Daily Digest

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

Appreciate Leah’s concerns and respect her response. She feels unloved, left out, without a future and without value. God is the God who notices the unloved, God notices the fringe dwellers, God is kind and compassionate to the outsider. The children Leah has she names according the story that God is shaping in her life and these names also echo the themes of the grand history that God is creating for Abraham’s descendants. They are not only answers to Leah’s prayers but also answers to Abraham’s prayers. Leah’s boys are the tender and direct response of God to the cry of her heart.

Remember today God’s attentive gentleness towards you, especially in the midst of feeling unloved and alone. Pour out your heart to God in prayer. Be patient – the answers to Leah’s prayers were not instantaneous, but were worked out gradually over the course of years. Leah is a spiritual ancestor to us and her story has become our story through Jesus. The pattern of Leah’s story carries over into our lives for hope in any number of situations and challenges. Where are you feeling forgotten and alone?

Jesus, I bear my heart to you – I hold nothing back. I don’t hide from you and I want to patiently wait for your answers to my prayers. Sustain me as I wait. Fill me with your joy, even in the tough times. Amen

Written by Sam Stewart

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?” “We’re from Harran,” they replied. 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” “Yes, we know him,” they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.” 8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.” 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

The customs of the Old Testament are a far cry from ours today. Most Australians live in cities and the sheep we see is at the butcher.  Jacob has to move the stone from the well so as Rachel can water her sheep, we just turn on a tap.  Yes the Old Testament seems miles away from our existence today,  Yet … what we see is devotion to family, which is common enough in our context today.  Devotion you ask… the stone was very large – you did not move a large stone away unless there was a reason and here the reason is family, devotion to family.  Emotion was high as well, Jacob kisses Rachel, he weeps, Laban embraces Jacob and kisses him – and yes these may be normal customs of the middle east, but weeping was a strong show of emotion.  I wonder why.  Was it just the sense of family and devotion or was there more.  Was there the pent up emotion of seeing the Lord at work in miraculous ways and the relief that God really was answering prayer.  I like that thought.  I have often felt a surge of emotion as I realise God is answering my prayers.  And I have learnt not to be embarrassed by it.  Seeing God at work should impact us emotionally.

Father help me to see your hand at work in my life and help me to respond with the full range of emotion as I see your miracles, deliverance, healing, salvation…

Written by Ps. Richard Botta

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

This is an intriguing story and is the origin of the sayings ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and ‘stairway to heaven’. The imagery describes a bridge between two realms, the realm of man and the realm of God. It is the stuff of movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark with an appeal that touches deep desires.

It is not until John 1:47-51 we discover the bridge is not a place but a person. It’s Jesus.

However, for me the most striking aspect of this passage is that until it was revealed to Jacob, he had no idea he was standing on Holy ground. This has left me wondering how often I am standing on Holy ground and don’t know it. Many times, I have faced difficult situations that have later turned out to be the provision of God. If Romans 8:28 is true, then much of our life we are walking on Holy ground without realising it.  Do you agree?

Lord, I ask you to help us see how great an influence you have in our life and through us others may know your presence in their lives.

Amen!

Written by David Newton

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” 28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

I love that the Bible tells it like it is.  Family intrigue, jealousy, scheming parents, scheming children you name it the Bible’s got it.

You would expect some sanitisation but God is more than happy to show humanity as we really are. Why? Because we need a Saviour and the great narrative of the Bible shows us for who we are our best and our worst.

Father, as I read your Word I am reminded of the depths of my sinfulness.  May I never lose sight of the depth of my need of salvation as Your Holy Spirit brings conviction and I cry out for Your mercy, cleansing and salvation.

Written by Ps. Richard Botta

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. 18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. 25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. 28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

What a scripture! A soap opera of alliances, deceptions, crimes and lies, that lead to a family divided and in danger.

Why do they choose this avenue? They have seen, throughout the generations, Gods provision and God’s promises fulfilled. But they struggle, in their situation to trust in God’s providence and ability to come through on his words. They take the situation into their own hands and they don’t use Godly ways to turn this situation around. And it goes wrong.

It can be hard to trust God and wait for Him to change situations. Doing things without manipulating situations or people. It can be hard not to take back control. But taking back control and living in this way has consequences. Here we see ever increasing lies, stealing and deception that leads to a family divided, resentment and bitterness, and a brother in significant danger.

In this passage we don’t get to see the end. But SPOILER ALERT God forgives their wrong actions, he keeps his promises and turns their situation around. Why? Because of His loving faithfulness and enduring kindness.

Thankyou God that we can trust you. That you turn situations around. Help us to live with integrity trusting you. And when we fail to do so, to come to you for your forgiveness. Thankyou you love us with a never-ending faithful love.

