The Inheritance of God
“He chose our inheritance for us — the splendor of Jacob, whom he loves! Selah!”
(Psalm 47:4 {verse 5 in English Translations})
In the immediate sense, the psalmist is clearly thinking about how God is the one who not only brought the people into Canaan, casting out the Canaanites, but also that it is God who set aside the promised land in the first place and that it is God who gave to each tribe of Jacob a portion and an inheritance in the land. The only exception being the Levites, who were scattered as ministers of grace throughout the land and whose inheritance was God himself.
That statement in itself is enough to dig deeply into, but there is more to what is in sight. You see, an inheritance is something that is secured by the Father and then given to the children. Indeed, such is the way that God brought Israel into the land, scattering armies and nations ahead of them by divine might, but that also takes us back to another inheritance that was given — that of the world to Adam and Eve and repeated in a slightly different form in the Great Commission. No longer is Christ’s church bounded by physical and geographic borders, but wherever the Spirit will lead we must go. As the old hymn goes, “In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north!”
What is very sad, as you look at ancient Israel, is how far shy of the original boundaries that God set that they came. The original promise given to Abraham included everything bounded by the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River to the East (Genesis 15:18) — yet Israel never realized those borders because of their unfaithfulness to the inheritance they were given. Yet, are we as Christians any less culpable? Truly, in 2000 years of the church age, should we not have been able to spread the Gospel to every corner of the earth? Yet we have not. There are numerous people groups that have neither heard the Gospel nor have access to the scriptures in their native tongue. How sad it is that we too have failed to take the inheritance that our heavenly Father has secured in his Son and given to us.
May the “selah” — the triumphal lifting of ones voices — be a call to us today, here and now, to refocus our hearts and our lives. Let us not remain complacent, but with missionary zeal, may we fill the earth with the Gospel — for this is the inheritance that God has given to us — to we who are true Israel through faith in Jesus Christ — we for whom God has demonstrated his great love by giving us his son Jesus for our salvation.
Driving out the Nations; Crushing the Strongholds
“He drove out peoples under us;
Nations under our feet.”
(Psalm 47:4 {verse 3 in English Translations})
“The God of Peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet — the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
(Romans 16:20)
The Biblical testimony is consistently that if you remember the things that God has done for you in the past, that ought to help you remain faithful in the present. In other words, it is coming to terms with the principle that God has always shown himself faithful, why do you think that this particular crisis will prove to be any different. Historically, when the people remember their roots, God blesses them as they seek to pursue Him; when they forget, they fall into sin and disobedience — often in extreme ways.
In this case, the psalmist is looking back to the conquest of Canaan. A time when none of the opposing nations could stand before the people of Israel as they entered. Even that event, though, was marked by the disobedience of the people and ultimately some Canaanites remained in the land. God allowed them to remain to be a thorn and a snare (Judges 2:3) and to teach them war (Judges 3:2). Even so, it is God that established them in the land; it is God who is the warrior of Israel; and it is God that will cast out the nations before them. Had they been faithful to God in that task, things would have been quite different than they ended up.
Yet need we simply see this as an ancient mandate? By all means, no! The God we worship today is the same God that led Israel through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He is quite capable of leading us through whatever situation and trials we face in our lives today. Granted, we are not facing wild tribes of Canaanites that want to kill us and whose cities we are to commit to destruction, but we are facing the devil who wants to kill us spiritually and whose strongholds in this world (including those in our lives) we are called to tear down (2 Corinthians 10:4; Matthew 16:18). Will you be faithful is putting these sins to death and tearing down the strongholds that they have created in your life? Will you engage the strongholds of sin in your community as well, seeking to marginalize their influence over your life, your family, your church, your school, your nation? Praise be to the God who crushes those strongholds underneath our feet.
The Great King is to be Feared
“For Yahweh Elyon is to be feared — Great King over all the earth.”
(Psalm 47:3 {verse 2 in English Translations})
As kids we were always told that it wasn’t nice to call people names — at least bad names… Yet, there is a practice of scripture of attributing names of honor to God. These names are names that reflect the attributes and character of our God, not the progressive development of a religion like some of the liberal “scholars” would suggest. And what we find in this verse is a grouping of three names that are bound together.
Yahweh is a name we are used to seeing. This is the “I am that I am” name that God gives to himself and provides to Moses, recorded in Exodus 3:14. It is a name that reflects God’s covenantal character of God as well as the eternal nature of his being. God always was, God is, and God always will be. While our existence is measured and bounded by time; time is a creation of God and has no bearing on his being — time has a beginning…God does not. Thus he tells us that we are to know him by Yahweh and by that name he is to be remembered throughout the generations (Exodus 3:15).
The name that is attached to Yahweh is Elyon (pronounced with a long “o”). Usually we render this “Most High,” and that is an accurate rendering of the title. I chose to leave the word untranslated, rather, to help set it apart as part of God’s glorious title of honor here. Elyon was a term reserved for God himself and was not to be given to men. It reflects that God is not the greatest in a set of like beings, but he is a being par-excellence — one of kind and incomparable to others. God stands alone as God. He is mighty and true and if you are going to fear any, this is the one you should fear. Jesus echoes this when he states: “do not fear the one who can kill the body, but fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28) — Yahweh Elyon is the one of whom Jesus is speaking.
The final title is that of “Great King.” Many translations render this as, “a great king,” and that would be a legitimate translation were the subject being spoken of God himself. God is not just one of many great kings, but he is the great king — he is King over all the earth. While the definite article “the” is not present in the text, the context of the text sets this phrase apart as being a title attributed to God, thus neither article (“the” or “a”) is necessary and we see this again as a title of glory and honor.
