Today, I want us to pick up where
we left off last Sunday. We entitled the message, Abraham
Seeks a Bride for Isaac. We see that this is a picture
of Abraham being a picture of God the Father sending his servant,
the preacher sent into all the world to preach the gospel, to
find a bride for his son Isaac and how that he was instructed
where to go. He was instructed what to say.
He was instructed not to compromise. And he was told that if the woman
was not willing to come, that he was relieved of his responsibility. But he was to be faithful to
his master. And that he goes and we begin
reading in verse 10. And I want to begin there again
this week and bring us back up to where we was at. As the servant,
he leaves Abraham's house and said he took 10 camels. of the
camels of his master and departed, for all the goods of the master
were in his hand. And he arose and he went to Mesopotamia
and to the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel
down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening,
even the time that women go out to draw water. He said, O Lord
God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this
day and show kindness unto my master Abraham. He's showing
his total dependence upon God. He don't know who she is. He
won't know who she is unless God helps him to know. Behold,
I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men
of the city come out to draw water, and let it come to pass
that the damsel, now watch this, let it come to pass that the
damsel to whom I shall say, let down by preacher, and I pray
thee that I may drink. And then she shall say, Drink,
and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that
thou hast appointed, that that'll be the one for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that
thou hast showed kindness unto my master." He's showing dependence
and he says, he says, Lord, I don't know which one it is. There's
going to be a lot of women come down this road, come to this
well, and the one that it is, I'm going to ask her if she'll
give me something to drink. And then she says, he didn't
ask her to water all them camels. She says, well, you just wait
a minute. I'll water all them camels. Ten camels. She'd have
asked to draw a bunch of water. Verse 15. And it came to pass. I always
love those statements. And he came to pass. Before he
had done speaking, behold, Rebecca came out. That just humbles my heart. He's
showing his dependence upon God. And before he's done speaking,
he may not even have just uttered this. He may have just prayed
in his heart, Lord, I don't know. who she is, but help me to cross
her path. Here she comes. God Almighty, he said, I will
send my angel before you and I'll prepare the way. Don't you
see this? Rebecca just thinks she's going
to get water. She has no idea what's gonna
happen today. This is a miracle. God is gonna
bring this woman and this servants past the cross. That's no accident. That's sovereignty, that's purpose.
And she was the, who was born of Bethiel, the son of Micah,
the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher on
her head. 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. And the servant ran to meet
her and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of
thy pitcher. And she said, drink, my lord. And she hastened and
let down her pitcher upon her head and gave him drink. And
when she had done giving him drink, she said, what's this? I will draw water for thy camels
also until they have done drinking. Can you imagine? She has no idea. has no idea what he's asked. And she does this. Can you imagine
what he feels in his heart? This must be her. And she hastened and emptied
her pitcher into the trough and ran again to the well to draw
water and drew for all his camels. I want you all to say something. Most religious people would have
grabbed her right there and said, let's get you all fixed up. Let's
get you converted right now. And it says, as the man wondered
at her, he hailed his peace. Well, that's faith. He wondering. Wondering at her held his peace
to whom the Lord had made his journey whether the Lord had
made his journey prosperous or not and he came to pass as the
camels had done drinking that the man took golden earring a
Golden earring of a half a shackle weight a two bracelets for her
hands of ten shackles weights of gold and said whose daughter
art thou? Tell me I pray thee is there room in my father's
house for us to lodge in and And she said unto him, I am the
daughter of Bethuel, the son of Michael, which she barren
to Nahor. And she said moreover unto him,
we both have straw and provender enough in room to lodge in. And
the man bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. And he said, Blessed
be the Lord of my master Abraham, who hath not less deathlet 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. And the damsel ran
and told them of her mother's house these things." Perhaps the most difficult thing
in the world for us to do is to wait on God. to trust Him,
and to wait upon Him without becoming negligent or irresponsible. In preaching the gospel to sinners,
we must learn to wait upon God to do His work in a person's
heart. It's a heart work. People in religion say, well,
you've got to strike while the iron's hot. Do you not believe
God's able to save a sinner? Who opens a man's heart? God
must work on a man's heart. Most people, I'm afraid today,
have nothing more but made a decision. Somebody talked them into doing
something, nothing more than somebody like selling them a
bunch of shoes or selling them insurance or whatever, and they
fixed them up and told them everything's okay. And it's not okay. This
servant held his peace. He waited. We must not speak
peace until the Lord speaks peace to their heart. He showed her
that, you know what the earrings were? He was just enticing her. If you've ever been in love,
me and you enticed your wife. You did something, you want her
heart. You made her want you. You loved
her. And he gave her these gifts.