Written by Ps. Zoe Stewart

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac 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. 19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” 23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That 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.” 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 28 They 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 29 that 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.” 30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully. 32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. 34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

God is always about fresh water – or fresh encounters with the Spirit of God.

In this passage Isaac, his family, his servants and his livestock have a nomadic life that revolved around the caring for their sheep and livestock.   In this travelling and setting up their “Homes – tents” they would come across other communities doing the same.  In this passage we see that they had to keep moving until the “altercations over water (wells dug)” finished.

Five wells are shown in this passage and each are named:

First wells were his Father’s Wells reopened by Isaac – reopened after the enemy (Philistines) had filled them in.

Second & third wells discovered by servants Named:  “argument” & “hostility”

Fourth well dug by Isaac – with no dispute – Rehoboth – “open space for us to prosper in this land – by the Lord’s creation”

Fifth well – they moved again to Beersheba – Isaac meets with God, He gives him a promise, a well is dug. Beersheba means “well of the oath”.

They finally settle in Beersheba – this well is called “well of the oath”.  Interestingly in this journey of their lives, the King (Abimelech) comes to see them and observes – “We can see plainly that the Lord is with you”.

A few thoughts from this passage:

1. You can walk in your parents’ faith or others’ faith – however eventually you must dig your own well of faith.
2. God will sometimes keep you “moving in your faith” until you learn to own your own faith and understand wholeheartedly the God who loves you.
3. You must create your own well.   You cannot live off someone else’s well – you have to know what you believe and why you believe it.
4. It is ok to wrestle your faith and ask questions.   Sometimes it creates arguments and hostility – however in the wrestle you will “dig” your own well.
5. The well of your own faith – becomes something that others will say “We can see plainly that the Lord is with you”

Lord I pray that you would help me to understand you in a deeper way.  Help me to continue to dig my own well of understanding.  May my life reflect so that others can see that you are with me.

Written by Ps. Sue Botta

26 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”

This passage starts quite bleakly – a famine has struck the land and Isaac is looking for relief for him and his family. The benefit of hindsight is that things quickly seem to work out alright; but we can only imagine the fear, the questioning and the doubt that could have arisen due to the famine.

But God’s response is direct and powerful. He says for Isaac to stay and live in Gerar. God says He will bless Isaac and his descendants. He says that He will confirm the oath He made to Isaac’s father Abraham, because Abraham was obedient and did everything God required of him.

I’m struck by the truth that blessing follows obedience. We don’t obey in order to get something good out of the situation – we obey because we know and love God. But we can be confident that just like Abraham and Isaac, blessing follows our obedience.

Lord, please speak clearly to us this day. Help us to hear You and to obey. Thank You that blessing pours out of who You are. We ask that we may humbly live in Your blessing as we continue to obey and follow You.

Written by Ps. Matt Samperi

19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

In this passage (verses 20-21) we learn that Isaac married Rebekah when he was forty years old. It says that Isaac prayed to the Lord on his wife’s behalf as she was childless, and God answered his prayer and she became pregnant. It sounds as if the events happen in quick succession – they get married, they discover she is barren, Isaac prays, God answers, Rebekah becomes pregnant and then has two sons… but we read in verse 26 that Rebekah give birth when Isaac was 60 years old, meaning these events happened over a 20 year period.

Rebekah was childless for almost 20 years, and I imagine that Isaac was praying for most of this time. It is interesting how the verse simply says Isaac prayed and God answered. There is no sense of the time lapse; the waiting, the wondering, the yearning and the disgrace. The fact remains the same though, that Isaac prayed and God answered, though it may have been an answer that did not come for 20 years.

I wonder, did being ‘Isaac’ – the miracle child born to an elderly couple – help him to trust God through this period of time? No doubt his parents had told him many times of the story of his birth, so had it filled him with faith? If God had done it for his parents, surely God could and would do it again? How precious that Isaac and Rebekah had their own story of waiting and seeing God make a way where there was no way.

God, please help me to draw courage from Abraham and Isaac’s story – to ask and keep on asking, and to trust and keep on trusting. Thank you that you are still in the business of answering prayers in miraculous ways. Amen!

Written by Ps. Bethany Waugh

25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. 7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a] There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

This is a great picture of the end of life for a man who was beloved by his family and God. He made arrangements for all of his family. Gifts to the newer members and help to go to another place where they would have room to succeed without competing with Isaac. Inheritance for Isaac as per Jewish tradition. The family took him and buried him next to his wife just as had been planned. God looked after Isaac.

Having such an end to life would be wonderful.

Lord God help each of us to live a life of blessing on those around us – our families and friends. Help us to stay connected with You and to follow the path You have set for us. Amen.

