Boy Meets Girl, Boy Marries Girl, Boy Loves Girl

Well, good morning, everyone. It is good to be back with you after being away over the last couple. A couple of weeks and I do want to extend my welcome to Team Philippines. welcome back, to the United States.

I believe they returned on Wednesday. And we thank you for serving the Lord and representing Cornerstone there. We look forward, next Sunday to hearing more from Mike and the members of the team. about, their ministry, trip.

So, be with us next Sunday, for that. For a time of study in God's word this morning, let me invite you to turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 24. Genesis 24, we're doing a verse by verse study through the book of Genesis, and as we continue in our study of this book, we come this morning to Genesis chapter 24, verse 62. And today, my goal is to cover verses 62 through 67.

And with that, we will finish our 3rd week in this wonderful chapter. If you want to give a title to the message this morning, It would be boy meets girl. Boy marries girl. Boy loves girl.

When I was a kid, my dad had a nickname for. My mom that he would sometimes use in referring to my mom and the nickname was Sing. And I remember sometimes when we would hear my dad refer to my mom in that way and call her by that name. It sounded disrespectful to us as kids, but my dad always enjoyed telling us that he got that name for my mom from the Bible.

He would quote from Proverbs 18:22 where Solomon says he who finds a wife finds A good sing. So there you go. We were always left about half satisfied with that explanation, but we came to appreciate that it was one of my dad's ways of saying that he was blessed. To have found my mom and that he had found a really good thing in my mom.

Genesis 24, the story that we have been studying, gives us an interesting twist on this proverb. In Genesis 24, Abraham's servant finds a wife. He finds a good thing. Only he does not find that wife for himself but for someone else, Isaac.

If Genesis 24 teaches us anything, it teaches us that it's a wonderful thing to help somebody find a spouse. And to play a role in their love story. In fact, I think all of us who are married can testify to the role that various people played in helping. To make our love story happen and helping our relationship to survive.

to the point of marriage and even helping our relationship after marriage. It takes a community. To make a love story. And we see how true that is in Genesis 24.

In this love story that we've been studying, Abraham is involved, his servant, and the men who came with Abraham's servant are involved. Rebecca's brother, Laban is involved along with Rebecca's mother and father, and even Rebecca's maidens and her nurse show up in this story in Genesis chapter 24. All of these players contribute. To one of the most enjoyable narratives.

In all of scripture, and we've studied up to verse 61 in This love story that we find here in this chapter. It's been a while since we've been in this chapter, so let's take a few minutes to review. when the curtains open on Genesis 24, Abraham is 140 years old, and his son Isaac is an unmarried 40-year-old man who is still aching from his mother's death that had happened 3 years prior. God's promise to bless the nations through Abraham's many descendants is hanging in the balance.

So Abraham swings into action. At the beginning of this chapter, and he sends his servant on a mission. To find a wife for Isaac. Abraham's servant we saw travels about 450 miles north until he reaches the outskirts of the city of Huron, and he stops at a well.

Outside that city, and he prays a prayer to God, basically saying, Lord, may it be. That the woman who comes to this well to draw water and who gives me a drink of water at my request. and who at the same time volunteers to give drink to my 10 camels, may it be that she is the woman whom you, Lord, have appointed for Isaac. Before Abraham's servant even finishes praying this prayer, a very beautiful Rebecca comes out of the city toward the well to draw water.

After she draws water from that well, Abraham's servant runs up to her and ask her if she would give him a drink, and she quickly gives him. Water to drink from her jar, and then she offers to water his 10 camels. She then gives drink to his 10 camels until they, the camels had completely finished drinking, which would have been a huge task. Abraham's servant realizes that this very well might be the woman that God has appointed for Isaac.

So he grabs a ring and some bracelets and he says to her, whose daughter are you? And is there room to lodge in your father's house? She then tells him that she is the daughter of Bethuel, the descendant of Nehor, who was Abraham's brother, and this is exactly the family. that Abraham had told his servant to get Isaac's wife from.

Abraham's servant now realizes that this is indeed God's appointed wife for Isaac, and he worships God. For his gracious providence and showing him this so quickly. Well, Rebecca immediately runs home, tells her family about what had happened, and soon thereafter, Abraham's servant is being hosted that night. In the home of Rebecca's family, Abraham's servant tells Rebecca's family the whole story of what had happened.

