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[0:00] And good morning, everybody. Good morning. We're back in the book of Genesis today, Genesis chapter 24.! We took a break last week. James preached through 1 Peter 5, a little bit of 1 Peter 5.

[0:11] ! But we're back in Genesis. And chapter 24, it actually turns out it's the longest chapter in Genesis. 67 verses. So we're going to go through that today. And in this chapter, we have a love story. We have a love story, a romance story.

[0:26] Boy meets girl. Isaac, Abraham's son, is going to meet his wife, Rebecca. Up until now, for the last several weeks, months, our focus has been on Abraham since Genesis chapter 12.

[0:41] But now we see Abraham is nearing the end of his life. He's an old man, blessed by God in all things. And actually, in fact, last chapter, his wife, Sarah, has just passed away.

[0:52] And now we're shifting our focus to the next generation, to Isaac, to his son Isaac, the one that he's waited for, the one God promised, the one he almost had to sacrifice to God.

[1:05] And in our passage today, we'll see God providing a wife for Isaac. And here, it happens so easily. Abraham sends his servant to go find a wife for Isaac.

[1:20] And everything just falls into place. The servant prays for a specific sign. And it happens immediately. The first girl he sees, she does the sign that he prayed for.

[1:31] Don't we sometimes wish it were that easy? Now, this passage teaches us about relationships, about marriage, and what to look for in relationships.

[1:42] But today, I'm not going to talk about four steps to find a wife. Some of you guys probably wish I was preaching that sermon. I see you guys in the front. But as we read the story, I want to see something bigger than that.

[1:56] That God's providence is extending over all this. It's not just Isaac finding a wife, but God's hand was all over it. He was guiding every detail, orchestrating it.

[2:08] God's providence extends over all of it. And that word providence, that might not be one that we use a lot in our vocabulary. John Piper defines providence as God's wise and purposeful sovereignty.

[2:24] Sovereignty means that God's in control. He is in control of everything. God's providence means that he uses his sovereignty for his good and wise purposes.

[2:35] And in Genesis 24, we'll see God arranging every detail so that Isaac can meet his wife, Rebecca. And God also provides for us. As missionary Hudson Taylor said, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

[2:52] God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. That's the assurance we have when we follow Jesus. And we're going to look at that. The joy, the privilege we have of living every aspect of our lives under the providence of God.

[3:06] And with that, let's stand as we read from Genesis chapter 24. I'm going to invite Alex and Gracie up to read for us. Genesis chapter 24. Okay. Are you ready?

[3:19] It's going to be really long. I hope it's not boring. Okay. The word is not boring at all. Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

[3:33] And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all he had, put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred and to take a wife for my son Isaac.

[3:57] The servant said to him, perhaps a woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came? Abraham said to him, see to it that you do not take my son back there.

[4:11] The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred and who spoke to me and swore to me, to your offspring, I will give you this land.

[4:23] He will send his angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine.

[4:33] Only you must not take my son back here. So the servant put his hand under the thighs of Abraham, his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice of gift from his master.

[4:49] And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels knelt down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.

[5:02] And he said, Oh Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

[5:20] Let the young woman to whom I shall say, please let down your jar that I may drink. And who shall say, drink, and I will water your camels. Let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac.

[5:34] By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master. Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebecca, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jug on her shoulder.

[5:53] The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, please give me a little water to drink from your jar.

[6:08] She said, drink, my Lord. And she quickly let down her jar from upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she finished giving him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also until they have finished drinking.

[6:22] So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water. And she drew for all his camels. The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.

[6:36] When the camels finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels and said, please tell me whose daughter you are.

[6:48] Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night? She said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. She added, we have plenty of both straw and fodder and room to spend the night.

[7:04] The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, blessed be the Lord, the son of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master.

[7:16] As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen. Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things. Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban.

[7:30] Laban ran out toward the man to the spring. As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms and heard the words of Rebecca, his sister, thus the man spoke to me.

[7:40] He went to the man and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. He said, come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.

[7:53] So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels. And there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Then food was set before him to eat.

[8:06] But he said, I will not eat until I have said what I have to say. He said, speak on. So he said, I am Abraham's servant.

[8:17] The Lord has greatly blessed my master and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.

[8:30] And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. And to him, he has given all that he has. My master made me swear saying, you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell.

