All righty, Genesis chapter 29
tonight. Has God preordained everything
that happens? Well, the child of God knows
that's the case. Does God decree and purpose and
cause all things to happen? Absolutely. And we find great
comfort in that. Is God now governing this world
and everyone and everything in it? Do you really believe that? I do, help thou my unbelief,
but I know that that's the God of the Bible. Some preach that
God is continually changing his mind because circumstances are
constantly changing. But we believe that God is behind
us. consequences and are behind the
circumstances. He doesn't have backup plans.
God not playing. He's not on the defense, is he?
God never reacts. He's the first cause of everything.
He's behind the changing circumstances of this world, accomplishing
his own sovereign will according to his own good pleasure. It's
clear to God's people that God foreknows what will be because
he's decreed what will be. It's not a hard thing to understand
if you understand who God is. You take, for example, his crucifixion. Crucified and slain by the wicked
hands of man? Yes. But he was delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. God was behind it all.
His foreknowledge of future, things is founded upon His decrees. In other words, God knows everything,
how everything is going to be because God determines how everything
is going to be. Men and women don't have trouble
understanding that, they just don't believe it. Known unto God are all the works,
all His works from the beginning of the world, all His works known
unto God. And that's what I love about
divine providence. If we could truly get a hold
of what divine providence is, we would, hopefully God would
give us the faith not to worry and doubt and be concerned when
he's promised that he's going to work all things together for
our good. Divine providence is simply God
bringing about his eternal will in our daily lives. God's divine
providence is Him doing what He purposed and determined to
do before the foundation, the beginning of the world. And how
comforting to know that everything, everything that comes to pass
is by the sovereign direction, purpose, and permission of God.
Divine providence is the governance of God. God's ruling and His
reigning and His governing With wisdom and love and power,
he cares for and directs all the things in the universe. The
doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete
control of all things, not just some things. And this blessed
doctrine and teaching stands in direct opposition to what
the world seems to think, the idea that this universe is governed
by chance, fate, or luck. Tonight in this study of the
book of Genesis, we plainly see God's divine providence, his
sovereign working in the affairs of this world, especially in
the lives of his chosen people. Now, just to review just a little
bit, Jacob had fled his father and mother's house in fear of
his own life because of the deceptive things that In his deceptive
dealings with Esau, his brother Esau sought to kill him. And
he comes to the place that we looked at last week where he's
alone, he's in darkness, he's in a barren place that has a
death sentence upon him. And he falls asleep unaware of
the existence of God. But in the sovereign providence
and preordination of God, he went to bed, lay down that night
guilty, and he woke up that next morning forgiven. How so? Well, Christ appeared to him.
He saw the Lord Jesus Christ in a dream, a vision, whatever
you want to call it. Life was never the same. Christ
appeared to him, he saw a ladder, he saw salvation. He saw that
the Lord Jesus Christ is the only and one access to God. No
man cometh to the Father but by him. He's the only mediator
between a holy God and sinful man. And you're gonna have to
understand that. God's gonna have to cause you
to understand that if you ever truly trust in him as you ought.
This is where God brings all His people before He saves them.
And they'll understand that it's not by their might nor by their
power, but by the Spirit of God that they'll be saved. Salvation
is of the Lord. We say that, but do we really
believe it? Salvation is of the Lord. No
man or woman will ever be saved if the Lord doesn't save them.
And this is the issue in the salvation of sinners. God's sheep
are going to be made to see that Christ is their one and only
access to God. Christ is the bridge. He's the
bridge that provides access to that great gulf that man's sin
and disobedience brought about. He is that ladder in which God's
love, mercy, and grace come down from the throne of grace. He's
the one and only mediator, the only go-between God and man. God being holy and man being
sinful. And apart from Christ, there's
no love. There's no love to or for sinners
apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loves me, this I know.
