July 29, 2001

I, Being in the Way

Genesis 24

Since the plan is to have a baptismal service today, I thought it would be a good idea to preach about baptism. What is it, why is it, what does it mean, what does it symbolize, all that sort of thing. I thought about teaching how it symbolizes our burial with Christ in His death, because it does. Baptism also illustrates our resurrection with Christ to walk in newness of life, our symbolic death to the world, our symbolic dying to the sins of the flesh, baptism speaks to us of all those things. And they all would have been good, but that's not what I'm going to do. One of the people getting baptized today told me that being baptized is one of the first steps in a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. That's true. So today we talk about obedience. Doing what God wants.

If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn to Matthew 28 and verse 18. This is Matthew's last contact with the risen Lord Jesus just before He ascends back to heaven, and this is what Jesus tells His disciples: " And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Jesus has all authority everywhere. And He tells us, Since I have all authority, here is what I want you to do: go and teach all nations what I have taught you, baptize them in the name of the triune True God, and I will be with you, you can expect My help.

That is our job description. That is job one for every Christian. We need to be good at doing it. How can we get better? One of the wonderful things about the Old Testament is that it is full of God's own object lessons for us to use in our day to day lives. God has given us one for today that deals with a person who lives in an unacceptable heathen culture, who has an enormous challenge, and has incredible odds against him. But he trusts in God, he makes a plan, and God gives him good success. Is that what we need today in our society? You better believe it is!

Turn to Genesis 24, verse 1. "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:" This was something they did when someone was going to make a solemn vow. This signified that it was very serious.
Verse 3: "And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:"

Question: why would Abraham not want a Canaanite wife for Isaac? Because the Canaanites were idol worshipers. God does not want His people being unequally married to an unbelieving spouse. That says something to us today about what unmarried Christians need to look for, or stay away from, in a potential husband or wife.

Verse 4: "But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Gen 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
Gen 24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
Gen 24:7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
Gen 24:8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
Gen 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
Gen 24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
Gen 24:12 And he said O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
Gen 24:13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
Gen 24:14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
Gen 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Gen 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
Gen 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
Gen 24:18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
Gen 24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Gen 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
Gen 24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
Gen 24:23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
Gen 24:24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
Gen 24:25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
Gen 24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
Gen 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
Gen 24:28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
Gen 24:29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
Gen 24:30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
Gen 24:31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
Gen 24:32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
Gen 24:33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on."
Abraham's servant then explains to all the family the how and the why of how he got there, what his intentions were, and then in verse 49 he sums it all up:
"And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth." And we will stop there for now.

Believers in Christ have a lot in common with this servant of Abraham. For all of us here, including those desiring to be baptized, you face about as big a problem as this servant did. How will you walk worthy of the calling with which you are called? How will you be obedient to the instructions and commandments of your Lord? How will you be successful in your Christian life?

Lets compare the challenges that Abraham's servant faced to the challenges that you face, because what worked for him will work for you.

First, what challenges did the servant face? His master Abraham told him to find an appropriate bride for his son Isaac. Abraham told him not to get a Canaanite woman, but to go back to Abraham's homeland and find one there. The servant had specific instructions. He was told where to go and what to do. He was not responsible for failure if the masters plan failed, but he was responsible to do as he was told.
That did not give him an easy way out, because he was required to give it his total dedication. When Abraham told him to put his hand under his thigh and swear by God, that was considered to be a very solemn oath.

What similar challenges do we as Christians face today? There are some good analogies between the challenges to Abraham's servant and the challenges to us as Christians today. The servant had to find a bride from another country, the local women were unacceptable. God wants his people to be completely different from the world around them. Are we living like the world? Do we look like the world? Do we act like the world? Do we think like the world? Does it make a difference whether the important people in our lives are worldly people, or followers of Jesus? It makes an enormous difference. God does not want our affections seduced into following after the world around us, and an unbelieving spouse - among other things - will do that to us.

God had a bride in mind, and it turned out to be Rebekah. Rebekah is a good symbol of what our relationship to Jesus is like because had to leave her old life behind and go to her unseen husband in faith, didn't she? We are commanded to go out into the world and bring others into the church, make converts to the Lord Jesus. Win others to be His bride, as it were. The true church is called the bride of Christ, and no unbeliever has any part in it. Just as the local Canaanite women were unacceptable, it is not possible for Christians to be part of the bride of Christ, and also be a part of the heathen world around us. Just like Rebekah, those who would become the bride of Christ must leave their world behind, and go out in faith to an unseen husband, that they know only by His reputation. They have not yet met Him physically.
Unsaved people who are challenged to become part of the bride of Christ don't know what He's like, they haven't met Him yet. Our job is to tell them what He's like, tell them about Jesus, and His saving grace. Mark's gospel tells us to "preach the gospel -the good news- to every creature."

