May 7th, 2021 – Abe’s test –
Genesis 23 tells of Sarah’s death. Some believe this happened due to Isaac’s sacrifice which is why they say he was 37 at the time of sacrifice. Abraham bought the land to prevent future disputes over ownership. The people were willing to give him the land but he elected to buy it. This shows wisdom in earthly dealings. Too often we like to jump into arrangements when things are good and lose out on investments of time and effort when things become difficult and people back out or leave us. Abe sealed the deal with the purchase. We must be wise and apply wisdom in all our dealings with men. Knowing how people can react, do things right and do not count on the kindness of strangers because we must depend on the Providence of God. This is the first piece of the Promised Land that God’s people acquired and it was taken without battle, using the customs of the outsiders “the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous”-Proverbs 13:22.
Genesis 24 tells us that Abe made his most senior servant promise to find a wife for Isaac under some very strict conditions:
- Find a woman from among his own people who was willing to come to their land. Do not seek outside the people of God. Do not seek what is available to us, seek what God wants us to seek. Do not just ask Him to make the other person good for us, we must ask him to make ourselves good for her/him too.
- Isaac must NEVER leave Canaan. If he left, the hold on the land may be lost because he could decide not to come back, he could get waylaid and never get to come back, he could get delayed and when returning the people would not recognise his claim. Abraham was wise to keep the claim on the land. Isaac was the only patriarch to spend his whole life in the Promised Land.
The servant prayed to Abraham’s God, He hears everyone who goes to Him. He met Rebekah and she treated him so well.
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