And notice he didn't say anything, didn't tell her why he came.
He didn't tell her why he was there. He didn't tell her why
he came to the well. Eleazar held out to Rebekah the
bracelets, the earrings of gold, the tokens. These are tokens
of Isaac's wealth. Everything was put in his hands. But he did not bestow upon her
all the riches of Isaac's house until she had committed everything
to him. Everything. Now begin in verse 29. As the
servant has found he's come across her path and he's going to her
house, he's going to spend some time here, it would be very easy
for him to become and get sidetracked as he comes to the house. So
let's begin reading in verse 29. And Rebekah had a brother,
and his name was Laban. And Laban ran out into the man,
into the well. And it came to pass, when he
saw the earrings and the bracelets upon his sister's hand, and when
he heard the words of Rebekah, his sister saying, Thus spake
the man unto me, that he came unto the man, and behold, he
stood by the camels at the well. And Laban said, Come in, thou
blessed of the Lord, wherefore standest thou without? For I
have prepared the house and the room for the camels. And the
man came into the house and he ungirded his camels and gave
straw and propander 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 before this servant to eat. Don't you see this? They've taken
care of his camels, they've fed him, they've given him a place
to sleep, and they brought him in, and I can just imagine this
great meal that they've set before him. But I want you to notice
what he says. He said, I will not eat until
I've told my Aaron, I didn't come here for ease and rest. That ain't why I came. I'm not
going to eat till I tell you why I've come." And now Rebecca's
going to find out why she went to the well that day. And now
they're going to find out why he's come there. And he's going
to tell them his errand. He's on an errand. He's on an
errand of mercy. He's on an errand to seek a bride. And now that he's come to that
point, Nothing is going to sidetrack him. He never lost sight of what
he was called and sent to do. Never. And look what he said. Now listen to this. And they
said, okay, speak on. And the first thing he said,
I am Abraham's servant. I'm just Abraham's servant. I'm
just, I'm just a servant. A minister, that's what a minister
is, he's a servant. A servant. Our Lord came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a
ransom for many. But most people in authority
who call themselves preachers want everybody in the world to
serve them. And my responsibility is to serve
him and to tell people about him. It's required of a servant
that he be found faithful. And he said, I am Abraham's servant
and the Lord hath blessed my master greatly. He's going to
tell of his greatness and he has become great. He has given
him flocks and herbs and silvers and gold and men's servants and
maidservants and camels and asses. Listen, God owns the cattle on
a thousand hills. This is my father's world. He
owns it all. It's all his. And that's what
we tell sinners. It's all his. He's not some beggar. And Sarah, my master's wife,
bears son to my master. when he was old, and unto him
hath he given all that he hath." The Lord Jesus Christ, our mediator,
the God-man mediator, all things, forgiveness, righteousness, reconciliation,
peace, rest, all the blessings of God are found in Christ. It's
been given to him, committed into his hands. given That's what he's telling
them. This is what he tells them He
says I'm his servant. Let me tell you about him and
let me tell you about his darling son. That's the gospel You know
Abraham he just He just wanted him a son his son to have a wife
so bad before he died But won't somebody we just we're trying
to get somebody to just accept him and won't somebody be his
wife. I You say, that's so foolish. Well, that's what we're here
today, all over the world. They speak of a God who can't
do anything. Wouldn't hurt a fly, wouldn't
cut and save a gnat. But that ain't what this servant
said, now let's read on. And my master made me swear,
and I want you to see that he tells them almost, it's almost
verbatim of what the master told him and what Abraham told him.
