Sermon Title: "Faith, Obedience, and the Journey of Promise"

Introduction:

Begin with the significance of Abraham's journey, highlighting his faith and obedience to God.

Transition to the context of Genesis 23 and 24, focusing on the death and burial of Sarah, and the quest for Isaac's wife, Rebekah.

I. Genesis 23: The End of a Matriarch's Journey

A. The Death of Sarah (Genesis 23:1-2)

Genesis 23:1–2 ESV

1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Reflect on Sarah’s life and her role in the story of faith.The impact of her death on Abraham and the importance of mourning.

B. Purchasing the Burial Site (Genesis 23:3-20)

Abraham’s negotiation with Ephron the Hittite for Machpelah.The significance of owning a piece of the Promised Land, embedding a future hope.

Genesis 23:1–6 ESV

1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”

Abraham was living in in the land that God had promised to give him. But he was a sojourner and a foreigner. Open to this point he was someone who had limited rights and no permanent foothold in the land.

When he steps forward to bargain with the community to get a place to bury his dead he's both looking for a place to honor Sarah while also looking for a place to begin to have residency in the land.

What's fascinating here is the flattery that these men use on Abraham is not necessarily intended as a compliment but instead as a way to keep Abraham a foreigner keep him not owning land.

Abraham wanted to purchase land and he approached them as a customer trying to win them over and allow him to have a place

Genesis 23:7–16 ESV

7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

As we can see they gave him the right to buy a part of the land addresses his request which is all the specific person to the whole community.

This is a very collective culture. If you're going to respect the culture you have to deal with the whole community. And he makes this transaction with an individual in front of the community.

Genesis 23:17–20 ESV

17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

In essence Abraham as buying a piece of the promised future that got offered to his people. They wouldn't actually realize ownership of the land for over 400 years but this would stand as a testimony as something his people would look back to.

We can load a lot from Abraham. He respected the culture he was in use wisdom in accomplishing the goals he was pursuing. We need to be patient and wise in what we do and in how we speak

II. Genesis 24: The Search for Isaac’s Bride

A. Abraham's Commission to His Servant (Genesis 24:1-9)

Genesis 24:1–9 ESV

1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

OK at the beginning of this chapter we run into an old Abraham. And as some of you have seen the older we get sometimes the more we focus on our children and on our grandchildren and apparently right now Abraham is particularly focused on making sure that his son does not have a life among the canaanites.

And so he someone's the oldest servant in his household with the request to make of him.

Now normally in the Bible we see oaths secured by walking between the carcasses of an animal or other actions but here Abraham literally has him put his hand on his reproductive organ as a symbol of the oath and the promise that God made to Abraham.

One thing you also need to realize that this is Elias are. This is the servant who stood to inherit all that Abraham had before Abraham Ishmael and Isaac. And yet he faithfully and humbly continues to serve Abraham.

One Bible commentator describes him in this way:

Genesis D. Master’s Matchmaker (24:1–33)

one of the most attractive minor characters in the Bible, with his quiet good sense, his piety and faith, his devotion to his employer and his firmness in seeing the matter through” (Kidner, 146)

May we have the humility and flexibility to do what God asks us to do.

Think about it come on he was sent on a mission to find someone he didn't know. And he knew in this moment the most productive thing would be for him to pray and then wait on God. How often do we face uncertain futures? We probably have a lot more moments then we realized when we should be slowing down and asking God what we should do next.

B. The Servant's Prayer and Encounter with Rebekah (Genesis 24:10-27)

Genesis 24:10–27 ESV

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” 15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”

I love his approach here. He came bearing all sorts of gifts but he didn't just want any woman he wanted God to reveal the right woman to him. He asks for help for God to point out the appropriate woman without any doubt.

I wonder how often we need to slow down like him and simply ask God to give us wisdom simply ask God to without a doubt he was clarity in the moment.

I love how God answers the prayer as he is speaking.