[8:45] But you shall go to my father's house and to my clan and take a wife for my son. I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me. But he said to me, the Lord before whom I have walked will send his angel with you and prosper your way.

[9:02] You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father's house. Then you will be free from my oath when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.

[9:15] I came today to the spring and said, oh, Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water.

[9:26] Let the virgin who comes out to draw water to whom I shall say, please give me a little water from your jar to drink. And who will say to me, drink and I will draw for your camels also.

[9:38] Let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son. Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder and she went down to the spring and drew water.

[9:51] I said to her, please let me drink. She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, drink and I will give your camels drink also. So I drank and she gave the camels drink also.

[10:04] Then I asked her, whose daughter are you? She said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milka bore to him. So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arm.

[10:15] Then I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.

[10:28] Now then, if you're going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me. And if not, tell me that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.

[10:40] Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, the thing has come from the Lord. We cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you.

[10:53] Take her and go and let her be the wife of your master's son. As the Lord has spoken. When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.

[11:05] And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, of garments and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave her brother and her mother costly ornaments. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and they spent the night there.

[11:19] When they arose in the morning, he said, send me away to my master. Her brother and her mother said, let the young woman remain with us a while, at least 10 days.

[11:32] After that, she may go. But he said to them, do not delay me. Since the Lord has prospered my way, send me away that I may go with my master.

[11:43] They said, let us call the young woman and ask her. And they called Rebekah and said to her, will you go with this man? She said, I will go.

[11:54] So they sent away Rebekah, their sister and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, our sister, may you become thousands of the 10,000s.

[12:08] And may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him. Then Rebekah and her young woman arose and rolled on the camels and followed the man. Thus, the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

[12:21] Now Isaac had returned from Bir Lahiroid and was dwelling in the Negev. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw.

[12:32] And behold, there were camels coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes. And when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel and said to the servant, who is that man walking in the field to meet us?

[12:47] The servant said, it is my master. So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.

[12:57] 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.

[13:13] Thank you. This is the word of the Lord. Please take a seat. And God, we look to you. You are God in heaven. You are God of heaven and earth. Our God is in heavens. He does all that he pleases.

[13:23] He does all that he pleases. Pray that you will show us through your word a big view of you. And for us to see the joy it is to be in Christ. That you are for us in Christ.

[13:33] We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Yeah. It was a long passage. Thanks for standing with us. But we believe the word of God is living and active, speaks to us. And we are to devote ourselves to the public reading of scripture.

[13:46] And actually, I think it's a fascinating story. A love story. And we see God's hand over all the details of the story. Now, it's about Abraham's servant going out to find Isaac a wife.

[14:01] The chapter begins with Abraham commanding his servant to do some matchmaking for Isaac. And as we read this, I want us to observe this. That Abraham has full confidence that this mission will succeed.

[14:16] Abraham has full confidence in God's providence. He says in verse 7. The Lord, the God of heaven, he will send his angel before you.

[14:26] And you shall take a wife for my son from there. Trust that God will send an angel and make this mission prosper. Why does Abraham have this confidence that God will provide?

[14:40] First, Abraham knows who the Lord is. He's God of heaven. That's what he says. The Lord, the God of heaven will do this. In verse 3, he addresses the Lord as God of heaven and earth.

[14:52] Abraham knows that the Lord is the one who made all of it. Who made the heavens and the earth. He's the creator and the sovereign God over heavens and the earth. He holds all of this in his hands. Second, Abraham knows the Lord's promises.

[15:06] Because some of us sitting here might be thinking, I really need to find a wife. And maybe that's true for you. But here, Isaac absolutely, certainly needs to find a wife.

[15:18] And that's because God made a covenant with Abraham. God bound himself in relationship to Abraham and promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

[15:33] He will make Abraham into a great nation. And in Abraham's offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. That's God's promise to Abraham. And we've learned that the promise will come through Abraham's son, Isaac.

[15:48] So for that to happen, Isaac needs to get married. To have children. So that he can have offspring. And so Abraham reasons out that God must provide Isaac a wife.

[15:59] He's bound by his covenant. And that faith, that trust that God will provide, that God promised, it shapes how Abraham goes about this mission. He sends out his servant with some strict requirements.

[16:13] Some strict non-negotiables. And that's because when we trust in God's providence, then we don't have to compromise. If God promises to provide for us, we don't have to settle and do it our way, as we've seen Abraham do time and time again before.