You know what is interesting, though… As Christians, we are usually very quick to proclaim that Jesus is indeed the King of all Kings and the King over all the earth, but we rarely act as if he is the King over our lives. Kings make rules and Kings demand the obedience of their subjects. Yet how often we go about our lives acting as if we are our own and making decisions based on our preferences rather than on the basis of obedience to God’s command? I think that there is an explanation for our behavior, though — we do not obey our king because we do not fear him… A double-whammy — a double sin.
Loved ones, our lives are not our own. If we call ourselves Christians, then our lives belong to the one whose name we have taken and into whose name we have been adopted. The house rules demand that we obey if we love Christ (John 14:15). Will we? Will you? Do you fear your heavenly Father in a holy and reverent way that motivates you to a lifestyle that will honor him? In the end, such is the mark of a believer. May we indeed be able to sing the words of the psalmist from the bottom of our hearts in the deepest sincerity in our life here and eternally.
“All the peoples must strike their hand!
Cry aloud with a voice of jubilation!”
(Psalm 47:2 {verse 1 in English Translations})
And the psalm of celebration begins! First of all, notice to whom this command is being uttered. It is not just to the people around the throne of God nor is it just uttered to the people of Israel. It is uttered to “all the peoples”! People from every race and language and nation are being called by the psalmists to give God praise and to exalt before him. Throughout the Old Testament there is this reoccurring promise that God will bring peoples from the nations into Israel and into Jerusalem — a promise of the Gospel going to the gentiles — and passages like this anticipate that great and glorious time when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
That being said, with a call to rejoicing comes an implicit warning — it is Yahweh that is to be feared (see the following verses) and those people who do not submit and come worship him will find themselves subdued under the feet of God and his people. Indeed, there will be a day when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but of those God has not called to himself in faith — those that continue to reject the Gospel — they will find themselves kneeling and confessing to their great consternation and humiliation as an utterly defeated foe.
One curious element is the phrase that is typically translated as “clap your hands” in our English Bibles. In Hebrew there are four different verbs used to describe the clapping of one’s hands and these verbs carry with them a variety of connotations. What I found most interesting is that the verb used here is better translated as “strike” or “give a blow” and the word for hand is actually singular, thus producing the translation above: “strike your hand.” Interestingly, in most of the instances where what we would describe as “clapping” are found, the term for hand is found in the singular, yet we translate it into the plural. There seems little explanation for this choice of terms apart from the visual idea of clapping where one hand is held still (as one would hold a small drum) and the other is in motion. Thus, when we envision the clapping being called for, it should not be seen as the thunderous applause that we often call for in our western culture, but a more rhythmic clapping that would produce more or less a drum beat (the stationary hand being the drum). The design, of course, being to draw people into the worship and praise of our God.
I could raise the question about one’s boldness of witness — is your witness one that boldly calls all of the peoples to Christ? Or do you do the very American thing and say that one’s religious preferences are one’s own business? The Bible knows nothing of this latter model. Yet, the question I would rather leave you with is that of the contagiousness of your worship. Does your worship draw others around you into worship? That doesn’t mean we need loud rhythmic clapping and dancing in the aisles, a humble and heart-felt worship that is gentle and quiet can have an even more powerful effect on others than the loud boisterous style. But do the people around you get drawn into the worship of God because of the way you worship in life? When in church, does your worship draw other believers into worship in a positive way — sometimes that guy who has had a bad week really needs the spirit of other believers around him to help draw him into that spirit of worship. Beloved, examine your witness, but also examine your worship. Is it contagious — the worship of these sons of Korah is.
Sons of Korah — Psalm 47
“For the Overseer: A Psalm of the Sons of Korah”
(Psalm 47:1 {superscript in English translations})
Once again we find a superscript in the psalm that directs us as to who wrote the work itself. As we have discussed when looking at these other psalms of the sons of Korah, their legacy is one of grace and mercy as well as one of God’s sovereign election. Korah rebelled against God (Numbers 16) and was judged for that rebellion. He and his family were killed by God’s mighty hand. Yet, though God would have been righteous in doing so, God chose to preserve the sons of Korah, and they did not die in that time of judgment (Numbers 26:11) and permitted them the honorable position of being keepers of the entrance to the Tabernacle (1 Chronicles 9:19). Though they might have been worthy of judgment, God spared them and reinstated their family in a place of honor — and it is from this setting of having received grace, the Sons of Korah add to the worship of God’s people words of praise and adoration.
Thus, the psalm is written and is presented to the Levite in charge of the worship in the temple. It is found to be good, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and has been kept by the Spirit throughout the generations as a reminder that the right response to grace is worship. How often we, more like spoiled children, fail to appreciate grace for more than just a few moments. How often worship is something that comes only after our situation has turned out in our favor. How rarely we often proclaim to others the good things that our God has done and call them to worship as well. How often we have failed to learn the lesson of the Sons of Korah that even in the midst of judgment there is a place for praise of an infinite and glorious God and it is right and proper to reflect that in our lives and in our words. May we model the wisdom of these Sons of Korah as we apply this psalm to our lives — day in and day out.
The Marriage
“And Rebekah lifted her eyes and saw Isaac; she fell from her camel and said to the servant, ‘Who is this man walking in the field to summon us?’ And the servant said, ‘He is my lord.’ Thus she took her veil and covered herself. So the servant recounted to Isaac all of the things he had done. So Isaac led her to the tent of Sarah, his mother, and he took Rebekah to be his wife and he loved her. In this way Isaac was consoled after his mother.”
