Gen.24:3

Vs.3- “And I will make thee swear”- There are two types of communication that enter people’s minds when we use the word swear.  1.)  People think of cussing or curse words.  The Bible does condemn wicked and corrupt communication.  2.)  People think of making an oath.  To swear means to affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.  There has been much controversy and confusion over the issue of swearing in the Bible.  The question has been asked if swearing is allowed in the Bible.  Jesus said in Matt.5:33-37 that we are not to swear at all.  In Matt.23:16-23 Jesus again condemns swearing.  James 5:12 also tells us that we should not swear.  But, on the contrary, scriptures such as Heb.6:16, Number 30:2, Acts 21:23, and others seem to speak positively of swearing.  Abraham is causing his servant to swear in this passage, Paul took an oath, and God himself swore and made oaths with His people.  Many Christians ask questions such as, “Can I swear under oath in the court of law to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?  Can I make a vow to my spouse on the wedding altar?”  As with many issues in the Bible there is a right way to do things and a wrong way.  In the Bible we find godly wisdom and worldy wisdom, we find godly repentance and worldly repentance, we find saving faith and empty faith.  The issue of swearing is no different.  There are basically two types of swearing when it comes to making an oath.  A.)  One is an oath before God that you will perform an action.  This is what a person does when they make their marriage vows.  They are vowing before God that they will stay married for richer or poorer, in sickness of in health, etc.  God expects us to keep our vows to Him!  The Bible makes it clear that it is better not to promise at all then to promise and not keep your vows.  B.)  The other type of oath is where someone is calling on a power higher than themselves to testify with them that they are telling the truth.  Like when someone says something silly like, “I swear on a stack of Bibles that I am telling you the truth.”  Jesus condemned this practice of the Pharisees.  Jesus told them not to swear by God, his throne, the altar, or the temple, etc.  The Pharisees also had a funny way of wiggling themselves out of oaths.  Jesus is condemning their hypocrisy in swearing in Mat.23.  Basically, it is not wrong to go down to an altar and make a commitment to God to be a better husband, or soul-winner (as long as you keep your commitment.)  It is however, wrong to invoke holy things and the name of God in rash frivolous matters. 

“ by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth,”- Abraham has his servant swear by the Lord because there is no greater name to swear by.  Heb.6:13 tells us that God swore to Abraham by His own name because He could swear by no greater.  When you make an oath the idea is that you are making an appeal to a higher power that will hold you responsible.  When you swear by God or to God you are attesting that God will hold you responsible for the oath that you have made. 

Three attributes of God are alluded to in this verse.  Abraham is admitting to God’s greatness, superiority, and he appeals to God as one greater in an oath by these three attributes.    1.)   He is the LORD.  When you see the word LORD in all caps it is the Hebrew word JEHOVAH.  Jehovah means self-existent or eternal.  Everything exists because of God.  I was created in the image of God and it’s by him that I live, and breathe, and have my being.  Everything we see around us is upheld by the word of God’s power.  He is the glue that holds it all together.  Jehovah is the cause of all existence.  There is not anyone, anything, or any event that created God.  God is eternal and self-existent.  It is hard for us to comprehend an eternal God.  We can comprehend an eternal future, but it is difficult to comprehend an eternal past.  We, as humans, are eternal beings and will live forever; but we all had a beginning.  God is from eternity past to eternity future.  He had no beginning and He will have no end.  Abraham said that he wanted his servant to swear by the self-existent, eternal One.  Why?  Because he always has been and always will be and He will never change!  You and I may sign a document and make an agreement that is subject to change, but when you swear by the Lord you are making an agreement based on a factor (God) that will never change.  2.) The God of heaven.  The word for God is Elohim which simply means “God” or “Deity.”  This tells of his position as the ruler and king of the kingdom of heaven.  In the third heaven, where the angels, seraphims, cherubims, the four and twenty elders, and the redeemed of all ages dwell, God is sitting upon His throne and rules as the sovereign majesty of the blessed kingdom in glory.  3.)  The God of Earth.  God is not just ruling in heaven, but His providence reaches to the earth also.  The Lord executes judgment, justice, and mercy upon earth.  The earth receives the bounty and blessing from its Creator.    