Do you know how to tell someone else the gospel? It doesn't have to be anything complicated. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's not complicated. The Bible says that Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. His death washes away the sins of everyone who believes in His death washing their sins away. That's pretty simple. God raised Jesus from the dead, proving that God is satisfied that the whole plan worked, and that He accepts it. That's pretty simple too.

That plan will work for everyone that will receive Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. The price has been paid, but it has to be personally and individually claimed by faith. It doesn't matter how much money is in the bank if you never write a check for it. It doesn't matter what kind of a gift someone gives you if you never receive it and open it up. God has provided salvation, have you made it personally yours? By faith have you personally trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior? That's what it's all about. That's pretty simple too.

That is our job, and just as Abraham's servant had to swear a solemn oath that he would make a commitment to seeing it accomplished, we are obligated to give it our complete commitment. Telling other people about Jesus Christ and His salvation is not optional, it is our primary task. If there is something in our lifestyle, our behavior, our personal goals, or our own pleasures that is interfering with that task, we need to get our priorities in order. Then we need to leave the results up to God. It is not within our power to guarantee that everyone gets saved, neither is it our fault if they don't. It is our responsibility to do what we are told and leave the results up to God. Jesus said that we are to teach everyone the truth about His salvation. We are to present it in such a way that people understand that they have been challenged to make a decision. Then we leave the results up to God.

Does that mean we don't care about results? Of course not, we want good success. The best way to have good success is to have a good plan. Abraham's servant had good success because he had a good plan. Look at Genesis 24, verse 10: "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor."
Let's stop here for a minute, because I want us to notice that not only did the servant have a plan, he had the resources to carry it out. "All the goods of his master were in his hand." He had a blank check for what ever he needed. Jesus tells us: "I am with you always, even until the end of the world." When you make a plan for going and telling others about Jesus, work on the assumption that He is not sending you off on your own resources, He is going with you, and He has the checkbook with Him. What ever you do, you must not do in your own power and ability, but in His power, and then your ability will be according to the power of the Holy Spirit working in you and through you. Then you can accomplish great things. Or you can work in your own power and ability, and accomplish little things. Or nothing. Be like Abraham's servant; since all your master's goods are in your hand, don't try and go it on your own.

Something else that is neat about the servant is that it is important to him to know if his plan is in God's will, so look what he does. In verse 11 he is outside the city, by a well, it is time for women to come and draw water, and he asks God to send the right woman to behave in a certain specific way. In verse 14, he says: "And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master."

What a plan. Maybe it doesn't seem like a plan that you would use, but stop and think about it. God had sworn to Abraham that a bride for Isaac would be forthcoming from that land. God had promised Abraham that an angel would go before him as part of the equation. The servant took God at face value, and thought up a plan that would work if God did what He said He would do. Not only that, the servant wanted a woman that not only met all the technical requirements, but a woman who was generous, thoughtful, and not lazy. Any woman who would volunteer to draw water for ten thirsty camels would be one remarkable woman. The servant asked for something out of the ordinary. He asked for something so that he could know if he was in God's will. And it worked. Do we trust God enough to ask for things that are out of the ordinary? Probably not nearly often enough.

Notice how the servant did not take anything for granted, he didn't assume that things were a done deal just because it started out good.
Verse 21: "And the man wondering at her held his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not."
It appeared as if things were going wonderfully, nonetheless the servant followed up on his good beginnings. He told Rebekah more details about what was happening, he told Rebekah's family in detail what was happening, and then he waited to see if God was really behind that specific situation or not.
It is not enough in our Christian life to start off well, it is also necessary to maintain an intelligent effort at the halfway point, and then to finish up well, both in presenting the gospel to others, and also how we live our own lives overall. We want our personal lives to match what we are telling others. We don't want a "do as I say, not as I do" testimony. What others hear with their ears from us about Jesus, they also ought to be able to see with their eyes. How we act and look ought to agree with what we say.

If we are willing to tell others about Jesus, and how to be saved, are we also willing to take the time to help them get started on their Christian lives, or maybe get some other things in their lives sorted out?
Are we willing to follow up, whatever it takes, on and on and on after things get off to a good start? A good start is wonderful, it is encouraging, but it is when we hang in over the long haul that we really make a difference. That is what the servant did. He hung in there until he had completed his task successfully. Turn to verse 61: "And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way." Skip to verse 66.
"And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."

The servant devised a plan that was based on what God said He was going to do, and God honored it. Notice that it was not God's plan, it was the servant's plan. But it was a plan of the servant thinking through God's promises, and devising a plan that was based on those promises. God is so wonderful and gracious, He lets us know His will, and then when we come up with some poor human plan that is the best our human brains can think of, He will bless it because we are being obedient. God honoring the servant's plan worked back then, and it still works now, because God is still gracious, and He still blesses those who follow and serve Him according to His Word, obedient to His will.