(Genesis 24:64-67)
The journey has come to an end. Rebekah has returned with Eliezer; Isaac has returned from Beer-Lachay-Roiy; and Abraham surely is satisfied with the providence of God. This ending has all the marks of one of the great romance stories — the two, whom God has matched together, finally meet, though at first seeing each other from a distance. You can almost envision Rachael dismounting and covering herself as would have been the custom for those so engaged to marry, and Isaac running in their direction.
Now I do need to make a note of the language that is used to speak of Rebekah dismounting her camel. One might have expected a different term than the one that is used here. For example, when Achsah dismounted her donkey (Judges 1:14), the author uses the term jnx (tsanach), which means “to dismount.” Yet, in our instance, Moses chooses the much more generic term lpn (naphal), which literally means “to fall down.” Sometimes the term is used of someone accidentally falling, sometimes it is used of someone falling in battle or collapsing, and sometimes it refers to someone falling prostrate on the ground, but typically it refers to something done either in great passion or with some degree of awkwardness (or clumsiness). Though I am not suggesting a comic reading of the text where Rebekah falls flat on her face, I would suggest that the word choice is there to help relieve some of the tension of the account and remind us that Rebekah is just as perfectly human as each one of the rest of us — an awkward dismount from a camel after a long trip or otherwise.
Whether clumsy or graceful, Isaac takes Rebekah to be his wife, allowing her to take possession of his mother’s tent, something that would have been a proper privilege and thus Isaac finds comfort. Isaac was 37 years old when his mother died (Genesis 23:1 — noting that she was 90 when she gave birth, Genesis 17:17). While we don’t know the exact amount of time between the death of Sarah and the sending of Eliezer to find Rebekah nor how long the actual journey took, the combined span of time was a total of 3 years as Isaac is 40 years old at the point where he marries (Genesis 25:20), which means that at this point in history, Abraham is 140 years of age. He will live another 35 years before he passes away, even taking another wife (see Genesis 25), but the covenantal work to which Abraham has been called is complete and we are getting ready to see the baton be passed from Abraham to his son, Isaac. One generation following after the other.
As a father, one of the greatest blessings is to see your children walking in faith after you — and your grandchildren and further generations as well. Isaac is far from perfect (and even makes some of the errors of his father), but he is a man of faith and a man who knows the grace and covenant faithfulness of God. He has had a long journey under his father’s guidance and now is ready to raise sons of his own. It should be noted though that children rising up and calling their parents blessed is not something that happens without a great deal of work in the raising of our children. It seems that many Christians today have adopted the idea that their kids will automatically grow up to be Christians and then sit back and let their kids follow whatever course they happen to follow. Yet scripture is filled with reminders — teach these things to your children and to your children’s children. If we do not show our children the way we are going, why are we surprised when they do not follow? Do not simply take them to church, but live the Christian walk as you live before them and teach them why every element of your Christian faith is true, reasonable, and essential to life not only in this world but thereafter as well.
Walking at Sunset
“And it came to pass that Isaac had returned from going to Beer-Lachay-Roiy — he had been dwelling in the land of Negeb. So Isaac went out to walk contemplatively in the field toward the turn of sunset. And he lifted up his eyes and looked — Behold! — camels were coming!”
(Genesis 24:62-63)
Beer-Lachay-Roiy, or Beer-lahai-roi as it is often transliterated, is a spot with a freshwater spring, located to the south and in the wilderness, and is the place to which Hagar fled from Sarai when Sarai had become jealous. It is also the place where God revealed himself to Hagar and promised her that because her child was from Abraham, God would bless and strengthen the child. God also promised Hagar (for better or worse, depending on one’s perspective) that Ishmael and his line would be a warlike people, always in strife with their neighbors — a promise that sums up the Arab lands to this day! Even so, Isaac had been sojourning in that area, likely to water some of his herds by the spring, and now had returned home.
And thus, once home, Isaac goes out for a walk one evening. There is a great deal of discussion as to what it is that the scriptures are telling us that Isaac is doing. The Hebrew term used here is jwc (sawach) and is never used again in the Hebrew Bible. While it is not unusual to have a unique word pop up periodically, when one finds such a word, one needs to do a little detective work to determine the meaning of that word. Sometimes context clearly is helpful, sometimes related or cognate words are helpful, and sometimes ancient traditions are helpful.
What we know from the context is that Isaac is going out to the field around sunset to do something…this word expresses that something. He is also going out alone. We also know that Isaac knows the mission that Abraham has sent Eliezer on and one might expect, with some room for unforeseen events, that Abraham and Isaac have some sense of when it is that Eliezer should be returning if everything went well. Thus, it is not unreasonable that Isaac, having returned at the right time, makes an evening trip through the fields to scan the horizon. Remember that Eliezer and his companions were traveling on camels cross-country, so likely they would be traveling by day and not into the night as one could not see well enough to locate ditches or other hazards. Assuming these cultural and contextual clues are correct, then it seems reasonable to suggest that Isaac is out for a walk.
But if that is all he is doing, why do many of our English translations render this word as “meditate”? While the term jwc (sawach) does only show up once in the Biblical text, it should be noted that in ancient Hebrew, the yod (y) and the waw 
were originally the same letter. Thus, if you alter the respective central letter of jwc (sawach) to make jyc (sayach), we do have a word that is used throughout the Biblical text, which means to ponder, reflect (meditate), or talk about something deeply. Thus, when you put this clue alongside of the clues mentioned above, it seems to make sense that he is out for more than a stroll, but it is a time where he is captured by deep thought, perhaps reflection on what God had planned for his future, or prayer. While meditate is a perfectly legitimate translation of the term, in English it carries a lot of extra connotations that probably are entirely alien to the situation at hand — so perhaps “contemplative walk” would be the most accurate rendering of the text that we can offer.
