God’s Timeline – Part 31 A Wife for Isaac

 

God’s Timeline – Part 31

A Wife for Isaac

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

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This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church

 

SERMON INTRODUCTION (2021 A.D. = 5781 Jewish Calendar Year)

 

-         Creation Week (Approximately 4000 B.C.)

o   Adam, Eve, and the Fall

 

-         Cain and Abel

o   Evil Fills the World

 

-         Noah Did All God Commanded Him

o   The Flood 2400 – 2300 B.C.)

o   God’s Covenant with Noah

 

-         Noah’s Sons and Ham’s Sin

-         Nations of Noah’s Sons

-         Tower of Babel

-         God calls Abram (2112 B.C.)

o   Abram and Lot part ways

o   Rescue of Lot

-         The Lord’s Covenant with Abram for Isaac

o   Hagar and Ishmael Born (2101 B.C.) Abram 86 years old

o   Sarai and Isaac

-         The Three Visitors

-         Abraham Pleads for Sodom

-         Birth of Isaac (2088 B.C. Abraham 99 years old Sarah 90-Hagar and Ishmael sent away)

-         The Lord tests Abraham (2070-2068 B.C. Isaac 18-20 years old)

-         Sarah Dies 127 years old (2051 B.C. Abraham is 136)

-         A wife for Isaac (2054 B.C. Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah)

 

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Genesis 24:1-9

“Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

 

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”

 

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.”

 

 

       I.         ABRAHAM TRUSTS GOD FOR A WIFE FOR ISAAC

a.      The faith and trust Abraham eventually developed lasted!

                                     i.      We learn a few things from these verses about Abraham.

                                  ii.      He still maintains his faith and trust in the Lord he obtained from his test in Genesis 22.

                               iii.      He did not lose his faith and trust when his wife died.

                                iv.      He acknowledged tat the Lord had blessed him in every way.

                                   v.      And now he has faith and trust in the Lord that God will provide a wife for his son Isaac.

 

b.     He asked the Senior Servant “who was in charge of all he had” (obviously not a slave)

                                     i.      Remember, servants are not slaves.

                                  ii.      This one was in charge “of all” Abraham had!

                               iii.      Abraham made him swear an oath that he would find a wife for Isaac from Abrahams country, not a Canaanite.

                                iv.      He wanted Isaacs’s wife to be a descendant of Shem.

                                   v.      He also made the servant swear not to take Isaac there, he was to remain in the promised land, and avoid, perhaps the temptation to stay there with his new wife and their family.

 

c.      Servant asks, “But, what if she is unwilling?”

                                     i.      Abraham stood on his statement; Isaac is not to leave the promised land.

                                  ii.      If she refuses to return, then the oath is forgiven.

 

 

   II.         ABRAHAMS SENIOR SERVANT COMPLIES WITH HIS WISHES

a.      The servant obeys Abraham but wants to be sure to find the one God wants.

                                     i.      The servant trusts and obeys Abraham to fulfill his oath.

                                  ii.      He wants to be sure and bring the right one back, he needs a sign.

 

b.     He asks for a sign (weak faith but strong trust)

                                     i.      Sometimes our trust in the Lord is strong, but our faith may be weak.

                                  ii.      Sometimes we may ask God for a sign to ensure we follow the right path.

 

ILLUSTRATION

When it was time to replace Judas among the Disciples, there were many faithful men to choose from. Not knowing which God wanted them to choose, they “drew lots” as a sign to them.

 When Gideon was not sure of God’s will, he laid out a fleece and the morning would bring the answer as a sign to him. However, in this case, his faith was weak, and he actually asked many times to be answered with this sign. He even said in Judges 6:39 “Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.”

 Sometimes our faith is weak, and we need a sign. However, this should never replace reading God’s Word, and building a relationship with Him through prayer and the Holy Spirit!

 These were desperate times and incredibly important decisions.

 We do NOT see “signs” being used very often, but very sparingly and only recorded a few times in the Word. Without a proper foundation in the Word, one could easily be led astray believing all things to be signs, usually resulting from wanting to follow your own will as opposed to God’s.

 

c.      Rebekah IS the one

                                  i.      She is from the line of Shem.

                               ii.      She not only offered water but watered the camels as well.

                            iii.      And when they returned to her family, the story of Abraham, Isaac and God’s signs being answered, they all agreed it was of the Lord.”

                             iv.      Then he gave gold, silver, jewelry, clothing, costly gifts to the brother and mother.

1.      This was the dowry.

 

                                v.      But the next morning, the family wanted to keep her for 10-days “or so”

                             vi.      The servant said, “do not detain me”

                          vii.      The family answered, “Let us call the young woman and ask her about it.”

1.      Rebekah said yes.

 

III.         GOD ANSWERS ABRAHAM, BLESSING HIS SON WITH REBEKAH

a.      Though God led the servant to Rebekah, she still had to say YES

 

ILLUSTRATION

One of the reasons marriage is important in the bible is because it is a picture, a symbol, a reflection between a man and a woman as Christ and the Church.

 Christ the groom offering a dowry more precious than gold and silver, more lavish than jewelry, and costly gifts, His substitutional sacrifice for his bride, so that she may not suffer.

 The Church as the bride, seeing the dowry offered by the groom, must accept and receive it if there is to be a union between the two!

 The groom offers his marriage contract (New Testament) to the bride, and if she accepts, she drinks from the cup of wine to “seal” the contract and binding oath to become one with the groom.

 

b.     Rebekah covered herself before Isaac reached the caravan

                                  i.      After they travel back to the promised land, Rebekah sees Isaac afar off coming towards them, and she covers herself with her vail

1.      She was very beautiful (Genesis 24:16)

2.      I believe this act was so no one could say that her beauty is what made Isaac marry her. He married her because he was told how God brought her to him.

 

c.      Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah

                                  i.      After the servant explained everything to Isaac, he brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and married her.

                               ii.      The scripture says she became his wife, and he loved her.

                            iii.      It also says that Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death, which took place nearly 3 years before this.

  

CONCLUSION –

 

 We see God continue to bless Abraham and his family. Isaac will soon become the patriarch of the clan alongside his wife Rebekah, and together they will build God’s promise to Abraham.

 

We can put our faith and trust in the Lord.

 

There is guidance and hope for all who faithfully serve Him.

 

This marriage is not “just” a marriage and beginning of a lineage, but a picture of the coming promise of Salvation through Christ, and the coming church age!

 

 

Next week we will learn about Jacob and Esau

 

 

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