“ that, thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:”- The servant was to promise Abraham that he wouldn’t take a wife for his son Isaac from the Canaanites.  Two questions come to my mind from this statement.  1.)  Why could Isaac not choose a wife for himself?  Isaac was 40 years old at this time.  Was he not old enough to choose a wife for himself?  His brother Esau had chosen his own wives.  I believe there are possible two answers to this question.  A.)  Isaac was the chosen seed.  He was the miracle child that God’s nation, Israel, was to come from.  He was also the seed line of Christ.  It was of the utmost importance that he marry right.  B.)  Because he was the miracle child and the one through which the blessing would flow, it may be that Abraham did not want him to leave the Promised Land.  2.)  Why could Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman?  There are two answers that are really one and then a third answer.  A.)  The Canaanites had been cursed by God.  The Israelite nation was to come through the posterity of Isaac.  The blessed seed of Israel was not to mix with the cursed seed of Canaan.  This does not mean that God is a racist or that God doesn’t love everybody.  The children of Israel were not to intermarry with the heathen because they were a chosen people.  B.)  The seed line of Christ was not to be mixed with the cursed line of the Canaanites.  One of the main reasons that the Jews were not to intermarry was because through them the Messiah would come.  Although, interestingly enough, there are Gentiles in the seed line of Christ!  This was no mistake, but part of the providence and plan of God.  C.)  The Canaanites were cursed for a reason.  They were sacrificing their children to Molech by burning them alive on altars.  They were committing lewd and detestable sexual acts that went against nature.  The cup of the iniquity of the Amorites was about to be full and God would tell the children of Israel to completely wipe out these people for their gross sin.  God told the children of Israel not to intermarry because they would become involved with the pagan worship and idolatry of the Canaanites around them.  This took place in the life of King Solomon who clave to many strange gods because of his many foreign wives.  Isaac was not to marry a pagan, idolatrous woman.  He was to marry a woman who knew Jehovah God.

 

One-Line Explanation:  Abraham causes his servant to swear by God that he will not get a Canaanite wife for his son, Isaac.

 

Lesson:  1.) It is important that we keep our commitments that we make to God.  God will hold us accountable for what we say.  Let us be careful not to make rash vows.  It is smart not to make many vows at all.  When you do make a vow, then you need to take it seriously.  Husbands and wives need to take their marriage vows seriously; preachers that vowed to serve God faithfully need to take that vow seriously; laymen that made a promise at an altar to serve God faithfully need to take their vows seriously.  2.)  God is self-existent and eternal.  He holds all things together, therefore, we should not worry about tomorrow.  Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.  God is in control of all things and He will take care of His own.  We need to stop worrying so much and just trust our heavenly Father.  3.)  Isaac was not to marry a heathen woman.  The New Testament principle is that we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  Young people need to be diligent and prayerful about finding a spouse that is saved and serving God.  A saved young person has no business dating someone or marrying someone who is not saved.  They may have the tag of Christian but that does not mean they are a Christian.  A Baptist that believes in salvation by grace through faith should not date and/or marry a Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Church of Christ, Catholic, Pentecostal, etc.  If you are already unequally yoked then there are principles in 1 Cor.7 that help you to know what to do or how to behave while being married to an unbeliever.  The single Christian should not seek to be married to a Canaanite!  You may have a weird idea that you can change them, but the odds are against you.  Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and he penned scripture, yet ungodly wives turned his heart away from God.  You are not smarter than Solomon!  Stay away from the Canaanite woman and marry an equal yoke.  Your life will be so much happier if you will follow God’s teaching.