Interesting is the time of the day. Obviously, this time frame would have made sense for all of the right practical reasons. The work of the day was done, this would be the last hour of the day when travelers would be making distance, and activity would have quieted down some. At the same time, I think that there is something about a sunset that lends itself to deep reflection and contemplation. It is God’s own form of “mood-lighting.”
While I have no intention of building a theology around a sunset, I think that it is worth noting that God does fill his creation with things that are designed to point our hearts and minds toward Himself. From the vastness of the ocean to the multitude of stars in the sky. From the beauty of the sunset to the inspiration of a new sunrise — God has made these things to point our hearts and minds toward him. While I do not disparage science and scientific explanations as to the “how” of these natural phenomena, I remind you that science can never answer the question of “why” or “to what end” these events take place. Yet God answers us and says that they proclaim His glory and invite us to join in that proclamation. Sadly we often do not do so. Sadly, we get lost in the explanation of how and the joy of why is lost.
A final note on contemplation — take time to do so. God has made us to rest from our labors one day in seven — and part of the purpose of that rest is to contemplate and take satisfaction in those good things that God has allowed you to do in the week prior to your rest. Just as God took a step back from his work of creation and proclaimed it to be “very good,” so we are called to step back from ours and do the same. Sadly, though, we have gotten so caught up in the tyranny of the pursuit of wealth and “stuff” that we often forget the things we need the most — rest, reflection, and being focused on the God who you serve. May we all follow Isaac’s example, and take the time for that meditative walk at sunset. Behold! God may show you some things during that time that you had failed to see before.
Sight Unseen!
“So Rebekah and her young women got up and they mounted camels and followed after the man. In this way the servant took Rebekah and went on.”
(Genesis 24:61)
And thus Laban and the rest of the family are left behind … for the moment at least … and Rebekah travels on with Eliezer to meet Isaac and Abraham. One must commend Rebekah as well as Eliezer for their faith, but in different ways. For Eliezer, his faith is demonstrated in his willingness to follow his master; for Rebekah, faith is demonstrated in her willingness to follow the instructions of Abraham never having seen him or having known his character. She trusts in his authority and follows; Eliezer knows Abraham’s authority and follows. Jesus said blessed are those who believe without having to see (John 20:29). Eliezer has seen Abraham and has witnessed the mighty works that God has done through this man; Rebekah has not, yet she still follows. Eliezer reasonably knows what the outcome will be when he returns home to Abraham; Rebekah does not.
Miracles and magnificent works really are overrated. While they can perhaps confirm faith, they are impotent in producing faith and the faith that Jesus commends is a faith that does not rely on such works. How often, when we are called upon by God to follow his leading in big or even in small ways, we hesitate. We desire confirmation while God desires obedience. We are often more like the child that always asks his parents, “why,” rather than the child who follows in obedience. Loved ones, obedience is the call to which God has called us; may we follow into the unknown — even sight unseen! — along the pathway that God has laid before us and see what God will do through our lives.
The Seed and the God of the Millennia
“And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Our sister, you shall become like countless thousands and may your seed inhabit the gates of those who hate him.’”
(Genesis 24:60)
“I will surely bless you and your seed will surely be great as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the lip of the sea. And your seed will take possession of the gates of his enemies.”
(Genesis 22:17)
“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed — it does not say, ‘To the seeds…’ as if to many, but as if to one. ‘And to your seed,’ which is Christ.”
(Galatians 3:16)
It is hard not to make a connection between this blessing and to the Messianic promises that are to come. It could be legitimately pointed out that the term oår‰z (zera), or “seed,” is a collective singular (a singular term that refers to a group or a set of like things or persons) and thus nothing of great significance should be made of the language here. At the same time, given the covenantal significance of this event, a second look should be taken at what is being pronounced for even Nahor’s line understands that Abraham and his line has been singled out by God for a special purpose and, just as God did through the lips of Balaam, God sometimes speaks great truths through the lips even of non-believers.
It will be through Rebekah that the promised seed of Abraham will continue to descend that will ultimately culminate in the Great and true Seed: Jesus Christ. Note too, the similarity of this language to the language that God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 22. In part, of course, this will be fulfilled as the nation of Israel grows and then conquers Canaan. In full, this promise will find its completion in Jesus Christ — for it is in the church that True Israel will find its fullness, that the children of Abraham will be numbered like the sands of the sea, and that the gates of hell will find their demise (Matthew 16:18). Surely this promise, whether the family of Rebekah recognized it in full or not, is a promise that speaks of the coming of the Messiah through the line of Rebekah and Isaac.
How wonderful is the scope and plan of God. How puny our plans quickly become when placed alongside of God’s design. Isn’t if fascinating that we get so caught up in the moment — our successes and failures — our plans — our particular church’s rises and falls in attendance or fiscal numbers when God’s sovereign plan covers the scope of millennia. And why do we worry and fret? Why do we lose sleep over things that are meaningless in the scope of eternity? Friends, God is sovereign and he is the ruler of all of his creation. And he has a plan and a design for his church and kingdom of which he has graciously made us a part. Rejoice! Revel in that truth! And when faced with difficulties and opposition, trust in the wisdom and grace of God. Though men are not; God is good … and he is good all of the time — even in the midst of our trials and difficulties. What is it that God would lead you into doing and what is holding you back?
