Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban,
and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring,
referring to the servant that has come looking
for a wife for Isaac. When he saw the ring and
the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when
he heard the words of Rebekah, his sister, saying,
This is what the man said to me. He went to the
man, and behold, he was standing by the camels
at the spring, and he said, Come in, blessed
of the Lord. Why do you stand outside, since
I have prepared the house and a place for the
camels? So the man entered the house. Then Laban
unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed
to the camels, and water to wash his feet, and
the feet of the man who were with him. But when
food was set before him to eat, speaking of the
servants, he said, I will not eat until I have
told my business. And he said, Speak on. So he
said, I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has greatly
blessed my master so that he's become rich. And
he has given him flocks and herds and silver
and gold and servants and maids and camels and
donkeys. Now Sarah, my master's wife, bore a
son to my master in her old age, and he has given
him 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 live, but you shall go to my father's
house and my relatives and take a wife for my
son. I said to my master, Suppose the woman does
not follow me. He said to me, The Lord, before
whom I have walked, will send his angel with
you and make your journey successful. And you
will take a wife for my son from my relatives
and from my father's house. Then you will be
free from my oath when you come to my relatives.
And if they do not give her to you, you will
be free from my oath. So, I came today to the
spring, and said, O Lord, the God of my master
Abraham, if now you will make my journey on which
I go successful, behold, I am standing by the
spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes
out to draw, and to whom I say, Please, let me
drink a little water from your jar, and she will
say to me, You drink, and I will draw from your
camels also. Let her be the woman whom the Lord
has appointed for my master's son. Before I had
finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca
came out with her jar on her shoulder and went
down to the spring and drew, and I said to her,
Please, let me drink. She quickly lowered her
jar from her shoulder and said, Drink, and I
will water your camels also. So I drank, and
she watered the camels also. Then I asked her
and said, Whose daughter are you? And she said,
The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah
bore to him. And I put the ring on her nose and
the bracelets on her wrists. And I bowed low
and worshipped the Lord and blessed the Lord,
the God of my master Abraham. who had guided
me in the right way to take the daughter of my
master's kinsman for his son. So now, if you
are going to deal kindly and truly with my master,
tell me, and if not, let me know, that I may
turn to the right or the left. Then Laban and
Bethuel replied, The matter comes from the Lord,
so we cannot speak to you good or bad. Here is
Rebekah before you. 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 ground before
the Lord. The servant brought out articles of
silver and articles of gold and garments and
gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things
to her brother and to her mother. Then he and
the men who were with him ate and drank and spent
the night. When they arose in the morning, he
said, Send me away to my master. But her brother
and her mother said, Let the girl stay with us
a few days, say ten. Afterward, she may go. He
said to them, Do not delay me since the Lord
has prospered my way. Send me away that I may
go to my master. And they said, We will call
the girl and consult her wishes. Then they called
Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this
man? And she said, I will go. Thus they sent
away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with
Abraham's servants and his men. They blessed
Rebekah and said to her, May you, our sister,
become thousands of ten thousands, the gate of
those who hate them. Then Rebekah arose with
her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed
the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Now Isaac had come from going to bear Laharoi,
for he was living in the Negev. Isaac went out
to meditate or pray in the field toward evening.
And he lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold,
camels were coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes.
And when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the
camel. She said to the servant, Who is that man
walking in the field to meet us? And the servant
said, He is my master. Then she took her veil
and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac
all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought
her into his mother Sarah's tent and took Rebecca,
and she became his wife, and he loved her. Thus
Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
When we think about all the many blessings that
we have and we enjoy as believers, When we think
about the cross of Christ, the heartbeat of Christianity,
and the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done,
when we think about the reality that God sent
His Son into the world to take on flesh and dwell
among us, to obey the law of God on our behalf,
Brothers and sisters, when we think about the
reality that Christ died willingly on the cross
as a substitute and a sacrifice for undeserving
sinners, when we meditate and we dwell on the
fact that Christ burst forth out of death, that
He conquered the grave, and that He rose again
on the third day, that that same Christ, who
ascended to the right hand of the Father, will
return one day to consummate all of salvation
and all of His promises and to judge humanity.