Why he made this journey and what had happened at the well, how he came to discover Rebecca to be God's appointed wife for Isaac. He asked them, Rebecca's family, for permission. To take Rebecca back to the land of Canaan to marry Isaac. Wonderfully, Rebecca's family grants permission.

Although we saw how they hesitated the next morning to let her go so quickly. But ultimately, they leave the decision up to Rebecca. They look at her and say, will you go with this man? And amazingly, she replies and says, yes, I will go.

Well, the family then approves of her departure, and look at what they do in verse 60, says, and they blessed Rebecca and said to her, may you, our sister, Become thousands of 10,000 and may your descendants possess. The gate of those who hate them. To possess the gate of those who hate you means to conquer your enemies, the cities of your enemies. The language that Rebecca's family uses in the latter part of this blessing is almost exactly The same language that God used in speaking to Abraham back in Genesis chapter 22 verse 17 when God promised that Abraham's descendants would possess the gate of their enemies.

Evidently, Rebecca's family has bought into that vision. They see that Rebecca is now going to be a major link in this chain of promise and blessing, and that through her seed, the promises of God to Abraham are going to be fulfilled. So essentially, they're releasing Rebecca to marry Isaac and to assume her role. In God's redemptive plan for the ages.

And then look at what the text says in verse 61. Then Rebecca arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man, speaking of Abraham's servant. So the servant took Rebecca. And departed And that's the story as we have seen it so far and we've learned many practical lessons along the way.

one lesson that I've learned as a dad from this story that I have not shared with you, I'll share it with you now. I've already told my two sons who are unmarried that one of the lessons that I've learned from this story as a dad. is that if my sons reach 40 years of age, Like Isaac is in this story, and they are still unmarried, then I will be finding a wife for them. Amen.

And they will have to take whoever I bring to them. So I'm confident that's going to motivate them to make sure they're married by the age of 40. But I've been told that's actually not the lesson to learn as a dad from this. Chapter.

In fact, here's the way my sons would prefer. That I applied this chapter as a dad. Given the fact that Abraham is 140 years old in this chapter, the lesson should be that if my sons are not married by the time I reach 140 years of age, Then and only then will I have the right to go find a wife for them as Abraham does here. Obviously, I prefer my original.

Interpretation On a more serious note though, guys, I want us to just consider the pace of God's providence here in this story as we've seen it thus far. There's, there's something here, I think for us to observe and learn from and be encouraged by. From one standpoint, we read this story and we marvel at how swiftly everything happens. Abraham's servant is not even done praying.

He prays a prayer to God, before he's even done praying, Rebecca shows up as the answer to his prayers. verses 17 through 29. Feature words like run or ran verse 17, quickly verse 18, quickly verse 20, ran verse 20, ran verse 28, and ran verse 29. And the very evening that Abraham's servant arrives in Haran, Rebecca's family gives permission for her to marry Isaac.

And the very next day, Abraham's servant is riding off into the sunset with the bride. For Isaac You might look at this story. And think, wow, evidently when you just trust God and pray, everything happens lightning fast. Your prayers are answered before you're done praying them.

And if you wanna find God's appointed spouse for you, just trust God and pray about it and you will have the spouse of your dreams by this time tomorrow. The truth is, things actually happen that quickly in this story. But let's not forget how slowly things have been happening up to this point. Think about it.

God had promised Abraham that he would give him many descendants who would bring blessing to the nations, but God does not open Sarah's womb until she's 90 years of age and Abraham is 100 years old. What must that we have been like for Abraham and for Sarah? But finally, when Abraham is 100 and has waited all of these decades, God does give them a child a promise, Isaac. Yet now we find ourselves here in Genesis 24 and we learned that Isaac is 40 years old and still unmarried.

What must that 40-year wait? have been like For Abraham. Obviously things have been happening painfully slowly, but suddenly we come to Genesis 24:17. And in 1 18 hour period, things start to move at the speed of a tornado.

And before you can blink, Abraham's servant is riding back to Canaan with Rebecca. All of this teaches us that sometimes God's providence moves quickly and sometimes his providence in our lives is slow. We can be sure that God is in control in either case, working all things together to accomplish His will, and he is worthy of our trust. It's our job to trust the Lord and to wait upon Him when waiting is called for, and it is also our job.

