THE BLESSING OF HOSPITALITY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.

Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.

"Come, you who are blessed by the Lord," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. Then food was set before him.

Genesis 24:28-33a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue to study the work of Abraham’s chief servant as he carries out his assignment of finding Isaac a wife, we pick up where we left off yesterday.

You’ll remember that the servant had prayed to God so to receive help in finding the right bride for Isaac. He asked God to provide two signs so that he might know he had chosen the right woman and we saw where the Lord provided what the servant asked for as Rebekah’s giving of water, first to the servant and then to his camels, showed that she was indeed the one. All this led to the servant to bow down and worship God, praising Him for His goodness to Abraham and himself. He then gave Rebekah a nose ring and bracelets for her wrist, leading her to run and tell her about what had happened, an even we look at in today’s passage:

The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.

Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.

"Come, you who are blessed by the Lord," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. Then food was set before him.  Genesis 24:28-33a

It’s here that we are introduced to Rebekah’s brother, Laban, who hears the entire account of what transpired between his sister and Abraham’s chief servant. Seeing the gifts that Rebekah had been given and hearing her testimony, we find Laban go directly to Abraham’s chief servant, a man who is a total stranger to him just as he had been to Rebekah moments before.

The scriptures tell us of Laban’s actions when he meets the chief servant for the first time and his words aren’t what one might expect today when encountering a total stranger. For we don’t see Laban going up to the chief servant, shaking hands, introducing himself by name, and then asking the servant for his name in return. Rather, we read where there’s no preliminary conversation at all. No attempt to establish some kind of relationship before getting into anything else.

Instead, Laban immediately addresses the chief servant in a spirit of respect and praise saying:

"Come, you who are blessed by the Lord. Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

These were amazing words delivered to a total stranger and while this offering was expected in biblical times, it leaves me wondering how many people in this day and time would show the same blessing of hospitality. I’m afraid it wouldn’t come as quickly or easily as it did for Abraham’s chief servant, that’s for sure.

This is why we need this story from God’s Word for it should lead us into some things to ponder about how we should be more open to help those who we may not know.

Consider how our relationship with our Lord and His hospitable nature. For He is willing to entertain those who may have never known Him before and receive them, regardless how sin-stained they might be and no matter what they have done. Like the father waiting for his prodigal son to come home, the best accommodations and gifts are given to anyone who chooses to repent and come to the Lord for forgiveness and salvation. For when this happens, He is always ready and willing to take us someone in, shelter them in His love, grace, and mercy, and nourish them with His Spirit, His Word and His Way.

Today and every day, let us give thanks for the incredible hospitality of our God and let us extend the same level of hospitality to those we encounter, even if they are strangers to us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING GLORY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

Genesis 22:20-24

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.

The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives.”

Genesis 24:15-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

This is our third message from the 24th chapter of Genesis and this is because there is so much good content as we look at Abraham’s desire to find a wide for his only son Isaac with his chief servant being a key player in the story.

To date, we have looked closely at the actions and attitudes of the anonymous chief servant, seeing what the Lord expects from us as we seek to carry out His will in our lives. In addition to the examples of servanthood, yesterday we saw what effective prayer looks like as the servant went before the Lord, asking for signs of assurance that he would pick the right woman to be Isaac’s bride.

And that brings us to today’s passage and the matter of ascribing glory where it rightfully belongs. Look again at those words here:

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.

The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives.”

Genesis 24:15-27

To recap how we got to this juncture, you’ll remember that Abraham had sent his chief servant to his home country with no other guidance except that the woman selected to be Isaac’s wife couldn’t be a Canaanite. She had to be from Abraham’s relatives.

And so the servant set out and as soon as he had arrived at his destination, Nahor, and placed the camels near the well, he immediately entered into prayer, asking God to help reveal the woman he was to select. The scriptures told us that the servant asked God to show him two signs through the woman so he would know for sure that she was the one that God wanted him to pick. The criteria for selection was thus:

If the woman would first give him a drink when he asks and then goes and give his camels water, then that woman would be the one.

This leads us to today’s verses where we read that God was already moving forward with His plan even before the servant finished praying as Rebekah went to the spring, filled her jar and began to return to town. Having finished his prayer, we read where the servant "hurried to meet her" before asking:

"Please give me a little water from your jar."