‘I Will Go’
“And they said, ‘Let us call to the young girl and hear it from her mouth.’ And they called to Rebekah and they said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ And she said, ‘I will go.’ Thus, they sent out Rebekah, their sister, and her nurse as well as the servant of Abraham and his men.”
(Genesis 24:57-59)
It almost seems as if, knowing that they are not going to persuade Eliezer to stay, they turn to Rebekah to buy more time. Rebekah’s response is short, simple, and typical of a woman of God. She simply says, “I will go.” While hesitation grips the family (likely out of hopes for personal gain), no hesitation afflicts the mind of Rebekah. She sees the hand of God at work and decides to simply follow God’s leading through the open door.
If the main theme of this chapter of the Bible is God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to his people, one of the next most significant themes is that of how God’s people are to follow God’s lead without hesitation or qualm. It is easy for us to get comfortable in our setting, no matter what that setting is. Even if the context is difficult, it is a “familiar difficulty” in the light of the unknown world that lays before us. Yet, when God calls us to go, we must follow His lead. Rebekah models that faithfulness for us in a pretty radical way. How often we fail even in simple ways.
Let the testimony of Rachael be your example and model. When God opens the door for you to serve him in a new (or in a fuller) way, step through that door and see where God will lead. There will be comforts enough in heaven, let us risk discomfort here to lift high the name of our mighty Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To Follow or to Delay? Which describes your life?
“Thus he and the men that were with him ate and drank and lodged there. And they arose in the morning and he said, ‘Send me to my lord.’ And her brother and her mother said, ‘Let the girl stay with us about ten more days and then she may go.’ But he said to them, ‘You should not detain me for Yahweh has prospered my way; send me that I may go to my lord.’”
(Genesis 24:54-56)
We can only infer what it is that is causing Laban and their mother to seek to delay Rebekah’s return with Eliezer. While we are not told for sure, it seems likely that they have seen the wealth of this servant and have decided the longer he stays the more wealth he will lavish on them in return for their hospitality. Eliezer, ever the faithful servant, sees through their distraction and refuses to be delayed in his task.
Now here is an interesting bit to keep before our hearts and minds. Eliezer has a harsh ride through the wilderness ahead of him on the return ride home yet he is eager to embark on the journey because of the end result: the presentation of Rebekah to Isaac. It is interesting because we often seek to delay difficult paths that are before us as long as we are able — no matter how wonderful the end of the journey might promise. We are often quicker to remain comfortable in the worldly comforts that surround us at the moment than we are to leave those worldly comforts behind for a season to grow in faith and in relationship with God. How quick most of us would be to accept Laban’s offer of “hospitality” only to delay the trials before us.
Eliezer is a model to us of focus and determination. What pleases him is not his personal comfort but faithfully serving his master. Beloved, our master is Christ Jesus. Are you faithfully serving him? Are you quick to set aside the comforts of this life for the pathway that Christ has laid before you? Opportunities pass when we delay; loved ones, do not let your comfort or your fears of stepping out in difficult waters detain you from pursuing the path to which God is calling you to follow. John F. Kennedy once said, “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Eliezer says to us across the ages, “We do these hard things not because they are comfortable for us, but because our joy is found in the joy of our master.” Let us pursue Christ no matter the cost or the risk not because it is easy or comfortable, but because it is joyous to please our Lord and Master and Savior and Friend.
The Love of Money…
“And the servant brought out items of silver and items of gold, also garments and gave them to Rebekah. Precious gifts he also gave to her brother and to her mother.”
(Genesis 24:53)
For some reason, the ESV, the NIV, and the KJV translations have chosen to render the word yIlÚVk (keliy) as “jewels” or “jewelry.” The normal meaning of the word has little to do with jewelry one would wear but applies more generally to items, vessels, or implements that would be ornamented with silver or gold. These items might have consisted of anything from eating plates and utensils to a ceremonial knife or other things that might be so decorated. It is assumed by the translation committees of the aforementioned versions that because these gifts are being given to a woman along with clothing, so that they must be forms of jewelry. Yet such is an inference not necessitated by the text. Being as these are gifts given as a form of promise to Rebekah that she will be well provided for, to envision these things as ornate household items might be more appropriate.
What I find more interesting is that the things given to Rebekah are given with detail, but that given to her mother and brother are just generally noted as “precious gifts.” Clearly Eliezer has been well stocked with wealth on this journey and the gifts are meant to be understood as abundant treasures offered to her and to her family, but what is given to Rebekah is far more important than what is given to her family, noting once again that it is to Rebekah’s mother and brother gifts are given, not to her father, again implying that Laban is functioning more or less as the head of the household by this point in time.
You know it is interesting how we sometimes live with respect to earthly treasures. On one level, most of us in the western world work very hard to provide “good things” to our families but at the same time feel guilty about having good things when we realize the condition in which most of the world lives. We live a bit like Jekyll and Hyde in this way. Abraham was remarkably wealthy by ancient and modern standards. He had gold and silver in abundance, a secure place to lie down at night and rest, servants, animals, food, etc… And Abraham was not afraid to use his wealth to achieve his goals nor was he embarrassed about the way God had blessed him — his wealth was God’s doing, something that Abraham never lost sight of.
Scripture does not tell us that money is the root of all evils, but that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evils (1 Timothy 6:10). The question then is not so much the money, but where your heart is — or where your treasure is, for there your heart will be (Matthew 6:19-21). Ultimately, money is a tool. It is a tool we can use to help others and glorify God or it is a tool which we can use to harm ourselves. The question is how we use this tool today. Do we sit and dream of money so that we can live in the lap of luxury satisfying our desires? If so, one needs to put that money out of ones heart and hand. But do we recognize money as a tool that God can use in our lives not just to provide for our own needs, but to minister to others? If it is the latter, it will do good and not harm.
