OceanSide church of Christ

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SHE (REBEKAH) BECAME HIS (ISAAC’S) WIFE

Genesis 24

Victor M. Eskew

 

I.           The title for Genesis 24

 

A.   Love at First Sight

B.    Take A Wife unto My Son Isaac (Gen. 24:4)

C.   She Became His Wife (Gen. 24:67)

D.   Isaac Comforted after His Mother’s Death (Gen. 24:67)

 

II.         Key Verse of Genesis 24:  Genesis 24:58

 

And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man?  And she said, I will go.

 

Why this verse?  Throughout the chapter, we see that the woman was to be allowed to choose whether she would go with Abraham’s servant or not (Gen. 24:5, 8, 51, 57).  Rebekah made a conscious decision to go to be married to Abraham’s son, Isaac.

 

NOTE:  Other key verses seemed to be present also (Gen. 24:4, 27, 60).

 

III.       Outline of Genesis 24

 

i.               MISSION:  Abraham’s Desire (Gen. 24:1-9)

ii.              MEETING:  Servant’s Delectation (Gen. 24:10-27)

iii.            MOTIVATION:  Rebekah’s Desire (Gen. 24:28-60)

iv.            MARRIAGE:  Isaac’s Delight (Gen. 24:61-67)

 

IV.        Lessons from Genesis 24

 

A.   A child’s mate should be the concern of every parent (Gen. 24:3-4).

 

And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:  but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

 

B.    The patriarch, Abraham, had great trust in the providence of God (Gen. 24:7).

 

The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

 

 

 

C.   We see one of the obligations of servants, that is, to obey their master (Gen. 24:10).

 

And the servant took two camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hands:  and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

 

D.   The servant exhibited trust in God through prayer (Gen. 24:12-14).

 

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

 

E.    God can answer prayer very quickly (Gen. 24:15).

 

And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

 

F.     There is no shame in an individual’s being a virgin (Gen. 24:16).

 

And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her:  and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

 

G.   God’s providence does not always immediately reveal itself to us (Gen. 24:21).

 

And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

 

H.   The God who blesses our lives is worthy of worship (Gen. 24:26-27; see also Genesis 24:52).

 

And the man bowed down his head, and worshiped the Lord.  And he said, Blessed be the Lord God my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth:  I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

 

I.     We are blessed with another picture of hospitality (Gen. 24:31-33a).

 

And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without?  For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.  And the man came into the house and he undergirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.  And there was set meat before him to eat…

 

J.    Delays to the plans of God could hinder their fulfillment (Gen. 24:55-56).

 

And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at least ten; after that she shall go.  And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I my go to my master.

 

K.   Rebekah was now going to be part of the fulfillment of God’s plans (Gen. 24:60).

 

And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions. And let they seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

 

L.    Men need a period of meditation in their day (Gen. 24:63a).

 

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide…

 

M.  JOKE:  In Genesis 24:64, we see the first woman smoking a cigarette.

 

…and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

 

N.   In our day, we marry the one we love.  In Bible times, they loved the one they married (Gen. 24:67a).

 

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.

 

O.   There are things that enter our lives to comfort us after the loss of a loved one (Gen. 24:67b).

 

…and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.