduated from Chino...

Anyway, I wonder if heaven will be like, “What part of God’s story were you in?”

Oh, I was in Abraham’s camp!

Really, I was exiled to Babylon...

Cool! I was in the church age! Right before Jesus came back...

You know, God story is just something we’re all a part of at different times

And throughout the whole time, that point is something that rings true

When God’s people come together, amazing things happen

If you’re someone who has been on the fringe or just starting to come around...

I encourage you to get active!

Keep coming to church, join a Life Group, serve in a ministry, head to Africa!

Just start being a part of what God’s doing!

It’s way more exciting than just deciding to stay home...