Journey Through the Bible in a Year
Reading God's Word and learning more about His plan for my life each day!
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Introduction to Journey Through the Bible
A note about online study
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for answering the prayers of Your people. In today’s Scripture You answer the prayer of Abraham’s servant that he would be able to find a wife for Isaac—and you answer it immediately. Give me patience to wait for Your answers, and give me wisdom to know when You have answered and I haven’t recognized it. Show me how to pray according to Your will, and teach me to pray without ceasing as the Apostle Paul called us to pray. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may live fully as Your child, and as a faithful witness to Your Son Jesus. This I pray in His name. Amen.
My Journey Verses for Today
Genesis 24:1-27
1 Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to the man in charge of his household, who was his oldest servant, 3 "Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac." 5 The servant asked, "But suppose I can't find a young woman who will travel so far from home? May I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives?" 6 "No!" Abraham warned. "Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my offspring. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a young woman there to be my son's wife. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there." 9 So the servant took a solemn oath that he would follow Abraham's instructions. 10 He loaded ten of Abraham's camels with gifts and set out, taking with him the best of everything his master owned. He traveled to Aram-naharaim and went to the village where Abraham's brother Nahor had settled. 11 There the servant made the camels kneel down beside a well just outside the village. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water. 12 "O LORD, God of my master," he prayed. "Give me success and show kindness to my master, Abraham. Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey. 13 See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the young women of the village are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, 'Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels, too!' – let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac's wife. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." 15 As he was still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder. Her father was Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Now Rebekah was very beautiful, and she was a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant asked, "Please give me a drink." 18 "Certainly, sir," she said, and she quickly lowered the jug for him to drink. 19 When he had finished, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough!" 20 So she quickly emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the well again. She kept carrying water to the camels until they had finished drinking. 21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not she was the one the LORD intended him to meet. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. 23 "Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Would your father have any room to put us up for the night?" 24 "My father is Bethuel," she replied. "My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and food for the camels, and we have a room for guests." 26 The man fell down to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 27 "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham," he said. "The LORD has been so kind and faithful to Abraham, for he has led me straight to my master's relatives."
Reflecting on God's Word for My Journey
What is the fastest answer to prayer that you have ever received?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word for My Journey
What is the challenge before Abraham’s servant in today’s Scripture? (24:1-14)
How does God meet the challenge? (24:15-27)
Understanding God's Will for My Journey
What gave Abraham the assurance that his servant’s search to find a wife for Isaac would be a success?
What does Rebekah’s response to Abraham’s servant tell you about her?
Applying What God's Word Tells Me to My Journey
What is going on in your life right now where you can apply the “Rebekah Principle”?
My Personal Journey Thought for the Day—“The 'Rebekah' Principle!”
Abraham’s servant was on a “quest.” He was charged with finding a suitable wife for Isaac from among Abraham’s relatives. We’re not told whether the servant was a believer, but we certainly understand that the servant had seen the wonders of God in Abraham’s life. So, he resorted to prayer in finding the right woman for Isaac. He asked God to provide a woman who would offer him a drink and also offer to water his camels. We might just gloss over the second part of that prayer, but remember there were ten camels and after a long journey each camel would drink about 25 gallons of water! That means that if Rebekah could handle a five gallon bucket or even two (if there were five gallon buckets in those days) it would have taken her 25 to 50 trips back and forth from the well to water the camels. Talk about going the second mile! John Maxwell calls what Rebekah did the “Rebekah Principle.” Rebekah went far beyond what she was asked. In the end, her reward was immense wealth, and the opportunity to be the “grandmother” of the nation of Israel, but she didn’t know that at the time. All she knew was she was asked to give a man a drink and she went far beyond what was asked. This wasn’t the first time she had ever done that. It was a lifestyle with her. How do I know? Follow her life. You’ll see that she goes beyond what’s expected! Do we?
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