[16:30] First, Abraham says in verse 3, this is the first requirement. He says in verse 3, Now, problem is, they were living in the land of Canaan.

[16:47] They were living among Canaanites. It'd be so easy to find a Canaanite wife. The servant can go out. There's Canaanites everywhere. They were living in that land. But instead, Abraham tells his servant, go to my country and to my kindred.

[17:01] The servant needs to go back to Abraham's hometown, homeland in Mesopotamia. That's over 800 kilometers away. And they didn't have planes. They don't have paved roads.

[17:12] That's at least a 20-day journey by foot, 800 kilometers. And not only that, he has to go to this place, maybe he's never even been, find one of Abraham's distant relatives, who knows what he looks like, and find a woman from that family as Isaac's wife.

[17:28] It's a long journey. It's the harder way. So why do that? And that's because, Abraham knows, marrying a Canaanite would invite compromise.

[17:41] He was living in Canaan. If Isaac married a Canaanite, he would merge with the surrounding culture. He would take on their customs. Customs of people who didn't know God, who were committed to idolatry.

[17:54] They would get swallowed up in their ways and forget the ways of the Lord. That this small covenant community that God made with Abraham was at risk of being swallowed up by the Canaanites, by their neighbors.

[18:05] And not just any neighbors, but by a people that we learned in Genesis chapter 15, who will be judged by God and cast out of the promised land.

[18:16] The Canaanites would be judged by God and cast out. And so to protect Isaac against this, to protect against this compromise, Abraham tells his servant to go all the way back to his homeland in Mesopotamia to find a wife there for Isaac.

[18:33] But in verse 5, the servant asks, what if the woman won't come with me? What if I go, I find someone, but she's not willing to come back with me? Fair question.

[18:44] Right? Because imagine a stranger walked all over from Laos. Walked from Laos to Hong Kong and told you, hey, pack your bags. I found your spouse. I don't know photos.

[18:56] Don't worry. Come with me. Right? You might have a few questions for that person. You might, you might not, you might ask a few things. But even if that happens, even if she says no, Abraham is adamant.

[19:11] He says, you cannot bring Isaac back to my homeland. Even if she doesn't come, I know God will bring her. But even if, if in the case that she doesn't, you cannot bring Isaac back.

[19:24] And that is also an act of faith. Abraham trusts that God promised to give Isaac's, to give him the land. Along with that promise of offspring, God promised Abraham the land of Canaan.

[19:40] And he doesn't want Isaac to step out, leave that land, leave that promise. He also doesn't want Isaac to be tempted to look back. Because living in Mesopotamia is the easier way.

[19:53] It's the easier life. Abraham, since God called him to go his whole life, he wandered around in tents. He didn't have a city, a house, a homeland that he settled in.

[20:04] But Isaac, if he went back to Mesopotamia, he could go back and live with his relatives in a city where it was prosperous, where he'd be safe and secure, not wandering around. And in fact, we see in verse 10 that there was a city actually named after Abraham's relative, Nahor.

[20:21] He could live, Isaac could go and live in a city run whose mayor was a friend of his, was a relative. He could live an easy, secure life there.

[20:33] But Abraham says, no, you can't bring Isaac back because Abraham wanted Isaac to remember God's promise. They will receive this land. I won't look back. I won't look back to that land from which I came as we read in Hebrews 11 a few weeks ago.

[20:47] And so Abraham tells the servant in verse 8, hey, if she won't come back with you, that's okay. You're free from your oath. You're free from this obligation to me. Just do not bring Isaac back.

[20:58] He has to stay here. And so I want to ask us, where are we tempted, in fact, in our lives to compromise? Where are we tempted to settle for less, take the shortcut, the easy way, to turn our backs to where God is leading us and what he's promised us?

[21:20] How about in relationships? We know God wants us to marry someone, to be yoked, to be equally yoked to someone, someone who in Abraham's, for Abraham, it was to find someone in his family, for us in our spiritual family, someone who is a follower of Christ within the household of God.

[21:42] It would be a lot easier for Isaac to marry a Canaanite. There's a lot more Canaanites around than non-Canaanites in that land. It's a long journey to Mesopotamia. That same thing can compromise us.

