Discerning God's Will - Genesis 24

©Copyright June 23, 2019, by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We all have times in life when we wish God would speak to us as He did to some of the people in the Bible. It would be nice to get an audible voice, an angelic messenger, or even a direct message from a prophet or spokesman of God. It would be nice to know for sure where we were headed and be certain of what we are supposed to be doing. But, that is not the common experience of finding God’s Will. Most of the time, we feel like we are left to guess as to the will of God for our lives. We find ourselves living tentatively; uncertain of what we should be doing.

This morning we look at the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. Strangely, the account concerns finding a wife for Isaac. It is repetitive, and seems to us, to be mundane. After all, only thirty-one verses are devoted to the Creation account in Genesis 1! This chapter records no word from God, no miracle, and no prophetic declaration. In that sense, it is similar to the book of Esther. In that book, God is not mentioned at all, but His fingerprints are everywhere! You can also see God’s leading in every aspect of this story.

This morning, as we follow the story, we will look for principles that will hopefully help us better discern God’s will for our lives.

Isaac is now at an age when he wants/desires a wife and family (He is 40! So, we guess Abraham and Sarah were eager for him to marry and have a family too). Abraham is concerned Isaac will marry someone who is outside the family line (we would say, “isn’t Jewish”). The reason for that concern the idols and false religious beliefs of other people. It is the same caution the New Testament commands. Paul tells us:

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. (1 Corinthians 6:14-16)

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39-40).

A marriage between a believer and an unbeliever is trouble waiting to happen. To get along, the Christian will inevitably have to compromise or water down their faith or endure constant conflict. Even if a non-Christian spouse is indifferent to the practice of faith, they still serve as an anchor that weighs a person down in their ability to grow in grace and truth. It is tough to give time, be generous financially, serve extensively, even study privately when your spouse is not supportive. Abraham seems to understand this.

Abraham had a plan to make sure that didn’t happen.

Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his most trusted servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear by the Lord, the God of Heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”

6 “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the Lord, the God of Heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”

9 So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. (Genesis 24:1-9)

Abraham brought in his trusted servant and gave him a job: He is to go to Abraham’s homeland and find a wife for Isaac in the home of one of his relatives. By all means, he is not to let Isaac marry a Canaanite woman.

I suspect you are curious about this “putting his hand under the thigh of his master” thing. Apparently, this was a form of taking an oath (kind of like raising your right hand in court or taking an oath of office). One commentator suggests it was to place your hand under the other person to denote the person’s authority over you or that the request of that other person bound you.

Abraham’s servant wanted to be clear on what he was supposed to do. “If he could not find a woman who was willing to travel back with the servant (it would have been a considerable distance) was he supposed to take Isaac back to the homeland?” A strong “No” came back from Abraham. The “No” was an affirmation of faith. This land was Isaac’s inheritance from God! By no means was he to take Isaac back because if he went back there, Isaac might choose, or be pressured, to remain.

Abraham is so confident God will work out the details, he told the servant he was released from the oath if no wife could be found willing to return with him. So, the servant set off to find a wife for Isaac.

Here is when we start dealing with the issue at hand: “How does this servant find the person God wants Isaac to marry?” When the servant arrived in the town, he hatched a plan:

12 “O LORD, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”

We might call this today laying out a fleece (from Gideon and the book of Judges). Note this servant is not trying to test God or perform parlor tricks; he is trying to determine God’s will. We may use this method once in a while to seek God’s will. It is not something you want to do very often.

When I first came to La Harpe, a long time ago, I was looking at several different churches for a job. One was actually in Quincy. I remember praying, “Lord, I want to go where you are calling me to go so please make it obvious. Help me to see if it would be a bad fit or have the church not be interested in me if that is not where you want me to go.” One by one the doors closed until only one was left standing, and here I am!

As I said, this is something we don’t want to rely on very often. We can set up tests so they get us what we want. For example, the person on the diet who is craving some tasty pastries says, “Lord, if I should stop and get a donut, let there be a parking spot in front of the store.” Sure enough, there was a spot in front of the bakery, and he only had to circle eight times!

This test of the servant was something out of the ordinary. The woman would not only give the servant a drink, she would also offer to water the camels (which is a big deal since the camels drink so much water!) And sure enough, the first woman to come to the well was Rebekah. The servant watched as she gave him a drink and then drew water for the camels as well. The first hurdle was cleared. Next, He asked for her name and family, when she told him, I am sure the servant’s heart leaped for joy. They went back to her home where the servant shared his story with Rebekah and her brother, a man named Laban. They believed God was in these happenings. (We’ll meet Laban again later in Genesis because he is the father of Leah and Rachel who married Isaac and Rebekah’s son, Jacob.)

There was still one more test: the servant asked if Rebekah would be Isaac’s wife.

50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The LORD has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.

Like Christians have done since the time of Christ, Abraham, the servant, and even Rebekah and her family all believed God would guide them through the circumstances of life to where they were meant to be. The next morning, the servant and Rebekah returned to the Promised land, and they celebrated a wedding.

Principles for Discerning God’s Will

Our goal is to use this text as a way of gaining some principles for discovering the will of God for our lives. The first principle is: Act on What you know is True. Abraham knew he (and by extension, Isaac) was supposed to live in the land of Canaan. God was specific. From that truth, Abraham determined a wife needed to be brought TO Isaac not the other way around.

God tells us many things in His Word. There is no point in asking God to guide you into something the Bible clearly forbids or has already spoken to. There are four times in the New Testament we are told what the Father wills:

John 6:40: For it is my Father’s will that all who see his son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

1 Thessalonians 4: 3: God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.”

1 Thessalonians 5: 18: “13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 2: 13–15: It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.

This is where we begin. We know God wants us to believe in and trust Christ; To be holy and stay away from sexual sin, submit to earthly authority, and always do what is right.

Utility Companies urge people to “ask before they dig.” They don’t want you severing a water line, gas line, or phone line. In the same way, we need to “ask before you start to set up scenarios with God.” Look in your Bible and see if God has already declared His will on an issue. For example, it is a waste of time to ask God to be OK with a Christian marrying a non-Christian. That issue has been addressed already. Don’t ask if God is OK with you cheating on your taxes. He has already spoken on the subject. The same is true for holding a grudge, absenting yourself from meeting with the church, being unwilling to forgive, and putting anything before the Lord!

Second, Take it one step at a time. The servant waited for his test to play out. He did not know until Rebekah agreed to come with him whether or not she was the right person. God seldom unfolds His entire plan before you at once. Frankly, I think if God told us everything He was going to do IN and THROUGH us, if He showed us every storm we would face, it would frankly, freak us out! We would panic and run.

Here is the point: instead of looking to see where you are going to end up, look for the next step, and then take it. Then repeat and do it again. Look for open doors, look for opportunities, and if they are consistent with what God wants for you, carefully walk forward. Too often, we miss entrance ramps to God’s will for our lives because we are so afraid of making a mistake. If you make a mistake, get off at the next exit and circle back and try again!.

As a follower of Christ, we must trust Him to work in every circumstance. God is never caught off guard. We must not panic because we do not see Him. He is working even though we do not see Him. Christians for centuries have followed the Word, made the best decisions possible, and adjusted to changing circumstances trusting God would lead them along the way.

In other words, you may not hear audible voices or encounter an angel. That does not mean God is not guiding you. Your very presence here this morning may be God’s plan to lead you into some avenue of ministry. Relax and follow where He leads.

Have you ever had the experience of reading in your regular morning devotions and something jumps out at you? It is just the right verse for just the right time or just the right thought to clear up what you were thinking or feeling? That is not a coincidence! That is the leading of God’s Spirit.

People sometimes say, “I don’t feel God leading me to do this . . . “. But what they mean is: I see and feel God nudging me to get involved in this ministry but, I don’t want to do it! That is a more honest answer. You won’t hear from God until you stop lying to yourself.

Third, take advantage of wise Counsel. Abraham solicits the help of his servant. God gives us a great deal of freedom in making choices in life. But the smart person checks with other spiritually mature people to gain wisdom for themselves. Let’s face it, sometimes others see what we cannot see. We see this often when it comes to relationships. This is one of the significant advantages of being part of a church family: we get a chance to help each other and cheer for each other. Sometimes we only see what we want to see. Surrounding yourself with people who will tell us the truth, even if it is hard to hear, is a wise move.

Fourth, pay attention to circumstances. Look for “open doors” or roadblocks. This is what the servant did. He watched and waited to see what God would do. It is also what Laban and Rebekah did. They saw what appeared to be God at work, and they joined Him in that work.

Sometimes God opens a door or an opportunity before you. You may get an invitation to do something you never thought you could do. It might be a ministry opportunity, or it could be an invitation that seems to come from nowhere.

I received a call one day from a pastor in a church in Southern Illinois. He asked me if I would come and speak for four days at his church for a series of revival meetings. I didn’t know the man, or where he lived. He said he had been reading my sermons on the web and “God told him I was the right guy to preach for their revival.” I told him God had not communicated that to me. I also told him I didn’t do that kind of preaching. His response? “I guess it is time for you to start.”

I wrestled with the Lord on this for a couple of days and concluded God must have brought this opportunity to me for a reason. I agreed to go. I was way outside of my comfort zone, and I don’t know that I was especially good at what I was doing, but I was attempting to go where God was leading. I have no idea what God did through that week, but I bet He was doing something.

The principle is sound: “Look to see where God is working . . . and then join Him!”

Finally, relax and trust Him. What happens to many of us is we become paralyzed by indecision. We are so uptight about missing God’s will that we do nothing! God has given us a great deal of freedom. Throughout the New Testament, we read about decisions that made on the basis that “it seemed good to them.”

There are times when we have choices that are all consistent with God’s revealed will. They seem to be equal. Our trusted counselors believe they are both or all good options. There are no barriers. In situations like this, we are free to choose the road that seems best to us.

Sometimes you need to make a decision, and God will honor either decision because you are seeking to honor Him. God is not sitting in Heaven waiting for you to make a mistake so He can “smite” you. He wants you to live joyfully in His presence. I wonder if God ever hears us say, “O Lord, I don’t know what you want me to do,” and then responds with: “I want you to stop sitting on your hands and do something!”

Serve Him to the best of your ability. Keep returning to what you know about God’s will. Make sure you are right with God; that you are pursuing what will make you holy rather than comfortable; that you are grateful rather than grumpy; submitting to those in authority over you. Do your best to follow God’s clear commands when it comes to anger, forgiveness, priorities, worship, stewardship and everything you know God has spoken clearly about and then -enjoy the journey made possible through God’s grace.

If you do this, I suspect you will discover, like me, that God’s plan for your life will occasionally surprise you, sometimes in delightful and beautiful ways. You will find He has, and will, use you in ways you did not anticipate. And one day you will look back after taking one simple step at a time and discover you are home and He has been walking by side every step of the way.