To be prayed up and ready for speed. When God's providence moves swiftly to Anyway, as we come to our passage today, We see this love story coming to its wonderful culmination when Isaac and Rebecca finally meet each other and marry, and this is where we're going to pick up in our story today. The way we'll frame our study is we'll observe 6 developments in the story of Isaac and Rebecca meeting and marrying. And the first development.

this part of the story is, is this, it seems to have nothing to do with what's about to happen, but we're told that Isaac goes outside to meditate and he sees Rebecca approaching. Look at what Isaac is doing right around the time that Abraham's servant is returning. To Canaan with Rebecca, verse 62. Now, Isaac had come from going to Beer Lahairoi.

This word or this name Berlahairoi literally means the well of the living one who sees me. Does that ring any bells for you? We're supposed to see this name. And recognized that this was the well that Hagar named back in Genesis 16 after she had fled from Abraham's household and had an encounter with the angel of the Lord who met her at this very well.

For maybe the first time in Hagar's life, she felt truly seen by someone, and it was the Lord who saw her for who she was, and he loved her still and he promised to bless her, to bless the child in her womb, and to make of him a great nation, and he gave her counsel as to what to do at this moment of her life. And so she named this well, Beer Lahairoi, the well of the living one who sees me. Now, you may be asking what is Isaac doing around this well. Moses anticipates that you would be wondering what he's doing down here around this particular well.

So Moses adds the explanatory note, for he was living in the Negev. And you're supposed to go, oh, OK, that makes sense. The Hebrew word negative means south. Moses is telling us that Isaac is living right now in the southernmost area of the Promised Land, which happens to be where the well Berlahyiroy is.

So Isaac has just returned from this well. Perhaps as he returns, he's wondering if God truly sees him like he saw Hagar. Isaac is 40 years old at this point and he's still single. Perhaps he longed for an encounter with God in His goodness like what Hagar experienced many years prior.

Perhaps Isaac is longing for a providential twist of fate. That might alter his life and give him perspective and direction for the road ahead. Just like what happened with Hagar. What we do know is that upon returning from this well, Isaac does something.

Verse 63, Isaac went out. To meditate in the field toward evening. Now the Hebrew word that is translated meditate is the Hebrew word sak, Siak. And it's tough to know the exact meaning.

In this passage, many say that the Hebrew word means to meditate, and there's a good argument for this interpretation. We see this words Siak used with this translation or meaning to meditate in Psalm 119, for example. The Jewish targums translate the word as pray, which reflects an ancient rabbinic understanding. of the term.

If we combine these two ideas of meditating and praying, then we can use modern day language and say that Isaac went out to the field to have his personal devotions. Some commentators argue though that the Hebrew word here. means or could be translated to complain or lament. Our English word sigh even sounds like the Hebrew word sia.

That is used here and this Hebrew word sak is even translated as psy. In Psalm 77 3. This interpretation of the word would fit perfectly. With the last verse of the chapter where we're told that Isaac was comforted after his mother's death, and that's the last line in this love story or in this chapter.

According to this interpretation in verse 63, Isaac is lamenting and sighing. And in verse 66, he's comforted. There's a couple of places in the Old Testament where we see the word sia being used with this word for comfort. In the Old Testament.

So that's actually a very good interpretation of this word. The truth is, I'm not sure we have to decide between these meanings. I think the full truth of the matter is that Isaac went out to the field to do all of the above, to pray and to meditate, and to pour out the lament of his heart to God with lamentations that are energized. By his pain over the passing of his mother.

who had died 3 years prior, lamentations that his mother wasn't there to hear and minister to like she once did. But while Isaac is praying and meditating and sighing, Look at what happens verse 63. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. At the very least, the sight of camels would tell him that his father's servant is returning if we presume.

and we don't know this for sure, but if we presume that Isaac was aware of what Abraham had been up to and finding a wife for him, then Isaac would immediately know. that very likely someone in this approaching caravan is his future bride. We learn in verse 65 that Isaac starts walking toward the caravan. And at this point, the camera shifts from Isaac to Rebecca's perspective, and this brings us to the next development in the story of Isaac and Rebecca.

Meeting and marrying. Development number 2, Rebecca sees Isaac and covers herself. Look at what happens in verse 64. Rebecca lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel.