[21:56] Let's trust in God's providence. If a husband or wife is what we need, God will provide. If waiting is what we need also, God provided waiting for Abraham. 25 years for Isaac.

[22:10] If not getting what we want in this life is what we need, God will provide also. And so when we trust God to provide, we don't search, we don't need to search for shortcuts, compromise to take hold of what he hasn't given us yet.

[22:26] Also, trusting God doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing. God's providence also leads us to take action, pray expectantly. So in verse 10, the servant sets off.

[22:38] He swears to Abraham, I will do all these things. And he sets off to Mesopotamia. He takes a journey of a few weeks to go to a place he doesn't know. How is he going to find Isaac's wife there? How is he going to know who God has provided for Isaac?

[22:51] Servant is wise. He positions himself in verse 11. He goes by the well in the evening at the time when women go out to draw water. See, he's smart enough.

[23:02] He sets up shop where all the action is. But on top of that, he's wise enough to stop and pray. Because out of all the women coming out to get water, how is he going to have any clue who God has prepared?

[23:15] He wants to know. And so he goes and prays. And this is what he does. He asks for a sign in verse 14. He prays. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, please let down your jar that I may drink.

[23:29] Pretty much, I'll ask a woman to get me water. And if she says, I'll give you water. But also, I'm going to offer to get water for your camels also. Without him asking, the woman who offers to also get water for his camels.

[23:44] That, let her be the one that you appointed for your servant Isaac. That's the sign that she's the one. Now I want to think about this.

[23:54] Is the servant right to pray that, to ask for a sign? I think so. He's not doing it out of fear and doubt. We see elsewhere, for example, Gideon's story, where he asks God for a sign with the fleece.

[24:07] Make the fleece wet, but the ground dry. Make the fleece dry, but the ground wet. But Gideon there, he's asking out of fear. Again, even after God shows him a sign.

[24:18] In this case, the servant wasn't trying to force God's hand or rush his timeline or doing it out of fear. He was on a journey that he knew was blessed by God, that God would send his angel before him.

[24:31] And he's praying for God to make clear what the next step is. And notice this. The sign that he asked for, it wasn't anything spectacular or supernatural or miraculous in the way we think about it.

[24:49] He didn't ask God to write her name in the sky with some clouds. Right? Rebecca in the clouds. He didn't ask God to whisper her name in his ear.

[25:00] He asked for something that was actually really ordinary. It's a specific request. It's specific. But also a really ordinary, mundane one.

[25:11] And actually, it's a sign of good character. He's asking for a sign that this is a woman that shows hospitality. A sign that she is someone who is kind and compassionate.

[25:25] Maybe to us, it doesn't sound like much to get water for camels. But keep in mind, each camel can drink 100 liters at a time. He had 10 camels.

[25:36] That's a lot of work. Could take hours. It's an exhausting, inconvenient act of service for a stranger. An over-the-top act of hospitality. That's the sign he's praying for.

[25:47] Show me someone who's generous, hospitable, servant-hearted. He's asking God to show him someone like that for Isaac. And so I think it's okay to ask for signs.

[25:59] God sometimes answers like he did in this case. Not always. He'll guide us. The regular way that God guides our decisions is by letting us know what is good through his word.

[26:13] He reveals to us his will through his word and by giving us wisdom, guiding us to know what is good by the spirit. The servant, we saw, was wise enough to know.

[26:25] Hey, woman, they will come out to the well in the evening. That's the time they come out to draw water. And he was wise enough to ask God to show a woman of good character for Isaac.

[26:38] These are traits that we know are pleasing to God. These are good things to ask for. It's good to be kind and hospitable. And personally for me, before I married my wife Jojo, or before I met her, I personally, just on the theme of signs, I didn't feel called to pray for a specific sign on who I should date, who I should marry.

[27:01] But instead my prayer was this. That God, could you show me someone who's not, not just a Christian. That's not negotiable for me. But please also prepare for me. This is the sign.

[27:12] Prepare for me someone who is passionate for missions. Who shares that heart that I have. Who wants to make disciples of all nations. Who's willing to go if you are calling me to go. Someone who's heading in the same direction as me.

[27:24] That we can work side by side with together. Not going in different directions and holding each other back. Someone like that. That's the sign. That's someone I want you to prepare for me.

[27:35] That's what I prayed. And if it's to get married now or later, we trust God will provide. But in any case, won't compromise.