To which Rebekah replied, "Drink, my lord", as she lowered the jar from her shoulder to her hands and gave him a drink.

And so the first validation point had been accomplished before we see Rebekah quickly meeting the second when she says:

"I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

So Rebekah proceeded to draw enough water from the well to give all of the servant’s camels some water, and immediately, the servant knew that she was the one. The scriptures tell us that he gave her a "gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels" before inquiring about her family and whether they had enough room for him to have a place to stay. We see where Rebekah shows complete hospitality to the chief servant, who was a total stranger to her before now. She invites him to stay with her family.

This gesture brought Abraham’s chief servant into an immediate place of praise as he enters into worship, bowing down and saying:

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."

Isaac would have a wife and her name would be Rebekah, a woman who was related to Abraham.

What was that relation?

We find out in the following verses from Genesis, chapter 22:

Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah. Vv.20-24

Here, we find that Abraham’s brother Nahor had eight sons, one of which was named Bethuel and he would go onto have children of his own, one of which was Rebekah. We’ll see more of her part of the story tomorrow but before I close today, I want to touch on three important factors that are needed to give God all the glory, no matter the situation. These factors are all seen in the actions of the chief servant.

1. We need to bow down and humble ourselves before our Lord.

The servant came before God by bowing down, displaying humility and assuming the right posture before his Almighty Father. As we approach God, we aren’t to do so casually but in total reverence, bowing low before Him because He is totally sovereign and in rule over us and the rest of creation.

2. We need to adore and praise Him.

Once the servant bowed and showed God the proper respect, he immediately began to worship Him and render admiration. We should have no problem doing this if we stop and take account of all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. When we do, we, like the chief servant, should have no issues showing our thanksgiving and gratitude to the One who gives every good and perfect thing from above.

In the end translation, God is our Provider, our Sustainer, and our Redeemer. He is most worthy of our fullest commendation and honor.

3. We need to acknowledge His goodness and give God all the credit for everything He does for us.

The chief servant could have glorified himself for coming up with the clever signs so to reveal the right woman but instead he praised God for His goodness, mercy and grace.

Through providing the bride for Isaac, God had shown He had not abandoned kindness towards Abraham, the servant’s master. Additionally, the servant added praise for what God had done for him. Ultimately, God was the Master of both men as He is all mankind.

Today and every day, let us give our God all the glory for everything He provides is absolutely excellent. No one else but Him makes the way for you and me and no one else is worthy of honor, glory, and praise.

Thanks be to God for all He has been, all He is, and all He is yet to be.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

Then he prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

Genesis 24:10-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Abraham’s servant had taken an oath to go to Abraham’s country and find a wife for Isaac with the only real requirement being that she not be a Canaanite.

And so he set out with ten camels and other goods, arriving in the town of Nahor and kneeling the camels near a water well where the women would soon come and draw water. Of importance, the servant didn’t know if this was the place where he would find the wife for his master’s only son but he did know this. He knew that he served an awesome God who would help him in the situation he was in and make sure he selected the right woman, the woman God wanted to be Isaac’s bride.

The evidence of this truth is found in the servant’s actions as he is near the well of Nahor for we finding him praying to God there:

"O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

When we break down the servant’s prayer and look within, what we find is simply incredible and reveals some elements that we should incorporate in our own exchanges with the Lord.

First, we find the servant acknowledging God’s supremacy.

The opening of his prayer places his Lord in His proper place of authority. Abraham may be the servant’s master but Abraham himself had a Supreme Master and that Master is the Lord God Almighty. He and He alone is Master over all of creation and He expects all created beings to testify about His sovereignty every time we communicate with Him or about Him, whether in prayer or otherwise.

The second thing we see the servant do is petition God for what was needed.

In this case, the servant hoped to be able to successfully complete the task given to him by Abraham. The servant invoked the Lord’s intervention knowing that if God would enter into the matter, then things would work out perfectly, resulting in Abraham’s satisfaction and happiness. The servant would be filled with joy and satisfaction as well because he would have experienced the goodness of the Lord through answered prayer.

Considering the things we need help with today, let us follow the lead of the chief servant and ask God to enter in and bring success, showing His loving kindness through working things out for our good.

Finally, we need to always be looking to experience how God’s work is revealed.