The Hebrew here is actually more vivid than the English, showing that this moment is electric with anticipation and nervousness. Literally, the Hebrew reads, when she saw Isaac, she fell from her camel. This doesn't mean that Isaac was such a stud. That the mere sight of him caused her to fall off of her camel, it probably just means that she dismounted her camel swiftly as soon as she saw a man whom she thinks may be her future groom.

Even to this day. In the Middle East, it is true that when a woman riding a camel, I don't have the quote here, but let me read it to you. When a woman riding a camel meets a man, courtesy demands that she dismount. So that's good for you ladies to keep in mind if you ever Find yourself in that situation.

Rebecca does that swiftly, showing courtesy and respect toward Isaac in doing so. Upon dismounting her camel, verse 65, she said to the servant, who is that man walking in the field to meet us? And the servant said, He is my master. Referring to Isaac.

Upon hearing these words, Rebecca knows for sure now that she is about to meet her future husband. So Rebecca does what all brides in this day did. On their wedding day in particular, look at what she does in verse 65. Then she took her veil and covered.

Herself. This was her way of saying to Isaac, I'm ready. To be your bride. I'm dressed for a wedding.

Rebecca would not be taking her veil and covering herself if she was having second thoughts about marrying Isaac after seeing him. She's ready to do this, eager. With anticipation, she's ready to get this show on the road and be married. Keep in mind that there are several other women who are in this caravan, the maidens who are traveling with Rebecca.

So in putting on her veil and covering herself, Rebecca, as one writer says, was sending an unspoken signal to Isaac that she, of all the women who are in this caravan, she's the one who will be his bride. And she wants him to know I'm the one who will be your bride. We should also say here that the word that is translated veil, as one writer says, is, is, it, it speaks of something much larger than a veil and is used to wrap around the face and the body. That's the Hebrew word that is used here.

So this is clearly Rebecca being modest toward her future groom. Rebecca does not uncover in the presence of her future husband, she covers herself until he has pledged himself to her for life. Now, Rebecca's, or Abraham's servant at this point could have just said, Isaac, here's the wife I found for you. Do you want her?

But he doesn't do that. He wants Isaac to know certain things about Rebecca and about how God's providence revealed her as God's appointed wife for Isaac, and this leads us to the next development in the story of Isaac and Rebecca meeting each other and marrying. Development number 3, Abraham's servant tells Isaac the story of how he obtained Rebecca for him. Look at what he does in verse 66.

The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. In other words, he unfolds the whole story for Isaac. The promises that Abraham made him make, the promises that he voiced to Abraham, to his journey to the city of Haran, to the camel test that he applied. To find a wife for Isaac to the prayer that he prayed to God before he applied that test, to Rebecca passing that test.

that he had applied along with all of his Abraham's servants' interactions with Rebecca's family and how they granted their permission for her, Rebecca, to leave and come to Canaan and marry Isaac. And he would have told Isaac about how they asked her, will you go? And she gave her own consent and said, yes, I will go. To marry Isaac.

Based on what Abraham's servant would be telling Isaac at this point, Isaac would learn a few things. Right away to be true about Rebecca. He would know, number one, that Rebecca is being brought to him. Under the oversight of his father, Abraham.

Isaac would know that God had providentially led Abraham's servant to Rebecca. He would know that Rebecca is a hospitable and kind and humble woman full of initiative. who's true to her word. He would know that her family has given their full approval and blessing upon this marriage, and Isaac would know that Rebecca herself is personally willing To leave her homeland To marry Isaac.

So how does Isaac respond? This brings us to the 4th development in this story of Isaac and Rebecca meeting and marrying one another. Number 4, Isaac takes Rebecca to be his wife. Look at what he does in verse 67.

Then Isaac brought her into His mother, Sarah's tent. Isaac himself would have lived in or near the tent that was once inhabited by his mother, Sarah before her death. That Isaac is right now bringing Rebecca into his mother's tent suggests that Rebecca is now taking over the role that was once Sarah's in the family. Rebecca is now the matriarch of this part of Abraham's household, the part of the household associated with the promise.

Sarah's tent now becomes Rebecca's tent. And the text also says verse 67, and he took Rebecca and she became His wife Obviously this would have been done with some ceremony. But we're told here the most important thing, and that is rather quickly. Isaac receives her and makes her his wife.

Fortunately for us, the story doesn't end here. In Hollywood movies, often the end of a love story is the couple get married and the story ends. This love story does not end. With them getting married.