It has been estimated that if Americans would cut back on their Christmas purchasing by one-half and then use those funds to provide for others, we could provide clean drinking water for the entire planet all year long as well as put a Bible into the hands of every human being who does not have one. If every Christian church in America would have have a family who would adopt two children out of foster care (or two families each adopting one child…) then there would be no more foster children in our country — all would have Christian families. Similarly, if every Christian church in America would take in and provide for two homeless people, homelessness in America would be eradicated. But what do we do with our resources?
Jesus did not say that everyone needed to go and give all they had to the poor, that counsel was reserved for a man whose heart was bound by his wealth (Luke 18:18-30). At the same time, it is clear that some will be uncomfortable on how they have stewarded the blessings that God has given to them. May we be stewards that multiply the kingdom of God rather than multiplying our own comforts. The author of Hebrews writes:
“May the manner of your life not be marked by greed and be content with what you have, for he has spoken: ‘I will never leave you behind nor will I ever forsake you.’”
(Hebrews 13:5)
A Public Witness
“And so, when the servant of Abraham heard their words he bowed down in worship to Yahweh.”
(Genesis 24:52)
Take notice at how many times this servant praises or worships God for his provision and for his grace. That is a fabulous thing, but is it not convicting to us? How often we neglect to praise God for his good works in our lives or we wait until a more “convenient” time. Here, the servant of Abraham bows before the Lord right there in the presence of everyone around. He does not worry about their reaction, their impression of him, or whether they will join him or not. He doesn’t even invite them to join in anything formal, but he simply bows before the Lord and worships.
How different the world would look were Christians to behave in this way, neither afraid or intimidated to kneel even in a crowded place and give God thanks for both big and small things. How different this world would look were Christians to pray with others on the spot, not afraid of the responses of onlookers, rather than to vaguely commit to praying for another and then going on their way without a second thought. How interesting it is that Eliezer, who is a relatively minor figure in these accounts, can teach us so much about living out the Christian life — he has clearly learned much by watching Abraham live out his faith. I wonder how much people learn about the Christian walk by watching us live out our own faith.
Whether we like it or not, the world is watching our lives and behavior and sadly what the world has often seen from Christians is that our lives look no different than any other person who walks the streets. In fact, I think that one of the the things that is attracting a younger generation to false religions like Islam and Mormonism is that they see a difference in the way these people live. Sad. Friends, may we too be intentional about living out our faith publicly as well as privately and may Christ be glorified in our witness, even that witness that takes place in the things that we do even apart from the words we use.
Will You Surrender All?
“And Laban and Bethuel answered saying, ‘This matter has come from Yahweh; we are not able to speak evil or good to you. Behold Rebekah is in your presence; take up and go, let her be the wife of your lord’s son just as Yahweh has spoken.’”
(Genesis 24:50-51)
What is curious to me is just how prominent a role that Laban begins playing here. Perhaps it is simply because Bethuel is older and Laban has taken a more dominant role in managing his father’s household, but most likely it is because he is being introduced to prepare us for his much more significant (and sinister) role later on in his nephew, Jacob’s, life. Either way, Laban and Bethuel recognize that God’s hand is at work here in this interaction and do not choose to interfere. An interesting side note is that in Laban and Bethuel’s response, the “her” that is included in many of our English translations is implied. Literally they say: “Take and Go.” This is not meant to be rude so much as it is meant to communicate that the discussion is closed and that they are giving permission for the girl to go with Eliezer. Essentially they are saying, “Get on with it and go.”
One of the things that we often struggle with is not knowing what God would have us do, but following through on it. Jesus himself had people coming to him trying to be followers on their own terms — “Let me first bury my father…” (Matthew 8:21-22). Our Lord doesn’t work based on our conditions, he expects us to follow on his conditions. We tend toward pursuing self; God demands we put ourselves to death and follow Him. What an amazing contrast that happens to be.
So which will it be? Pursue God or man? Seek the praise of God or the praise of men? Surely the glory of the former dwarfs the latter, yet how often we seek the praise of the ant in the presence of the King of Kings. May we recognize what is true and pursue Him.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
-Judson Van DeVenter
WIll You be Faithful to My Lord?
“Now, if it is in you to show steadfast love and truth to my lord, declare it to me; if not, declare it to me so that I may turn to the right or to the left.”
(Genesis 24:49)
It is interesting to me how Eliezer couches his request for Rebekah to return with him. He does not say here, “Are you willing to wed your daughter to Isaac, son of Abraham?” What he says is, “Are you willing to be faithful to Abraham.” The first would simply be a yes or no question based on the wishes and preferences of the family. This way of asking bases the question on the relationship that Bethuel has with his Uncle Abraham. If Bethuel rejects this requests, it is no longer a matter of preference, but it is a rejection of the relationship that is had between these two men. Indeed, it is a rejecting of Abraham’s family line and right to find a wife for his son within his extended covenant family.
The idiom of the right hand and the left hand is often one that expresses a lack of knowing where else one should turn even to find what is true. God has led Eliezer here and Eliezer is basing his actions upon the principle that what God directs is true and right. If he is rejected, then where can he go? Can one hope to honor God by looking for a spouse in a place other than where God has led him? Abraham and Sarah know the difficulties that come as a result of trying to circumvent God’s design, for that is how Ishmael came into the world. How often we pursue our own ends rather than submitting to God’s and found we have embarked on that which will bring disappointment and failure?