One thing also is worth pointing out look at the respect he treats her with . look at the manners he demonstrates period. He's not forcing matters he's not hurrying he simply patiently waiting to see what God does.

We need to take this to heart to live with the grace and patience of following God and trusting him to work.

We need to watch out to make sure our manners and our tones do not get in the way of the good work that God wants to do.

Now he at the end of this passage brings out the wedding presents to see if this girl has an interest in Isaac. We know from looking ahead that he not only gives them to the woman who puts them on her.

I love the beauty of this passage. As one writer puts it:

Genesis D. Master’s Matchmaker (24:1–33)

“It was all so effortless, so natural and yet, at the same time, so evidently of God, the natural overlaid with the supernatural. Here was no chance meeting. Here was a meeting planned in heaven and now taking place on earth. As the servant presented the cause and claims of Isaac, Rebekah listened with all her heart and with wide-open eyes” (Phillips, 192).

We can take a lesson from the life that Elieazer lived. He worked hard and followed God. He faithfully and patiently waited to see God work.

Where do we patiently and humbly just need to work and press on following God?

C. Rebekah's Family and the Negotiation (Genesis 24:28-60)

Genesis 24:28–33 ESV

28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 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. 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.”

Eliezar had to have been excited at this moment God answered his prayer and he was about to complete the mission he had travelled to complete. He was getting a positive response from everyone around him. And he's got an incredible message to deliver

Genesis 24:34–49 ESV

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house. 41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ 42 “I came today to the spring and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go, 43 behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 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.”

So we learned some new details here Abraham has given Isaac everything he owns Abraham is 175 years old and a heritage of faith. Let's continue

Genesis 24:50–60 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.” 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. 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.” 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.” 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!”

It's amazing how fast things move here period. It's understandable that they would want to have a few days to say goodbye on the other hand at this point to be clear Abraham was 140 years old and waiting for Isaac to find a wife.

You know there's a chance that Rebecca had never been away from home in her life. And yet it was very clear at this moment that God was leading. And when God leads when God indicates a new direction for our lives we should take that new direction we should follow his leading.

When we are trying to avoid and wait to do what God asks days can turn into months and months can turn into years and opportunities can be lost.

D. The Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24:61-67)

Genesis 24:61–67 ESV

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. 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. 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.

So this is kind of interesting . why does the caravan run into Isaac before Abraham? Abraham was certainly at his home. And previously in this chapter the word master referred only to Abraham. But sometimes the biblical narrative chooses to focus on one character over another. Right now the Bible is turning its attention from Abraham to Isaac and that's where we are to focus our attention as well.

An arranged marriage ,this seems crazy to us in our culture doesn't it?

And yet this is the marriage that Isaac and Rebecca walked into. And yet how healthy could an arranged marriage be?

Think about it, mature parents connecting kids together period. Connecting their children together. Far too often people go into marriage for what they can get out of it. The date selfishly. And arranged marriage you have to choose to get to know and love this person.

I would argue that's exactly what a healthy marriage is for anyone. Daily choosing to get to know and love your spouse. Putting aside your preferences in order to honor your spouse.

III. Lessons and Applications

A. Faith in God’s Timing

We need to trust God's timing. The scripture says to seek peace and pursue it we should be people that journey peacefully with God trusting him to work in his timing.

We should be confidently and prayerfully walking with God like Eliezer did

B. Obedience to God’s Guidance

Rebekkah had to take a leap of faith trusting God. Where is God calling you to take a leap of faith?

C. The Role of Prayer in Divine Guidance

The importance of prayer in seeking God’s will and making decisions.

D. God's Provision and Faithfulness

Recognizing God’s hand in every step of our journey and His faithfulness to His promises.

Conclusion:

Benediction:

Offer a blessing that God’s peace and guidance will be upon each congregant as they leave, reminding them of the faith journey of Abraham’s family as an example for all believers.