Isaac #4 - Answered Prayers

Genesis 24:62–67 (KJV (WS))

62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Introduction

Any level of examination will reveal that our world is a distressing place to live.

Just in the last few years we have been given reason after reason to be troubled.

Covid

Afganistan Pullout

Ukraine

Israel

Governmental failures

Economic upheaval

It is certainly enough to give you strong dose of anxiety.

Then, you look around at the personal struggles that individuals and families are going through.

Death

Divorce

Children turning their back on God

Hypocrisy among believers

Leaders that fail morally

It can sure seem like God is either dead or He’s asleep and unaware of what is happening.

I have to imagine that the person we are going to look at today was feeling a little bit like that too.

Our passage begins as Isaac had just returned from a specific well.

He was probably there inspecting his flocks.

Wells are an important piece of Isaac’s story.

This particular well is called Lahairoi.

The well that is mentioned here is the same well mentioned in the story of Hagar.

It’s name means “the God who lives and sees.”

This is a fitting name to include in this story as it is the answer to the problem that we share in common with Isaac.

Does God live?

Does He see me?

Another thing we notice is that Isaac was not living with Abraham at this time.

He was living south of Hebron

Which would have been the southern area of Canaan.

Having made his way home, Isaac goes out to meditate in the field.

The word “meditate” means to bend towards the ground.

When this passage is translated into other languages, they will typically use the word for “pray”.

Why is “meditate” used rather than “prayer” in this passage?

Could it be to illustrate the intensity of Isaac’s prayers at this time?

Isaac was going through a period of disorientation in his life.

His mother had recently died.

His father was very old.

He’s 40 years old and unmarried.

A servant had been sent, months earlier, to select a wife for him.

There was a lot on Isaac’s heart and mind for him to pray about.

I think it’s safe to assume that Isaac had been been spending much time in prayer.

I have prayed more in the last several years than I have probably in all the rest of my years put together.

Stress and anxiety are meant to drive us to pray more.

If we were to only think about the likelihood of Isaac praying for the servant to find the right girl, I think we can get a pretty clear picture of where Isaac’s head was at this time.

There were several aspects to this matter that Isaac must have been praying for.

There were several questions that Isaac must have had for the Lord, in regard to his potential wife.

Would the servant survive the trip?

Would he find a girl that would be a good match?

Would he find her attractive?

Would she find him attractive?

Would she agree to journey back with the servant?

Would they make it back safely?

What if she didn’t like him when she got there?

So many uncertainties running through Isaac’s head.

He had a rough expectation for when the servant should return.

But, he didn’t know for sure.

Everyday, he looked expectantly for his prayers to be answered.

The Bible specifically tells us in vs 63, that, on this day, it was now evening.

Another day had come and gone and still no sign of any answer to his prayer.

Was he reminding himself of his faith in the God who lives and sees?

Isaac prays and holds on to hope that maybe the next day would be the day when his prayers were answered.

As he closes his time with God, the Bible tells us that he lifted up his eyes and saw something coming his way.

The verse tells us that it was the caravan of camels.

I am trying to imagine in my head how this might have transpired.

Did he look up from intense prayer and meditation to find that they had nearly reached him without his noticing them?

Did he look out on the horizon for one final glance before returning home, and just barely notice some figures on the horizon?

However it happened, Isaac soon recognized the camels and began heading out to meet them.

After weeks and weeks of traveling, Rebekah was surely ready to get to where they were going.

As the sun began to set, she must have wondered if they were going to have to make camp for another night on the road.

But, then she noticed a lone figure breaking up the monotony of the Caananite landscape.

It was a man, and he was walking towards them.

I have to wonder what Isaac was walking like.

He’s 40 years old, but this is a moment that he has been waiting for his entire life.

He had spent the last several months praying for this day.

And now as the caravan approaches I just imagine him walking with a little bit extra energy in his gait.

I imagine him talking to himself to play it cool.

Rebekah asks the servant of Abraham who this man is that is approaching them.

The servant, having known Isaac all his life, tells her that this is his master.

This is the man that he had been telling her about.

This was the man that she was to marry.

When she heard this, Rebekah dropped down from the camel and covered herself with a veil.

This was done to show respect for Isaac.

It is still a cultural practice in parts of the middle East today.

Isaac meets up with the caravan and begins to talk with the servant.

The aged man rehearses for Isaac all that God had done to bring him along on his mission.

It had been a long and difficult journey, but God had been with him every step of the way.

I can just see Isaac getting more and more excited as he heard about the miracle at the well.

I can see him glance at Rebekah when the servant told of how her family had tried to delay their departure, but Rebekah had insisted they leave.

There was so much evidence that God had orchestrated the details of this whole story.

Isaac must have been overflowing with joy as he dismisses the servant and steps up to Rebekah.

Don’t let the cultural differences with our world make you feel weird about this last part.

This was the typical marriage process in their day.

There are two parts of this that I want to show you.

First, Isaac loved Rebekah.

He had been praying for the wife God would have for him to marry.

He was 40 and maybe wondering if there was anyone.

He had prayed that the servant would bring back someone that would be a good match.

Isaac found that God was alive and saw his situation.

He knew what Isaac needed and he was able to bring it to pass.

Second, Isaac was comforted from his pain.

Isaac no doubt loved his mother deeply.

Her death signaled that sobering reality that all of us have to face as our parents age.

In a few years, Abraham would no doubt follow.

Perhaps Isaac, had begun to feel a bit like Moses, I am a stranger in a strange land.

What would happen when Isaac’s parents were gone?

God had done so much for them, would God be there for him?

After hearing the servant’s tale of what God had done on his behalf, Isaac was comforted to know that he could face the future.

This passage shows us how Isaac learned to trust God to do his work even in difficult times because He is the God who lives and sees.

Application

The world around us is distressing and perplexing.

In the midst of all the great upheaval in our time, God has chosen to bless our little church.

While others deny His existence, we have seen His hand at work.

We could give testimonies like this servant of how God has brought each of us to this place.

Some of you were brought here 68 years ago.

Some of you have been here for decades.

Some of us have been here a relatively short time.

We are all here now, we know that our God is alive.

Not only is He alive, but He sees us.

He sees and knows the Collinsville Baptist Tabernacle.

We aren’t even the biggest church in town, but we have been blessed to see God’s power and provision on display.

Now, we have been praying for something and pushing towards something for the last 68 years.

Reaching more people with the Gospel.

It’s why a group of 5 families left the Tulsa Baptist Temple to plant this church in 1955.

As God sends more people to our city, our task has become greater and greater.

So we’ve been praying.

We’ve been asking God to make it possible for us to reach more of our community.

Since He is alive.

Since He sees us.

We trust Him to do what we cannot.

It’s been almost 2 years since we got serious about this.

Today, I feel like a little bit like Isaac when he looked up that evening and saw the camels in the distance.

What we’ve been praying for has come into view.

We’re not there yet, but it is in view.

Can you see it?

God is orchestrating and writing the story of this church.

It is not up to us to sit and let it come to us.

We should be like Isaac, we should be motivated to move.

Let’s walk out and meet God’s will.

Everything else in this world may be distressing and dark, but here at God’s church, we should be encouraged.

We should be excited.

We serve the God who lives and sees.