“How to Find a Spouse, pt.1 (Genesis 24)” | 4/18/2021
Genesis 24 | 4/18/21 | Will DuVal
This past week, I was blessed to attend The Gospel Coalition’s national conference in Indianapolis. And I want to THANK YOU for being a church that affords me the opportunity to get away and be spiritually rejuvenated by events like that. But POLLY had a bit of a different experience. I asked her on the trip home, “So, what did you think of the conference.” And she replied: “It was... A LOT. It felt like drinking from a firehose! I’m used to changing diapers and doing laundry all day long; and it felt like stepping straight from that into a theology classroom; I would have appreciated a little more PRACTICAL, down-to-earth application.”
Then I returned home to my sermon text for this week, Genesis 24, and began researching, and discovered that everyone who preaches Genesis 24 - the story of “Isaac and Rebekah” as your Bible may title it, or “Abraham finds a wife for his son Isaac,” or even more accurately, “Abraham’s SERVANT finds a wife for Isaac” - all the sermons take one of 2 tacts; either they treat this as a paradigmatic example of how God’s Sovereignty intersects with our own human responsibility - how is God’s providence, His being in total, absolute control of the universe interrelated with our own free will and decision-making? - that’s one approach to interpreting the passage. OR, second option: it’s all about “How to Find a Godly Spouse”. So, out of love for MY godly spouse, I decided to keep it SUPER practical this morning: “How to Find a Spouse”.
Now, I recognize that we have 3 categories of listeners here this morning. You are either UN-married, Married, or POST-married.
If you’re UN-married, this sermon is ESPECIALLY for you. I wanna try and extract for you a LOT of practical, biblical principles for finding a godly spouse.
If you’re MARRIED, this sermon is for you too. And specifically, my hope as we work our way through this morning would be two-fold: that you would be 1) ENCOURAGED ; I pray, that you have already found a godly spouse; if so, here’s an opportunity to CELEBRATE God’s providential work in bringing you a wonderful, loving spouse - your OWN Rebekah, your OWN Isaac… - but also, 2) that you would be CHALLENGED this morning, as you glimpse a biblical vision of the kind of spouses that God desires for His people, and you realize: “Wow, I am NOT always that kind of a spouse! But by God’s grace, and with His help, I DESIRE to be.” So encouragement, AND challenge.
But thirdly, I recognize that we have many here who fall in the category I’m labeling “POST-married”. Either you are widowed. Or you are divorced. Or perhaps you’re single and old enough that you’re no longer praying and actively seeking a godly spouse; maybe you NEVER did: you have always felt God’s calling to life-long singleness for His glory. That’s a beautiful calling.
I remember when my mom, who had been divorced probably 15 years at the time, finally left the church I grew up in. She said, “I just felt like EVERY sermon illustration was about marriage. And then the pastor announced he was gonna do an 8 week sermon series specifically ON marriage, and I realized: This church just isn’t for me anymore.”
If that’s you this morning, and you saw the sermon title in your bulletin and had half a mind to get right back in your car and take off, I’m really glad you didn’t. I’m glad you’re here. Because let me give you the ULTIMATE takeaway from Genesis 24 this morning - this story isn’t ultimately about the relationship between God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Agency. It’s not ultimately about finding a godly spouse. More than ANYTHING else, Genesis 24 is an allegory, it is a symbolic narrative, intended to point us ahead to the relationship between Christ and His Church; see if this story sounds familiar to you: “A FATHER, seeking a BRIDE for his beloved, only SON, sends His SERVANT - the servant is actually gonna be the main character of Genesis 24. He’s not even named here; all we hear is that he’s Abraham’s “oldest” and most trusted servant, in charge of overseeing his entire estate; but Abram identified him for us earlier in Genesis ch.15, v2, as “Eliezer of Damascus”; any idea what the name “Eliezer” means, in Hebrew? Comforter. In John 14:26, Jesus promised his disciples, who were anxious about his death and departure, he said: Don’t worry, “The Father will send you the COMFORTER, the Holy Spirit, in my name” - Friends: this whole story of Abraham, Eliezer, Rebekah, Isaac… it’s an ALLEGORY for the GOSPEL. In Matthew 22:2, Jesus tells a parable, that the “the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who arranged a wedding for his son…” The good news that God has not only SOUGHT OUT, but actually MADE… CALLED… SANCTIFIED for His Son Jesus, a Bride, a people from every nation, tribe and tongue, by the power of His very Spirit. Our servant, our comforter, our divine match-maker, between us and our Bridegroom, Jesus.
