Titus 1:1-4 "A Mind-blowing Introduction"

I want to spend a few weeks with you in this valuable little pastoral letter from Paul to Titus. In the course of the last two years I have   preached through   the first and second epistles to Timothy, and it is my desire to complete this little triad, which is sometimes known as the Pastoral Epistles.Titus is mentioned thirteen times in the NT. He is mentioned 9 times alone in 2 Corinthians[1], where Paul refers to him as “my brother Titus” (2:13) and “my partner and fellow worker” (8:23).

This letter was written between A.D. 62–64, during his ministry to the Macedonian churches (see 2 Cor. 8 &9), from either Corinth or Nicopolis (cf. 3:12). Most likely, Titus served with Paul on both the second and third missionary journeys. Titus, like Timothy (2 Tim. 1:2) had a special relationship with Paul.  Paul calls him ‘my true child (lit. my legitimate son) in a common faith’. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul reports that Titus had gone to Dalmatia— a very beautiful part of modern Croatia.

Chronologically, the letter to Titus predates the second letter to Timothy. At this stage  we find Titus  on the island of Crete, where Paul left him behind  to strengthen the work (1:5).At the close of this letter we will see that Paul requests Titus to come to him  at Nicopolis (in Achaia, a province  in Greece. Artemas or Tychicus (3:12) will be sent to replace him and to take over the ministry there. Paul, the gifted apostle certainly was the spiritual director of the mission to the gentiles, using young men to provide temporary leadership in places where mature Christian leadership was lacking. Many of Paul’s young men were sent on short assignments. The reason is clear. Christian leadership in new and difficult places is daunting. The enemy’s resistance to the work of the gospel of God is fiercest where  Satan is been driven out. This work is akin to a soldier fighting on the front lines. To keep them from burning out they were withdrawn while others are sent in their place. It is good  for young men to be tested  in doing  spiritual battle before they are assigned to become  elders and gatekeepers  of  a church.

So Crete is where Titus is now.  Crete is the 5^th largest island in the  Mediterranean Sea. It has a surface area of 8,336 sq.km,  260 km’s  long, and  60 km’s  at its widest.

In Acts 27:7–9,12,13,21 we  read  that Paul had visited here  briefly  on his journey to Rome. He returned there for ministry and later left Titus to continue the work in Crete, just as he left Timothy at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3), while he went on to Macedonia. The letter was probably   written in response to a letter or a report from Titus concerning matters in Crete.

With all that in mind we proceed to the opening words of this epistle. Paul often writes  in long sentences[2],  adding  clause upon clause, as he pours out his heart on paper. The first four verses are written like this: 1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour…”

We really need to get over the long sentence structure (forbidden in English writing) and look deeper at what is moving Paul here to speak in this way.  One is under the impression that this man is so overwhelmed by the thought of God and the ministry that he has been given by God, that he finds it hard to find a full-stop! It really is a mind-blowing opening statement when we take  cognizance of all that  Paul says here. Let’s take a look:

1.     Paul’s  credentials: A bond servant of God and an apostle of  Jesus Christ

“Paul a servant (doulos – bond servant ; lit. a permanent  slave) of God”.  The prophets of the Old Testament frequently used this description of themselves in relation to God.  In the OT  there were  2 kinds of slaves.  Slavery in Israel was a temporary institution. After a period of time, servants or slaves were to be freed. It might be at the end of their payment of a debt; it might be at the end of a seven-year Sabbath cycle; or it might be in the year of Jubilee.  Slaves were not to be permanently held in Israel.  But there was a second kind of slave, one who voluntarily and permanently committed himself to his master. He was called a bond-servant. Paul begins this letter by saying “I am a bond-servant of God.”  He is committed to the permanent service of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“…and an apostle of Jesus Christ”.  The term apostle (apostolos) in itself is essentially unspectacular. It means messenger boy. A messenger boy, though he bears an important message has no an intrinsic authority. The authority that he bears is the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was called to this service in Acts 9.

As we reflect upon the credentials of Paul we are struck by his humility. Though he represents the King of kings, he takes no power and no glory to himself. I am a bond slave and a messenger boy. I say this as the Namibian church  finds herself  in the horrible grip of  many so called apostles, so called men and women  of God, so called prophets  who live for their own glory and pockets and who  live  to  boost their own egos and who  draw men and women after themselves,   but  portray none of the character credentials  portrayed hereby the apostle Paul.  Paul is a servant and he is an apostle. He is nothing in himself and yet he has the greatest message for the whole world. That is, I say, mind blowing. One of the great temptations for  preachers  is that  they  forget  these godly models,  Paul and John the Baptist, men  who  know their place and yet know that they have a message unequalled to any other.    

