February 7, 2013
FOLLOW GOD'S CALLING
Genesis 24:52-67
Conner Price
Central Truth
When God calls us, we must have faith and follow His calling.
Key Verse | Genesis 24:58
Then they called Rebekah and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' And she said, 'I will go.' (Genesis 24:58)
Genesis 24:52-67
52 When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”
1
24:60
Or hate them
61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Dive Deeper | Genesis 24:52-67
Ever have a really important decision to make? If you are anything like me, you will sit down and make a pros-and-cons list. If it is a decision that could affect your future, it could take days, weeks, months, even years to make the decision. I go back and forth before finally making a decision. However, after looking at this text, I realized I spend way too much time trying to come up with a decision on my own, instead of trusting what the Lord has called me to do.
The thing that sticks out the most to me from this passage is Rebekah's faith and trust. She has never seen Abraham's servant before and has never even met Isaac, the man she is supposed to marry.
Her family wanted her to stay with them, but Abraham's servant knew that he needed to return to Abraham as soon as possible. Rebekah's family calls her in to settle the debate, probably assuming that she would side with them. But she knew that God had called her to go and marry Isaac. So, against what her family wanted and what was easiest, she decided to leave immediately and follow the Lord's calling.
My prayer is that after reading this text, all of us would first and foremost come to the Lord when faced with an important decision. Instead of thinking we can come up with the best solution, we all need to ask the Lord what He has in store for us and follow His guidance.
Discussion Questions
1. What is the first thing you do when faced with an important decision? Go to the Lord or make a plan on your own?
2. What are the coping mechanisms that you go to when you have to make a hard decision? What can you do to overcome them?
3. What can you do to trust God more each and every day?