It turns out that Isaac wonderfully did more than merely take Rebecca to be his wife. He did something else, which leads us to the next development in the story of Isaac and Rebecca meeting and marrying. Number 5, Isaac loves his wife. Rebecca.

In verse 67, it is said, and he loved her. And I love the order of this, the, the text doesn't say, Isaac loved her, so he married her. No, it says he took her as a wife, and on the other side of doing that, he loved her. And this doesn't just mean that he felt affection for her in his heart.

It means that he showed love to her. He cherished Rebecca after marrying her. Anyone watching the way that Isaac would have treated Rebecca would know that he loved her. Rebecca herself would have said, after getting married, she would have said, my husband truly loves and cherishes me.

You can bet that as the weeks and the months rolled by after they got married, Isaac got to know Rebecca. And see her wonderful qualities and also her flaws. Keep in mind that they may have known each other about one hour before they got married. And Rebecca was not a perfect woman.

We see that actually later in the book of Genesis. She was broken with sin, just like all of us are in a fallen, broken world. Yet we're told here that Isaac loved this real woman named Rebecca. This is now the 2nd time in Scripture that we see the Hebrew word for love in the Bible.

The first time was in Genesis 22:2 to speak of Abraham's love for Isaac, the love of a father for his son, and now here the second time this word is used to refer to the love of Isaac for his wife. In fact, it is probably partly prompted by Isaac's example that Paul speaks to husbands in Ephesians chapter 5, and he gives husbands 3 instructions. Love your wife. Love your wife.

Love your wife. Beyond that, Jesus Christ, who descended from Isaac, loves his bride, the church. And this is why it is that the 3 times that Paul commands husbands to love their wives that he ultimately each time points to Jesus Christ and his love for the church as the standard. Love your wife, husbands.

Love your wife The message of the Bible is not so much Marry the woman that you love, though that's completely fine. The message of the Bible is love the woman that you marry. And keep loving her until death parts you. Men, love your wife so well that your love for her becomes the stuff of legend among your descendants as they speak about you and about Your marriage in the years to come.

May your love for your wife be the stuff of lore. May it be legendary. On Thursday of this past week, Tim Challies posted an article entitled Cherish Your Marriage. And in the article, he says the, the, the following, this is somewhat lengthy, but I think it's worth reading to you all.

He says, I won't ever forget the day I married Aileen. I won't ever forget the moment she appeared at the end of the aisle and began her slow walk toward me. Our eyes met and in an instant I was overwhelmed with awe, overcome with the joy of being joined together for life. It was a holy intense, unforgettable moment.

My love was fierce and strong, and I was convinced there was nothing I wouldn't do for her, no trial I wouldn't endure on her behalf. By the time her father put her hand in mine, I was little more than a messy puddle of tears and snot. Which rather dampened the sweetness of the moment, I think. I should have thought to put a handkerchief in my pocket.

We can identify with that as men. But then he goes on to say, but sadly it didn't take long for that adoration to be replaced by impatience and immature squabbling. We hadn't been married for long when apathy began to replace fervor, when the highs began to give way to the inevitable mids and lows. The drama of the wedding day turned to normal life with all of its stresses and trials and mundane moments.

I soon learned that marriage is tougher than it seems. I soon learned that I'm more sinful. than I had imagined. We can identify with that, right?

Those of us that are married. Tim Chali then gives this challenge to men. He says it is tempting to see your wedding day as a finish line. You pursued her, you wooed her, you want her, and now she's yours.

But your wedding is not the finish line, it's the starting line. Continue to pursue your wife, to learn about her, to know her, to display your joy in her, and to grow in your love toward her. And that's wonderful advice, is it not? By the way, I don't know if Jonathan made mention of this, This past week, Gary and Barbara Barfoot celebrated their 58 year wedding anniversary.

Could you guys stand? Thank you for your example. This is a couple that did not just get married. Gary did not just take Barbara to be his wife, but he has loved her.

Over the long haul for 58 years and she has loved him. That's the counsel that Tim Challies is giving to us in particular as men, as a man to men. And it's good advice and that's exactly what we're being told that Isaac did after he married Rebecca. He took her as his wife and he loved her after doing that.