2.     Paul’s  Calling 

Here is what Paul’s  servant and apostolic ministry is all about : the proclamation of  saving faith, sanctifying truth  and   a sure  hope:  

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ ...for the sake of  the faith of  God’s elect and their  knowledge of the truth,  which accords  with  godliness,  in  hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began, and  at the proper time manifested in  His word through the preaching with which I have been  entrusted by the  commandment of God our Saviour.”

(i)               “...for the sake of  the faith of  God’s elect”. Paul serves God by being a messenger of the gospel of Jesus. Those who hear are the eklektōn Theou - the elect of God.  They are the ones who have been given the gift of faith by God and they are the ones who are able to express their faith. Let’s say this again differently. Paul’s apostolic preaching and the response to that preaching is not the source of his hearers’ faith. It is a means.  The source of his hearers’ faith is God. God's choice/ election of them is the root of their response to God in faith. Paul is simply the messenger boy, the vessel which God uses.  And so Paul's purpose in ministry is to preach the Word of God in the full assurance that there will be a harvest of those that are called by God to believe- to have faith in Him. But that is not where the sentence ends. That is not where Paul’s calling ends.  

(ii)             He goes on to say that he is a servant and an apostle for the knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness.  Paul’s calling from God   includes not only the fact that He is used to call out the elect of God, but that they may grow in the knowledge  of God’s truth  as it is revealed  in the OT Scriptures, and finally by the appearing of Christ – the final Word of God (Hebr.  1:1-3). To put it simply, Paul is saying here, “my ministry, which is by way of this calling and commission which I have received, is aimed at producing a sanctifying knowledge in the people of God.”  Paul is not content to see mere converts for God. He wants to see converts transformed for godly living.  He wants to see evangelism plus discipleship. The gospel truth as it is in Jesus must   accord with godliness. This is not the last time in this book that Paul will insist upon the connection between sound theology and godly living.  And to what end? This is where the next phrase comes in.

(iii)           “…in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began…”  The end of all things, our faith, and our sanctification is this: …the hope of eternal life. This is the ultimate motivation for Paul's work.  Eternal life! God’s people are saved for eternity.   This is not just wishful thinking. Notice how Paul roots this particular thought in the character of God… in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began… . God never lies. What He promises He will do!  

So in his opening verses Paul describes  his servant ministry as an apostle in terms of bringing the full-orbed  message of the  work of salvation that begins with faith, and which continues  in living out that faith in this life  through  sanctified (or godly) living and which ends after our death  with eternal life… and thus his summary statement which follows: “and  at the proper time manifested in  His word through the preaching with which I have been  entrusted by the  commandment of God our Saviour.” A mind-blowing perspective!  

That, in a nutshell  is the work  of  Paul the servant apostle.  

And that is essentially the work of the ministry which we are called to imitate. The reason why  this ministry at Eastside Baptist  Church exists  is to

(i)  bring God’s elect to saving faith. We do this by faithful gospel centred preaching  

(ii)  help them to grow  in the knowledge of the truth which leads to godly living  while they live. We do this through expository preaching and discipleship classes 

(iii) keeping their eyes on the hope of their eternal reward. We preach and pray   in such a way that we can say with John Wesley that our people die well and in full assurance of the hope of heaven. Wesley knew that the secret to dying well was living well.[3] 

Are you praying for our common ministry to have this effect in our community? Are you praying for your preachers to be servant like messenger boys of the Word of Jesus? Are you praying that they will do their work fully in   preaching the gospel so that the elect may hear? And once they are converted that they may grow in the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness? Are you praying that we as Christ’s sheep will keep our eyes on our eternal hope and not just on our little, limited earthly retirement? Remember that life is a vapour, and soon you will appear before Jesus, and if you have trusted Him in this life you will be received into eternal dwellings.    

A closing Word

"To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour…”

Titus is a wonderful example of all that we have seen here. Having grown up in a gentile - pagan environment, he heard the gospel from Paul.  He now shares a common faith with Paul. He has received grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is one of God’s elect who truly hears, and therefore by faith in Jesus he is converted. Under faithful, diligent teaching and by the knowledge of the truth he grows in grace and godliness and very soon he becomes a useful co- worker with Paul.

The Christian life begins with grace and peace, but the Christian life ends with grace and peace, as well. Expect to see Titus in heaven.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18

[2] Ephesians 1:3-14 ,in the Greek is a famous   example.

