Genesis 25:12

Genesis 25:12 says, Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:  We sometimes forget that Ishmael was also the father of many people or nations.  God had made a promise to Hagar, and He kept it.  Verse thirteen states, And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,  Verse fourteen continues, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,  And verse fifteen concludes, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:  Ishmael was also the father of twelve groups of people or nations.  Just because God choses to work through one person or group of people doesn't mean that others a automatically doomed because of where they were born or what group of people they were born into.  What made Abraham and his descendants through Sarah special was not a fact of physical birth, but was the fact of a covenant relationship with God.  As followers of Christ, the same is true of us today.  Verse sixteen says, These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.  Ishmael's sons prospered in the world.  Verse seventeen declares, And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.  Matthew Henry says that it does not say that Ishmael was full of years, so he may have died unexpectedly though he had lived a long life.  We are not guaranteed that we will live a long life, but we need to make each day and year count for God's purpose in our lives to the best of our ability.  Verse eighteen concludes, And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.  The descendants of Ishmael covered a lot of territory.  Verse nineteen declares, And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:  Now we are given the descendants of Isaac, actually beginning with Isaac himself.  Isaac was the son of promise to Abraham and Sarah.  Verse twenty states, And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.  Isaac was forty years old when Rebekah and he were married.  We are not told how old Rebekah was.  Verse twenty-one declares, And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.  Just like Abraham and Sarah, Rebekah and Isaac had difficulty in conceiving a child, though God had told Abraham that through Isaac he would be the father of a great nation.  Just because God makes a promise to our parents does not mean that everything will be easy for us.  Isaac asked God to give them a child.  He had to have that personal relationship with God and recognize God as being the One Who blessed them with a child.  We must have that personal relationship with God to claim His blessings and cannot be saved by our parents relationship to God.  God answered Isaac's prayer.  Verse twenty-two states, And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.  Rebekah was evidently having a difficult pregnancy, and she asked the LORD why this was true.  If we have difficulties in life as followers of Christ, we may wonder why.  The best thing to do is not to doubt God, but to go to Him with our concerns.  Verse twenty-three declares, And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.  God told Rebekah that she was going to have twins, and that the older of the twins would serve the younger.  This was not the normal case, but we need to remember that God is not limited by tradition or man made laws.

Genesis 25:1

Genesis 25:1 says, Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.  After Sarah died, and when he was now very old, Abraham got married again.  When a spouse dies, the surviving spouse is free to marry again, no matter their age.  Verse two states, And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.  Evidently Keturah was younger than Abraham, because she had six children with Abraham.  We often remember Ishmael and forget these other children, but they and their children were also descendants of Abraham, but they were not a part of God's promise to Abraham.  Only Isaac was the son of both Abraham and Sarah.  No matter who we may be related to, we can only become a child of God through our relationship with Christ.  The two verses give a partial genealogy of the children of Keturah.  Verse three says, And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.  Then verse four adds, And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children and grandchildren of Abraham and Keturah.  We are not told of any great nations that came from them.  Verse five declares, And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.  Though this would have been according to God's promise to Abraham,  I wonder how his other children felt.  I believe that when we do things that are not totally within God's will that there will be consequences.  Though Abraham was free to marry and have other children, at no point are we told that God blessed him in this.  We may at times do things that are legal in the eyes of the world but are not in accordance with God's calling in our life.  Verse six states,  But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.  This says that to the sons of the concubines, or those that Abraham was not married to, he gave gifts and sent them away.  Since we only know of Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, then I am not sure if Abraham considered Katurah's children to be the same as Ishmael.  Again, even though leaving everything to Isaac would have been according to God's plan, Abraham did have to decide what to do about his other children.  Sometimes if we do things that are outside of God's plan, we may have to deal with what results from our actions.  Verse seven proclaims, And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.  Abraham had lived many years after Sarah died.  Then verse eight adds, Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.  Abraham died as an old man full of years.  One thing we can be certain of, if Christ doesn't return first, is that we will die.  The question is how obedient will we be to God while we are living, no matter how long that may be.  Verse nine states, And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;  Isaac and Ishmael were still at least in the same area at this time, and they buried Abraham. The children of Keturah are not mentioned, though they were Abraham's sons.  Verse ten adds, The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.  Abraham was buried with Sarah.  Sarah was the mother of Isaac, the child of God's promise to Abraham.  God's promise had been to Abraham and Sarah.  We cannot change God's plan by attempting to do things our own way.  Verse eleven declares, And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.  God blessed Isaac.  I believe that God was also calling Abraham's other children to Him, but we are not told what happened to them.  Like Isaac, as followers of Christ, we are blessed, but that doesn't mean that God is not at work calling all the lost to Him.  Through Christ, salvation is available to all who will accept Him by faith.