He didn't change the message. And my master made me swear,
saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of
the Canaanites. Don't marry one of them Canaanites
in whose land I dwell. But thou shalt go to my father's
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. And
I said unto my master, Peradventure, the woman will not be willing
to follow me. Now you imagine, they're finding out why he's
come. And he said unto me, the Lord, before whom I walk, will
send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way, and thou shalt
take a wife from my son of my kindred, and of my father's house.
Then thou shalt be clear of this thine mine oath, when thou comest
to my kindred, and if they give thee not one, then shalt thou
be clear from this thine oath. And I came this day unto the
well. This is why I came to the well.
and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper
my way which I go, behold, I stand by the well of water, and it
shall come to pass that when the virgins come forth to draw
water, and I say, give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher
to drink, and then she say to me, both drink thou, and I also
draw for thy camels. Let the same be the woman whom
the Lord hath appointed for my master's son. And I see, I can
see Rebecca standing over in the corner. That's why he was at the well.
I didn't know anything. I didn't think nothing about
it when I was watering those camels. I just thought I was going to
the well to get water for my camels. That's why he came. This is when she finds out. She
finds out about God and how God controls all things. And she
finds out, she's one of his, that he came on purpose. for her. Verse 45, And behold, before
I had done speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca came forth with
her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the well
and drew water. And I said unto her, Let me drink,
I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down
her pitcher from her shoulder, and she said, drink, and I will
give thy camels drink also. And she made the camels to drink,
and I asked her, I said, whose daughter art thou? And she said,
the daughter of Bethuhael, Nahor's son, whom Michael bared to him,
and I put earrings upon her face and the bracelets upon her hands.
And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed
the Lord God of my master Abraham. Watch this, which hath led me
in the right way. Who led him? His master led him
in the right way to take my master's brother, a daughter, unto his
son. God's way is always the right
way. And see, this whole family hears
this. They hear about who? They hear
about Abraham. and all of his wealth, but all
that they see, all that they know about his wealth is the
earrings and the bracelets. That's all he shows. He didn't
come with 10 camels loaded with gold and silver and all this.
They're gonna have to believe what he tells them. You gonna
believe this servant? What did he tell them about Abraham?
He's rich. What did they tell him? They
said, well, he's got a son. He's got one son. And he's looking
for a bride. And he sent me to your house. Then Laban and Beth, then Laban
and Betheo answered and said, the thing perceiveth from the
Lord. We cannot speak unto thee good
or bad. Behold, Rebekah is before thee. Take her and go, and let
her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath said." They
said, okay, you take her. They've heard the message, but
he must not get sidetracked. Verse 52, and it came to pass, here it came
to pass again, that when Abraham's servant heard these words, he
worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth, And to serve it
now, he brings forth jewels of silver, jewels of gold, raiment,
and gave them to who? Rebecca. His grace, his mercy. God makes you willing, and the
goodness of God leads you to repentance. The grace of God. He wins sinners' hearts. And he gave also to her brother
and to her mother precious things. And they did eat and drink, he
and the men that were with him, and they tarried all night. And
they arose up in the morning and they said, now watch this,
they feasted. And when he rises in the morning,
he's gonna pack everything up. You know what he's done? He's
done what he's come for. He's come to get Rebecca. He's
delivered his message, he's told them his area, now he's gotta
go. He's not finished till he brings her to Isaac. He's told her about him. And
he said, send me away unto my master. And her brother and her
mother said, now we've slept on this thing. We said last night,
well, you could take her and let her go. They said, let the
damsel abide with us a few days, at least 10, and then she can
go. What's the use to hang around?
They said, we'll talk her out of it. Are you sure you really
want to go? Do you really believe what he
said? Do you believe everything he said? And here's what he said
unto them in verse 56. Hinder me not. This lost religious world tries
to hinder people from coming to Christ. I've seen people and,
you know, I've seen the whole family be religious. They all
go to church. They all carry their Bible. They're
all good, moral, upstanding citizens. Then God reaches down and saves
one from that family. You know what happens? The whole
family turns against them. They went to the same church
all their life, and it's the family church. Well, now God
reveals himself and saves this sinner. And now this sinner says,
I want to go hear where the gospel's at. They might have to drive
50 or 60 miles to hear the gospel. Everybody says, you're crazy.