[3] https://www.seedbed.com/dying-well-according-to-john-wesley/

Genesis 25:1-18 “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac“

This will be the last chapter in which the lives of Abraham and Isaac intersect. In fact, this is Abraham’s death chapter. From now on the focus will be on Isaac, the chosen son and the new head of the covenant family.  Though there are no great achievements to speak of concerning Isaac’s life, yet he provides a significant link in the history of redemption. The  Jews always referred  to their  God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (e.g.  Gen. 50:24; Ex.3:15; Acts 7:32)

Our text focuses on the continuity of the covenant promises of God to Abraham through Isaac which is then passed on to Jacob, and we shall see this already happening in 25:23. The great doctrine which is addressed in this chapter is the doctrine of divine election. I want to present this doctrine to you in fuller detail  my next sermon. Right now I want us to see how the covenant promise is passed on in the midst of challenging family relationships in which we   are told  that Abraham gave all he have  to Isaac.  (25:4)

Abraham took another wife (25:1-4).

Following the death of Sarah in Ch. 23, Abraham marries Keturah[1], whose name means ”wrapped in clouds of incense smoke"[2]. She bears him a further 6 sons. The prophecy concerning him becoming the father of many nations is beginning to take shape.    I want to draw your attention to one of the sons. One of his sons, whose name is mentioned in verses 2-4 is  Midian.  His offspring, the Midianites were destined to have  a great  influence  upon Israel.  Jacob’s sons because of jealousy will put their brother Joseph into a pit, from where he is rescued by Midianite traders, who in turn sell him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, in Egypt (37:36). Later we read that Moses sought refuge in Midian following his flight from Egypt (Ex.2:11ff).There he meets  and marries Zipporah the  daughter of Jethro, a priest of Midian (Ex.2:16-22),  and Moses will be greatly helped by his Midianite father-in-law, Jethro. Yet the Midianites will also exert bad influence over the Israelites with the Moabites (Numbers 22:1-41, 25:1-18, 31:1-54)  and through them Israel will start to worship false gods, bringing  God’s wrath down upon them. Gideon in Judges 6-8 will defeat the Midianite army  with an army of only 300 men  in a remarkable victory.

Isaac's unique place in God's plan (25:5,6)

With so many brothers, and not forgetting Ishmael  (7 in all),  we may well ask how things would be when Abraham dies  and  when the inheritance has to be  divided.  The Bible leaves us in no uncertainty:  “Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living. And he sent them away from his son, Isaac, eastward to the land of the east.”

The Lord God who knows all things and who steers all history  for the sake of His own glory    had determined by His own good pleasure and forethought  that  Isaac, the son born to Abraham  and Sarah, his covenant wife,  was going to be the next son of the covenant, inheriting  the promises that God had made to Abraham. Remember the opening words of the New Testament? “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob . . .” (Matt. 1:1- 2). Isaac occupies a unique place there . There were 7 other male descendants of Abraham, but they are not mentioned there. The covenant promise concerning the  seed of the woman who will bruise the serpent’s head and accomplish our redemption shall come  through Isaac alone.

In order to deal with potential sibling rivalry,   the other sons are sent away to the east country (v.6). That is an interesting comment.  Adam and Eve after the fall are sent east of Eden (Gen.3:24).  Cain settled east of Eden following the murder of his brother (Gen. 4:16).  The people who planned and built the tower of Babel came from the east (Gen. 11:2).  Abraham, by the grace of God had been brought from Ur in the east to the promised land.    In  Gen.24 Abraham warned his servant  that under no circumstances was he to take Isaac back to the east – to  the place  from where  God had taken Abraham. Isaac belongs here in Canaan, the Promised Land. Eastward was generally understood to mean, “away from God”.

We thank God that today in this gospel age, God’s covenant blessings are being poured once again into the people of the east and the nations, although the gospel is also fiercely resisted by the people of the east, as is true for the all the nations  of  the world. It began back in the times of the birth of Jesus. Wise men from the East heard that a remarkable child was to be born and so they came to seek Him and to worship Him (Matt.2:1). 

So then, Abraham’s other sons are not sent away empty handed. They are given gifts (we may assume that these were generous gifts) while Abraham was still alive, but while  the  others are provided for, Isaac alone is the one who is to inherit the land and the covenant  promises. Matthew Henry writes:

“These sons of the concubines were sent into the country that lay east from Canaan, and their posterity were called the children of the east, famous for their numbers, Judges 6:5,33.  (i.e. the Midianites and the Amalekites) Their great increase was the fruit of the promise made to Abraham, that God would multiply his seed. God, in dispensing his blessings, does as Abraham did common blessings he gives to the children of this world, as to the sons of the bond-woman, but covenant-blessings he reserves for the heirs of promise. All that he has is theirs, for they are his Isaacs, from whom the rest shall be for ever separated”[3]

Common blessings are given by God to every member of the human race, but covenant blessings are given by God to those who are the heirs of the promise. A distinction is made by God between Isaac and his brothers from another mother.  