When we think about the glorious reality of the
Gospel and how we enjoy it and the blessings
in our lives, why is that true for us? Why do
you as a believer enjoy the things that you enjoy
in Christ? Why will those glorious realities
in the future come about that we will enjoy one
day? It's all because God has been faithful in
the past to bring about His redemptive purposes
in the future for His people. Christ came into
the world and suffered and died and rose and
ascended and he will return because God has been
faithful in the past. And he continues to be
faithful to us in the present and he will continue
to be faithful in the future to bring about all
of his promises. We see this in our text today.
The faithfulness of God to accomplish His own
purposes and His own plans in redemption, in
the gospel, and ultimately in the life of every
single person that professes faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. There's two things I want us to
consider from this text today. First, there's
the servant's diligence in accomplishing the
mission. We really see this in verses 33 through
the end of verse 61. This will be mostly an explanatory
section. We'll just walk through and touch base
on it and explain it and make sure that we understand
what the author is saying. And then the second
portion of the message is going to be the success
of the servant's mission. We see this in verses
62 through 67, where Rebekah returns to the promised
land, where she returns home with the servant,
and the gays of Rebekah and Isaac come together
providentially. And we see the two being married
and coming into union together, and we see this
mission being fulfilled and accomplished, realized
in their marriage. So first, the servant's diligence
in accomplishing the mission. Observe several
things about this section. In verse 33, observe
his earnestness after Laban has approached him
with somewhat questionable motives. He sees the
ring and he sees the... the bracelets that his
sister has been given, has received from this
servant. And that piques his interest in who
this man is. And we know a little bit later,
because of Jacob's story, the character of Laban.
So we're getting a little bit of insight, even
now, into the character of this man who supposedly...
Commends the blessing of God. But also we know
worships idols later because Rachel steals his
household idols. So this man comes out and greets
him. And I think even in that culture, in that
day, there was great hospitality for caravans
and visitors that were traveling. But I think
what we see is a bit of flattery with Laban in
this text. And the servant sees right through
it. The servant's like, hey, I'm here with a
task. I'm here with purpose. I'm here with a
mission. He says in verse 33, I will not eat
until I have told my business. And Laban said,
speak on. He was earnest. He was diligent. His
face set in the direction he was going, and he
was determined to accomplish the task that God
had given to him, that his master had entrusted
to him to bring about. He was determined to be
faithful to his master's wishes, to the God of
his master, and to the promise that he himself
loved and believed. And looked forward to. But
also notice. In verses 34 through 49. That after
Laban says speak on. The servant gives a discourse.
Where he basically recounts. Everything he's
done up until this point. The whole situation.
When we think about this. It's really a retelling.
of the entire story. It's a retelling of the
events. Now, in the Old Testament literature,
they didn't use a highlighter in the sense that
we have a highlighter. They didn't use bold to
emphasize things. But what the Old Testament
authors did, and we see this a lot throughout
the book of Genesis, What they did was when there's
something significant, when there's something
important, they repeat the story. They double
it to make sure you don't miss it. To make sure
that the readers say, there's something important
taking place here because it was just said again.
So he does this, but what's the essence of what
he does in this? This recounting of the events.
Well, he makes sure to assure Laban and his family
that Rachel would be marrying somebody who's
a good suitor. He says, listen, Abraham, he's
rich. He's very, very wealthy. And then he makes
sure to say that Isaac is the sole heir of all
that wealth. That Isaac is the sole heir of everything
that Abraham possesses. And he even demonstrates
this whenever he thanks them and he gives them
gifts and garments and he celebrates and he just
lavishes them with blessings. He proves this.
But ultimately, in this discourse, the author
or the servant is showing Laban and Bethuel and
the household that this thing is of God. This
thing is from God. It is His will. It is His
purpose. He is pleased in these things. He is
working for these things. He is working in and
through these things. God is favorably disposed
toward these things. He's demonstrating that
it is the will of God for Rebekah to marry Isaac.
He wants them to know this is from God and this
is of the Lord. He's been observing and watching.
He's been walking in the midst of providence
in this whole situation. He's confident of it.
And so he shows this to Laban. It's interesting
that as we see the servant doing this and we
read this discourse, it's almost as though the
servant has a rational knowledge of God's work
in his life. At this time. Because he's been
watching. Observing. And looking. For what God
is doing. In the situation. He's walking. Before
the Lord. Seeking. To know what God is doing.