[27:46] Let's not compromise. I thank God in my case, he provided as I prayed. I thank him for that. And anyways, back at the well in Genesis chapter 24.

[27:57] We see God answered the servant's prayer. And as God answered, we see his fingerprints. We see several fingerprints that God's hand was orchestrating this whole encounter.

[28:09] First, in verse 15, he says, verse 15 says, before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebecca. So as the servant was praying, as the servant was asking God for the sign, before he even finished his sentence, there, Rebecca appeared instantly.

[28:28] Imagine how that servant would have felt. It's like, whoa, someone came just as I was praying. Could it be her? And so he runs over to her and asks her for some water.

[28:39] Imagine he's thinking, like, could this be? She's doing the things. She's looking over at the camels. Oh, she's asking. She sees the camels. And now she's asking about them. And now she's getting them water.

[28:50] It's exactly what I asked God for. And this all happened immediately. God answered him immediately before he had even finished asking him.

[29:01] And then in verse 22, after the camels had finished drinking, in faith that God brought him to the right woman, he puts jewelry on her.

[29:13] And that's when he gets more confirmation. He asked her who she is. And it turns out she wasn't just any kind stranger, any kind stranger who offered water for him and the camels.

[29:26] Turns out she was actually Abraham's grandniece. She was the distant relative that Abraham had sent him to find. And think about it.

[29:36] What are the odds of that happening? That the right lady from the right family shows up at the right time doing the exact right thing that he asked for. All these things lined up.

[29:48] It has to be the hand of God. And notice this, that none of these things are supernatural miracles. Like God parting the Red Sea.

[30:00] Or raising Jesus from the dead. Things that we don't see every day. But it's just ordinary, mundane things. And it goes to show that God is in control of the smallest details.

[30:12] Every detail is in the ordinary, everyday things of life. Because to arrive while he's praying, she probably left home before he even thought to ask about it.

[30:25] God was working even before the servant asked. She had that thought to go to the well. And what about all the things that had to line up for her to arrive at that exact time?

[30:36] What if she bumped into a friend and then stopped to chat for a bit? What if she forgot her water jug at home and then had to turn back and then go get it? That God was taking care of all these variables even before the servant opened his mouth.

[30:50] It's just like what Jesus said in Matthew 6. Your father knows what you need before you even ask him. As John Piper said once, God is always doing 10,000 things in your life.

[31:05] And you may be aware of three of them. That's the wisdom of God. He's probably orchestrating 10,000 different details in your life. But we only have the vision to see three of them.

[31:19] And that's true for Isaac and Rebecca. It's true for us. He sees all these details. He's meticulous. And his providence extends over all of it. And so what's the proper response to seeing God do all this?

[31:35] It is to worship. That's what the servant does in verse 26. The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord. He bowed and worshiped and said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master.

[31:52] He sees everything God does, gives the glory to God, and bows in worship. Now, I have to admit, sometimes when God answers my prayer, I take what he gives me, but I neglect to give him the glory.

[32:07] Hey, I did well on this test. I got the job I prayed for. Look how smart I am. Rather than thanking God and giving him the glory. Or sometimes my mind defaults to saying, This was a coincidence.

[32:24] And you guys know, I used to be a stock trader. I'm trained to thinking statistics, probabilities. I want to do a statistical test. Was this the hand of God? Was this a coincidence?

[32:35] Or did God really answer my prayers? But scripture tells us, scripture reminds us that nothing is left to chance. Nothing is outside God's control.

[32:47] Proverbs says, The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord. Every time someone throws a dice and it lands a certain way in Macau, even that is under the providence of God, under the sovereignty of God.

[33:04] Everything that happens, whether we label it coincidence or not, it is from God. It is from God, under his providence. And we can thank him and give the glory back to him.

[33:16] And so, Rebecca, hearing that Abraham's servant is in town, invites him over, runs back to tell her family everything that happened, because she knows this is God. And her family, they offer him food.

[33:28] They set a table before him, offer him food. But the servant refuses to eat until he has a chance to speak. He wants, his first priority is to explain what God has done to lead him exactly to Rebecca.

[33:45] And as we read, he tells the story again from the top. The story that we just went through, he tells it again from the top. And as he does, his whole focus is to highlight for us once again the Lord's providence.