They'll do everything they can to hinder that person from going
to where Christ is at. And that's what's going on here.
Well, let her stay just a few days. Now, don't that sound good?
Well, it's just a few days. The servant said, don't you hinder
me. I came to get her and I'm going to take her. And they said,
we'll call the damsel and we'll ask her what she wants to do. And they called Rebecca. Now,
I love this right here. And they said unto her, Rebecca.
And they're looking right at her. And she's looking at her
mama. She's looking at her family.
And I think she's weighed this thing over all night. Will you
go with this man? Will you leave everything to
go with this man? And she said, I will go. I go
back to the first part of the chapter when the servant said,
what if she's not willing to go? He makes her willing. The
question is, what would make, what would make somebody want
to leave everything? What would make somebody want
to leave the comforts of their home and go meet somebody they
never saw, having not seen, having not seen you love? I tell you
what, Grace, She believed what that man said. That man gave
her a record. This is the record about his
darling son. And you can believe it, or you
can stay right where you're at and perish. And they asked her,
will you go with him? And my question today is, will
you go to him? Will you give it all up for him? And she answered, I will go. Faith in Christ, salvation in
Christ, a true interest in Christ is an individual, personal, unless
it is a total, complete commitment to Christ. Commitment, committed
to all things. I tell you, children can't be
sprinkled into the covenant of grace. They cannot be educated
into the kingdom of God. And young children cannot be
saved because they were raised by godly parents. None of that
won't work. Only God can make a sinner willing. And when he makes them willing,
they'll leave it all. And you know what? She did it willingly. No regrets. Now that's what's amazing. Amazing. By nature, nobody's willing.
By nature, nobody will come. He said, you will not come to
me that you might have life. You will not come. I know they
cannot, but they will not. Would you give up everything?
Would you give up everything? And I mean everything, your reputation,
Everything ever anything that comes to your mind. Would you
give it up and go to him? That's what I'm talking about Salvation is not a family affair. It doesn't run through bloodlines
Now verse 61 Let me go back and revert to
verse 59. And Rebekah said, I will. And they sent away Rebekah, her
sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servants, and his men. And they
blessed Rebekah and said unto her, Thou, our sister, be thou
the mother of thousands of millions. You see that? The mother of thousands
of millions. And let thy seed possess the
gate of those which hate them. and Rebekah rose in her damsel,
and they rode upon the camels." You know why God sent the camels?
To bring her home. Someone said, that's a picture
of grace. How do we get home? How do we get through this desert,
Grace? And they followed the man, and
the servant took Rebekah, and he went his way. And Isaac came
from the way of the well-layer, Roy, for he dwelt in the south
country. And Isaac went out to meditate
in the field in the evening, and he lifted up his eyes and
saw, and behold, the camels were coming. I don't know how long
it took the servant to go from where Abraham and Isaac was at
all the way to Mesopotamia, but I can see them every night when
they'd get down to camp out. should say, tell me one more
time. Tell me what he's like. Tell me what he's like. And here they come. And it says
that Isaac went out into the field in the evening to meditate.
And behold, he saw the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted
up her eyes. And when she saw Isaac, she lighted
off the camel. For she had said unto the servant,
what man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And
the servant had said, it is my master. She don't know who which one
he is. And she sees him, and he says, that's him. God will bring his people all
the way to himself. Therefore, she took a veil and
covered herself. And his servant told Isaac all
the things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his
mother Sarah's tent and took Rebekah, and she became his wife.
And he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after
his mother's death. The servant that Abraham sent
brought her all the way to him. And as the gospel goes out, God
sends the gospel. And God allows sinners to hear
that gospel. And through that message, he
makes them willing to come. I pray that God with through
his word may open your eyes and make you willing in the day of
his power and I'll leave it in God's hands. I pray God be merciful
to you in his name I pray. Amen.