Genesis 24:62

Genesis 24:62 says, And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.  Isaac had still been at work while the servant was away seeking a bride for him.  I assume he knew what was happening, but he really didn't have as much of a part in it as even Rebekah did.  There may be times in our lives when we don't seem to have much control over what is happening, but if so, we must simply put our faith in God and continue to follow His leadership in our life.  Verse sixty-three states, And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.  I am not sure what Isaac was meditating on, but I believe that he was taking some time alone to commune with God.  We need to take some time alone every day to spend communing with God.  We cannot successfully follow Christ without spending time every day in communion with Him.  Verse sixty-four declares, And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.  Rebekah looked up.  When we really want to see what God has in store for us, we must look up to Him.  Verse sixty-five adds, For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.  When Rebekah saw Isaac, she asked the servant who he was, and he told her that it was his master.  Rebekah the covered herself with a veil.  She was being modest before she met Isaac, the man she had already agreed to marry.  I believe that God expects us to be modest in our relationships with others, even if they are the person we intend to marry.  I know that the model today seems to be that two people meet, fall in what they call love, move in together, get engaged, maybe have a child or two, and then get married.  This is not God's plan.  Verse sixty-six states, And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.  Verse sixty-seven concludes, And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. They were now married, and Isaac loved Rebekah and was comforted..

Genesis 24:53

Genesis 24:53 says, And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.  The servant gave Rebekah many valuable gifts, and he also gave her brother and mother many precious things.  Though we might look at this as the servant attempting to buy Rebekah, her family and she had already agreed that she would go, so the servant was simply sharing with them some of the things that would be hers after she married.  When two people get married, everything they have should be shared by both.  Verse fifty-four says, And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.  The servant ate and drank and spent the night with the family, but the next morning he was ready to go.  He did ask their permission that he be allowed to leave though.  He did not just claim his right to take Rebekah with him after it was agreed that she would go, but he was ready to complete his mission.  Even if we know that we are doing what God has called us to do, we should never just move ahead without any concern about how what we are doing may affect others.  It is better that they support us if possible than for us to act in a ways that may alienate them.  Verse fifty-five states, And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.  Her brother and mother requested that they wait at least ten days before Rebekah left.  They may have agreed that she could go, but they were not ready for her to leave immediately.  Sometimes, other people may attempt to get us to delay in doing what God has called us to do for what may be a valid reason, but we cannot allow them to do so.  Rebekah's family were about to send her away, knowing they might never see her again, so it was not unreasonable to want a few more days with her.  Verse fifty-six declares, And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.  Again, the servant did not simply say that he was leaving immediately and taking Rebekah with him.  He asked that they not delay him in completing his mission.  The servant was basically seeking their blessing for Rebekah and him to leave immediately.  We today are better off if we leave to do God's work with the blessings or support of our families .  Verse fifty-seven says, And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.  Her brother and mother said they would leave the decision up to Rebekah.  Our family may agree that we are to do something for God today, but ultimately the choice is ours to make.  They could have said that they would decide when Rebekah would leave, but instead said the choice was hers.  Verse fifty-eight states, And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.  They called Rebekah and asked her if she would go, I believe meaning immediately, and she said she would.  Like Rebekah, we have a choice about whether or not we will do what we feel is God's will for us, and no one else can make that choice for us.  Verse fifty-nine adds, And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.  When Rebekah agreed to go with the servant, her brother and mother sent her away with her nurse.  They may have wanted more time with Rebekah, but they did not keep her from going.  If God calls some of our family away to another place to serve, we must not attempt to hinder them.  Verse sixty continues, And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.  Her brother and mother sent Rebekah away with their blessing and a desire for her to be successful in God's plan.  They did not say for her to go but to come back to them the first time something went wrong.  As followers of Christ, if we send someone away to follow God's calling in their life, we must send them with our blessings and pray only for their success.  We should never secretly hope that they will fail and return to us.  Verse sixty-one declares, And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.  The decision being made, they went on their way.  Once we have decided we know what God wants us to do, we need to be on our way to do whatever it is that He is calling us to do.