In his midst. He takes time. To consider the
divine purposes. that are at work in his circumstances
and around him at this time in his life. I think
that's important for us to recognize and to know.
In many ways, I believe that this is a lost art,
something that men of old and men throughout
the ages have given themselves to, looking for
the work of God in their life. Looking for the
work of God around their life. Looking for the
work of God in their circumstances. Watching
providence. Looking and seeing and trying to
figure out what God is trying to do in the circumstances
that He has placed us providentially and sovereignly
in our own lives. This is something that's very,
very commendable for the servant. Again, I think
one of the reasons that Abraham so astutely chooses
this servant for this task. Abraham knows that
this servant is a spiritually minded man. That
he looks for the hand of God in all that he does.
That he looks for the hand of God in everything
that's taking place. So we see this servant gives
this discourse and seeks to convince them that
this is of the Lord. How does Laban and the household
respond? We see this in verses 50 through 51.
They recognize and they say, the matter comes
from the Lord. So he cannot speak. to you good
or bad. And then they say, here's Rebecca. Take
her. She's yours. She can go and be married to
your master. Now what's interesting about this
is that a little bit later, there's a different
kind of response when it's actually time for
them to leave. Now, we know that Laban was an
idol worshiper because of the later chapters
of Genesis with Rachel and Jacob. But we also
think that he probably, in some way, shape, or
form, worshipped the God of Israel, Abraham's
God. We don't know for sure. But he worshipped
the true God and he worshipped idols. We don't
know for certain. But even this man who was an
idol worshiper recognized the hand of God in
this situation in some way. He saw that this
was of the Lord in some capacity and that it
was a commendable thing and that they weren't
someone to go against that providence and that
divine purpose. The servant responds as he did
previously when Rebekah told him who he was.
He falls to the ground. He thanks God. And he
worships the Lord. He gives them gifts. And then
he pays the dowry price most likely. Meaning
he pays for any services that Rebekah would have
rendered to Laban in the household during that
time or in the future. So probably a good...
Amount of money. Then we see. That they fellowship.
They break bread. And then he wakes up the next
day. Or a little bit longer. A little bit later.
And he says. I'm ready. To return to my master.
We've celebrated. We've thanked God. We've worshipped
him. Back to my purpose. Back to the mission.
Back to the task at hand. The servant is very,
very diligent. Even though we see that Laban
hesitates. Even though Laban has second guesses
with regards to what? He had already previously
said. Why is he going back on his word now? We
see that he does this in verse 55. Listen to
what he says. But her brother, meaning Laban,
and her mother said, Let the girl stay with us
a few days. Say ten. Afterward she may go. The
language in this verse is very, very broad, very,
very vague, and very, very general. It's basically
like he's saying, let her stay a couple days
or much longer. Why is he saying this all of
a sudden now when he already said, we can't say
good or bad, take her. He's going back on what
he previously said. we see Laban's character
again revealing itself in some way. The mother
probably just wanted the daughter to remain because
this is a sudden thing. It's come on them suddenly.
She's not going to see her daughter again. She
wants time. But Laban most likely is trying to
get something out of the situation. He's trying
to milk it for what it's worth. He knows that
the servant has wealth. He knows that the servant
has money. And he wants to get as much as he
can possibly get from Abraham's household and
the servant. But the servant says, no, no, no,
no. That's not what we said. That's not what
we're doing. I have a purpose here. He says in
verse 56, Do not delay me since the Lord has
prospered my way. Send me a way that I may go
to my master. Don't go against providence. Don't
go against the divine purpose of God in this
situation. Don't set yourself in opposition to
the divine purposes of God that he's accomplishing
through these things. It's a subtle warning to
Laban and his family. He diligently perseveres
and stays on track and focuses on his mission.
And then we come to the big moment in verse 58.
They leave it up to Rebekah. Will she stay or
will she go? Will she go to this foreign land
she's never been? Will she marry this foreign
man she's never met, she's never known about?
Will she travel with this servant that she's
never met before this period of time in her life?
She will. She willingly goes. It's almost like
this is the culminating point. where she decides
to go with the man and to marry Isaac. She steps
out into the unknown in this situation by faith,
I believe. Then she's blessed by the household.