If it were up to Abraham he might have chosen Ishmael (Gen. 17:15-27) in the same way as Isaac would choose Esau over Jacob.  God chooses differently to us. He chooses Isaac over Ishmael. He chooses Jacob the younger over Esau the older. He chooses David, the last born of the sons of Jesse. And God chooses, Isaac and Jacob and David, not because they are better men than others. They are not. Read the history of the Bible and you will see this for yourself. No, for His own reasons and  for the sake of His own glory and because He loved them He chooses them.   

The way to translate that into NT  language  is this:  Have you received Grace from God  to  become a Christian  through believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Have you entered the new covenant   having confessed Him with your mouth and in baptism? Do you appreciate the wonder of the fact that God has given to every Christian  believer  an unimaginable inheritance, making us joint heirs with Christ?  If so then  we are the richest people in the world! And  the wonder is that none of us  has deserved this.No one merits it. No one earns it. It is his  unmerited  free gift to an undeserving  people. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4,5)

The death and burial of Abraham. (25:7-11)

Abraham lived 175 years. He was 75 years old when he came to Canaan and he lived here for 100 years. He had now lived in Canaan longer than anywhere else.

The words of verse 8 are striking:  “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man full of years, and was gathered to his people.”  The words speak of a man at peace.   It is friendship with God that allows a man to die full of years and satisfied.  Matthew Henry again says, “He was full of years, or full of life,  including all the conveniences and comforts of life. He did not live till the world was weary of him, but till he was weary of the world he had had enough of it, and desired no more. A good man, though he should not die old, dies full of days, satisfied with living here, and longing to live in a better place”. [4]

Abraham had the pleasure of seeing Isaac married and settled.  And now he could depart in peace. His life, in a sense was  complete. God gives  a believer that contentment that enables them  to enjoy life, but also to be ready to leave it when God calls. The things that made Abraham's life rich was not his possessions, and it wasn't the great age which God had granted him, but rather it was his hope to enter into that heavenly Canaan, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city whose founder and builder was God, whose friendship he had enjoyed in this life. Abraham was gathered to his people. The doctrine of the immortal soul, and of the afterlife comes through here very strongly. Abraham did not cease to be.  He was not annihilated.   Abraham was gathered to his people. He was gathered to Adam and Eve and Seth and Enoch, and to Noah and to Sarah… He was gathered to his people. Which people will you be gathered to? Will you be gathered to the children of promise, or will you be gathered to the children of this world? It depends upon with whom we find our ultimate fellowship in this life doesn't it?

The Methodist, Adam Clarke wrote a good eulogy of Abraham: “Above all as a man of God, he stands unrivaled; so that under the most exalted and perfect of all dispensations, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is proposed and recommended as the model and pattern according to which the faith, obedience, and perseverance of the followers of the Messiah are to be formed. Reader, while you admire the man, do not forget the God that made him so great, so good, and so useful. Even Abraham had nothing but what he had received; from the free unmerited mercy of God proceeded all his excellences; but he was a worker together with God, and therefore did not receive the grace of God in vain. Go thou, believe, love, obey, and persevere in like manner.”[5]

In verse 9 we read that Isaac and Ishmael share in the responsibility of burying their father. They buried him  in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, where Sarah  was buried (v.9)... but the final  fact remains  that God blessed Abraham’s son  Isaac.

V.11  After the  funeral is  over God  confirms the covenant blessings upon Isaac. Isaac goes and lives at Beer-lahai-roi where God had first taken care of Hagar and Ishmael, and the  place where Isaac first  saw and met  Rebekah, his wife.  

At the close of our  text  Ishmael and his offspring  receive  a brief mentioning.  He became rich and famous. He had twelve sons who were princes and nations (v.16). Today they  are the various Arabic people of the Middle East.  They lived on the fringes of the Promised Land. They have been touched  by the word of God. They believe in the  scriptures, but   it is one thing to be near the covenant of grace; it is another thing to be in the covenant of grace To this day  they remain  strangers to the covenant and its promises. Many that are strangers to the covenants of promise are blessed with outward prosperity for the sake of their godly ancestors. Wealth and riches shall be in their house.”[6] But the main  question is this. Are you, like Isaac, a son of the covenant, having entered the narrow gate through  Christ?  For it is in  Christ  that we, like Isaac inherit all  the covenant promises ...  the resurrection of our bodies, eternal life  in  heaven, our heavenly Canaan, for God has promised  us all   these thing in Christ, the Mediator of a better covenant.   

