November 10, Genesis 24
“Go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son Isaac.” - Genesis 24:4
Isaac's birth was a great step forward in God's unfolding plan to make a great nation from Abraham's descendants. When Isaac grew up, the next step in building a family that would become a nation was for him to marry and have children of his own. In Genesis 24, the storyline of God's plan to grow a nation through whom Messiah would one day come takes another step ahead.
When it was time for Isaac to marry, Abraham sent his oldest, most trusted servant on a mission to find a wife for his son. I don't know if this was the Eliezer mentioned back in chapter 15. If it was the same man, he and Abraham are now decades older. Since everyone else I'll refer to in this chapter is named, I'll call this servant by the name we know, Eliezer.
Some Bible scholars see an allegory in the details of the story about Eliezer, Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac. Abraham (God the Father) sends Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) on the mission to call Rebekah (the church) to be the bride of his son Isaac (Jesus Christ). In many ways, that picture is a remarkably good fit for the details revealed in this story.
But today I invite you to step into Eliezer's sandals and think with me about a few things that teach and encourage us about our God-given mission. God has commissioned followers of Jesus Christ just as surely as Abraham commissioned Eliezer. We are sent to announce the good news of the gospel of God's grace. Those who are willing to receive it and respond to it will become members of the bride of Christ. This assignment has eternal consequences. We should never underestimate the importance of our task or the value of our efforts.
When our task seems overwhelming, we can identify with Eliezer's situation. He was sent to people he did not know and those people didn't know him. He and his master Abraham knew God, but the kinfolks back in Harlan didn't. He was asking a strange thing. He wanted to take one of their young women away to become the wife of his master's son. The son was not along on the trip for them to meet and inspect. So Eliezer prayed to God to help him with his difficult mission. He could say the words he was sent to say, but he realized he needed God's help to succeed in getting a wife for Isaac.
Other details in this story are rich with instruction and guidance for us as well. After praying, he watched to see what would happen. He carefully observed the effect his words were having on Rebekah. When he saw a favorable response, he immediately and throughout the entire episode gave God all the glory for the success of the mission. When Laban encouraged him to eat, he wouldn't until he said what he was sent to say. The mission took priority over the messenger's comfort and appetite. That reminds me of how Paul said he didn't count his life dear to himself; he wanted to finish the mission of carrying the gospel of God's grace to all God intended for him to reach. When Laban wanted to delay, Eliezer pressed the urgency of the matter. We don't know why Laban proposed the ten-day delay, but some things we'll learn later about him in his dealings with Jacob suggest that he was scheming. Could he get more bracelets and rings? Could he get a few more days' work out of Rebekah before letting her go? We may not know why the people we talk to would delay coming to Christ, but we can stress the urgency of the matter and leave the decision to them.
Rebekah accepted the invitation to go with Eliezer to become Isaac's wife. She trusted the servant's testimony enough to leave her family and old life behind and go to meet the man she would marry. This modest, beautiful, pure young woman took a step of faith to become part of God's plan. She married Isaac and the story would go on from there.
If you're already a follower of Jesus, will you join me in learning from Eliezer's example of faithful service to his master? If you've not yet accepted the invitation to put your trust in God's word and come to Christ, may I encourage you to learn from Rebekah's example of trusting faith? What's your lesson to take away from this beautiful story?
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—November 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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