They depart and they return and they start back
on their return to the promised land. So we see
the diligence and the labor and the commitment
of this servant to the task that Abraham has
entrusted to him. And I think it's important
for us to understand and remember at this point
the reason the servant was doing this. It's because
Abraham was concerned about the future of the
gospel or the promise. Abraham is concerned about
preserving and continuing the blessing and the
promise and having heirs in that blessing and
that promise. So he wants his son to have a wife.
Now this leads us to the second thing. The second
part of this that we see. The success of the
servant's mission. We see this in that last section.
In verses... 62 through 67, where she returns
home and she finally comes together with her
husband. They're married. They're united. Now,
it's interesting in this text that there's a
providential moment in it that confirms this
is of the Lord's will. The language of the text
wants us to recognize this. It carries this idea
that Isaac is walking around, wandering around,
praying or meditating. He's walking around. Maybe
he's expecting them to return home. Maybe he's
looking and watching for them. But he's meditating.
He's praying. Probably, most likely, with his
eyes closed. And as he's walking around, He opens
his eyes and he sees the caravan coming towards
him. And his eyes look out and they lock with
this woman that's on her way toward him. But
it's not just that his eyes lock with her eyes.
The text wants us to know and recognize that
at the exact same moment that Isaac looks up
and sees and locks eyes with Rebekah, Rebekah's
eyes look up and they see. And they lock in with
Isaac's eyes. It's not happenstance. It's not
luck, brothers and sisters. It's the divine hand
of God orchestrating, blessing, and bringing
about His divine purposes. And He gives us this
providential scenario to confirm the reality
that this really is a marriage of God. But there's
more than just a marriage taking place, isn't
there? There's more than just a wedding happening
in this situation. We don't come to this section
of Scripture looking for marriage principles
for soulmates. Brothers and sisters, there's
something much, much deeper taking place in this
text. And that is the preservation and the perpetuity
and the continuance of the gospel of Jesus Christ
in the world. God is making preservation for
the gospel in future generations and future ages.
Ultimately, so that the gospel can come about
in time. and history, and the person of Jesus
Christ, and all the nations can be blessed by
Him. There's something much deeper taking place
than just a marriage. And it's all of the Lord.
We see this in a couple different ways. The providential
meeting, but we also see it And if you remember,
when the servant left, he was referring to Abraham
as his master. That Abraham was his master. When
he gets back to the promised land, now who is
he referencing as his master? Isaac. There's
been a transfer of leadership in the home. There's
been a transfer of the headship. From Abraham
as the patriarch of God's people to Isaac as
the patriarch of God's people. And then we see
that Rebekah is being taken into the tent of
the former matriarch. And now she's replacing
Sarah as the matriarch of God's people. What's
happening here, brothers and sisters? God is
preserving His people throughout the ages to
bring about Jesus Christ that sinners might be
forgiven and redemption might be accomplished.
More than a marriage is taking place here. More
than a relationship is present in this text.
The gospel is being accomplished. God is taking
one step. He's bringing the gospel in history
one step closer by progressing his redemptive
purposes in the world. The author wants us to
know that the future of the promise is secured.
It is safe. And it is guaranteed. It is sure.
And it is steady. And it's been brought about
and supported by divine providence and divine
power. Divine superintendence. He wants us to
know that redemption is a little bit closer because
God has faithfully been bringing about his purposes
through these people. We must recognize in this
text, and we have to recognize it, we have to
recognize the instrumentality of men in God's
purposes and His plans. We can't come to this
text and not recognize that God used the servant.
He did, brothers and sisters. God, in His mysterious,
sovereign purposes, and according to His good
pleasure, Chooses to use sinful men. To bring
about his purposes in the world. And I think
in the servant. We have a wonderful picture.
Of what those people are like. That God uses
in this world. They are spiritually minded. They
look for the hand of God. They are prayerful.
They are grateful. They are thankful. They are
diligent. They set their face and they stay on
task with the mission of the Gospel in their
lives, just like the servant did. They walk in
reverence and fear before the living God. I think
that's the greatest commendation of this servant.
He walked before the face of God the whole time.
He was conscious and aware. of God's working
and God's protection and God's provision and
God's providence in his life and in the situation.
He is an important and a vital part of God bringing
about his purposes. God uses men as instruments,
but we have to recognize that though men are
instrumental, The ultimate source of success
for any redemptive work is the Lord himself.
