Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

Obeying God, Suffering / Adversity

Seeing From a Human Point of View, Not From God’s

Matthew 16:21-28 continues after Jesus has just confirmed to His disciples that He is the “son of the living God”. After this revelation, which God had revealed to Peter and then Peter shared in the presence of the other disciples, Jesus began to tell His disciples more plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the elders.

21 From then on Jesus[j] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Peter calls Jesus to the side to reprimand Him for saying such things. Peter loved Jesus and did not want Him to come to any harm. Peter saw things from a man’s view. He got a very clear correction from Jesus. Then Jesus continued to explain.

We all see through the eyes of men. None of us can see through God’s eyes except perhaps through limited special revelation from God. We will all be subject to making Peter’s mistake when we see things around us that do not make sense such as death and illness, especially for the innocent and for those who serve God.

We must bring our concerns humbly before God and release them to Him, as we will see Jesus do later in scripture in the garden before He is taken into custody for crucifixion. We can ask for help, of course, but are called to submit to God’s will even when we do not understand it.

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Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, False Prophets / Teachers, Miracles, Parables, Wickedness / Evil

Beware The Yeast of The Pharisees and Sadducees

Matthew 16:5-12 continues after the Pharisees and Sadducees just demanded a miraculous sign from Jesus (again) to prove His authority in verses 1-4. Jesus pointed out that their motivation is evil and they had more than enough evidence in front of them to see He is from heaven but they refuse to acknowledge it.

Following that encounter, Jesus warns His disciples about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

5 Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7 At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? 9 Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? 10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? 11 Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

12 Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus once again uses a comparison of something his disciples are familiar with to demonstrate an important element of kingdom truth. Jesus compares of false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees to yeast in bread. Just as a little yeast can change the character of the whole loaf of bread so too can even a little false teaching change how we understand the character of our worship and obedience to God. We must be careful to avoid any false teaching and avoid making excuses to accept “a little” false teaching.

If we are unsure of whether or not something is correct or false we are not called to just accept it because someone else said it was so, but rather study scripture and seek God in prayer to determine what is true and verify what we were told.

As a side note, I can easily identify with the disciples… starting to argue about who forgot the bread. All to often even those who genuinely love Jesus and desire to serve Him can miss the point or get distracted by events around them. Jesus is gracious enough to redirect us and get us back on track and focused… if we are submitted to Him and listening to Him.

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Depression / Discouragement, Hope, Peace / Rest

You Will Keep In Perfect Peace All Who Trust In You

In this world there is much suffering and discouragement. Many fall even into depression. There is hope in the word of our God to encourage us and bring us joy even in trials.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [Isaiah 26:3]

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:1-2]

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. [Proverbs 3:5-6]

We are all susceptible to discouragement in our lives. None of us are above it. However, we can find much comfort in seeking God in prayer and through study of His word in the Bible. We depend on Him and trust Him rather than trusting our own understanding. We live God’s way instead of the world’s way.  Jesus is a source of hope and encouragement even when we do not fully understand why He allows difficult things to happen in our lives.

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Children, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Family, Parenting, Righteousness / Serving God

“What Good Is My Birthright To Me Now?

We see in Genesis 25:27-34 some of the damage inflicted within a family when parents fail. Isaac and Rebekah chose favorites, perhaps unintentionally, but favorites none the less. When parents do this it creates a significant divide within the family instead of uniting the family together. Instead, as parents, we are to love each child for the unique gifts and personality God has given them… following the example of our Creator, who loves each of us despite our differences.

27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)

31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

As we continue to read in scripture we will later read in Genesis 27 how Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau. However, we see clearly in Genesis 25 that Esau showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn and agreed foolishly to give them to Isaac in trade for… yes… one bowl of stew.

There is much we could discuss about the dysfunctional behavior of both Isaac and Esau within this family… and Isaac and Rebekah as well. It is disappointing to see the grandchildren  of Abraham acting so poorly and acting so clearly on their internal sin nature instead of turning to God and following His instruction.

It is a clear reminder for each of us to focus as parents on the importance of following God’s instruction and example in loving and raising our children. We must actively seek God and parent well. Children will not raise themselves in a godly manner. Sometimes parenting can be a very difficult task to do in a righteous and thorough manner. It is not for the lazy or faint of heart.

Join me in praying for Christian parents around the world to raise their children in a righteous manner and help lead them to God. If you are a parent or grandparent,  seek ways you can help raise the next generations. There are many in the world who will try to lead them astray and they must be well rooted in the Bible and in Jesus Christ as the only path to knowing God.

