1
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Abraham
sent Eliezer for Isaac's marriage
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2
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[ Genesis: 24:7]
"The LORD, the
God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land
and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I
will give this land'-he will send his angel before you so that you can get a
wife for my son from there.
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3
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This is
when Abraham, whom we call the father of faith, became an old man. Abraham
called his trusted servant Eliezer to put his hands under the thigh bones.
¡°I want you
to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will
not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I
am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for
my son Isaac.¡±(Gn 24:3~4)
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4
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Upon
hearing Abraham, Eliezer asked a question. ¡°What if she doesn't follow me to
come to this land? Should I take your son to your hometown?¡±
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5
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Abraham
spoke firmly. ¡°Never take my son there. The Lord promises me that he will
help me bring my son's wife because he said, ¡°I will give this land to your
offspring.¡± If a woman does not want to follow you, you are not responsible
for this promise. But you should not take my son to there.¡± Abraham trusted
this to the servant, believing that God would do it.
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6
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Eliezer
left to look for Isaac's wife. Eliezer left with ten camels and many good
things from Abraham's house. Eliezer arrived at Nahor's castle in northwest
Mesopotamia, Abraham's hometown.
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7
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Eliezer
rested camels at a well outside the city. It was a time when women came to
draw water. At that time, women were coming to the well to draw water.
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8
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Eliezer, commanded
by the master Abraham, prayed to God:
¡°Lord, God
of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my
master Abraham.¡±(Gn 24:12)
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9
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¡°May it be
that when I say to a young woman, ¡®Please let down your jar that I may have a
drink,¡¯ and she says, ¡®Drink, and I¡¯ll water your camels too¡¯ - let her be
the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you
have shown kindness to my master.¡±(Gn 24:14)
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10
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Before he
finished praying, I saw a woman named Rebekah coming out of the city. When
Rebekah came back from the water basin, Eliezer said to Rebekah, ¡°Let me have
some water from your basin.¡±
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11
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Upon
hearing this, Rebekah hurriedly dropped the water basin and handed it to
Eliezer.
After
Eliezer finished drinking, Rebekah said, ¡°I will draw water and drink it to
the camels.¡±
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12
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Rebekah
instructed the camels to drink plenty of water. Eliezer was so surprised and
thrilled. Seeing this, Eliezer was convinced that Rebekah was God's appointed
woman for Isaac.
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13
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Eliezer
asked Rebekah, giving her a pair of nose rings and a pair of gold bracelets.
¡°Whose daughter are you?¡± Rebekah said, ¡°My father is Bethuel, son of Milkah
and Nahor.¡±
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14
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Rebekah's
grandfather was Abraham's brother Nahor. When Eliezer confirmed that God had
shown favor to his master Abraham, he worshiped and thanked God on the spot.
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15
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Eliezer
explained everything that happened to Rebekah's family. Rebekah's brother,
Laban's family also approved her marriage with Isaac. Rebekah, who came to
Canaan following Abraham's servant Eliezer, married Isaac and continued there
inheritance of faith.
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16
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Abraham,
who believed in God's promise to make a great nation through his descendants,
considered Isaac's marriage problem in God's promise. God fulfilled that
promise through Eliezer. God's promise to Abraham is recorded in Genesis
22:17.
¡°I will
surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the
sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of
the cities of their enemies,¡±(Gn 22:17)
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17
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Older
Abraham clearly believed this God-given promise. Thus, his son Isaac made a
family in faith and continued his promise. God's blessing to Abraham is thus
handed down to his descendants and finally attained to one person.
He is
Jesus! And the great blessings that Abraham received through Jesus are now
available to us today! May we all thank God for granting us the wonderful
blessings of heaven and wish all our friends to live a blessed life in faith.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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