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[1] There is  disagreement among commentators as  to whether   Abraham  had taken  Keturah as  a concubine  whilst  he was married to Sarah  ( In 1 Chronicles  1:32 she is mentioned  as his concubine)

[2] H.C. Leupold: Genesis http://www.ccel.org/ccel/leupold/genesis.xxvii.html

[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary  :  https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhm/genesis-25.html

[4] Matthew Henry : https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhm/genesis-25.html

[5] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/genesis-25/

[6] Matthew Henry : https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhm/genesis-25.html

Genesis 24:29-67 “The Son of the Covenant Meets His Bride“

This then is the love story of Isaac and Rebekah.  Our Scripture reading is virtually a repeat of the first 28 verses. Abraham’s servant has been successful.  The Lord God has heard Abraham’s prayer and his servant’s prayer. He has found a beautiful wife for Isaac through a remarkable set of providences, inspired by prayer to the God of Abraham, who has created this world and everything in it. And yet, as I hope to show you, this is much more than a love story. This is much more than a story of a God-fearing parent looking for a suitable marriage partner for his son.

Isaac and Rebekah will be an important puzzle piece in the history of God’s redeeming grace in this sinful world. They will continue the story of God’s covenant dealings with mankind. Last time we were reminded that the theme of covenant runs right through the Bible. The Bible is made up of an Old and a New covenant (Testament).  

The story line of the Bible  and the development of the covenantal theme  essentially goes like this.  Following creation (Genesis 1 &2)  follows the fall  of mankind into sin (Genesis 3)  follows the  fact that God, the holy Creator of this  world and the Universe   has  determined that despite the  fall, He would  call out a people for Himself in  this world.  The question then becomes this:  How can this holy God, who is of purer eyes than to  see evil  (Hab. 1:13)  have anything to do with sinners? The answer is this; God makes a way, by way of covenants, which all point to ONE COVENANT!  We have already noted the Noahic  covenant (8:20 – 9:17) in which  God  called  out to  Himself the family of Noah, also   promising  never to destroy the earth  through a universal flood again. The sign of that covenant  is the rainbow.  

In  Genesis 15/17   we find the   Abrahamic  covenant. Once again God chooses   for Himself a people, beginning with Abraham.  The sign of that covenant is circumcision.  This  covenant is ratified by   sacrifice and blood (Gen. 15:17)[1].   All this points to  that great  New Covenant  in Christ, who was given on the cross, shedding  His blood  for those  who  are given to Him by the Father  (John 17), those who will come to Him and who  believe in His Name.  The sign of entering into that covenant is believers baptism.   

The message of the whole Bible remains the same.  From this fallen world,  God is calling out for Himself a particular people, called not by their own  merit, but called according to God’s  love. There would be ultimately two kinds of people in this world: the serpent’s offspring and the woman’s offspring (Gen. 3:15).  God promised Abraham that He would fill heaven with a vast number of his offspring – born from among all the nations of the world.  

Now I need to point out that   whilst Rebekah   did come from Abraham’s earthly family she was not as yet a part of the covenant family. In this story we see God bringing her into the covenant through her marriage to Isaac.  So again we need to see the big picture here.  

This is not just about Isaac and Rebekah, and finding a suitable marriage partner (though that is true of course). It is about the greater work of God in our lives. Little do we know what God is up to in the bigger scheme of things? Did the mother of Moses know who she gave birth to?  Did Hannah know that she was going to be the mother of Samuel, one of Israel’s most revered prophets?  Did the mother of David know that her youngest son would be the greatest human king of Israel? Did Isaac and Rebekah know that they were going to be the parents of Jacob, from whom the tribes of Israel would be descended? Did Mary (descended from the tribes of Israel) know that she was going to be the human mother of the Saviour of the world?  And does anyone know and appreciate what Christ is to the people He died for? He is the Bridegroom of the church.  God the Father gives a bride to his Son. Marriage is at the heart of God’s covenant of grace.  The theme of  the covenants  runs  like a string of pearls through the Scriptures …  beginning with the marriage covenant of Adam and Eve  in Genesis 2  and ending  with the marriage supper of the church  and   the  Lamb of God  in Revelation 22.

Here then is Abraham. He is the beginning of the Bibles’ narrative concerning a people for God, as numerous as the sand on the seashore – as numerous as the stars in the sky. But the materializing of this promise is not going to be straight forward.  In fact, it is going to be against the odds.   God deals with Abraham in a remarkable way, testing, strengthening, forgiving and making him fruitful with Sarah in great old age. That is the background to this chapter and its narrative of the marriage of Isaac, the marriage of the heir of the covenant.

We have read the passage and the key text and question to Rebekah now is this, "will you go with this man?" (Genesis 24: 58) Is she going to fulfill her calling in God’s bigger scheme of things? 