Genesis 24:42

Genesis 24:42 says, And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:  The servant begins to tell Rebekah's relatives how he decided that she was the one he was looking for.  He said it was all done under the guidance of the LORD.  Like the servant, when we have a decision to make, we should always look to God for guidance.  Verse forty-three states, Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;  The servant said that his plan was to stand by the well and wait until a virgin, or young woman, came to draw water and ask her for a drink.  This was not an elaborate plan, so the servant had to rely on God to send the right young woman.  We today do not need elaborate plans to determine God's will, but only faith that He will guide us.  Verse forty-four adds, And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.  The servant said that he asked that the right woman offer to not only offer water to him, but to his camels as well.  I believe this would show that she was willing to do more than what was just asked of her, and would also reveal her compassionate nature.  We should also be willing to do more than just the minimum when we help others under God's guidance, out of a real compassion for them.  Verse forty-five continues, And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.  The servant said he had barely finished speaking, which would have been his prayer to God, when Rebekah came to the well.  Some prayers are answered almost immediately, as was the prayer in this case, but sometimes we have to wait for the answer.  Verse forty-six says, And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.  The servant said Rebekah offered him water and offered to water his camels..  I believe that this would imply that God was not at work just in the life of the servant, but in the life of Rebekah as well.  Verse forty-seven states, And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.  The servant asked her whose daughter she was, and she told him.  He then gave her the earrings and bracelets.  I believe that this was a sign that the servant believed that she was the one God had intended to be Isaac's wife.  We must be able to recognize when God answers our prayers.  I believe that the servant felt that Rebekah was the one he was looking for, and if she would not go that he had fulfilled his vow.  Verse forty-eight declares, And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.  The servant bowed his head and worshipped God for answering his prayer.  We should always be quick to praise God when He answers our prayers.  Verse forty-nine adds, And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.  Having told them why he was there, the servant asked that they agree to allow Rebekah to go with him.  Verse fifty says, Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.  Laban and Bethuel basically said that this was God's work and they could not oppose it, so the servant could take Rebekah with Him.  They had to have faith that the servant was telling the truth and also that they were doing what was right for Rebekah.  We sometimes just have to put our faith in the fact that other Christians are doing God's will, especially when it affects us personally.  Verse fifty-one declares, Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.  Laban and Bethuel told the servant to take Rebekah and go since God had spoken.  Again, they had to have a lot of faith in the servant and God.  Sometimes, we simply have to act in faith.  Verse fifty-two  states, And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.  The servant once again worshipped God for answering his prayer.  We can never worship God too much as He works in our lives.