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Abortion, Children, Family, Hearing from God, Interceding for Others, Prophecy

God Answers Isaac’s Prayer With Esau and Jacob

We see in Genesis 25:19-26 Isaac coming before God in prayer, asking for help on Rebekah’s behalf so that she could have children. This scripture takes place after 20 years of marriage in which they have not been able to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer.

19 This is the account of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked.

23 And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

24 And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! 25 The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau.[b] 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob.[c] Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.

In addition to answering Isaac’s prayer, God also answers Rebekah when she calls upon Him. His answer is significant. While the children are still unborn, still in Rebekah’s womb, God shares the future that will unfold for these two children. We should note that this is one of many instances throughout the Bible in which God tells His people accurately in advance what will in the future come to pass.

Implicit in this exchange with God is the recognition that the babies are in fact people… are in fact alive… before they are born. While this seems obvious to many of us, it stands in stark contrast to the worldly message that promotes abortion, the murder of unborn children in their mother’s wombs for the convenience of the mother.

God did not say to Rebekah… “Wait until they are born to see if they are people and then we can talk about their lives.” Of course not!

Children are alive from the moment of conception, before the mother is typically even aware she is pregnant. From then on it is a life, independent and created in the image of God and not to be dismissed.

For those who have supported or participated in abortion, you should not stay in denial, trying to justify the mistake, but rather seek forgiveness before God and repent wholeheartedly. Our God is big enough to forgive our sins if we repent and submit to Him! Help others to make the right choice.

For more information regarding counseling or programs to help stop abortion, click the following link.

http://hearingfromjesus.org/resources/crisis-help-abortion/

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Can God Use Me?, Consequences of Sin, Faith / Trusting God, Family, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness

Abraham’s Legacy

Abraham’s greatest legacy was not in his wealth or earthly possessions. His greatest legacy was through his children and through God’s blessing as it continued to the next generation. Genesis 25:1-18 shows us the good and the bad of Abraham’s legacy. God blessed Abraham richly because of his faith. However, there were also real consequences for the mistakes Abraham made. Specifically we see that Ishmael’s descendants lived in open hostility to their relatives.

25 Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah.

5 Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to a land in the east, away from Isaac.

7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.

12 This is the account of the family of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael’s descendants: The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes named after them, listed according to the places they settled and camped. 17 Ishmael lived for 137 years. Then he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. 18 Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.

We are to strive, as Abraham did, to make good and righteous choices that honor God. We should never consider God’s offer of grace and forgiveness as an “opportunity” to intentionally ignore or reject God and sin… thinking that later He will forgive us. This attitude would be an abuse of God’s offer for forgiveness and neglects both the recognition that there are consequences for our mistakes and that forgiveness and grace require genuine repentance rather than just empty words of repentance. Those who are genuinely seeking Christ do not intentionally plot and scheme to take advantage of God’s grace and forgiveness.

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Character of God, Compassion, Miracles

Jesus Feeds Thousands With Little Food… Again

Jesus is once again moved with compassion for the people who follow Him and feeds 4000 people with little food in Matthew 15:32-39. As a reminder, this is a separate event than the feeding of the 5000 plus people we recently discussed in Matthew 14.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”

33 The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”

34 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”

35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.

37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 38 There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.

This scripture shows us once again that Jesus is moved with compassion for those who genuinely seek Him. Having recently fed 5000 plus with a few loaves and fish, we find the disciples responding the same way they did before when Jesus says He wants to feed the crowd. They start by asking where they will get the food for such a crowd.

While some may chastise the disciples as foolish for not remembering the last time, I prefer to reflect on it slightly differently. The miracle of feeding the 5000 plus was so amazing and unusual, that even the disciples who were there and witnessed it could still not consider it as an obvious and common solution to feeding the crowds. Let’s give the disciples their due respect… they obeyed Jesus and distributed the food even when it clearly appeared that there would not be enough to go around. They did not require Jesus to make all the food appear first in a pile before they agreed to pass it out.

I can think in my own life how many times when God asks me to do something I start by recognizing the obstacles that would prevent me from doing this on my own, by my normal abilities and actions. The difference is that when Jesus asks us to do something, He will provide the ability and resources to do it. We can focus on trying simply to obey. We can start even without seeing and knowing exactly how it will be completed.

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Character of God, Faith / Trusting God, Humility, Merciful, Miracles

Your Faith Is Great. Your Request Is Granted.

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Jesus is moved by the faith of a gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28 as she pleads for His mercy to cast out a demon from her daughter. Although it was not part of His direct mission or task, He was moved by her humility and faith in repeatedly asking for His help.