One of her obstacles is her family. Abraham’s first encounter is with her brother, Laban. He is the first to meet and engage   Abraham’s servant (vv. 29-50).  As the story is heard, Laban and Rebekah’s father, Bethuel’s conclusion is,   “This thing has come from the LORD…” (note the mentioning of the covenant name- YAHWEH).   The truth of the matter is that whole narrative is driven by God’s earlier promise in v.7, “To your offspring I will give this land.” God has made these arrangements and the servant simply has to go out and find her, and Rebekah’s parents, perhaps against their natural inclinations, will be made to see this.

But, as indicated, we are here to see the greater picture behind this story. Since everything in covenantal history   ultimately points to Christ, we can now see how this question, “will you go with this man?"  points us to the relationship  between  Christ and His bride, the church.  It is from our perspective an evangelistic question that the servants of Christ the Master are asking.  This is where we are as a congregation that serves the Lord.  We are involved in God’s mission to bring in the bride of Christ. God has purposed that from the lost sons of Adam to give a bride to his Son. Among all the nations is the bride of Christ.  And so we can labour confidently in the assurance that our preaching, our seeking after a bride for Christ will be successful. How many of you have been found by faithful servants of God in the last few years?  What a wonderful assurance then, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (Jn. 6:37)

And so  Rebekah  is asked the critical  question,  “Will you go with this man?”, and while  in context, this is a marriage proposal,  in which Rebekah says, “I will go” (v.58), we with  the entire testimony  of Scripture, and an understanding of the covenants  behind us,  can apply this ultimately to the offer of the  gospel;  “Will you go with Jesus?  Will you go with Jesus this very moment, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; will you take His people to be your people?

And so we see that Rebekah was ready to go. But not without a challenge! After that important question,  "will you go with this man?", they retired  for the night, but the next morning, as  the servant is  eager to take her to her bridegroom Isaac,   as he makes the request,  “Send me on my way to my master” (v.54), 800 km’s away,  there is some hesitation  on the part of the family. “Let her remain with us a while, at least 10 days, after that she may go.”  “Don’t go yet!” You need to see what is happening here. 

From the bigger perspective we see  the enemy of God,  Satan at work here. He is  working his delaying tactics through  human instruments. He does not want this thing to happen.  He knows that  “The seed of the woman that will eventually crush his head “ (Gen.  3:15). This marriage must  be stopped!  “Delay! Have second thoughts. Put it off. Why be in a rush? Wait!”  But Abraham’s servant is urgent.  He cannot be delayed.    She must come with him now.   

Since the Old Testament  points us  to Christ, our heavenly bridegroom, we cannot be slow in making the application as it relates to us as New Testament believers.  The Gospel calls us to follow Christ now. The call to follow Christ is not ‘later’ but now – see Matthew  8:18-22.  Now is the time!

Rebekah is chosen for a moment such as this. She must go now. She is an important  role player in God’s history of redemption.  It is  significant that the only New Testament reference to Rebekah is in the context of the covenant purposes of God.  In Romans 9:10-12  we read, “Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls – she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger’.  She is a vital part of the purposes of God in election. She must come. She must give birth to Jacob, the son of the covenant.

And now she is sent away by her family  with a rich  blessing  (v.60), and  perhaps  unknowingly  they  prophesy,   “ Our  sister may you become thousands of ten thousands and may your offspring  possess the gate of those who hate  him.”  This agrees with the Abrahamic blessing in 22:17.  Rebekah's family had no idea how  great a role she would play in   Yahweh’s redemptive purposes.

And now finally, in vv. 61-67 Rebekah   is brought to Isaac.

Please note that  the servant did not say to Rebekah, “Now that  I have found you make your own way there“.  No! We read, “Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way” (v.61). He took her all the way to Isaac. He made sure that she was brought to him and joined to her bridegroom.The servants of the church make sure that the hearts of those that come to Christ are tied to Christ. We do not abandon people upon their profession of faith and love to Jesus!  We accompany them. We disciple them. We make sure that they are sustained until they meet their bridegroom.

And so we read that Isaac lifted up his eyes and saw the camels were coming. Rebekah likewise lifted up her eyes and she saw Isaac. They recognised one another instantly.  True believers will recognise Christ when they see Him. They recognise Him as their Shepherd and they will follow Him (John 10).  When the heart finally meets Jesus it is at home.

And so we read that she became his wife and he loved her (v. 67).  And now all the covenantal blessings became hers because of being united with Isaac.

She became an heir of all the promises of the covenant which God had made with Abraham by being united with the son of the covenant, the son of Abraham.

And so as we read the Scriptures we see Isaac gradually fading away and we realize what this is all about. It is all about the greater Son of Isaac –it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ our heavenly bridegroom to whom we are led by the gospel and her gospel servants. We can’t wait to meet Him!  