If He don't love you in Christ, He don't love you. If you're
not in Christ, Jesus doesn't love you. There's no blessings
to or for the sinner apart from Christ. All the blessings of
God are yea and amen in Him. There's no pardon to or for the
guilty. Christ is the ransom. He paid the ransom for us. There's
no forgiveness of sins, no hope of redemption. There's no righteous
covering apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. He provides for
us everything that God requires of us. Everything that the sinner
must possess in order to be reconciled to God, Jesus Christ provides
for His people. You can never be saved apart
from Him. Born condemned. He that believeth
not is born condemned. Condemned already because he's
not believed on the only begotten Son of God. And in order to be
redeemed, God is going to enable His people to see, know, and
believe and trust His only means of redemption. This being His
beloved Son in whom He's well pleased. There's just one thing
needful, and that's Christ. He that hath the Son hath life. You need nothing or no one else
to have eternal life. Jesus Christ is all and in all. It's just what it says. He is
your all. Now, when Jacob saw that ladder,
God confirmed to him all the blessings and promises that he
had ordained and promised to Abraham and Isaac. And for the
first time, Jacob knew, after seeing this ladder, he knew that
his grandfather's God was also his God. And he knew that his
father Isaac's God was also his God. And now with comforting
assurance, You see, that's where true assurance is. It's found
in Him who does for us what we can't do for ourselves. There's
no assurance in anything that I would do to try to merit salvation. The comforting assurance Jacob
had was that his God would always be with him. God said, I'll be
with you always. And Jacob had a newfound kick
in his step as he journeys on to his destination. If you look
at verse 1 here of Genesis chapter 29. It says, then Jacob went
on his journey and came into the land of the people of the
east. Now if you have a marginal Bible,
you may notice that the word went here means lift up his feet. Jacob lift up his feet. Jacob
now lifted up his feet because his heart was lifted up. And
you tell me that isn't so. When your heart is lifted up,
when you're joyful and you're happy and For whatever reason,
you just have a little more spring in your step, don't you? Jacob
woke up that next morning and he thought, everything's all
right between me and God. I've seen my salvation. I've
seen my access to God. And he had a little more spring
in his step. And I thought today as we lift
our feet and journey through this world, oh, may we always
remember that God's with us. He said he'd be with us always,
even until the end of the world. And it's when we forget that,
it's when we forget that he's always with us, that we start
dragging our feet, feet become heavy and begin to drag. And
oh, may God constantly remind us by his spirit who it is that
is with us in this earthly pilgrimage. The remainder of Jacob's journey
seemed to be without further incident, because the next thing
we read is him coming into the land which he sought. And it's
here that we have striking proof again that the Lord was indeed
with him. It's here that we can see again
that God's divine providence was not by chance. The first
place he winds up is at a particular well. Now a lot of the old writers
seem to think this is the same well that Eleazar met Rebecca
at. Whether that's true or not, I
don't know, but it's not by chance. I do know this much. It's not
by chance that Rachel, who would later become his bride, came
to this well when she did. And that's what I love about
divine promise. Why? Because nothing happens
in this life by chance. And I know men and women mean
well when they say, and you hear it all the time, if you pay any
attention to it, you'll be amazed how many times in the course
of a day you'll hear one say, oh, they're just lucky. No such
thing as luck, I'm sorry. Nothing happens by chance or
by luck. It wasn't by chance that Pharaoh's
daughter Went down to the river to bathe at exactly the time
that one of her attendants found the infant Moses in those, but
it wasn't any accident, was it? No, it was purposed and ordained
before the foundation of the world. It wasn't by chance that
that woman of Samaria winds up at that well at that particular
time of the day that the Lord Jesus Christ would be there.
You know, I was thinking earlier today that the scriptures say
the Lord Jesus said, I must needs go through Samaria. He must not
only need go through Samaria, but he must need go through Samaria
at this particular time, all ordained by the will and purpose
of God. He must not only go through Samaria,
but he must go through Samaria exactly God's purpose time. And it wasn't by chance. It wasn't
by chance that Zacchaeus climbed up in a tree right where the
Lord Jesus was going to walk by. The scriptures say that he
looked up. He walked right by that tree.
Was Zacchaeus just lucky? No, it wasn't by chance. It was
by the determined will and purpose of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ
looked up in that tree and he says, Zacchaeus, make haste and
come down for today I must abide at thy house. He must abide at
Zacchaeus' house because it was preordained, predestinated and
purposed that God would save him on this very day. What a God. Everything He does,
He does on purpose. Romans 8, 28. We know that He
works all things together for the good of them that love the
Lord, who are thee called according to what? Chance? Luck? No, purpose. Purpose. I love the purpose of God, whom
God foreknew He predestinated to be conformed to the image
of His Son. It was by purpose. and whom God predestinated, then
He called by His mercy and His power and grace. He purposed
to do so. When God called His people, then
He also justified. He made them just, holy, righteous,
and perfect. It was His purpose to do that.