Written by Therese Manning

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.” 52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you[a] may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” 57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. 59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.” 61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Over the years preceding this passage, God has been speaking to Abraham, making promises to him and gradually fulfilling them. Abraham has, after several hiccups along the way, grown in his faith and come to trust in God’s word and promises to him.

And now it is Rebekah’s turn!

Although we may look at these marriage arrangements and feel uncomfortable, we know that they were quite normal for the culture of the time. That’s not to say it would be easy. Rebekah is a valuable member of her family, who is a hard worker, strong, honourable, and hospitable. She commands the respect of her family members, males included, and makes the decision to leave immediately herself, despite the family’s wishes to delay for 10 days (presumably to prepare well, become accustomed to the idea and to say their final farewells).

It would require an enormous amount of courage to leave your family just one day after a stranger asks you to leave with him to marry a man you’ve never met, move to a land you have not seen, leaving behind your home, family and community. In fact, it would require more than courage ….it would require great faith. Faith that God has planned and will use her for his purposes, for his glory.

I wonder if we are this available to God. When a challenging way of serving him is presented to us, are we prepared to jump straight in and follow his lead? Or do we require “10 days” to process it, assess the pros and cons and tidy up loose ends?

Dear Lord, Please help us to trust you wholeheartedly, to search you out and be ready and willing to respond when we hear you calling. Amen

Written by Jocelyn Petschack

10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 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. 12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘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.” 15 Before 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. 16 The 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. 17 The 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. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 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. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 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.”

The Old Testament has lots of stories about what God says and how he acts in his world and amongst his people. It has even more stories about what people say and do. How God responds to the sometimes good, but more often foolish or evil things his people do tell us a lot about his character.

The servant’s way of finding a wife for Isaac is his idea and isn’t one to copy. But his faith that God will answer when he calls out for help is. That God does answer in the middle of this crazy match making scheme tells me some important things about God.

It speaks to me about God’s faithfulness. Not only is he faithful in fulfilling his covenant with Abraham to bless all people (including us) through his family and specifically through Isaac, he’s also faithful in speaking into, and intervening in the situations that are just plain too hard for us.

It also says to me that he does care about our families too, including who we marry and how we live in our families. It tells me that taking God with you on the date isn’t an awkward threesome. It’s the key to the richest human relationship of all. God has lots of things to say about how marriages should work well, but I’ve found that sharing a love for God is the key to growing into the marriage and family that has been an enormous blessing to me.

I think it’s significant too, that although Rebekah was “very beautiful”, it was her generosity of spirit that marked her out as the right one. That the servant hurried to meet her perhaps suggest he was hoping it would be her, but he still allowed room for God to say “no”.

Lord, thank you that you care about me and that you care for my family. Be part of all my decisions today – especially part of my foolish plans that need correction.

Written by David Cornell

23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 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. 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “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.” 7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 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 9 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.” 10 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. 11 “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.” 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 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.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “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.” 16 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. 17 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 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 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. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

How far do I go to convince someone?

I love this passage of scripture but isn’t it just so awkward to read?!

This is bargaining over payment of a funeral!

And it just seems to go on and on and on and on.

Both parties seem to be unable to move from their position, both wanting the upper hand in honour.

If I genuinely believed the right thing to do was to give someone money that they didn’t seem to want to accept, I wonder how hard I would try to convince someone to let me pay them.

Beyond this, todays passage reminds me of the circumstances around Jesus’ betrayal and burial:

Jesus was betrayed for only 20 pieces of silver, but Judas tried to return the money.

Joseph of Aramathea owned a freshly excavated burial plot but gave it to Jesus without charge.

Without knowing, Abraham was foreshadowing the coming of Jesus.

I wonder whether my actions reflect Christ to other people?

Lord, help me to be a person of integrity who reflects Christ to the world.

Written by Ps. Justin Ware 

9 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. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But 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.” 13 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. 14 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.”

I don’t like this story – got to be honest. I don’t like that God would put Abraham in that position. I get it that Abraham was the Father of Faith – the guy clearly had great faith and confidence in God. I get the author of Hebrews’ angle too – that God would raise the boy back to life (see Hebrews 11:17-19). But still – why would God test Abraham in that way? What if God tests me in that way?

Honestly, these questions are too big for me and I don’t have an answer. But one thing I do see – the obvious prophetic nature of the whole event. The clear pointing to a time still to come when a Father would offer His son as a sacrifice for me – in my place. And at that moment – that future sacrifice – there would be no reprieve. Jesus would take the full penalty of my sin – without any last-minute rescue.

Oh, the love and grace poured out for me that caused you, Heavenly Father, such immeasurable pain. And Jesus, for willingly taking all my sin upon yourself. What can I say – what can I do – but to offer my whole life in surrender and worship.

Amen

Written by Boudy Van Noppen