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[1] A heifer, a female  goat , a ram, a turtledove and  a young pigeon were cut in half , and each half laid over against each other  and God, in a symbolic , yet real fashion  passed between these pieces and made a covenant  with Abraham, promising  Abraham  and thus Himself  an  offspring  of faithful believing  people ,  who would  inherit a promised land.

Genesis 24:1-28 “Finding a suitable wife for Isaac“

We find ourselves now in the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. This is the story of Isaac and Rebekah and the way in which the Lord brought them together.  We will divide this chapter into 2 sessions. Today we will consider how the Lord found a wife for Isaac and next time we shall consider Rebekah’s response.  

This portion of inspired Scripture provides us with some great lessons, but the greatest lesson here   is the fact that God, and Abraham, and Abraham’s servant   deeply cares about who Isaac, the son of the covenant promise, should marry.  Let us then unpack the story as it unfolds.

V.1 Abraham was “old and well advanced in years” -  about 140.  He had just lost Sarah in Chapter 23,  and in Chapter  25 we shall see that  he will  be remarried to  Keturah, with  whom he  will eventually have  6 more sons.  But it is   Isaac alone, his first born from Sarah his first covenant wife, who remains the son of promise.  The Bible is structured very clearly around the great themes of promise, covenant and election. Romans 9:6-9   comments in this regard,   6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”

One of our favourite new hymns is,  “By Faith” composed by Keith and Kristyn Getty, and this is what  they affirm to be true in our day about the promise…

By faith we see the hand of God, In the light of creation's grand design,

In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness, Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth, With the power of His promise in their hearts,

Of a holy city built by God's own hand, A place where peace and justice reigns.

We will stand as children of the promise, We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward,

Till the race is finished and the work is done, We'll walk by faith and not by sight.

In Chapter 24 we see  then  that Abraham, Isaac’s  father  is deeply  concerned that  the son of  the Promise  should find not just any wife, but a  wife according to the  promise. God is seeking godly offspring (Mal. 2:15) and mixed marriages, where the wife is not of godly persuasion will not produce godly offspring.  So, this passage is about much more than simply a God-fearing parent desiring a believing spouse for his child. This passage is about the continuation of the line of promise. And that ought to be a concern for every young man and woman here today as they seek a future marriage partner.  

Vv.2-4 So, as Abraham takes initiative on behalf of his son of promise, he does not simply sit back, but he is proactive.  As he is old now , he gets his most trusted servant  (Maybe this is still Eliezer of Damascus about whom we were told about back in Genesis 15:2) to play a key part in  this. Abraham makes sure that his trusted servant understands the seriousness of his assignment.  He does so by making him swear an oath (vv.2&3 cf. Jacob and Joseph in Gen. 47:29). The oath relates to the fact that Abraham wants his servant to make sure that he must not find a wife from among the local Canaanite girls. The wife must come from his own family (vv.3,4).  The Canaanites/ Amorites were steeped in paganism and its vile practises. In fact, we are told that they are a people destined for destruction. In Genesis 15:16 we see that their sins are piling up.  God told Abraham that a day would come when God’s judgement would be poured out upon them.  So he must not take a wife from among them. All this foreshadows something very   important. Believers must marry only “in the Lord” (1 Cor.  7:39). “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” (2 Cor. 6:14-16). 

V.5  With this in mind  we find in  the servant  asking some clarifying questions: (i)  how can I be sure that this  girl from  your  country and kindred   would want to come back with me?  (ii)  And then, if she should not be found, should  I take Isaac back to  your  ancestral home?

Vv.6-8 To which Abraham responds firmly, because he stands on the covenant promises of God. The wife of Isaac must come from his home (v.7) God said so. Abraham is totally convinced that God is going to provide not only some wife, but the right wife for Isaac, and she wasn’t going to come from the Canaanites, the people among whom he had settled.   He might have learned this lesson the hard way, in having a child called Ishmael with Hagar, a woman not of the covenant promise. If Isaac should marry a girl from a local family, then Abraham and he would no longer be regarded as ‘a distinct people' in the land of Canaan. Such a marriage would have involved a ‘Canaanizing’ of the seed of promise.  (Geoff Thomas) 

And so his word to his servant is clear and firm: (i) No, don’t take Isaac back to my ancestral home in Mesopotamia. Isaac must take possession of the land of promise which God has made to me (ii) I am sure that God will find him a wife from there (v.7). (iii) Should no woman be found, then the servant would be freed from the oath (v.8). 