But what impact does Rebecca have on Isaac? Is this just a one-way marriage? This leads us to the final development in the story of Isaac and Rebecca meeting and getting married. Number 6, Isaac's marriage to Rebecca comforts him after his mother's death.

Look at what the text says in verse 67. And this is the closing climactic line of this love story. And thus, Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. In one sense, this is like One of the most anticlimactic ways of ending a love story.

And it sounds strange in our Western ears. Imagine today hearing a man tell how he and his wife met, telling you the full story and how they fell in love, they got married, and he ends his story by saying, so I took her to be my wife and I've loved her and thus I've been comforted after losing my mom. It would sound strange to us, but we lose sight in our culture today of the esteem. that people had for their parents in this day and how meaningful and valuable that relationship was to them.

But Isaac was obviously very close to his mom, and 3 years after her death, he is still seeking a comfort that has eluded him. For whatever it is worth, it's probably worth noting that the Hebrew text here doesn't have the word death in it. The text literally reads, Isaac was comforted after his mother. Clearly this is speaking of comfort he needed over the passing of his mom, but it also speaks of any comforts that he needed that his friendship, his relationship with his mom used to provide for him.

And now we're being told that Isaac is finding that comfort in his marriage to Rebecca. This is Isaac leaving. His mother in his heart and letting his marriage comfort and encourage him after his mother's death. We learn here just in this statement, the power that a wife possesses to minister to the heart of a husband being an instrument.

Of God to minister consolation to Isaac's heart after his mother died. Rebecca brought encouragement to places of Isaac's heart where there was once discouragement. She brought joy where there was once sorrow and she brought tears of joy to eyes that once were shedding tears of sadness. This is the awesome power.

Of a wife Ultimately, we know that this comfort came from God because God is the God of what? All comfort. All comfort comes from him, but we see here that God is ministering his comfort to Isaac's heart through Rebecca. And so we have a wonderfully balanced picture of a young marriage.

Isaac loves his wife. And his wife comforts him, providing balm to his aching heart. And I love the fact that this text doesn't go like this, that it doesn't say, she became his wife and Isaac was comforted. That's not what the text says.

The text says she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted. You see, Isaac's comfort didn't come from just getting married and taking a wife. His comfort came from a marriage in which he was loving his wife. Love is funny like that.

You forget about yourself as a husband, for example, you lose yourself and loving your wife and in the process, you find yourself being ministered to in ways that you weren't even seeking. We see here the full truth of Paul's statement in Ephesians 5:28, when he says, He who loves his wife loves himself. Mann, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to love your wife and cherish her. Isaac was comforted In his marriage after the passing of his mother, at the very least, Moses is telling us that Rebecca had the effect on Isaac of helping him to move on.

Into the next chapter of his life, making Isaac ready to square his shoulders and face the future with courage, ready to go out into the world and strength with the woman by his side whom he loves. And this is all happening to a couple who had not even gone out on one date. Before they got married. Before we close the book on this chapter, I wanna take some time to tie up some loose ends and ponder a few things, some of which we could have talked about in previous weeks, but we'll talk about them.

Here at the close of our study of this chapter. Going back to earlier events in this chapter that we studied a few weeks ago, we, we learned a lot about Rebecca from this story. We've learned that she's hospitable, that she is kind, she's a servant who shows a lot of initiative. She's true to her word.

It's not beneath her to go to the well and do a mundane chore for her family. And all of these things about Rebecca were revealed by the camel test. That Abraham's servant applied. But I had a single gal approach me.

A few weeks ago after the sermon, and she said, I totally get. How this camel test reveals wonderful things about Rebecca, but she said, as a woman, I love what this camel test reveals about Isaac. You see, guys, Abraham's servant is looking for a wife for Isaac in particular. And he's doing what he thinks Isaac would want him to do.

And to find the woman that he knows Isaac would want. Abraham's servant could have gone to any place other than to a well to find a wife for Isaac. He could have gone to a party. to find a wife for Isaac.

He could have gone to the most upper-class establishment in search of a wife for Isaac who was very wealthy. But he doesn't do that. He decides to find Isaac's wife at a well. And he decides to discover Isaac's wife by seeing who would give a drink of water to him and then offer to give drink to his camels as well.