[34:01] From the Lord blessing Abraham his entire life, to this confident assurance that the Lord would make his journey a success. To his prayer, and God answering it at the right time at the right person, providentially.

[34:18] And so the long and short of his retelling of the story is this, that the only reason I'm standing before you guys, the only reason I'm standing here, that I met Rebecca, is because God sovereignly led me to her.

[34:33] God guided everything. And he puts the ball back into their court. He tells them, this is what the Lord has done. This is my testimony. This is what I've seen God do.

[34:45] Will you recognize his hand in it, obey him, and let her go, and go to Isaac and be his wife? And so they respond in verse 50.

[34:56] Rebecca's brother and dad, Laban and Bethuel, her brother and dad, they answered and said, the thing has come from the Lord. We cannot speak to you bad or good. So take her and go and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has spoken.

[35:11] In other words, if God has spoken it, if he's ordained it, then we can't say it otherwise. We will let her go. And upon hearing that, the servant worships the Lord again.

[35:23] He doesn't go and thank Laban and Bethuel. That's not what he does. He goes and worships God. The glory doesn't go to her family. They made the decision, but the glory goes to God.

[35:36] He's the one who made sure that the servant's journey was successful. And even cleared that last hurdle of getting Rebecca's family to give permission. And they say they let Rebecca go.

[35:50] The next day, the servant prepares to leave. But they change their mind. In verse 55, they say, hey, let the young woman remain with us a while.

[36:01] At least 10 days after that, she may go. The servant's set on this mission. He says, don't delay me. The Lord has passed my way. Don't delay me. She has to go.

[36:12] This is what God wants. And so they call Rebecca over to resolve this, to resolve this conflict. They ask her in verse 58. She'll, she'll be the one that breaks the tie. Will you go with this man?

[36:24] Are you willing to go with him? And she settles it with just a simple answer. I will go. I will go. Think about the faith that this took.

[36:38] Rebecca never met Isaac. She's never texted him. She doesn't have a photo. She's leaving her family, her home, all that she's ever known, following a stranger she just met the day before to a foreign land, to marry a man.

[36:54] Yeah, she has no idea who he is. Purely because she saw God work. She saw God's hand, and she believes his promise.

[37:04] As we read this, does this remind you of someone else who was called to leave his country and his father's land and go? Who else believed God's promise and stepped out in faith?

[37:17] Rebecca sounds a lot like Abraham. Rebecca trusted the providence of God just like Abraham did and followed the footsteps of his faith. And so they go. Rebecca goes with the servant back to Canaan, and that's where we get this final scene.

[37:33] It's romantic. It almost reminds me of a K-drama before it cuts to that closing song on a cliffhanger. Isaac was out in the field. He's meditating.

[37:43] He looks up, and then he sees camels. He sees Rebecca. At that exact same moment, she looks over. She sees Isaac. Their eyes meet, and then the song begins, and it cuts in the cliffhanger.

[37:57] That's the end to this beautiful love story. That's the end of the episode. It's a match made in heaven. It's a match made in heaven. This love story is a display of the providence of God.

[38:09] That's how it ends, and Isaac was comforted after the death of Sarah. Now, that's the story. What does it have to do with us? What does God's providence mean for us?

[38:23] And I'd like to point our attention back to something that we've sort of taken for granted when it comes to thinking about God's sovereignty and how his sovereignty relates to us.

[38:37] Okay? Throughout this whole story, we saw that God is clearly in control. He's orchestrating all the details behind the scenes, and we say that God is sovereign.

[38:47] He has absolute control over everything that happens. As Psalm 115 says, our God is in the heavens. He does all that he pleases. That's his sovereignty.

[38:59] But let's ask a question. Why is God's sovereignty good news for us? We know God is in control. That's great. But why is that comforting for us?

[39:13] What's the connection? Because if we stop and think about it, God's sovereignty could be terrifying to us. It could be terrifying.

[39:25] For example, if you went to Satan and you told him, hey, God is sovereign and he has a plan for you. He's in control of everything.

[39:37] Nothing escapes his control. That is the worst possible news Satan can hear. Because he has made the almighty God his enemy. And God is sovereignly against him.

[39:52] That's true for Satan. And it's also true for us, for sinners who have rebelled against the holy God. It's true for us too. But when we think about God's sovereignty, God's plan, we often expect that God is on our side.