The servant saw the plan apparently working, and then verified that it really was what he thought it was. Then he followed up on it to bring it to fruition, and stayed with it until it was completely accomplished.
That is what we need to do when we want to win someone else to Jesus Christ. You don't just mumble John 3:16 at somebody one day when you get your nerve up, and figure that takes care of it, you maintain a consistent witness over a period of time. Same thing in all your Christian life. You don't get saved and get all sanctified and glorified all in one big glorious poof, Christianity is not instant gratification in any way. Christian faithfulness is a long obedience in the same direction.

What makes this passage in Genesis such a good lesson for us is that it is so very simple, and gives us just exactly what we need to do to be successful in our Christian lives and in our gospel outreach. Through out this chapter, the servant seeks God's will and help, and he doesn't ask in generalities, he asks for specifics. He follows God's leading. As he sees Rebekah appear to respond, he takes out the bracelets and earring, verse 22, and follows up with questions to see if he is on the right track. He starts with knowing God's will, he comes up with a plan that fits in with God's will, he asks God to guide him and make his way plain, and then he watches and evaluates his progress to see if this really is of the Lord. He gives God the credit and the glory in his testimony to Rebekah's family. He shares the things that God has done in his life. He is not just telling them some theory, he has seen it work for himself first hand.

But as important as all that is, there is something even more important. All this has been good, but there is something even more important that fits in with all this. The most important thing in the whole chapter is a little phrase in the second half of verse 27, I want everyone here to look at that and think about it carefully: "I being in the way, the LORD led me."

That is the most important thing that any of us as Christians can possibly be or do.

I, being in the way, the Lord led me. God has a way, and man has a way: Whose way are you in? What sort of way are you going in? Psalms 18:32 tells us: "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect."

"I, being in the way, the Lord led me." Learn what the Lord wants, learn what His ways are, and then get into that place, get into that way, and then the Lord can lead you and guide you. You will have understanding of where you are, and where you need to go. Instead of just going off on your own, hoping for the best, you will be able to go where God is leading.

There is an old joke about: "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's usually the way to bet." If you were going to bet on who the Lord's blessing would most likely fall upon, you would be smart to assume that the Lord's blessing is usually going to fall on those that are in His will, and faithfully serving Him. Those that are in the way, His way. God's blessing generally rests on obedience. There are exceptions, but we are more likely to be blessed when we are obeying what He tells us.

Obedience works two ways. Doing what we are told to do, and not doing what we are told not to do. Unfortunately, a lot of us have quit being obedient at the point of not doing what we shouldn't do. That's only part of it, and it's the lazy part. Obedience is also doing what we're told to do, and that is the active part. It requires that we go and do. It requires that we be in the way, and moving, so that God can lead us to where He wants us. If you had a jackass sitting in the path you wanted him to go in, but he was just sitting there, you couldn't lead him, could you? Same with us. We can't be led if we aren't moving. We can't be led if we won't go.

Let me leave all of us with a challenge today. God is pouring out His blessing on a lot of people every day. Is He pouring out His blessing on you? Are you "in the way," so that He can use you to do what He wants done? If not, what do you need to do to get "in the way?" Compare your actions and attitudes, your behavior, your Christian walk to the servant of Abraham: he is a good role model for us as followers of Jesus Christ. How do you measure up?

Jesus tells us to go and teach everybody the gospel, make converts, baptize them, teach them how to live as Christians, and do it all in the power of the Holy Spirit, because He is with us continually. How are we doing? Are we just living passively obedient lives, abstaining from sin, but not doing anything either? Then He cannot lead us. Are we trying to be obedient in our own ability, and it is not working? That is not His way either. Are we in the way, His way, moving out in faith, and letting Him lead us?

If we are, then we can say the same thing the servant says in verse 56: "Hinder me not, seeing the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master." The servant is successful, he has accomplished what the master wants, and he is in a hurry to take the master what he desires.

Some day all of us are going to meet Jesus. Wouldn't it be great to be anxious to see Jesus, because you knew that you had been in the way, you had been obedient, and you had something to give Him that He wanted? Sure beats the alternative, doesn't it?

One other thing before we quit: the servant is never named. No name, nothing to remember him by, nothing to brag on, just - a servant. Not much opportunity there for ego, is there? Nothing to get puffed up about. Just; "a servant." It is better for you to be a servant that is in the way, obedient to the Lord, and successful in your task, than to be anything else in the world. I pray for each of you that you will become just exactly that sort of person in your Christian life.