Rebekah- the Knot Tier

15Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

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

19After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka^c and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.^d 23Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27saying, “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.”

28The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things (Genesis 2)

Thoughts: Rebekah was a beautiful girl.  She was so pretty that Isaac told her to not call him her husband less he get in trouble.  Vs. 16 also says she was a beauty.  But she also was a servant.  She was willing to share water with both him and his livestock, in a time when water was precious.  God had led Abraham's servant to her.  This is a lesson to all those looking for a spouse- God leads in the right way at the right time- and He is able to do it as He did here- in answer to prayer. 
      She was hospitable. She was a good cook- she knew how to prepare food just right for her husband.  She loved her son Jacob and perhaps encouraged him too much to deceive his father in order to be blessed.  We can learn from her mistake to not be over-eager to take things into our own hands.  Because of her manipulation- Jacob had to flee from Esau and she never saw her favorite son alive again.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to be helpful, hospitable, and also even handed as much as I can.  

Fear of Isaac

16Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

17So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,^c because they disputed with him. 21Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.^d 22He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,^e saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

23From there he went up to Beersheba. 24That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

26Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”

28They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

30Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

32That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33He called it Shibah,^f and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. (Genesis 26)

Thoughts: Jacob describes God as "the fear of Isaac"  (Gen. 31:22,42).  Isaac respected God's power to bless- to give water where once there was only desert.  Isaac's life is described as hard, yet persevering.   Abimelek's men plugged up their water wells.  Others claimed the wells they dug- even though they dug them.  Yet God continued to bless him- especially after he built an altar.  

Abraham's Test

1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded 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. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He 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.”

6Abraham 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, 7Isaac 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?”

8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9When 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. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12“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.”

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram^a caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So 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.”

15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I 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, 18and through your offspring^b all nations on earth will be blessed,^cbecause you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22)

Thoughts: Many secular people have no idea what this is about and would at first glance think that this shows God is cruel in his askings if not his actions.  But behind such criticism is first the thought that we have the absolute right to judge God and the Bible instead of be judged by God and scripture.  Also, for many, we do not understand sacrificing ANYTHING for God- much less a child.  We also do not see that God is teaching us something that we assume- that child sacrifices are not the way to worship Him.  In a culture where there is evidence of child sacrifices by Canaanites, Moabites (could add Mayans and Aztecs), and others God is showing in a concrete narrative that He provides a sacrifice.  However, this also is  a type or foreshadowing of what the Father does for us- He gives up His eternally valued son who is of infinite worth to pay for our finite and frankly pitiful sins. 
   Abraham was willing to go forward but he also said, "we will come back" and "God will provide a ram."  Abraham did not know how, but he believed God would care for him.  This is deep faith.  God is not cruel, but He also teaches us to not love family above Him.  He gives us our family, our lives, all that we have.  In our day our children perhaps take the place becoming our God . We are called to love our children, but never let them take first place in our hearts. 

Prayer: Lord, let me love you above all others.  

Abraham Wins and Tithes

8Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

13A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother^b of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

17After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

20And praise be to God Most High,

who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14)

Thoughts: Lot got in trouble and Abraham, though clearly outnumbered, rescued him. Abraham was not concerned about how many he faced but his loyalty was evident to his family.  He attacked at night to an army that probably thought they were safe.  Abraham clearly saw his victory as a gift from God.  He gave Melchizedek the priest of Salem (Jerusalem)  a tithe (10%) of his loot.  We see  other patriarchs tithing as well.  Tithing is a token of acknowledgement and is always given in faith.  The father of our faith is able to let go of things- we should too. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you that you help and provide.  Give me grace to be a generous person.  

