Genesis 23 & 24: Will You Submit To God’s Leadership?
Verse of the Day: (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.
1. Life (23:1-20)
And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. (23:1)
It is not how long we live on this earth but how well we live for God. Everyone will die on this earth, but where will our souls go after death? Some may say that death is final, and we have no soul, but I believe that we have souls and there is a God, our Creator. (Luke 12:20-21) God is the Author of the Bible, His holy Word, and that we have here, the book of Genesis, the 1st book, and ends with the book of Revelation, the 66th book of the Bible. In the Bible, God says everyone will die whether young or old, rich or poor, famous or ordinary, because we have sinned and fall short of His holiness. The only way to have God’s holiness and live forever is to by faith believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23, 6:23) Sarah was 127 years old when she died, and she and Abraham are now in glorious heaven, because by faith they believed in God. (Hebrews 11:8-19)
2. Leadership (24:1-33)
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. (24:12)
Every Christian parent’s prayer is that our children marry someone who loves God, and Abraham was no exception. Abraham was old and he knew he would die, and he instructed his servant to go to his hometown to look for a wife for Isaac, his firstborn son, Isaac’s wife must be his relatives who loved God. The servant prayed to God to show kindness to his master. As he stood at the well, he prayed that the woman who would come to him, and gave him and his camels drink shall be Isaac’s wife. God answered his prayer, as He led Rebekah to the well, providing water for him and his thirsty camels!
3. Love (24:34-67)
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. (24:67)
Isaac submitted to God’s leadership by loving Rebekah even though it was an arranged marriage when both parties had not known each other. Though we need to know our partners before we marry them yet in Isaac’s case he trusted God that Rebekah was God’s choice for him. Indeed, both Isaac and Rebekah grew in love, and God and Rebekah comforted Isaac when Sarah, his mother, whom he loved very much, went to be with God.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to submit to Your leadership now and forever.