Men are but instruments in God's hands. An instrument
is only as good as the person that picks it up
and uses it. A wrench is only good if someone
picks it up and fixes something in a car or twists
the bolt. An instrument is useless if a sovereign,
mighty, powerful being does not use the instrument.
The same is true here. The ultimate source of
success for any redemptive work is the Lord himself.
God is the grand designer of all of redemption.
But brothers and sisters, he's not just the grand
designer. He's the supreme worker of redemption.
He is the supreme mover of redemption. He is
the grand orchestrator of all things Christ.
He is the grand orchestrator of all things in
the life of the church. He is the grand orchestrator
of the beautiful, wonderful work of redemption
that every single believer enjoys and takes part
in. He is the grand orchestrator of your sanctification
and your godliness in your life. He's not just
a designer. He's the orchestrator and the accomplisher
and the worker of those things. He didn't just
bring about the gospel in the person of Christ
and secure it in Christ and through the promises
in the Old Testament. But listen, He accomplishes
it in your life as redemption is applied. He's
still the grand worker. He's still the grand
designer. But He is the grand mover. In all things,
redemption. In every single aspect. Notice in
this text, just the portion that we read today.
How often a reference to the Lord takes place.
We see it in verse 31. Come in, blessed of the
Lord. Verse 35. The Lord has greatly blessed.
We see it in verse 40. He said to me, the Lord
before whom I have walked. Verse 42. Oh Lord,
the God of my master. Verse 44. Whom the Lord
has appointed for my master's son. Verse 48.
And I bowed low and worshipped the Lord and blessed
the Lord, the God of my master. Three references
in that one verse. Verse 50. Then Laban and Bethuel
replied, the matter comes from the Lord. Then
we see it again in verse 51, as the Lord. Then
we see it in verse 52, himself to the ground
before the Lord. We see it in verse 56. He said
to them, do not delay me. Since the Lord has
prospered my way, send me a way that I may go
to my master. And surely, whenever we read in
verse 66, and the servant told Isaac all the
things that had happened, how many times do you
think he referenced the Lord in recounting the
situation to his master himself? Brothers and
sisters, the servant was faithful. But listen.
We must never get this confused. It was God who
accomplished the divine work. It was God who
efficaciously brought about His purposes in this
situation. Because the Lord is the ultimate source
of success, For all his gospel purposes. All
of them have come about. And all of them will
come about. And they will be brought to their
appointed ends. He has been faithful in the past.
He is faithful now. And he will be faithful in
the future. Will he not brothers and sisters?
That means that he will be faithful to build
his church and to call in all those lost, dying,
unregenerate men who don't know Christ and to
gather them into his people. That means, brothers
and sisters, that he will sustain and preserve
his church throughout the ages until the return
of Christ. That means, brothers and sisters,
that He will accomplish and bring every single
gospel purpose in your life to its appointed
ends. Every single one. That's why the cross
came about. Because God was faithful to bring
it about. Just as certain. As God accomplished
the work in Genesis 24, God accomplished the
work with Christ in the Gospel, just as certain
is His accomplishment of His work in our lives
today, and just as certain, as those are true
and a reality and have come about and are being
brought about, He will bring about every future
purpose He has. For his people. But there is
another thing. That we have to recognize. Just
as sure. And just as certain. As redemption is.
Just as sure. And just as certain. As the cross.
Will be judgment. Every single person who does
not know Jesus Christ by faith and repentance
will certainly be judged for their rebellion
against the living God. Just as sure as God has
brought about every gracious design that he has
in Christ, he will bring about judgment upon
the head of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has accomplished redemption in the Lord Jesus.
It has been proclaimed throughout the ages. The
gospel has been made known. Don't cast that off
because of the fickle desires of your heart for
iniquity and for sin and for worldliness and
carnality. Forsake those things and look to the
Lord Jesus Christ by faith. And find safety and
refuge and hope and eternal life and joy in the
person and in the work of Christ. Be changed
and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And have your future guaranteed and certain because
of the cross. God is a faithful God, brothers
and sisters. And He is faithful to all His purposes.
So the plea is to look at the faithfulness of
God to bring about His redemptive purposes. And
be compelled to run to the Lord Jesus Christ
because you know that He will judge those outside
of Christ just as certainly. He has accomplished
redemption for those in Christ.