So whichever of those 3 categories YOU fall in this morning - un-married, married, or post-married - I want to encourage you that THIS SERMON IS FOR YOU. Because even as I keep it practical and highlight some tips for finding a spouse, we’ve got to remember that we are ALL in need of so much more than an earthly spouse; we’re in need of a SAVIOR. Someone to be united to spiritually, eternally, in a 2-become-1 flesh type of union; Jesus prayed “that we may be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be IN US.” (Jn 17:21) Ephesians 5 says that ALL marriage is intended to be a picture, its OWN allegory, of that relationship, the relationship between Christ and His Church. THAT is Genesis 24, okay? Practical? Yes. Spiritual? Yes. Personal, for YOU? I sure hope and pray so.
-
So would you stand with me as you’re able… Genesis 24, vv1-22:
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia[a] to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this[b] I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden[c] whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel,[d] and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels… [and presumably , he gave them to her]. This is the word of the Lord. Let’s pray...
Let’s dive right in. Lots to get to. This is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. 67 verses. But I could ONLY find 20 bullet points for you. At the conference, David Platt preached on Hebrews chapter 13, a 25-point sermon. Pastor Thad texted me - yes, even pastors text during sermons… during 25-point sermons we do! Thad texted: “I expect a 26-point sermon from you this Sunday.” So, I am sorry to disappoint; I did my best, but ONLY 20 points here. And worse than that, I got halfway through writing and realized I’d already hit my word count, so rather than preach for 80 minutes, I’m gonna make you come back next week for part two, the last 10 principles. But here are the FIRST 10 principles anyway, for Finding a Godly Spouse.
#1 - Involve godly parents. (vv1-4)
We read in v1: “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years.” The next chapter, ch25, v20 will inform us that “Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to be his wife”. Abraham was 100 years old when he finally had Isaac, so Abraham is now 140 years old here. And he’s gonna live another 35 years AFTER this and die at the ripe old age of 175… Ms. June, you’ve only got another 80 years to go, to catch Abraham! But these are the final words we hear from the great patriarch; v2: “Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh”. Now, that’s a rather odd way to begin your farewell speech. I had the privilege of co-leading the memorial service yesterday with my predecessor and ministry mentor, Pastor Gary, and I’m just imagining how I would have reacted if in his final sermon, his farewell address, he had called me up on stage and instructed me to “put my hand under his THIGH”. “Uhh, sorry Gary, but I don’t want the job that bad.” Commentator Gordon Wenham explains (141) “By putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, the servant was touching his genitals and thus giving the oath a special solemnity. In the ancient Orient, oaths were taken holding some sacred object, as it is still customary today to take an oath on the Bible in court… An oath by the seat of procreation is particularly apt in this instance, when it concerns the finding of a wife for Isaac.” Thank God this is one of those traditions that has gone the way of the dinosaur.
But what about the tradition of arranged marriages? That’s the context: Abraham is arranging a marriage for his son Isaac. That’s still the way marriages are established today in many countries all over the world. We may find it ODD, even “backwards” or “repressive”. But then we turn on the TV to watch 20 girls try and sleep their way to the top of the pack, competing for a rose from a total stranger, and I ask you: “Which is more oppressive?” Don’t watch “The Bachelor”, by the way. Seriously, don’t.
What makes more sense: trusting a 22 or 23 year old… that’s how old Polly and I were, that’s how old I know many of YOU were, when you got married… prefrontal cortexes not even done DEVELOPING yet - to trust them to unilaterally make the second biggest decision of their lives… or to trust the wisdom and loving discernment of godly parents who are typically FAR more mature? Job 12:12 says “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.”
Now, that’s assuming you’ve GOT godly parents, like Abraham. But even unbelieving parents can have great wisdom. Parents: have you earned your kids’ trust? Earned the RIGHT to speak into their lives, their major life decisions? No one likes free advice; do your kids ASK you for it? Do they see your wisdom, and desire to benefit from it? Have you cultivated the kind of relationship where you can both speak openly and honestly with one another about important stuff?
Smart young Christians will involve godly parents in their decision-making.