The servant knew that if he asked the Lord to show certain signs through the woman He wanted chosen for Isaac then he would be able to immediately recognize the right candidate. And so the servant asks God to reveal the woman by having her not only offer him a drink but offer water for his camels as well. This would serve as the sign that would assure the servant that the Lord had moved in the matter as requested while continuing to fulfill His covenant promise with Abraham.

So as in yesterday’s message, we continue to learn more from this servant, still nameless but showing us that the name of the person doing God’s work isn’t as important as the work he accomplishes. Let’s keep that in mind as we prayerfully consider all that the Lord would have us do this day and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE ESSENCE OF SERVANTHOOD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 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, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

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?"

"Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. "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. 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."

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

Genesis 24:1-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been given a task that seemed a bit overwhelming on the surface?

Maybe you felt a little unsure you could accomplish what you were asked to do.

Maybe you were more than a little afraid of failure as well, fearful of letting someone down that was depending on you.

I think we all may have been in this place an one time or another and so today’s scripture passage from the opening verses of Genesis, chapter 24, are helpful as they provide great insight into how we can best approach daunting assignments when they come our way. Look again at those words here:

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 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, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

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?"

"Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. "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. 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."

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. Vv.1-9

The scene starts with Abraham calling on his chief servant to give him an important assignment. We know that Sarah, Abraham’s wife and dear love of his life, has died and this leaves him realizing that he too was "old and well advanced in years", possibly drawing ever nearer to his own death.

We sense this breeds some urgency within Abraham as he seeks to make sure his only son, Isaac, is married before death comes. And so Abraham calls on his servant and tasks him with finding a woman suitable to marry Isaac.

Now this mission had a restriction attached to it for Abraham makes it very clear that Isaac’s wife could not be a Canaanite but rather had to come from his relatives living in the region. In response to this, we find the servant expressing a little anxiety about what he was being asked to do, saying:

"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?"

This brought a hasty, pointed response from Abraham, especially in regard to proposition of taking Isaac back “to the country” Abraham had come from.

"Make sure that you do not take my son back there. 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.”

Abraham had full trust in God that He would provide the proper wife for Isaac and he wanted to servant to feel that way as well. There was no need for any worry over the matter for the Lord would do just what He said He would do but Abraham did make sure the servant understood that there would be no consequences if the woman he asked to marry Isaac was unwilling to return with him.

“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."

And with that reassurance, the servant swore an oath that he would obey Abraham’s order before setting out on the journey to Abraham’s country do as he was told. We’ll look into what happened next in tomorrow’s message but before I close for today, I think there are two very interesting items to highlight in this preliminary encounter between Abraham and his chief servant:

1. The servant is being sent back to Abraham’s country to find Isaac a wife and that’s all he’s given for guidance except for the order that the woman could not be a Canaanite.

The chief servant doesn’t have any idea who he is looking for, not what she looks or what her name is. He only knows that she lives in Abraham’s country and needed to be a relative. You couldn’t blame the servant for asking, "Is there any way you could narrow this down a little for me Abraham?"

What I find most fascinating about this account is that there is a direct parallel to Abraham himself when God first came to him and gave him an order.

You’ll remember that God told Abraham to "leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you" (Genesis 12:1). Abraham didn’t know where he was going and yet he followed God’s tasking obediently, just like his chief servant would do for him now.

2. We are never told the servant’s name.

The most we know is that he is a male and while every other key person in the event documented in Genesis 24 is named by name, the servant is called just that, a servant. In looking at this, I think that this was by design for the events here aren’t about the servant as much as they are about Abraham, Isaac, and Rebekah.

This leads me to a question regarding when we are carrying out the Lord’s duties.

For how often do we seek recognition or acknowledgement for our role in carrying out God’s plan?

Too often, I’m afraid.

You see, our human nature craves being the center of attention. We see to have an innate hunger for recognition, we want to be noticed. This, as in so many other matters, puts us in direct conflict with what God desires and expects from us. For like the servant, the Lord wants us to adopt an attitude of humility as we serve Him, an attitude that would have us glorify Him, not ourselves.

