A great Story of Trust, Faith, and Obedience

Genesis 24:34-61

This is a story of trust, faith, and obedience, not one that most of us in the West, would understand.  If you have a daughter and she is very young, smart and beautiful, and the general manager of your great uncle shows up with gifts, telling you that he wants your daughter to leave and go back to a land you do not know, to marry a man you have not met; your going to call the police.  That is the short version of the story told in Genesis 24: 34-61.

It has been sixty-five plus years since anyone of them has seen or heard from Abraham, the last thing they knew was Uncle Abram had left from Ur, to go to Haran, and after his dad died, he went off to the land of the Canaanites.  Now this servant comes with gold and silver gifts asking for their sister to return to a man whom they had never met.  This is how the servant began his message to them; “I am Abraham’s servant.  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.  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.  My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.”

And the faithful servant of Abraham goes on to tell the story of his conversation with Abraham about how if the girl would not come back with him he was released from the vow to return with the girl.  Then he shares how God had brought him to the spring and how Rebekah had come and done the very things he had ask God for her to do.  In sales we would call this the close; “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 or to the left.”  The servant is very clear, I have given you the story, now tell me if you are sending her back or not, I’ve got a long trip and I need to get on the road.  “Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good.  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.”

Well both dad and brother have spoken, and it is recorded that the servant brought out jewelry of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah.  He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.  The next morning when it was time to leave the mother and brother told the servant to wait ten days, but he said, do not delay me for the Lord has prospered my ways.  This is the hardest part of the sell, and often the decision maker wants someone else to say yes so he has them to blame if things do not go right.  That’s what mom and brother did; “They said, ‘Let us call the young woman and ask her.’  And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

This very young woman had the same kind of trust as Uncle Abram, she trusted in God’s faithfulness.   Rebekah believed God, and then acted on that faith, by going with the servant.  I do not know that kind of faith, she had no Bible, but she must have had a heart for God and believed that He would keep his promises.  We have the Bible, teachers and preachers, but do we believe that God will keep all His promises?  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice