January 17, 2010
Scripture
Scripture:
Hebrews 2:9
We’ve been thinking this morning of the Lord’s sufferings; the crown of thorns, the spear in His side. And now we’ve just sung of how His toil and pain are ended, surely He is in the glory now. He is worthy of that glory because He laid His glory aside when He came to earth to become a man and die. But now He is in glory and may we give Him the praise that He is worthy of.
Hymn 367 - When He Cometh
Prayer
Let’s start with a bit of a review. We’ve been talking about Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. In Genesis 21, Isaac was born. In Chapter 22, Abraham and Isaac went to Mount Moriah and Abraham nearly offered his son as a sacrifice, but thankfully he was spared. Isaac was the son of promise and in that story we saw him in resurrection as it were. We’ve also been seeing how these stories are types. We’ve seen Abraham as God the Father; Sarah as the mother, or the nation of Israel; and Isaac as God the Son. In Chapter 23, Sarah dies and is buried.
Now, God promised Abraham that He would have many children, like the sand and like the stars. But how is that going to happen now that Sarah has died? We need a wife for Isaac. That’s what Chapter 24 is all about. And in this chapter we meet some new people. The first is Abraham’s elder servant, his manager. The second is Rebekah. The servant represents the Holy Spirit, and Rebekah is the Bride.
I have made an outline for Chapter 24 with one segment for each of the four characters; the father, the son, the servant and the bride.
1. The Father’s Desire. Vv. 1-9
Here we find Abraham, the Father, speaking to the servant, telling him to go and find a bride for his son.
2. The Servant’s Diligence Vv. 10-49 The servant goes, finds Rebekah and they ask her, “Wilt thou go?“. This is an important part in the story and we need:
3. The Bride’s Decision Vv. 50-60
And finally we have:
4. The Son’s Devotion Vv. 61-67
As I read this passage, a fact struck me. Nowhere else in the Bible is this story - or what it typifies - told so completely. Yet, we can see it happening today. The Father wants a Bride for His Son and has sent His Holy Spirit down here to win people for Christ. Each person who is saved becomes part of that Bride. Nowhere in the New Testament is this shown so clearly. Another fact is that this is the second passage where love is mentioned - in v.67. The first referred to the love of a father for a son; here it refers to a the love a husband for his bride.
It seems that this early in the Bible, God was bursting to tell us of the plan that He had; to tell us that Good News, because we are the ‘Rebekahs’. You could study Genesis for the rest of your life, and it would take you all over the rest of the Bible.
We were talking about the wonders of God last time; mentioned in v. 17. In spite of these wonders, the children of Israel rebelled against God. However, God was ready to pardon them. We have a wonderful description of him at the end of v. 17. In spite of their human failure—and ours—He displays divine grace. It also mentions God’s kindness. This is not something we read about often; one meaning of kindness is “tolerant and forgiving under provocation.” Jonah talks about God’s kindness, after God forgave Ninevah. We read that David was kind to the family of Saul, especially Mephibosheth; that’s a good picture of the Lord. The Lord Himself is a sign of God’s kindness. Read Ephesians 2:7; we are proofs of God’s kindness, because in spite of what we were, God’s kindness shines through. Then, in Ephesians 4:32, we are exhorted “By ye kind …"
The Jews recognized all God did for them, in spite of their rebellion. In v. 18, so soon after they left Egypt, they were worshipping idols. They must have been doing this in Egypt, as it was a very idolatrous nation. How could they have believed in the power of an idol that was simply made of gold? It may be, in part, because it takes faith to believe in God. Yet, v. 19, God didn’t leave them. We can feel that ourselves; God doesn’t give up on us when we get cold. God didn’t give up on them until many years later, when they completely gave up on Him. This was in Ezekiel’s time; even then, God left slowly, hoping they would realize and repent.
We saw with the children that Isaac loved Rebekah: the Lord loves His bride. But do we love Him? Did the children of Israel love Him? God’s love demands a response.
Hymn 2 - A mind at perfect peace with God
Prayer