God would have us realize that the greatest reward we can ever gain in life has already been secured through Jesus Christ, and one day we will claim our inheritance as co-heirs with Jesus within the very Kingdom of our God (Romans 8:14-17). Until that time comes, we are to get out into the Gospel needy mission field and execute the game plan that God has drawn up for us through His Son, and we need to do so prayerfully and thankfully, yearning only to please God in a way that He might look down on us and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Friends, through the example of Abraham’s servant, we get an excellent view of servanthood and how to do it right. For the chief servant in this story was given tasking by his master that was broad and extremely challenging, and yet, he went forth with an oath to carry Abraham’s will, just as Abraham had done with God prior.

So what is God calling you to do today? And in response to that call, are you ready to respond in faithful obedience and go where He might send you, no matter the cost?

Are you ready to trust Him, knowing that He will lead you to where He wants you to be and guide you to what He wants you to do so that His will might be accomplished?

God expects that our answer to these questions will be a resounding “Yes!” because only a response as this would show true discipleship and reflect the nature of His Son, Jesus, the Savior of the world who testified to have come to serve and not be served (Matthew 20:28).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com

HONORING AND RESPECTING THE DEAD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron, son of Zohar, on my behalf so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

Ephron answered Abraham, “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.

Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

Genesis 23:1-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God had blessed Sarah richly.

He gave her a very godly husband in Abraham.

He gave her a son from her once barren womb.

And he showed her grace and mercy despite times when she behaved inappropriately towards Him and others.

Indeed, she went through life knowing God was with her and for her. She also knew that she was mortal and a time would come when death would come.

In today’s passage from Genesis, chapter 23, we find where that time came and the events that ensued showed how God continued to work in her situation to make sure that she was honored and respected after her passing. Look again at those words here:

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron, son of Zohar, on my behalf so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

Ephron answered Abraham, “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.

Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site. Genesis 23:1-20

Living 127 years would be unheard of today but back in biblical times and especially in Genesis, human bodies were closer to genetic perfection and so it’s definitely possible for people to live longer. Indeed, we have seen before this where a whole laundry list of men between Adam and Noah lived upwards of 900 years plus before dying (Genesis 5).

We read where Sarah’s passing took place “at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan” and her loss left Abraham weeping in the midst of his mourning over her. He then got to work setting burial arrangements.

The scriptures tell us that he “spoke to the Hittites” saying:

“I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

Now it’s important to remember that this was well before God brought the Israelites into Canaan with the order to drive out all who resided there while inhabiting the land. Abraham, Sarah, and those with them were strangers in the land they lived and here, we find Abraham asking to purchase some of their property so to have a proper burial wife for Sarah and later himself.

Well, perhaps Abraham was surprised by the response he received to his request. For we find the Hittites responds with the following:

“Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

Here, we find where Abraham had a strong reputation with the Hittites. Because of all that God has done in and through him, the Hittites viewed him as royalty, a “mighty prince” that they offered the “choicest” of their tombs so to bury Sarah. The inference here is that they would give the tomb to Abraham for free but through his response, we find that he is insistent in paying for the tomb and he even knew what tomb he wanted.

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron, son of Zohar, on my behalf so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

The sense here is that Abraham wanted to make sure he owned the land where the burial site would be. He knew God would one day give this land to his descendants and so he wanted to secure a place now so to ensure that he, Sarah, and other future patriarchs would have a sacred resting place. For some context, let’s take a quick look at theses verses from Genesis, chapter 49, As we find Jacob nearing death to see how Abraham’s purchase would play out.

Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”

When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. Vv.29-33

Abraham’s purchase would be one that would have significance well beyond this moment and we now know that Abraham’s preferred burial site was owned by “Ephron the Hittite”.

Initially, we find Ephron resistant to sell the property to Abraham, assuming the same stance as his people held in general.

“No, my lord. Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

Ephron answered Abraham, “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Well, we read where Abraham “agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants”. And with that, “Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city”. And with the burial site now deeded to him, the scriptures tell us that “Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan”.

The woman who bore the son who would carry on Abraham’s lineage as it marched toward Jesus was honored and respected at the end of her life.

In today’s passage, we find proper response to the death of someone who, despite being imperfect, still allowed God to work powerfully in and through their life. Ultimately, as we look at Sarah’s life, we marvel at what God did and in the end, we should give Him the glory. I know that’s what I want to happen after I draw my final breath here in this worldly life as people will look to honor and respect me after my passing. For although my body will be dead, I will be more alive than ever and on my way to the best life one could ever live, one where I will abide with my God and Savior Jesus forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

CHANGE OF PLANS

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

So Abraham called that place “The Lord Will Provide”. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from Heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me."

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Genesis 22:1-19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Believers pride themselves on their faithfulness, right? It’s something we talk about a lot and we so desperately want to be obedient to whatever God might ask us to do.

But what if God asked us to sacrifice one of our own children? Would we really be able to do it?

These questions directly apply to our scripture passage for today as we find God issuing the ultimate test of faithful obedience to Abraham.

Now, we have examined Abraham’s life through several chapters so far and there has been mixed results when it comes to the way he has lived in God’s presence. We have seen him display an ability to be very faithful (left everything behind to go where God directed him to go) but we have also seen him display less than adequate faith in other instances such as when he laughed when God said he would bear a son with Sarah in their old age or his failure to trust God on two separate occasions when he and Sarah entered into the company of kings. You’ll remember that the couple instead chose to lie, covering up Sarah’s true relation to Abraham.

So as we see God testing Abraham, it was really a toss-up as to the way Abraham would God’s calling this time. Thankfully, we find him choosing the right path as we look at our verses for today.

Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

So Abraham called that place “The Lord Will Provide”. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from Heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me."

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.  Genesis 22:1-19

As Chapter 22 opens, we see God tell Abraham to take his only beloved son, Isaac, to the “region of Moriah”. There, God told Abraham to “sacrifice” Isaac “as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Of importance here, we don’t find Abraham questioning or debating God about the matter. Rather, we read where he gets up the next morning, saddles his donkey, and sets out with "two of his servants and his son Isaac." Before they departed for Moriah, there was some preparation needed. The scriptures tell us that Abraham "cut enough wood for the burnt offering” before setting “out for the place God had told him about”.

It’s really interesting to me that God’s act of grace and deliverance for Isaac, a pardon of sorts, happened on “the third day” of the trip when Abraham and those with him arrive at the place God called him to. We read where he orders his servants to stay with the donkey while he and Isaac go to worship, then he loads Isaac down with the wood for the burnt offering while he carries the fire and the knife.

In thinking about the walk Abraham and Isaac made, I can’t imagine how agonizing an experience this must have been for Abraham. His mind must have been awash with anxiety and agony, knowing that he was about to offer his only son up as a burnt offering to the Lord. It really was enough for anyone to just turn back and decide the task was just too much to handle.

But Abraham didn’t do that, did he? He didn’t waver but rather carried on with the task in hand through a steadfast obedience and trust in his God.

But then, we find Isaac speaking to his father and asking a question that had to rip Abraham’s heart in two.

“The fire and wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

Abraham’s answer should leave all of us in amazement because he simply gives a statement of faith in the midst of one of the most difficult moments imaginable.

"God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

And he was right.

God did provide, ensuring this story had a happy ending for as we know, He had big plans for Isaac.

Back to the scriptures where we find that Abraham prepared an altar, arranged the wood, and bound Isaac before laying him on the altar and the wood pile. Then, with everything in place, he took the knife to sacrifice Isaac.

It was at that point that we find God intervening and changing the plan in a big way, saying:

"Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

And with that, Abraham looks up and sees a ram that God sent as a substitutionary sacrifice. Like Jesus would be later, God indeed had provided the lamb to die in the place of another and in this instance, Isaac’s life is spared.

Friends, through this test of Abraham’s faith, we find how we should respond to God when He calls us to do things. His actions showed an incredible, uncompromising submission to God’s will, even though it meant sacrificing his only son. We also see where Abraham has grown spiritually stronger in his walk with his Lord, refusing to repeat prior mistakes when he didn’t display the proper level of trust in God.

Indeed, through this story from the life of Abraham, we learn that God will test us and will watch to see how we respond. We also see where God blesses faithful, obedient living and shows mercy where needed.

God could very well have allowed Abraham to carry through with Isaac’s sacrifice but He didn’t. Instead, he intervened with a special change of plans, and indeed provide the lamb for the sacrifice, just as Abraham had promised his son.

In the end translation, we see where we as believers serve a loving, merciful, gracious, miraculously powerful God. May everything we do be done to His glory, in faithful obedience to His will and way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

MEDIATOR, COUNSELOR, PEACEMAKER, LORD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you."

Abraham said, "I swear it."

Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. But Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today."

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?" He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well."

