Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Trust and obey

SERMONS FROM GENESIS:
THE SECRET OF SUCCESS (Gen 24) 
Dr. Paul Manuel—2006

To be successful, you must be properly motivated, willing to give whatever challenge you face your best effort.
A mother was telling a friend about her six-year-old son, who was playing in his first ball game. The boy went up to bat, and on his second swing he connected with a two-base hit. Whether there was a lack in his coaching or a lapse in his concentration, the boy took off for the pitcher's mound and tackled the pitcher. Then he turned around with a big grin and threw a "thumbs up" sign at his surprised father in the stands. The mother's friend asked how the boy's father responded. "Why, he stood up and clapped, of course."
To be successful, you must be willing to give your best to whatever challenge you face. It also helps to receive positive reinforcement along the way, assurance that someone recognizes your efforts.

While Abraham is living in Canaan,1 he decides to arrange a marriage for his son Isaac, he sends a servant to the other branch of his family in order to find a suitable mate. It is a venture fraught with uncertainty but one that demonstrates The Secret of Success.2 Please turn to Gen 24, where, in the opening verses...

I. The servant wonders about success.
Gen 24:1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3 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, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."
For whatever reason, Isaac, who is forty years old,3 is still a bachelor, and it falls to this trusted servant to find a wife for his master's son.4 The task will not be easy. Abraham is adamant about Isaac's not marrying a Canaanite woman, insisting upon finding a wife from among his brother's clan, perhaps because the family ties will be stronger or because he does not want to establish any ties to a people God will eventually destroy.5

While intermarriage among related clans was common in the Ancient Near East, Abraham and Nahor have not seen one another in many years. The servant will have to find Nahor's descendants, then convince them that he represents Abraham and that they should send one of their daughters to Canaan, where her father may never see her again. The servant wants to be clear about this assignment, so...
A. He asks about the flexibility in God's program (v. 5).
Gen 24:5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" 6 "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said.
Abraham is confident of God's will, but he is also conscious of men's will. The patriarch knows that God does not compel people to do His bidding and that the servant cannot coerce them either. If Abraham's relatives decline this request, the servant will be free from his obligation. In any case, Isaac may not go to Syria; the girl must agree to move to Canaan. This answers the servant's question. Then...
B. He learns about the certainty of God's program (v. 8).
God's work is not at the mercy of man's will, nor is the divine plan disrupted or delayed when people do not comply. God is sovereign enough to allow men freedom without in any significant way altering His program. He will simply devise another way of reaching His goal. Moreover, God can employ supernatural means to ensure the success of His plan. In this case, an angel will help the servant accomplish this mission.
Gen 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. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
Abraham recognizes the possibility that his relatives may not agree to the servant's request, but the patriarch is confident that God will still fulfill His promise. It is a confidence that enables Abraham to limit the servant's responsibility and that encourages the servant as he undertakes this mission.

Every plan, even for very large projects, is (usually) composed of smaller, but necessary, steps. God's plan, though it concerns an entire nation, indeed, the fate of the whole world, is also composed of smaller, necessary elements. We do not see the larger scope, nor do we understand the importance of those smaller pieces, but "the God of heaven" does and—the wonder of it all—He allows us to participate in His plan—more than that—to make a meaningful contribution to the plan.

For the various challenges you face, when you recognize the difference between what you can do and what you cannot do, between your role and God's role, you will not be stymied if things do not go as you had hoped:
  • When the job you were counting on falls through,
  • When the boss insists you finish a project and miss that family event,
  • When the car breaks down at a most inconvenient time,
  • When your children make choices you would not approve.
The list of possibilities is almost endless, but so is God's ability to work in spite of them. Things beyond your control are well within God's control.

Opposite The Secret of Success is a recipe for failure that includes two tendencies common even among Christians.
  • When you are focused on the things that go wrong, you can become blinded (inattentive) to what God wants you to see in the part of His plan that concerns your life.
  • When you are frustrated by the things that go wrong, you can become paralyzed (ineffective, inactive) in what God wants you to do in the part of His plan that concerns your life.
If you keep God's ability in mind, that awareness frees you to devote your time and energy to the things you can control and to the things you can change. Even things beyond your control, though, are well within God's control.

Like the servant, you must still do your part, fulfilling your responsibilities, but you can leave the outcome in God's capable hands and loving care. Also like the servant, you need not think that you are at the mercy of fate, that what will be will be regardless of what you do.

The servant does not simply go on this quest, hoping for success...

II. The servant prepares for success.
Gen 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
The servant does not know how large Nahor's family is or how many branches of the family he may have to visit and try to convince, so he brings what gifts he thinks might be necessary. In this way...
A. He plans for God to work (v. 10).
The servant realizes this is only part of what he must do—his part. He must also rely on the Lord. So...
B. He prays for God to work (v. 12).
Gen 24:12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, '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."
Having done what he can, the servant must now depend on God. Notice how he frames his request. He does not say, "Please help me to find the right woman." He is very specific: "Please show me the right woman by having her behave in this particular way."