Genesis 24:32

Genesis 24:32 says, And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.  The servant and those with him were treated with great hospitality.  Their camels were cared for and so were they.  We should always be hospitable to others whenever possible, even if it costs us a little materially.  Verse thirty-three adds, And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.  The servant and those with him were offered food, but the servant said he would not eat until he told them about his errand.  He was putting his duty to Abraham above his own needs.  We should always put the things that we vow to do for God above our own physical needs.  I believe that although the servant's vow was to Abraham, he was really there to fulfill God's plan.  The servant was told to tell what he needed to say.  Verse thirty-four declares, And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.  The servant first identifies himself and his relationship to Abraham.  Though they were his relatives, these people may not have heard anything about Abraham since he left.  Verse thirty-five adds, And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.  The servant tells them of the many ways that God had blessed Abraham.  I believe that as followers of Christ today, that if we see someone we may not have seen in a long time, that when we share with them about our life that we should always give God the credit for any success that we have.  Verse thirty-six continues, And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.  The servant told of the birth of Isaac late in Sarah and Abraham's life, and that Abraham was going to pass everything he had on to him.  We can be certain of one thing, and that is that when we die everything we own will pass on to someone.  Abraham had become rich and powerful, but the only thing he could take with him after he died was his relationship to God, and that is all anyone can take with them.  Verse thirty-seven adds further, And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:  The servant told them of his oath to Abraham to not find a wife for Isaac from among the woman in the land where he lived.  Verse thirty-eight concludes, But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.  The servant now tells them exactly what his errand was.  He was there to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham's kin folk.  This is not exactly the way we see finding a wife portrayed in the movies today, but it was not uncommon then and in parts of the world today.  I believe that the important thing is that Abraham and his servant believed that God was behind their plans, and we today, as followers of Christ, should make sure that God is behind our choice of a husband or wife.  Verse thirty-nine states, And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.  The servant recognized the fact that the woman he selected might not be willing to go with him.  He wasn't there to take some who didn't want to go.  As we go about doing God's work today, we cannot make anyone else go with us.  Verse forty states, And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:  Abraham told the servant that God would be with the servant when he chose a wife for Isaac.  If God is with us in our plans, then we should never fear failure, especially from a spiritual prospective.  Verse forty-one adds, Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.  Abraham told the servant that if he chose someone, under God's guidance, and she would not come then the servant would be freed from his oath.  Like the servant, we can only do what we believe that God is leading us to do, and the success or failure is not our responsibility.  Our main purpose as followers of Christ is to share the gospel, and when we do we are being faithful to God, whether people accept the gospel or not.

Genesis 24:21

Genesis 24:21 says, And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.  The servant didn't immediately tell Rebekah what he was there for.  He was still waiting to make sure that this was God answering his prayer.  We should never just assume that when thing's seem fall in place that it is God's answer to our prayers.  Verse twenty-two states, And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;  The servant rewarded Rebekah for her kindness even before asking her who she was.  She still might not have been the answer to his prayer.  Verse twenty-three asks, And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?  The servant then asked Rebekah whose daughter she was, and if there was room there for his camels and himself to lodge.  Finding the right woman to be Isaac's wife was only part of the task.  The servant also had to persuade her to come with him to marry Isaac.  He needed to talk with her family about this.  If what we see as answer to prayer involves others, we must be sure that they understand why we are doing what we are doing.  Verse twenty-four declares, And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.  Rebekah told the servant some of her family history.  Verse twenty-five adds, She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.  She then told the servant that that had enough room and provisions to meet his needs.  She still did not know the real reason the servant was there, but she offered the hospitality of her family anyway.  We, like Rebekah, should always offer our help and our hospitality to others whenever possible, without wondering how we will profit from doing so.  Verse twenty-six states, And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.  The first thing that the servant did was bow his head and worship God.  If we feel that God has answered our prayers, our first action should be to worship Him.  We often regulate worship to a particular time or place, but we should worship God wherever we are, especially if we feel that He has answered our prayers.  Verse twenty-seven says, And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.  The servant said that the LORD of his master Abraham had answered his prayer and had rewarded his trip by leading him to the daughter of one of Abraham's relatives.  Though he was working on behalf of Abraham, the servant still acknowledged that God was at work in his life.  If we are working on behalf of others, as followers of Christ, we must make sure that we are being obedient to God and give Him the praise when He answers our prayers.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.  Rebekah did not hesitate, but ran and told her family what had happened.  She may not have totally understood what was happening, but she wanted to share what had happened so far with her family.  We may not understand everything that God is doing in our lives, but we should share what He has done so far whenever we can.  Verse twenty-nine says, And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.  Rebekah's brother Laban ran to the servant at the well.  Verse thirty adds, And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.  Laban wanted to see who the man was who had given Rebekah the earrings and bracelets.  I believe that we today would be especially curious if a stranger gave valuable gifts to our young sister or daughter, but we like Laban should meet the man if possible and see why he had done so.  Verse thirty-one states, And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.  Laban acknowledged that the servant was blessed of the LORD, and told him to come on, that he had a place prepared for the servant and his camels.  We are not told how Laban recognized that God was at work, but only that he did.  We today should never assume that we are the only ones who can recognize the work of God in the world.