Choosing Without God

1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

3From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

5Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.7And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

8So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

10Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) (Genesis 13:1-10)

Thoughts: God fulfilled his promise of blessing to Abraham.  It was not just 4,000 years later that he fulfilled his promises.  Yes, 4,000 years later we see that God blessed all the nations through Abraham- whose descendant, Jesus, has adherents in every nation. 
    God blessed both Abraham and his nephew, Lot, s well that they had to split up to keep the sheep fed.  God blesses his followers not just in the life to come, but in this life as well.  Blessings from God are also not just spiritual blessings. 
    However, Lot thought he could choose which is best.  He should have, out of respect, offered to give the best and first choice to his uncle who provided for him and gave him everything he had.  Instead, he made the choice without any spiritual qualifications.  The only criteria Lot used was how things looked.  For many today, this is the sole criteria.  Many a marriage breaks up because the only criteria was looks. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence... or in this case valley.  We do not see Lot praying- asking God for wisdom.  The next time we see Lot, he is captured because he lived in this area, and then the whole area is destroyed for its evil and Lot has to flee for his life.  Only using the criteria of how things look is both limited and suspect.  

Prayer: Lord, let me trust in you and look to you for the choices I make in life.  

Patriarchs and Kings

10Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

14When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

17But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. (Genesis 12:10-20)

Thoughts: Three times a similar story is related.  Once in Genesis 12:10-20; once in Genesis 20:1-18; and then a third with Isaac in Genesis 26:1-16. 
The differences is the first two were with Abraham- once in Egypt with Pharaoh, another in the Negev with Abimelech.  Isaac also copied his father with another king named Abimelech.  Abimelech appears to be more of a title.  The pattern is that Abrham/Isaac leave their land because of a famine to go to a different land.  The beautiful wife is said to be a sister when she is not a full sister- but a relative.  In the end the king gives the patriarch a lot of things in honor of his wife.  The king gets sick and asks the patriarch to pray for them and is healed. 
    Why three similar stories.  It is a reminder that the Patriarchs are more powerful than the greatest kings of the region with God's help.  Abraham did it twice because it worked for him producing great wealth.  Isaac copied his father.  God found a way to bless the patriarchs even in the midst of famine. 

Prayer: Lord, when there is scarcity, bless that your name alone may be praised. 

Abraham

1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.^a

3I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”^b

4So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring^c I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:1-7)

Thoughts: Abraham was not a king or a priest. Yet he had qualities of both.  Abraham migrated around 2100 BC from Ur of the Chaldees, a rich port city on the Persian Gulf.  Ur had running water and a sewer system.  It had an early system of writing and education.  Yet Abraham, with his father and nephew Lot felt God's call to go to Canaan.  Perhaps the people of Ur could not hear about Abraham's God because of their strong and traditional worship of the moon.  Some theorize that Akkadian rule disintegrated or that there was strife between the Arameans and the people who ruled in Ur as there seems to be a mass Aramean migration about this time.  Regardless, the only reason this "wandering Aramean"  (Dt. 26:5) is said to have moved in the Bible is because God called him to do so.  Perhaps, we might learn that secondary causes are not as important as the primary one?  In our increasingly secular culture, we give little credit to God for moving anyone at all- even through things like famine, drought, sickness, or job loss.
    Abraham is elected to be blessed by God and is called to be a blessing to all nations.  Today we can see this.  Abraham is the father of our faith, and his physical descendant is Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the world.  The name "Abraham" means "father of multitudes."  Abraham, perhaps is an illustration of the first missionary.  He is chosen (elected) to be blessed by God.  Then he is told he will be a blessing.  Then he is told to "go."  Actually, we could say he was elected then told to go first, then he was told to be a blessing.  Missionaries are not just the full time people who go overseas to help share and bring the gospel of God.  We all, who follow in the faith of Abraham- are elected (chosen), told to go (Mt. 28:19) and to be a blessing to the world around us.  God did not choose us simply to be blessed and be comfortable.  Maybe being a blessing means to share with those who come to you.  I know a lady who shares faith or invites to church almost everyone who comes into her shop.  That is a way to be a missionary and going without having to leave.  On the other hand, some of us are called to go somewhere.  Wherever we go- on a business trip, a vacation trip, or a mission trip we are called to be missionaries for God (and not pretend to leave our faith behind us).  Abraham, the father of our faith, the perhaps first chosen one (leaving Noah out), was called to go.  

Prayer: Let me continue in the way of Abraham, Lord.  Help me to learn from him and apply his example to my life.