[40:09] And why are we not afraid? How can we listen to a story about God's sovereignty and be comforted about it?

[40:20] How can we celebrate God's sovereignty, that God is sovereign over us? And this is where God's sovereignty becomes God's providence.

[40:31] We have hope because God is not just, is for us. God is for us, not against us. His sovereignty is exercised for our good, for his glory.

[40:47] That he is not just sovereign, but he is sovereignly for us. That's our hope and comfort. And we have this hope because God made a covenant with us.

[41:00] Just as God made a covenant with Abraham and Abraham had confidence, the Lord will be with me and bless the servant on the journey. We have confidence because God made a covenant with us through his son, Jesus.

[41:16] That Jesus went to the cross and took the wrath of God upon himself, dying in our place so that God is no longer our enemy. And he rose from the dead.

[41:28] Through him, through Jesus, we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not by anything that we do, but only if we put our faith in him. Because of Jesus, we have God's promise that for those who love him, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.

[41:47] That's the only reason we can read a chapter like this and be comforted rather than terrified. That because of Jesus, God is not merely sovereign, but he is sovereignly for you.

[42:00] He is sovereignly on your side. He is, just as he was covenantally committed to finding Isaac a wife, he is covenantally committed to your good for his glory because you are united with Christ.

[42:16] And our lives are not just left to chance or luck or coincidence. The same God who orchestrated 800 kilometers walking to bring the servant and Rebecca to the well at the exact same time, the exact second, that same God, he knows what you need before you even ask him.

[42:37] He might not give you everything you want, but he knows what you need. He knows what is best for you. He knows the 10,000 things when we only see three. And he is orchestrating our lives right now for our good, for his glory.

[42:50] So if there's one thing you can remember today, remember this. God is not just sovereign. He's not just God on high and in control, but he is sovereignly for you if you are in Christ, if you believe in Christ.

[43:06] And so in light of this, how should we live? I'll leave us with three quick things that we see from this passage. First, we fight compromise because if the sovereign God is for us, who can be against us?

[43:21] We don't need to take shortcuts in our relationships. We don't have to compromise our integrity for that promotion. We don't have to compromise our time with God to study for that test. God's providence prevents compromise.

[43:34] Let's do it God's way. And second, we pray to him and we praise him. We make our requests known to God, cast all our anxiety upon him because he cares for us.

[43:46] He knows what we need before we even ask. And whenever God answers in big things, small things, everyday coincidence, if you want to use that word, don't just give the glory to random chance and luck.

[43:57] It's all under his providence. Bow before him, give him the glory. Finally, we step out in faith. Stepping out in faith for Rebecca, it meant 800 kilometers of walking to meet a stranger.

[44:13] But today, stepping out for faith for us could mean trusting God with our children and for their future. It could be believing that God orchestrates just as he's sovereign at the well, he's sovereign over our hospital visits too.

[44:29] He's sovereign over our family, over our life. Have the faith of Rebecca. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew the God who held the future. And so she could say, I will go.

[44:42] And I shared that quote from Hudson Taylor earlier, that God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. It'll never lack God's supply.

[44:54] We saw that in Genesis 24. Abraham, he did it God's way. The servant did it God's way. We saw before, he compromised and it didn't work. But in this chapter, we see him trusting his life to the sovereign God.

[45:11] And God answered, arranging every single detail, every single thing down to the very second. And if we belong to Jesus, if we are in Christ, he will do the same for us.

[45:22] So let's trust him, refuse to compromise, and do it God's way. Let's pray. Amen. God, we bow before you and give you glory.

[45:38] I remember, we read earlier in Psalm 8, what is man that you're mindful of us, the son of man that you care for us. We are on earth.

[45:48] You are in heaven. What right do we have to come before you and ask you anything and pray? God, we thank you that you are for us, that you love us, that we have boldness, access with confidence through our faith in you, and we can bow our knees before you and make our request known to you.

[46:09] Thank you, God, that you care for us, that you have bound yourself through the blood of Jesus to glorify your name in doing us good. God, we pray that you strengthen our faith.

[46:24] We believe in you. Help our unbelief. Help us when we waver. Help us to cast all our anxieties on you because you care for us. Thank you.

[46:35]  We have this hope and assurance because of the cross, because of your son. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.