#2 - Christians Marry in the family. (vv3-4)
We are a spiritually incestuous people! Vv3&4: Abraham exhorts Eliezer to “swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred.” Remember, Abraham is just sojourning in Canaan. All the rest of the PEOPLE of the promise, his relatives, are settled back in Mesopotamia, in Nahor, some 450 miles north. And Abraham’s demand here anticipates GOD’S OWN command in Deuteronomy 7: “When the Lord your God brings you into the land… and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites… You shall NOT intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.” (vv1-4). And THAT OT command anticipates God’s NT command that His people, we Christians “not be unequally yoked with unbelievers - 2 Corinthians 6:14 -… For what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?”
In ancient agriculture, a farmer would yoke two oxen together, to make sure they were plowing in the same direction. So if you are a believer, who has surrendered your life to Christ, to live for HIS glory, to follow HIS will for your life, to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to HIM, then how in the world are you gonna be able to stay yoked to someone who HAS NOT died to themself to follow Christ? You’re constantly gonna be pulling in opposite directions. That’s why Christians marry Christians.
Now, I should point out here: if you’ve already gotten this wrong, and you DID marry an unbeliever… or perhaps you came to faith later in life yourself, after you were already married: we Christians don’t DIVORCE either. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul writes: “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband… and the husband should not divorce his wife… If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife… For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?” (vv10-16) Because God continues working in spite of our mistakes, even THROUGH our mistakes. And listen, I know that sounds HARSH to call your marriage a MISTAKE, but the gospel allows us to be honest, brutally HONEST with ourselves and one another, and call a spade a spade. Listen: Polly and I should NOT have gotten married. At least not when we did, in the way we did. Neither ONE of us was in a good, godly place to be making that kind of life-long decision. But praise God, that He is in the business of REDEMPTION; of turning our bad decisions into good outcomes, bringing beauty from ashes.
But if you are a category 1, NOT-yet-married believer, you need to marry in the family, if you marry at all.
#3 - Don’t compromise God’s calling. (vv5-6).
Vv5&6: “The servant said to Abraham, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.”
Under NO circumstances are you to take Isaac back! In fact, in ch.26, there’s gonna be a TERRIBLE famine in Canaan, and even then, God specifically instructs Isaac: “Do not go down to Egypt; but dwell in the land… Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you” (vv2-3). God doesn’t renege on His promises. Now, later in Genesis we ARE gonna watch Isaac’s grandson, JOSEPH, go down to Egypt, but that’s a different story; that’s another example of God working despite our SIN. The whole Egypt, slavery thing should have never HAPPENED! Yet God redemptively brings about His plan and His purposes in spite of even our worst decisions.
But the principle for us here is simple enough: don’t compromise God’s calling on your life. If you KNOW God has called you to be a missionary, and a week before you head overseas you meet the woman of your dreams, you don’t cancel the trip. Guess what: if she’s REALLY the woman of your dreams, she’ll take the leap of faith and come along for the ride! Because as important as marriage is, God is not going to yoke you to someone who would prevent you from pursuing His calling on your life.
#4 - Trust God, but leave Him space. (vv7-8) Have faith, but allow room for God to work in ways you never would have imagined.
V7: “The Lord, the God of heaven… who swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.” Abraham boldly declares in FAITH: “God will provide a wife for Isaac.” Now, what we’re gonna see in the rest of the story - I LOVE this story, by the way, because there are NO miracles in Genesis 24. God doesn’t supernaturally intervene, and defy the laws of nature and science in order to accomplish His will here. Actually, we don’t even hear a single WORD from God himself in this whole chapter, not a peep. Here’s how Wenham (142) puts it: “Here, God is not actually on stage, but… the action in [the chapter] is such a palpable answer to the servant’s prayer [in v12, Eliezer is gonna pray for success in finding a wife for Isaac…] that we feel God is just behind the curtain pushing Rebekah on stage right on cue.” Elsewhere in Genesis, God is on stage, front and center! But here, he stays behind the curtain. Still working, still directing, but not visible. Friends: faith is TRUSTING that God’s still working, even when you can’t see him: Hebrews 11:1 “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Abraham trusts God to make good on His promise.
But then he ADDS, and I love THIS too, v8: “But… if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.”” Abraham trusts God, but he also leaves ROOM for God to work in unforeseen ways. He says, “It only makes SENSE that God would provide a wife while you’re there in Nahor… but I’ve lived long enough to know that God doesn’t always work in ways that make SENSE! The ONLY thing I know for sure is that Isaac’s staying here. Beyond that, I’m gonna leave space for God to work in ways I never could have dreamed up.”
It reminds me of that great line from the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego story, when King Nebuchadnezzar warns them he’s about to throw them in the fire because they refuse to bow down and worship Him, and they reply, “O Nebuchadnezzar… our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he WILL deliver us out of your hand. But even if he doesn’t, be it known to you, O king, that we will not worship you” They say, “It makes SENSE that our God would protect us, would rescue us, for obeying Him, and we are hoping and TRUSTING him to do it… but even if he doesn’t, we KNOW that He has called us to bow and worship him ONLY, so we’ll go to our deaths obeying Him, if that’s what we have to do.
Friends: THAT is faith! And whether it’s finding a spouse or WHATEVER major… or even MINOR life decision standing before you this morning, God is calling you to trust Him, even if he decides to work in ways you never could have predicted.
#5 - Pray. (vv9-12)
We read: “the servant... arose and went to Mesopotamia[a] to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at… the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.”
Eliezer PRAYS. This is actually the FIRST prayer, in the Bible, for divine guidance at a critical life juncture. You know, the ONLY kind of prayers that some of us ever offer up. Some of us try and do everything in OUR power to avoid ever NEEDING to pray, and we force God to force US to our knees, with nowhere left to look but UP, before we’ll finally turn to Him in humility and prayer. James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask”; Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives… which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:8-11)
A godly spouse is a good thing. Worth asking God for. So pray for that person.
But leave SPACE for God to answer your prayer with… “not yet”. Not in your timing, but in mine. Not the person YOU want to marry, but the person I’m gonna provide. Leave space for Him to even answer: NO. A godly spouse is a good thing, but according to 1 Corinthians 7, singleness is an even BETTER thing.
Either way, you need to pray.
#6 - Seek a servant-hearted spouse. (vv13-14)
vv13&14; Eliezer continues: “Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’ - let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac.”
This is NOT just a random fleece that Eliezer lays down, a haphazard sign he asks for; this was carefully thought out; he’s looking for a girl with a servant’s heart. And not just ANY servant, it’s not enough for her to offer HIM some water; she’s gotta offer to get water for all TEN of this guy’s CAMELS as well. Any idea how much water a single camel drinks after a 450 mile journey across the desert? 25 gallons. Times 10 camels = 250 gallons. Kent Hughes adds (316): “The ancient well was a large, deep hole in the earth with steps leading down to the spring water - so that each drawing of water required substantial effort. ...An ancient water jar held about three gallons of water. This means that Rebekah made between 80 to 100 descents into the well. And a camel takes about ten minutes to drink its full complement of water. So Rebekah’s labors filled two sweaty hours!”
Did you wonder why he brought 10 camels along?! I think it was for this very reason, because he wanted to know if she was the kind of girl who would go above and beyond in her selfless, sacrificial love of his master Isaac.
I don’t remember the exact moment I knew Polly was “the one”; but I DO remember when I realized she was at LEAST “marriage material”. The kind of girl you want to end up with. It was end of junior year when my roommates all left early for the summer and stuck me with cleaning the entire apartment by myself or else we’d each lose our $250 security deposit. And my future wife delayed her summer break to help scrub college boy FILTH off of sinks, and showers, and toilets; and I thought to myself: either something is REALLY wrong with this girl… or she’s the real deal. She’s a Rebekah.
The apostle Paul begins his great sermon on marriage, Ephesians 5, by calling us to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (v21) The ONLY way marriage works is if you’ve got two people willing to die to themselves to put the other one’s needs above their own. If you’re both self-serving, you’ll end up resentful roommates. If only ONE of you is selfless, you’ll end up in a co-dependant, abusive relationship. You’ve GOTTA have two people, mutually submitting to, serving, one another.
# 7 - This one IS sort of incidental, the text only barely makes the point in passing, but Bonus points for attractiveness and for purity.
In vv15&16, we hear: “Before he had finished speaking, (I love that: he’s still in the middle of praying, and God’s already sending him the answer; if only it were ALWAYS that easy!) behold, Rebekah… came out with her water jar on her shoulder. v16: The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden[c] whom no man had known.”
Now, I wanna be careful making too much of this point, because ladies: he’s gonna get FLABBY, and fellas: she’s gonna get SAGGY. So I HOPE that physical attractiveness was not the primary thing that drew you together; maybe it was the INITIAL thing. But man, if that is the foundational BASIS of your relationship, you’re in trouble!