This incident answers the question, "When should a person seek God's help?"
  • Some make God the last resort when dealing with a problem. After everything else has failed and they are at the end of their rope, they turn to Him, hoping He will come to their rescue. But He wants people to seek His counsel as part of the process, not simply call on Him to bail them out.
  • Others make God the first resort when dealing with a problem. Before attempting anything else, they appeal to Him, hoping He will provide a quick fix for their situation. But He expects people to use His provision as part of the solution—what He has already made available in resources, skills, or common sense. They should not simply hope for supernatural intervention.
In most situations, God and man both have a role. The advice for those in a lifeboat applies here: Pray toward heaven, but row toward shore.6

The servant illustrates the proper balance between these two extremes, as he plans for God to work and prays for God to work. After preparing for the success of his mission as best he can...

III. The servant looks for success.
Gen 24:15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. 17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." 18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.
Several of "the daughters of the townspeople" are at the well, but Abraham's servant approaches Rebekah first. In fact, "before he had finished praying," her beauty catches his attention. At that point, he also notes her generosity. When he makes his request of her, she responds positively, and...
A. He receives an indication of God's leading (v. 21).
This was what he requested from God, but was it actually a sign or just a coincidence? ...Had he simply prayed, "Show me the right girl," it would have been difficult to tell if this was the answer to his petiton or just the wishful interpretation of an otherwise ordinary event. Nevertheless, this is exactly what he prayed. Still, the servant is watchful but understandably hesitant, wary but hopeful. In gratitude for her hospitality to a stranger, he gives her an expensive gift. Then he asks her a pertinent question, one that will establish if what he just witnessed is the answer he sought.
B. He requests a confirmation of God's leading (v. 23).
Gen 24:23 Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."
Not only is she from the right family, she invites him to meet her family. Abraham's servant had not planned that far ahead, but God evidently had.

There are times, perhaps often, when your prayers have to be general. You use broad, inclusive terms because you lack information about someone's medical condition or financial requirements or spiritual state.
  • Grant the doctors Your wisdom in prescribing an effective treatment.
  • Meet their financial needs according to Your riches.
  • Encourage their spirit with an awareness of Your presence.
(If you have had similar experiences, they may help focus your intercession.) The wonder of prayer is that, even when you do not have the particulars, you can still bring people's problems before God, expecting Him to hear and answer.

There are other times, perhaps more often than you think, when your prayers can and should be specific. At such times, it is not as productive to use broad, inclusive terms, because you have the information necessary to focus your petition. The servant knows the kind of person he needs to find—a girl who is not bashful but is quick to seize opportunity; in this case, opportunity for service and, eventually, opportunity for travel. With this in mind, he crafts his request accordingly, and God answers it unmistakably. Likewise, if you want clarity, then pray specifically.

After receiving the answer to his prayer...

IV. The servant testifies about success.
Gen 24:26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."
Whatever the servant's religious background—and being originally from Syria, he probably had pagan roots—his many years with Abraham have enabled him to recognize the sovereignty of Abraham's God. This experience confirms the servant's faith as well, and...
A. He gives praise to God for the answer (v. 27).
When the servant returns with Rebekah to the house of her family, he explains the reason for his mission (v. 34), relates Abraham's assurance that an angel would guarantee him success (v. 39), describes how he prayed (vv. 42-44) and how Rebekah's actions matched precisely his petition (vv. 45-46).7 As he concludes his narration...
B. He gives credit to God for the answer (v. 48).
Gen 24:48b ...the God of my master Abraham...led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn." 50 Laban [Rebekah's brother] and Bethuel [Rebekah's father] answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed." 52 When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
The servant's recounting is simple and straightforward. He adds no embellishments and takes no credit. He just tells what God has done. What is interesting is that the sign, which the servant sought for his own guidance, is specific enough to convince Rebekah's family as well.

After finishing his narration, the servant realizes that the matter is out of his hands. He has done all he can do, and God has made His will clear. It is now up to his hosts to determine whether or not they will believe the sign and heed the request. To his great relief, Rebekah's family recognizes God's hand in this affair and agrees that she should be part of what God has planned. The servant's response is, again, grateful praise.

Does God still answer prayer? ...Does God answer your prayer? ...If He does not, the problem is not with Him. The Bible gives several possible reasons for God's silence, all of which trace any communications breakdown to man's side. I will assume, however, that God does answer your prayer, which raises the next question: How do you respond when that happens? The proper response to answered prayer is grateful praise.

It may even be appropriate to express your gratitude physically, as the servant does. Twice in this chapter (vv. 26, 52), he bows down before the Lord.

Sometimes, I wish we could remove two-thirds of the pews, so we could bow down before the Lord.
  • That is what the author of Ps 95 calls people to do.
Ps 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship... before the LORD our Maker;
  • That is what the author of Revelation saw people doing in heaven.8
Rev 7:1 lb They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
I realize that some people would be reluctant, fearing they might not be able to get up again, but for those who can, bowing down before the Lord is one of the most visible and humbling expressions of worship.

In this episode, an unnamed servant faces a daunting task. He must convince a young girl's family to let her accompany him to a distant land and marry a total stranger. How is the servant able to accomplish this difficult mission? Certainly prayer plays an important role, yet there is something more basic.... It is not the servant's commanding presence or his compelling rhetoric but his commitment to God, his utter willingness to trust and obey. That is The Secret of Success.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs