Seder 22: Genesis 24---A Biblical Love Story

 Genesis 24 tells the story of how Isaac and Rebekah came to be husband and wife.  Verse 67 concludes the chapter, the second longest chapter in the Pentateuch (after Numbers 7):

"Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her.  So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."

This is the first mention in the Bible of a man's love for a woman.  Rebekah filled a void in Isaac's life and played a key role as the next matriarch of the family.  

There is a rich body of tradition about the tent of Sarah.  According to one tradition, after Sarah's death her disciples kept her tent ready for whoever its next occupant would be.  Another tradition imagines that a cloud of God's presence hovered near the entrance of the tent while Sarah was alive, and it returned when Rebekah arrived.  Such traditions point to how important Sarah and Rebekah were in the plan of God.  

Every married ouple has a story about how they met, married, and grew closer over time.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on April 13, 2024, Kyle Kettering related his story and opened the floor for others to do so as well.

Seder 22 Sermon: A Spring of Life

The motif of "the woman at the well" is an important one in the Bible, beginning in Gen 24.  So is the imagery of God as the source of "living waters" of salvation (Prov 4:23; Isa 12:3; John 7:37-39).  The two come together in Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Samaria (John 4).  

In that conversation Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).  

Kyle Kettering preached on these things at Church of the Messiah on Aug 15, 2020, encouraging us to be springs of joy that flows out to others. 

Seder 22: Abraham's Servant Succeeds---Gen 24

 In Genesis 24, Abraham's servant is focused on his assignment to find a bride for Isaac.  We might view him as a forerunner of John the Baptist in his role as a "friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29-30).  

The servant convinces Rebekah's family that Rebekah is indeed God's choice for Isaac's bride.  Rebekah shows herself to have the character of Abraham when she agrees unhesitatingly to return with the servant to marry Isaac (v 58).  

Christian teacher Ravi Zacharias, in his book I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah, noted several factors that increased the chances for success in the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah:

• They did not make the decision to marry entirely on their own.  Both families were involved, and God's guidance was sought. 
• Both Isaac and Rebekah were both of strong moral character and ready for marriage.
• They made a commitment.  Commentators have often seen significance in the order of events described in Gen 24:  "she became his wife, and he loved her."  They made a commitment to each other, and love followed.

Seder 22: Psalm 60---The Sovereign God Gives the Victory

Psalm 60 is associated with King David's military campaigns that expanded the borders of Israel---see 2 Sam 8:1-4; 1 Chron 18:1-13.  The summaries of these campaigns in Samuel and Chronicles only mention the overall results of victory for Israel, not any difficulties that arose along the way.  Psalm 60 implies that there were some difficulties, times when the final outcome was not at all clear.  At such times David and the Israelites cried out to God for help, appealing to his covenant promises (vv 1-5) 

God responds to Israel's prayers by making clear that he rules over all nations and will work through Israel (vv 6-8).  The enemies that are troubling Israel really amount to nothing.  

In verses 9-12, David prays before a battle.  He knows that he can only succeed with God's help.  

There is a contemporary worship song with lyrics from Ps 60:12.