The Will of the Father (Gen. 24:1-9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2006

 

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  The Will of the Father

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 24:1-9 

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.  2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ‘Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4 but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.’  5 The servant said to him, ‘Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?’  6 Then Abraham said to him, ‘Beware that you do not take my son back there!  7  ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.  8 ‘But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.’  9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”

           

            The identity of this servant is not known for sure, but he was the chief servant of Abraham and therefore a trustworthy man.  As far as placing his hand under his thigh, this was just a way of swearing that he would do as Abraham had requested him to do.  Abraham gave him three orders to follow:  1.  Abraham did not want his servant to take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites; 2.  He wanted him to take a wife from his own relatives; and 3.  He did not want him to take Isaac on the journey with him to select a wife for him.   

           

            There is a real picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church seen here, as His Father has chosen a bride, the Church, for Him (The Son)  and one day,(hopefully real soon), Christ will present His bride to His Father.

           

            It was Abraham’s will to get a bride for Isaac, and it was because of Abraham’s faith in the Lord that he believed that the proper wife would be selected for his son.

           

            This is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis, and it has many parallels, as said before, to the selection of the bride for the Lord Jesus Christ in it.  It may seem a bit strange that it only took thirty-one verses in the creation chapter and sixty-seven verses in this chapter, or story of selecting a bride for Isaac, but that is the way God did it.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as Abraham believed in the promises of God, I must do the same thing in my life each and every day.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells the story of trusting the Lord:  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

 

The Word of God has been refreshing and challenging to me as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To do as the proverb says, and to hold on to the promises of the Lord in the trials and tests that He sees fit to send me through, which are for my good and for His glory.