So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Genesis 21:22-34

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

You may remember the first encounter that Abraham had with Abimelech (Genesis 20:1-18), the king of the Philistines. Abraham had moved to Gerar and lied about Sarah, telling Abimelech that she was really his sister. He did this out of fear that Abimelech would steal Sarah away and put him to death if the king knew that she was Abraham’s wife.

In our previous message from that event, we examined how Abraham lacked faith in God and decided to try and work out a plan by himself, a deceitful plan at that. You’ll remember as well, that God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him not to sleep with Sarah because she was married. This set up a confrontation between Abimelech and Abraham as the king challenged him over what he had done. You’ll also recall that God had rendered Abimelech’s wife and slave girls barren and Abraham prayed that this impediment would be removed by the Lord but the damage had been done in regard to his reputation with the king.

In today’s scripture passage, we see where he gets a chance to redeem himself. Look again at those words here:

At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you."

Abraham said, "I swear it."

Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized. But Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today."

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?" He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well."

So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Genesis 21:22-34

As we get into this message, a couple of questions for you.

1. Have you ever done anything that brought your integrity into question?

2. Have you ever reached a place where someone couldn’t trust you?

3. How about a situation where you found yourself unable to trust someone else?

Keep these in mind as we move through what the Lord is saying to us today.

You know, at the end of Chapter 20, we find Abimelech saying this to Abraham:

"My land is before you; live wherever you like."

So Abraham did just that and in today’s scripture, we see where he continues to have dealings with Abimelech. At the beginning of the passage, Abimelech attempts to reestablish trust in Abraham, saying:

"God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you."

Abraham accepts this oath by saying, "I swear."

Notice that Abimelech makes Abraham swear before God that he will not engage in any more falsehood. There was divine accountability ushered in when Abraham vowed to do as Abimelech asked.

This leads to some more questions:

1. Have you ever had to make a promise that you would tell the truth to someone you may have lied to so to regain their trust?

2. Did you make that promise with God as your witness and accountability point?

3. How about anytime you asked for a promise from someone else so to start rebuilding faith in them again? Did you have them "swear to God"?

Well, as we go back to the scriptures, we get a sense that Abraham’s willingness to make the vow went a long way toward renewing channels of viable communication between him and Abimelech and that was a good thing because there was a problem they had to deal with.

For we read that a dispute had risen up between Abraham’s people and Abimelech’s servants after the king’s servants seized a community well. Obviously, this was a critical issue because the well was needed to provide water to the people and as we know, water is necessary for survival. Abraham wasn’t about to see his people go thirsty so he takes the matter to the king who responded with surprise:

"I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today."

Initially, it seems like things are at an impasse but Abimelech didn’t say that he wasn’t willing to work it out with Abraham and this paved the way for a plan that could bring peace and resolution.

The scriptures tell us this:

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?" He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well." So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

Now, it wasn’t uncommon for people to make peace by way of treaties back in biblical days and in this particular one, Abraham gives Abimelech sheep and cattle as well as seven ewes that were set apart. He then asks Abimelech to accept the lambs as a witness that Abraham had dug the well himself and therefore it should be rightfully his. To validate his point further, the number of lambs Abraham offered was seven and we know that the number seven symbolizes completeness in the Bible. Abraham was professing a complete truth to Abimilech and we read where the king accepted the oath made between them.

As we get set to close, some final questions to consider:

1. Have you ever offered anything as a gesture to someone to let them know you’re telling the truth in a matter?

2. Have you ever had to enter into a truce with someone else? If so, how did you seal the agreement?

In today’s scripture, we learn that the best way to resolve conflict is by peaceful means. No one got hurt in the dispute between Abraham’s people and Abimelech’s servants because Abraham and Abimelech were willing to enter into a collaborative, cooperative relationship to ensure there would be a diplomatic outcome.

And that was just what they reached.

But let’s not forget what was really going on here. For it wasn’t enough that Abimelech and Abraham both wanted to reach a resolution. The key was that they desired to do so with God as the witness. Abraham swore his oath by His name and then He watched over the negotiations after that.

This is the main take away for us all from this devotional. For when we are in a place of conflict with another, we need to always, and I will say it again always, ask the Lord to be in the midst of the resolution for He, and only He will, will bring us to a place of successful closure and peace.

After all, He is our Wonderful Counselor, Almighty Mediator, and reconciling Prince of Peace.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.