This past summer my husband and I decided that we no longer want to take part in what I now call “Commercialmas” and what the local news called the “Christmas Creep”, the stores already carrying all Christmas things decorative. This past summer we gave away our tree and all the decorations as well as an extensive village.. and we decided that in late September we would tell our family that we no longer want to celebrate the day. We were invited to a family member’s house for dinner this past Sunday and it seemed a perfect time to tell them of our plans, and the next day my husband would have emailed another family member, also telling them of our plans. But something happened to change these plans and so this is the reason for this post.
This past Sunday the sermon was on Genesis 24, when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac after the death of Isaac’s mother Sarah. The speaker went through the chapter, and how Abraham told the servant (V3-4) “I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the god of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites…but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac”..
But the servant thought that perhaps the maiden would not want to follow him, he wanted to do things his way instead of waiting on the LORD, and so he said (V5) “if the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” This is speculation on the servant’s part that the woman would not want to follow. But Abraham trusted that (V7) “the LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me…he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.” The servant must not consider what might happen, he must be obedient to his master, and trust that the LORD God is in control.
So the servant swore to do as Abraham said, and departed and he also prayed (V12) “O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.” and then he made specific request regarding the woman who would come to a well, and give water to the servant and to his camels, “let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shown kindness unto my master.”