And those whom God justifies, He purposes to glorify. And you
know, I looked at that word glorify today, and you know what it in
this verse means? Pretty much how it's always used. It means to render or to provide
honor. Isn't that amazing? Men think
to be glorified that it's something special in the sinner. It simply
means that God provided honor. for the sinner. To be glorified
is to be provided with honor in and by and through the person
and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God honors his people
because of what Christ did for them. That's what it means to
be glorified. It means to be provided with
the righteousness, holiness, and peaceful acceptance with
God through the substitutionary work of Christ. This reference
of being glorified is really a reference to humility. To be
glorified is to acknowledge our unworthiness. To be glorified
is to know that the only way I'm going to be saved is if God
freely gives me salvation. He provides for me all that He
requires. And every saved sinner knows
that they don't deserve God's mercy and grace. It's a humbling
thing, isn't it? Being glorified by Christ, I
see my unworthiness. Okay, verse one again. Let me
get into the heart of this. I hope it'll be a blessing to
you. Then Jacob went on his journey, verse one, and came into the
land of the people of the east. And he looked and behold a whale
in the field. And lo, there were three flocks
of sheep lying by it. And for out of that well they
watered the flocks, and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. So here we see that Jacob is
providentially brought to this well. And there are some specific
things that we're told about this well. First of all, this
well is in a field. How many times have we seen in
the scriptures the picture here? What does this well represent?
Well, Christ is the well of living water. And how many times have
we seen that the world is a field? Jesus Christ came into the field. He came into the world to save
sinners. Christ is that rock that brought
forth water in a weary land. He's the only well in this world
where water is springing up into everlasting life. That's what
this well pictures. And he's the one that said, if
any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. I want you
to notice also that there are sheep lying by this well. The
sheep were in the world. But they were lined by the whale.
All the Lord's sheep are watered at the same well. And all who
truly are thirsty drink from the same water of life. Christ
is the well from which the sheep drink. And in John chapter 10,
we're told that Christ, the good shepherd, is everything to the
sheep. You read John chapter 10 sometimes. Just write down
the things. that it says there. Christ is the door of the sheep.
He said, I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pleasure. Christ
is the good shepherd. He giveth his life for the sheep. Christ knows His sheep. His sheep
know Him. His sheep hear His voice. His
sheep follow Him. He has sheep who are not yet
of His foe. All that found in that chapter.
He gives to His sheep eternal life. His sheep shall never perish. No man can pluck His sheep from
His hand. He is salvation. It was out of
this well in the field that the shepherds watered their flocks.
And we see at the end of verse 2 that there's a great stone
upon the whale. What in the world is that? What's
that talking about? What does that represent? Well,
according to verse 3, it was here where all the flocks gathered.
And when they did, they would roll the stone from the whale's
opening and water the sheep and put the stone again upon the
whale's mouth after they had watered the sheep. Now keep that
fact in mind and we'll come back to it in just a moment. But first,
in verse four, Jacob breaks the ice with these men, these shepherds
at the well. And we read in verse four, and
Jacob said unto them, my brethren, whence be ye? And they said,
of Haran are we? And he said unto him, know ye
Laban, the son of Nahor? And they said, we know him. And
he said unto them, is he well? And they said, he is well. And
behold, Rachel, his daughter, cometh with the sheep. So here
we have three flocks of sheep, more than likely watched over
by three different shepherds. And you can read between the
lines here. They're sitting there around
that well, and they're shooting the breeze. They're talking about
many useless things, more than likely. They're being lazy and
unproductive, and they're waiting on all the other shepherds to
get there. And all the while, the sheep are not getting any
water. All the while the sheep are going thirsty. And this is,
the verse says high day, the time of day when it's the hottest,
and the sheep most likely thirsty, most thirsty. And the shepherds
are not watering their sheep. What a picture that is of religion
today. We've got false shepherds and
they're doing everything but watering the sheep. Our Lord
said, I must work the works of him that sent me while it's day.
The night cometh when no man can work, John 9, 4. And what
a picture this is of so-called shepherds of religion in our
day. Pastors are considered to be shepherds. The actual word,
Greek and Hebrew word for shepherd is pastor. Did you know that?
Pastors are considered to be shepherds. They got a lot to
talk about. They have much to do about nothing. Today, I read something not long
ago where one of the churches in town are blessing your pets.
They're having a pet blessing day. Just bring your dog and
your cat down and we'll just bless them. Saw on TV yesterday
morning. You've probably seen the commercial.
You can go down to Nortonville to church and get your motorcycle
blessed. Clayton, you may want to take
yours down there and get it blessed. Blessing motorcycles. False shepherds
are doing big things for God, aren't they? If it wasn't so
pathetic, it'd be funny. But the sheep are not getting
water. That's what we see here. So in verse 7, Jacob, being also
a picture of Christ, look what he says. Low is yet high day. And neither is it time that the
cattle should be gathered together. And what that means, it's not
time to put them up for the night. He said, water ye the sheep and
go and feed them. Isn't that what Christ tells
us to do? The Lord Jesus looked at Peter. He said, Peter, lovest
thou me? And Peter said, Lord, you know
that I love you. He said, feed my sheep. If you love the sheep,
you're going to take care of them. You're going to see that
they're watered. You're going to see that they're
fed. Jacob, who by the way was a shepherd himself, is saying
here, what are you standing around for? Why are you busy doing nothing? Why are you not taking care of
the sheep? You're shepherds, caretakers of the sheep. Why
aren't you giving them water? And look at their excuse in verse
8. And they said, we cannot. Until
all the flocks be gathered together, until they roll the stone from
the whale's mouth, then we water the sheep." And when the sheep
are all at the well, that's when they need to be watered. Not
everyone that attends this church is here tonight. We have a very
sparse crowd, even for a Wednesday night. So what are we going to
do? Are we going to look around and say, well there's a handful
here, let's just go home? Oh, we're gonna water the sheep.