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile[e] woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Jesus repeatedly shows compassion by recognizing the needs of others and responding to them, even when it means changing His plans. He recognized the gentile woman’s great faith and then healed her daughter.

We can see in this scripture that we can not just claim healing in Jesus’ name and be healed as if we were at a vending machine demanding what we want.  The woman asked for His intervention to heal her daughter and He granted that request.

Each of us should consider…

Do we look upon God’s people around us with compassion? are we willing to stop what we are doing to help someone in Jesus’ name or are we too busy with our own tasks?

When we have illness or injury or if we suspect demon possession (yes, it is real though many dismiss it), do we look to God for help? Do we humbly come before Him asking in faith or do we demand it as if from a vending machine? Do we ask once and then move on not believing He will answer or do we seek Him persistently, believing He will hear our request? God’s answer is not always “yes” to our requests, but we can always come before Him humbly and seek His help with our needs and desires.

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Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Hypocrisy, Righteousness / Serving God, Traditions / Holidays

Why Do You Put Traditions Above Commandments of God?

In Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus reminds us that we should be careful to follow the instructions of God and clearly distinguish those from the traditions of man.

Traditions can be very comforting and can initially be well intended…  trying to help translate the commands of God into actionable, specific steps or actions. However, we must be careful not to get so attached to the traditions of men, that we lose connection to the original instructions of God.

15 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[a] and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 6 In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents.[c] And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 Their worship is a farce,
    for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’[d]”

10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”

13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

15 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”

16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

Jesus also strongly makes the case to his disciples that we can not be overly concerned about offending people if they do not like to hear the truth of God’s word. We must teach the truth of the gospel even if it upsets some who prefer the traditions of men.

Ask yourself, what traditions are you holding on to? Do you get so focused on the tradition that you miss the original intent of God’s instruction? Are the traditions you hold on to even based on God’s instruction, or are they contrary to it?

Where traditions are in contrast to God’s instruction or replace God’s instruction, we must reject them. Traditions should support and point to God’s instruction, but never replace it.

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Faith / Trusting God, Hearing from God, Marriage, Obeying God, Parenting, Prayer, Righteousness / Serving God

Abraham and His Servant Rely on God

Genesis 24 shows us what remains important to Abraham in his old age… planning for his son to have a godly bride and continuing to trust God. Abraham was focused on his son marrying someone of his own faith, instead of local women who worshipped false gods, and in trusting God’s promise that he should remain in the land that God promised to give to his descendants.  Abraham’s focus remains on serving and trusting God even as a very old man. He does not choose to stop following God’s instruction.

24 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest 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.[a] 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. 10 Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. 11 He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.

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.”

15 Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”

18 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.

21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets[b] for her wrists.

23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”

24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”

26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

28 The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. 30 He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. 31 Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?”

32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.”

“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”

34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. 35 “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.

36 “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 38 Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’

39 “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ 40 He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 41 Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’

42 “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. 43 See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” 44 If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels.

47 “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.

48 “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. 49 So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.”

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.

But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”

55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”

56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”

57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.

And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”

59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They gave her this blessing as she parted:

“Our sister, may you become
    the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
    and conquer the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 65 “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.

And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.

A few key highlights in this important scripture we should consider applying in our own lives:

  • Even at the end of his life, Abraham, a man declared righteous because of his faith, focuses on submitting to God. He looks ahead to important things that need to be resolved before he dies. He prepares to help the next generation succeed in submitting to and serving God. There are two important aspects of this highlighted in this passage… marrying a godly woman even if it seems hard to find one and choosing to live in the land that God told him his descendants would inherit.
  • The servant prayed to God for help finding the bride for Isaac. This step is important and we should encourage everyone to submit their choice of spouse to God and ask for His help, and then wait for His answer.
  • The test that the servant uses is actually a good indicator of character. He was not only looking for water for himself, which is relatively easy, but for his camels… which is a lot of work. They drink a lot after a long journey. Note he did not ask her to water his camels, but relied on her offering.
  • The servant also recognized confirmation from God for his prayer. The timing of when Rebekah showed up, fulfillment of the original test, and then the fact that she was related to Abraham’s family… which was Abraham’s request.
  • The servant stops to worship, praise, and thank God for help.
  • When he shares his testimony with Rebekah’s family, the servant does not just say “God told me Rebekah is to be Isaac’s wife.” Instead he shares the full detail of the testimony with them… to the glory of God.

We can learn much through the life of Abraham. Yes, he made mistakes, but he was a man of great faith. Praise God we have record of His life to study and learn from. I am greatly encouraged to see how God can use us, even though we still have flaws and make mistakes.

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