But it sure is a nice added bonus, isn’t it? You will spend a SIGNIFICANT amount of time in your life with your significant other. Marriage is already hard enough; but it is just a little bit easier when that person is easy on the eyes. When God uses physical attractiveness to drive you back time and time again into one another’s arms. Praise God for an attractive spouse.
And praise God for a sexually PURE spouse, as well, “a maiden[c] whom no man has known.” Again, I wanna reiterate: God redeems our bad, our WORST decisions. God can and does bring beautiful marriages out of relationships marked by previous sexual impurity, or when one or both parties bring sexual baggage from prior relationships into the marriage; that is in NO way a death sentence for a healthy, thriving marriage. But it sure is great when you do it the right way on the front end, and save yourselves having to work through those issues.
# 8 - Act. (vv17-20) God may be behind the curtain, but Eliezer still has to ACT!
V17: “the servant ran to meet her...” He’s not trying to play hard to get; he’s not content to just wait over there in the shade while she draws water: “Well, if she’s REALLY the girl I’ve been praying for, she’ll come over to ME and initiate...” - No! This isn’t a middle school dance! There’s no time to be passive and wait around to see who’s gonna make the first move; he RUNS to meet her! He WANTS Rebekah to be God’s chosen bride for Isaac!
Once you’ve FOUND a good girl or guy, who your parents would approve of, who’s a fellow believer, the kind of person you’ve PRAYED for and trusted GOD to provide, who’s servant-hearted, physically attractive, sexually pure… what do you do NEXT? You ACT! You RUN! You ASK, them out on a date.
And Men - at the risk of getting “cancelled”, for how antiquated this must sound in today’s world: you need to STEP UP. This is your God-given ROLE in the relationship: God calls you to LEAD. To ACT. To BE the one to make the first move. YOU ask her out. And ladies, if he WON’T, if he wants to play GAMES, play hard to get, keep playing the field… if he’s just PLAYING, then dump his sorry butt, cuz games are for kids. And you deserve a MAN. Is that blunt enough?
Husbands, the same is true in our marriages. Don’t be passive. Step up to the plate. Don’t be a passive FATHER; if your kids know that mom’s the one REALLY calling the shots, that’s a PROBLEM. Don’t be a passive SPIRITUAL leader; if the only reason your family EVER prays together at dinner, EVER does morning devotionals, EVER makes it to church on Sundays… is because Mom is the one pushing it, that is a problem. God calls men, especially, to ACT.
(Some guy here is feeling the spirit of CONVICTION right now and he’s about to go PROPOSE over lunch, I can just feel it…)
Before you DO, slow down just a MINUTE, and #9 - Use prayerful discernment.
V21: those whole 2 sweaty hours while poor Rebekah is running up and down the well steps, 100 trips carrying a 25-pound bucket on her head, what is Eliezer doing? “The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.”
He’s STILL praying. Prayerfully DISCERNING God’s will, while he carefully watches Rebekah’s every move: “Is she the ONE?”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 exhorts us to “test everything; and hold fast what is good.”
Romans 12:2, Paul calls us to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Prayerful discernment. And where does this gift of discernment COME from? James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all.” You’ve got to PRAY for the ability to prayerfully discern well.
Lastly this morning, #10: Find someone you value. (v22)
V22: “When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel,[d] and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels” But that’s just the down payment; the earnest money; next week, we’ll hear in v53, once the engagement is finalized, Eliezer “brings out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gives them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.”
Man, I’m such a CHEAP-skate. I HATE spending money. But Polly wants to redo some stuff in our house right now… new bed… new furniture… new floors… NOT exorbitant self-indulgent stuff by any means. But the kind of stuff I wouldn’t spend money on if it was just me. But I have to keep reminding myself: she’s WORTH it. I don’t value nice furniture or floors, but SHE does, and I value HER, and she is WORTH it.
Your spouse may be worth a gold ring and some arm bracelets, but you know who’s worth your whole LIFE? Your whole heart, mind, soul and strength? Only JESUS. And this story is meant to point us back to HIM. Our BETTER bridegroom. The most attractive, pure, servant-hearted, VALUABLE partner for LIFE that you could ever imagine. Give your life to him this morning, and you’ll NEVER regret it.