The sheep are gonna get some water. Oh, we're gonna have to
remove the stone though, and the problem is we can't. Someone's
gonna have to remove the stone of our hearts for us so we can
drink from the water of life. Who's gonna remove this great
stone? That's what it's called here, it's a great stone. Now
look at verse 10. This is beautiful, I love this.
And it came to pass, When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban,
his mother's brother, also the one who was going to be his future
wife, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob
went near, and he rolled the stone from the whale's mouth,
and he watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. Now, I
don't know if Jacob was trying to impress Rachel here. Probably
so, knowing us men. And I don't know if his adrenaline
was flowing so that he had some kind of superhuman strength.
All I know is this, when he saw Rachel, he went near that well
and he rolled that stone from the well's mouth by himself and
he watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. And I have
you notice that we're told that Jacob watered the flock of Laban. He didn't say he watered everybody
else's flock. He watered the flock of his future
bride. He had the sheep's best interest
at heart. And he by himself removed the
stone out of his love for Rachel, out of his love for his bride.
Oh, do you see the picture here? Out of love for his bride, the
Lord Jesus Christ, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the majesty on high. And you know
what he's doing there, Linda? He's praying for you. He's making
intercession for you. He's praying for his people.
Oh, Peter, Satan has desired to shift you as wheat, but don't
worry, I've prayed that your faith fail not. Aren't you glad
that the Lord Jesus Christ is praying for you, that your faith
don't fail you? Absolutely. And do you see the
picture here, how strong love is? Jacob was given the strength
to remove and roll away the great stone that kept his family's
sheep from drinking. And Christ's love for his own
gave him the strength to roll away the great stone of our hearts
by giving us new ones. Oh, if you and I are to drink
from the water of life, that stone's gonna have to be rolled
away, isn't it? You know what I'm talking about.
Our Lord Jesus said, no man taketh my life, I lay it down of myself. He said, I have the power to
lay it down. And I have the power to take
it again. And this commandment have I received of my father,
John 10, 18. And God gave Christ the power
and the commandment to roll away the stone. Now look what happens
next, verse 11. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and
lifted up his voice and wept. After Jacob removed the stone,
he kissed Rachel. This wasn't a passionate kiss. It was a kiss of affection. It was a kiss of greeting, a
kiss on the cheek, that kind of a kiss. But he did make his
love known to her. And he lifted up his voice and
he wept, and this was a weeping for joy. He rejoiced in knowing,
you cannot tell me that Jacob did not know in his heart that
he had found his bride. He just knew, didn't he? He rejoiced
in his God who had brought her to him and him to her. As the
bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall my God rejoice
over thee. And then lastly, we see the revelation
of God here given to the chosen sinner. Look at verse 12. And
Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother and that
he was Rebekah's son and she ran and told her father. You know what Jacob revealed
to Rachel here? He revealed to her that he was
her near kinsman redeemed. Oh my, what a picture of our
salvation. We'll see in our next study,
the Lord willing, how Jacob served a long time for his bride, Rachel. Well, the Lord Jesus served 33
and a half years for his people. Look at verse 18, and Jacob loved
Rachel and said, I'll serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger
daughter. Down in verse 20, we read, and
Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed unto
him but a few days for the love he had to her. Oh, it just seemed
like a few days because of the love that he had for her. Our
Lord, as I said, walked this earth 33 and a half years, working
out a perfect righteousness for his people. He served, didn't
he? But it seemed but just a few
days because of his love for his own. And our Lord, our Jacob,
who for the joy that was set before him, scripture says, endured
the cross, despised the shame, and was made to be sin for his
sheep, his bride, that they might be made the righteousness of
God in him. I think often about that verse
that says it pleased the Lord to make you his people. His salvation
is free to us, but it sure wasn't free to him. It cost him his
own beloved son. Jacob loved Rachel. Oh, does
Christ love his people, his bride? You better believe he does. Christ
having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them until
the end. What a picture of redemption
right there in those few verses.