Evidently, Abraham's servant knows the man that Isaac is and he knows the woman that Isaac would want. He knows that Isaac would want a woman of character, a woman who is humble, who is responsible, who is kind, who is hospitable, who is hardworking, who shows initiative, and who is true to her word. And so this is the test that Abraham's servant imposes to find that wife that he knows that Isaac would want. Which gives me an opportunity this morning to talk to you young single men for a moment.

Imagine that a matchmaker is looking for a wife. For you Would that matchmaker impose a test like this to find the wife that he knows you would want? Or is your test something like this, Lord, may it be that the first woman with a great body and a nice complexion, and who is funny and cute and charming, and who is smart but not so smart that she makes me feel stupid. And who completely accepts me for who I am and who won't try to change me or take my Xbox away from me.

May she be the woman that you have appointed for me. I ask you, as men, what, what are the tests? That You are imposing on potential mates. that you meet?

Are you looking for a noble woman of character, or are you looking for something else that's more important to you? How much of a priority is it to you that the woman that you marry be a believer in Jesus? Given the promise that Abraham's servant made to Abraham at the beginning of the chapter, Abraham's servants standards for Isaac here are these, she can't be a Canaanite. She must be family related to Abraham.

Through Abraham's brother living in Huron, and she cannot be a woman who would take Isaac away from the promised land. And she must be a woman of kindness and hospitality and initiative and sacrificial service, someone who would give a complete stranger something to drink and offer to water his camels until they have finished drinking. And here's what's amazing about Genesis 24. Abraham's servant wasn't looking for physical beauty.

For Isaac Not that that's a bad thing to look for, but he, that didn't show up in what he was asking for. He was looking for character and guess what? He landed a very beautiful woman in the process. But his path to acquiring that beauty involved him looking for something more important first.

Another thing to ponder this morning is this, looking at this story from another angle, one of the things that really strikes me about this love story. Between Isaac and Rebecca in Genesis 24 is that Isaac is not the actor in any of the 1st 61 verses of this chapter. We actually don't see Isaac doing anything until verse 62. And initially, his actions in verse 62 have nothing to do with pursuing a wife.

He's simply returning from a well and going out to a field to meditate. Yet through these actions, he ends up walking right into the path of an unfolding work of God that will end up bringing him the wife of God's choosing. In other words, Isaac was a late arrival to his own love story. Which in one sense is true for every one of us who are married.

Over the last A few weeks, my wife and I have spent, we spent 8 days in The city of Indianapolis, visiting my parents and her parents, and then we spent 4 days in Minneapolis visiting our son, Brendan. Visiting these two cities. proved interesting for me and it caused me to reflect back onto my life when I was in the 8th grade. During that year, our family was living in South Carolina and my dad was serving as a recruiter in the Marine Corps.

And the Marine Corps notified my dad that he would need to be moving from South Carolina and to be stationed elsewhere. And they gave my dad a choice as to where his next assignment would be. And the two cities that I remember my dad had to choose from was it's either Indianapolis or Minneapolis. My dad told us as a family about the choice that was before him.

He thought about it, prayed about it long and hard, and ended up choosing Indianapolis. And once we moved to Indianapolis, my parents' first priority was to then find a church to settle into. And they visited 5 churches over a period of several months and eventually settled at Burge Terrace Baptist Church, and I'm glad they did. Because it was at that church that I met a girl named Donna Woods.

And it was while standing in a hallway. In that church building on January 31st, 1981, that Donna approached me and asked me on our very first date. True story. In fact, when we were at our home church, a couple weeks ago, I had a picture taken of us standing in the very spot where Donna asked me out on our first date.

And the picture here that over here, that's, that's exactly where we were standing when she asked me to go to a Valentine's banquet with her. But the, the deal is, here's what I was thinking about. None of that would have happened if years earlier, my dad had chosen to move to Minneapolis. As Donna and I toured Minneapolis over the 4 days that we were there last week with our son Brennan, I kept thinking, this is the city I almost moved to.

After the 8th grade and how different my life would have been. I would have never met Donna. We would never have had the 4 children that God has given to us, and we would not be in Minneapolis right now visiting our son, Brendan. I was left humbled and moved by the awareness of how mine and Donna's love story was in the works long before we ever knew each other, involving details and decisions over which we had no control.

Truth be told, our love story was centuries in the making. Involving details and circumstances that had to happen just so in order for Donna and I to end up meeting each other in 1978. Donna and I were late arrivals to our own love story. And the same is true of all of you who are married.