I find this last thought very interesting. Abraham leaves his servant with an escape clause, so that he is not bound, should things not turn out as planned. Is that not a contradiction to   Abraham’s faith? Should he not just believe that it will happen according to his faith, and sow no uncertainty into the mind of his servant?  No! While God has made his will clear in terms of the girl that he wants Isaac to marry, this does not always means that the road to that end will be straight forward. God’s word and God’s will are clear. His providences, and the way to His will are not always clear. Life may take many surprising turns, and by these turns God works out his purposes in our lives.  There are factors at work unknown to us and we may never know why God allowed us to go down what we now consider to be a blind alley. The apostle Paul on his journeys knew that he was to be the apostle to the gentiles, but his mission to the gentiles took many unexpected turns. The doors which he supposed to take were not always opening. And so Abraham gives these instructions to his servant: “Look, I know that it’s God’s will for my son to have a wife, so I want you to go and find her. I believe that my sending you to get her is God’s will, but if you come back without a wife for Isaac, don’t worry fret. God will show us another way to find a wife for the son of promise.”

We all need to learn this lesson well.  God’s purposes stand, but the way to that end is often mysterious.  In fact, we often learn more from our shattered dreams and disappointments than we learn from the things that have worked out smoothly. Having  said that Abraham still believes that God will provide his servant with success.  

Vv.10-27 The rest of the story   focuses  on  the servants  journey  to Mesopotamia  and  his search for  God’s  woman of choice.  

Vv.10-14   The only direction and clarity he has is that he must get to  Mesopotamia, the city of Nahor  (v. 10)  a journey of  800 kilometres, a journey that might have taken well over a month, if we  assumed that they did 25 kilometers a day. Having arrived, he takes the camels  to a  well  of water, where the women  come in the evening to draw water. The big question is, “Which woman, Lord? “ God must lead him and guide him to the right one.  And so we see  that  he commits his request to God in prayer.  It was very specific. 

·     V. 12 Oh LORD, God of my master  Abraham, please  grant me success today and show  steadfast love ( hesed – faithful covenantal love) to my  master Abraham. The servant appeals to God on the basis of the covenant relationship which he knows that Abraham has with God. Today, as we pray, we do the same thing as we pray to God in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Our prayer is made in the Name of our Master, the Lord Jesus.  In His Name we ask from our Heavenly Father all that we need, physically, emotionally and spiritually (see the pattern of the Lord’s prayer). He also boldly asks for success.  This is not for self -centred success, but it has to do with the glory of God as the will of God is desired and prayed for. 

·       Vv 13 & 14   Note  the specific  request,  “Let the young woman  to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and  who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will  water your camels ’ – let her be the one you have  appointed for your servant Isaac’”

Vv. 15-22  The answer to prayer arrives in the form of Rebekah, and everything happens just as he had asked. We are deeply impressed how Rebekah serves this stranger, and we might say that she behaved as a woman of faith. For Abraham’s servant this was a wonderful answer to prayer. God had made his journey successful (v.21).  Truly, the angel of God had led him to her (v.7) and so, when she had finished helping him  in accordance with his request from the  Lord, the servant   took a gold ring weighing  a half a shekel and two bracelets for her arms weighing 10 gold shekels. That’s a lot of money right there - the equivalent of a common man’s annual  wages.

Vv. 24,25 The servants joy doubles as he now hears of her family background, “I am the daughter of  Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”  This was too wonderful for words. This girl was a granddaughter of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. Her mother was Milcah.

Vv. 26,27  The servant's response: “he bowed his head and worshipped  the LORD”. The gut level response  to such providence is  not self –exaltation, ‘ Well done old chap’,  and  by the singing of  a hymn ‘I did it my way’. No!  He bowed down and  worshipped God!  What an example he is to us all.

V. 28 Rebekah’s response:  “ She ran and told her mother’s household about these things…“ We will consider this next time.

 SOME FINAL THOUGHTS  

1.     How does this  relate to the NT? It represents the heavenly Father choosing a Bride (the Church) for His Son. The bride (the church  would not be clinging to the old life but dedicated exclusively and faithfully to  her bridegroom , Christ. We  often emphasize that the Son is the Father’s love gift to the world (Jn. 3:16), but we forget that His Bride, the Church, is actually the Father’s love gift to His Son. (Jn. 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24) 

2.     Are you in a covenant relationship with God?  This is the evangelistic question  I must ask you.   If you are not  in a covenant relationship with God, I urge you to seek the LORD with all your heart, NOW!    If you are a child of promise then you may know that the LORD is committed to guiding your footsteps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Ps 37:23). 

3.      This passage has obvious implications for Christian parents’ prayers for their children's marriages. It reminds us of the importance of marrying in the Lord and of praying for the spouses of our children in the future.

4.     It is important for Christians to marry in the Lord and not to be yoked with unbelievers. Evangelizing our children is difficult as it is.  But having a non- Christian spouse makes it even more difficult.