Loved ones, it is God’s plan and design we are to follow. Indeed, discerning that design is the trick at times, though the principle that Eliezer is following is sound. Ask God to open the doors through which you are to go and wait on him to do just that in His timing. God is about to work in Rebekah’s life in a visible and magnificent way; he does that in our lives as well. May we be faithful to that call.
Praise God, not Man
“Then I asked her saying, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor whom Milkah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands and I bowed and worshipped Yahweh. I repeatedly blessed Yahweh the God of my lord Abraham who led me in the true path to take a daughter of the brother of my lord for his son.’”
(Genesis 24:47-48)
Eliezer’s retelling now comes to a close, but notice what it is that he closes this dialogue with: praise to God. He could have closed his account by saying, “and she brought me to you…” or “and she showed me here to her father’s house…”, but Eliezer closes with the most important thing: “I gave praise to God.” In fact, the verbal form used when it speaks of Eliezer’s “blessing” Yahweh is in the Piel construct, which reflects a repeated action. His words might have been, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, oh Lord…”
Loved ones, I also hope that this is your response to the hand of God working in your life — that God is rightly honored for bringing about such good things and for leading you on the true path that leads to his glory. Sadly, our response is not to do so or only to do so as an afterthought. Often we desire the glory for ourselves and do not give honor where honor is due. As my friend and I were discussing just last night, the only good in me is the good that God is doing in me; may He get the credit for he is the agent at work in my life.
Behold the Woman Yahweh has Assigned
“Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw, to whom I say, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ and who will say to me, ‘Not only shall you drink, but I will also draw for your camels.’ Let her be the woman which Yahweh has assigned for the son of my lord.”
(Genesis 24:43-44)
This is the first use of the term “virgin” in the text of our story. She has been called a girl and a young woman previously, but here in her father’s household, the language changes slightly, perhaps as a sign of respect. It should be noted that it is this same term that is used in Isaiah 7:14 when the prophesy of Christ was made that a virgin shall give birth. Sometimes people will debate the Isaiah prophesy and choose to render the Hebrew word hDmVlAo (almah) as “maiden” or simply as “young girl.” While the range of meaning for this word allows for such a translation to be given, it should be noted that in the ancient culture, it was assumed that young girls would also be virgins. More importantly, the context of both this passage and the passage in Isaiah implies that something more than a young girl is at question, but that she is a young girl, eligible for marriage, and whose womb had not yet been opened. Virgin is a much better choice in English because that is what the Hebrew is implying. In our passage, everything about this discussion circulates around the question of marriage; Rebekah is being presented as one ready to take that step and be joined in marriage to Isaac.
Note also the emphasis in these verses on the sovereignty of God. It is God who is assigning this woman to be Isaac’s bride and it is God who has led Rebekah to Eliezer in the first place. There are no schemes of men involved; God has done the appointing since before the creation of the earth. Not only is this statement a statement of giving honor to God, but it is a statement that reflects the trust that Abraham’s servant had in God. How often we fail to follow his model.
Loved ones, let us never neglect to take notice that God is sovereign over all of his creation…that means you and me as well. He has ordained; He has appointed; He has governed; and He has chosen all of these events. That does not mean that we are robots, but it does mean that when things go well it is God who ought to get the credit, not us. And it means that when things go poorly, God is teaching (or sometimes rebuking) us. In the end, it is God that is glorified and we are to be servants in his world. Yet, is that how those who know you best would describe you? As a servant of God rather than being a servant of self? Beloved, may we repent where we have gone astray and recommit our lives towards the service of God and of God alone and let God provide those things that we need to get us through the day.
If you are there, God…
“On this very day I came to the spring and I said, ‘Yahweh, God of my lord, Abraham, if you are there, please bring success to my way upon which I have walked.”
(Genesis 24:42)
Many of our modern English translations will render the phrase of Eliezer: “if you will prosper my way…” yet that is not a literal reading of the Hebrew text. Literally he states: DKVv‰y_MIa (im-yeshka), “if there is you.” The impression that is being given is not so much: “Lord will you please bring success,” but, “Lord, if you exist, please bring success…”
How often have we, or have we been tempted, to pray that prayer? It is the fleece that Gideon would put out and it is the test that Thomas posed — “I need to touch his pierced hands and side…” We doubt, we fear, we worry, we wonder and then we ask God over and over to assure us of his guidance — that the path we are on is exactly the path that He has designed for us to walk.
Somehow we think that things, if we are doing God’s will, will simply fall into place and be easy. That as a pastor, my congregation will swell with membership; that as a father, my children will grow up kind and respectful and obedient; and that as a husband, my wife’s life will be filled with joy and excitement and the pleasure of every new day. Perhaps that will be so in the new creation, but here we grow as wheat amongst the tares; we live in a fallen world where trials and tragedies are commonplace and where fallen people constitute our congregations. So we cry out, “God, if you are really there, won’t you…”
The amazing thing is that sometimes, God does… Yet, in reality, most of the time God is teaching us patience and persistence as well as faithfulness through the woes of a world in rebellion against truth. He has been faithful to us and if we will but read his word, we will be reminded of his many kept promises. If we but remember the path through which he has led us in life, we too will remember that even through the darkest valleys of trial, it is his rod that has guided us and his staff that has kept us secure. The pathway that Christ chose to take to heaven led through the cross; why should we expect that ours will be more comfortable?