Or who will be married. In fact, if you are married, I would encourage you to take some time this week to ponder how many things had to happen. Just so for you and your spouse to meet. Consider the odds of all of that and appreciate God's providence.

And bringing The two of you together. To those of you that are single, I encourage you to trust God with the details of your life. The disappointments, even the failures, the highs and the lows, the twists and the turns are all leading you to a place where one day you may meet your future mate if that is God's plan for you. And you may just end up finding your life's mate when you're not even looking for them.

Rebecca was just going to the well to get water for her family, and that one simple doing of a chore set in motion a chain of events that led her into the arms of her future husband. Isaac himself was just going out to the field to have his personal devotions and while doing that, he lifted up his eyes and he saw Rebecca, and he soon enough discovered all that God had been up to. And the same may happen to you. If God's plan is for you to marry, Just keep trusting God.

Keep being faithful in the little things. Keep having your devotions. You never know what may happen while having your devotions, but have your devotions like at Starbucks or something or Have it out in the field, out in public. Just keep trusting God and being faithful in the little things and guys, God's full good pleasure will be achieved in your life, whatever that may be.

In closing, this story of Isaac and Rebecca is merely one segment in the most amazing love story of all time, which involves every one of us in this room who know Jesus. This love story was in the works thousands of years before we even knew what God was up to. Isaac and Rebecca get married here in Genesis 24, and they will have two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob will have 12 sons, one of whom was a man named Judah.

From Judah will come the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would come into the world and die on a cross in order to bring atonement to ruined and wrecked sinners like you and me. And we failed the cross test. When Jesus said, I thirst, we gave Him. gall to drink.

We let him die thirsty, and it was our sins that crucified him. But this Messiah was raised from the dead and he chases each of us down and convinces us to surrender to his love, and when we come to him and we confess our brokenness to him, he saves us and he forgives us and he makes us children of God and makes us a part of his church, which is his eternal bride. If you have never believed In Jesus and called upon his sweet name. I urge you to do that today.

Jesus will be good to you. He will love you better than Isaac ever loved Rebecca. And he will comfort you in your trials and in your sadness. And comfort you in your grief over your own sins far better than Rebecca ever comforted Isaac, even on her best day.

And being loved by a savior like this is what fills us with The love we need to love others with, including our spouse and being loved by a savior like this is also what fills us to overflowing. During our single years. And fills us to overflowing and satisfies our hearts even if we right now find ourselves in. A less than ideal marriage where we're not being loved by our spouse the way that we wish.

Jesus died to be our everything. Always. And if you've never done so before, Run into his arms today. And let him love you And comfort you forever.

Let's pray together Lord, just the song we sang earlier reflecting on How we were wrecked by the fall, but you have loved us, you've wooed us, and Inside of a relationship with you is 10,000 charms. We thank you that you are a God for the broken. Here at Cornerstone, we're not a church. Because we're better than anybody else, we are the broken ones who have seen our brokenness.

And who have come running to you, Jesus, because you are making us whole. You give salvation. And healing to the broken. And it is those like us who are forgiven much, who love you much in return.

For your great love, for giving love for us. I pray, Lord, for the singles of Cornerstone that you would help them to make wise choices, help them to know. How this season of their life is fraught with significance, far-reaching consequences that will mark the rest of their lives for good or for evil and even mark them for eternity, help them to choose wisely. And if they fail, if they sin and choose unwisely, Lord, give them the grace to do this beautiful thing called repentance.

Help them to repent deeply and boldly and run into your arms, knowing that you never cast anyone out who runs to you, and may your love so transform them and melt their hearts that they resolve from this day forth. To walk more closely with you in obedience to you. And may they choose wisely, Lord, that in the years to come they would reap a harvest to the Spirit. And experience the joy of that harvest and then look into your face and say, wow, Jesus, this is what you were fighting for when you gave me your commands and your instructions and your prohibitions, and Jesus will say, yes, this is what I was fighting for.

You're a good God. Forgive us for all the times that we fail to believe that. And open the eyes of our heart that we would see you more clearly. And love you more.

And be ravished by you more. And live accordingly. We thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to give of our offerings to you, to support your work here in this city and around the world. Receive these funds that we give to you this morning, Lord, and do much with everything that is given for the glory of Jesus.

And we give to you and ask all of these things in the name of Jesus, and all God's people said, Man.