So, let us refocus our prayers and our lives in the knowledge that God is there and ask ourselves, “What, my Lord, are you teaching me through this trial?” and then seek to apply that learning. True, that is often easier said than done, though it has been done by many believers who have walked this road ahead of us — we are not blazing a new trail. Ultimately, the goal is to be made like Christ … how long a path we all have to go toward that end…
Rehearsing the Commands of God
“And I said to my lord, ‘What if the woman will not follow after me?’ And he said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whose presence I have been made to walk, shall send his angel with you and he will cause your way to succeed and you shall take a wife for my son from my family, from my father’s house. At that time you will be released from my oath when you have come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you are released from my oath.’”
(Genesis 24:39-41)
Again, Eliezer continues to rehearse the instructions that he has been given for the family of Rebekah, though this time not quite as verbatim as before. Even so, all of the principle portions are in place and it provides us with an important reminder as to how we too should actively work to remind ourselves of the instructions we have been given by our Lord as we go about life in this world. Instructions such as “Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Matthew 22:37), “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19), “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) and idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), “Forgive others” (Matthew 6:14-15), and “Pursue righteousness, love, peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22) to name just a few.
How often, as those claiming to be born again and given salvation as a gift of God’s grace through faith in the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we fail to act like it. We often live like spoiled princes, pursuing sin rather than living after the character of our Father and our greater brother, Jesus Christ. We who are indebted to God for everything rarely express that thanks in obedience. We may sing all of the praise songs on Sunday, but on Monday our lives betray that the words were empty to our souls. Often we obey those expectations that are easy; ignore those that are hard, and never strive to grow in Christian maturity and grace.
Loved ones, let the humility and submission of Eliezer be a challenge and a model for your days. Rehearse the commands of God that he would place on your life and strive prayerfully to live them out. We will not be perfect in this life, the Holy Spirit will bring any success we will have, but at the same time, that should never stop up from striving toward the goal of Christlikeness in the strength of the Holy Spirit and under the direction of God’s word. If you attend only to earthly things, that to which you attend will pass away. If you attend to spiritual things first, the earthly things will find their proper place in God’s providential care.
Fidelity to God’s Word
“And my lord made me swear, saying ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell. Instead, to the house of my father you should go and to my family. From them take a wife for my son.”
(Genesis 24:38)
We have already discussed the importance of a believer not marrying a pagan in the plan and decree of God (see verses 2-4), though it is a principle of which we ought regularly be reminded. This does not mean we cannot do business with or be neighbors to an unbeliever, but it reminds us that for the covenantal union to make any sense whatsoever, both parties in a marriage must be committed to the same God who is forming the union. If both are not committed to Christ, how then can two become one? They would be a divided person at best. Thus Eliezer explains his vow to the family of Rebekah as commanded by his master, Abraham.
Having already discussed being unequally yoked, what is worth noting here is Eliezer’s fidelity to the call. Here he takes great pains to quote Abraham verbatim and not to simply summarize his master’s words. Because Eliezer recognizes that he is a servant and thus an emissary of Abraham, he recognizes that he does not have the liberty to insert his own interpretations here.
Inserting interpretations, of course, is what always gets us in trouble. It was Eve’s error when debating with the Serpent in the Garden and it is regularly our failure when speaking of God’s word with others in the community. We feel like we have the gist of the statement and just choose to summarize it rather than sticking to the literal word itself. When we summarize like this, we typically insert our own preferences into the teaching and we also tend to denude the Word of its sharpness and power.
Of course, unless we hide the word of God in our heart, regularly meditating on it and memorizing it, how can we have fidelity to that word that God has given us? We have often become lazy in our approach to God’s word and in doing so become guilty of making it say what we would prefer for it to say. When we do this, we cease to be a faithful servant, committed to God’s call upon our lives. Friends, mark the example of Eliezer well, for his fidelity to the very words of Abraham should be reflected in our fidelity to the word of our Almighty God.
Money, Money, Money…
“Yahweh has blessed my lord very much and he has become great. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, manservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. And Sarah, who is the wife of my lord, has borne a son to my lord after she reached old age. And he has given to him everything that is his.”
(Genesis 24:35-36)
What a remarkable introduction Eliezer gives. You can almost imagine him, in his excitement, speaking faster and faster as he explains himself. Even so, it is things like this that help remind us that these people are humans and prone to all of the kinds of goofy things that afflict us all today. And that is good because it helps us connect and identify with these people through whom God has so greatly worked and it reminds us that God can and will work in wonderful ways through us as well — despite our own quirks.
So this servant begins with the blessings of God in the life of his Lord. Notice, though, how the focus here is on earthly blessings, listing them in pairs of like things: animals, wealth, and servants. I think that we can be forgiving and say that it is the excitement, but we should take note that both Eliezer and Abraham understand that these earthly things, while they might make life more comfortable, are not things that can be taken with them into the grave. The covenant faithfulness of God is far more valuable than any amount of herds or cash. Even so, there is no question that God has blessed Abraham with great riches and that Isaac will become the sole heir of this wealth. Rebekah’s family also needs to be assured that their little girl will be provided for in a way similar to or better than she was provided for in her father’s house.
How often we too get caught up in the physical and worldly blessings of God and don’t spend enough time focusing on the eternal blessings of his Covenant, his Salvation, and life eternally in his presence. How often we spend most of our time and energies trying to invest in things that won’t last us, like money and health, and how little effort we spend on things that will serve us well not only on earth but in eternity as well like godliness and truth. Loved ones, take time to evaluate how you spend your day. What percentage of your time is built on building up your soul? What percentage of your time is spent on non-eternal matters? Why not work to repair that deficit.
The Preacher's Study 