 

Where is Jesus?- 1.)  Jesus Christ is Jehovah God!  Jesus Christ is Elohim!  Jesus is not a god, He is the God.  Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things.  All things are upheld by the word of His power.  All things were created by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.  Jesus is the self-existent one.  Jesus is God in the flesh.    2.)  Jesus is pictured by Isaac.  Jesus is the Son who receives a bride.  Jesus bride does not consist of those that reject God (The Canaanite).  Jesus bride is made up of believers.  If you have trusted Christ as your Saviour then you are part of the bride of Christ.  The popular teaching is that everyone will go to heaven, but the reality is that only those who make up the bride of Christ will be brought into the groom’s chamber (heaven.)  Are you a part of the bride or are you still a Canaanite?

Genesis 24:2

Vs.2- “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house,”- 1.)  His Name- Although the servant’s name is not mentioned, most believe this to be Eliezer mentioned in Gen.15:2.  The story that is about to unfold in Genesis Ch.24 is about the father (Abraham) sending his servant (Eliezer) to go to a distant country to get a bride (Rebekah) for his son (Isaac).  This is a beautiful picture of how God the Father sends the Holy Spirit into the world and is calling out the bride of Christ, the church, for the Son, Jesus Christ.  The Hebrew name Eliezer means “God is help.”  John 14:6 tells us that the Holy Spirit is our comforter or paraclete.  The word means that he is one called alongside to help.  The Holy Spirit is our helper.  Jesus said that it was expedient for him to go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit to help us.  This servant seems to be an obvious type of the Holy Spirit in this portion of scripture. 

2.)  His Age- The servant is said to be the eldest servant of Abraham’s house.  If this is Eliezer, which I believe it is, then he has been with Abraham for over 50 years.  Eliezer is mentioned in Gen.15:2 which is sometime before Hagar was given to Abraham.  Hagar and Abraham had a son named Ishmael who was 14 years of age when Isaac was born.  Isaac is 40 years of age in this story, Ishmael would be 54, and thus we must conclude that Eliezer has been with Abraham at least 55 years.  Abraham is about to give Eliezer a very important task.  He did not just give this job to anyone.  Abraham made sure that he sent his most trusted servant.  Greatness is not measured in years, but in decades.  Eliezer had proven himself to Abraham for many years now.  We also know from scripture that wisdom is found in grey hairs.  Abraham knew that Eliezer was a wise and faithful servant and could be trusted with this great task. 

3.)  His Position- He was a servant of Abraham.  We do not know how Eliezer became Abraham’s servant.  The word for servant (Ebed) means a slave or bondservant.  He was owned by his master and expected to follow his master’s bidding. 

 

 that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:- 4.)  His Responsibility- We see here that Eliezer was a man given great responsibility.  A.)  His past responsibility- He was over all that Abraham owned.  This was a major task!  Abraham is extremely wealthy and has much cattle, servants, gold, silver, etc.  Gen.15:2 describes this servant as the steward of Abraham’s house.  He was in charge of keeping everything organized and running smoothly.  This reveals to us that Abraham had great trust in this man.  B.)  His present responsibility.  Abraham trusted him with all of his substance so it is no surprise that he would now give this great task at hand to the servant he puts absolute confidence in. 

Abraham has Eliezer put his hand under his thigh.  This was an ancient way of swearing an oath.  Apparently the idea is that if you don’t keep the oath you promised then may the descendants of the one you lied to rise up and deal with you.  I’m glad that this is not something we follow today!  Abraham is about to have Eliezer swear to him concerning the important task at hand.

 

One-Line Explanation- Abraham desires that his eldest servant make a promise to him.

 

Lesson:  1.) God has given us a helper to convict us of our sin, comfort us in our sorrow, and guide us in our study.  We cannot live the Christian life without the aid of the Holy Spirit.  God has given us a great gift.  Let us be sure not to quench or grieve the Holy Spirit, but rather yield to the Spirit and obey His promptings in our life.

2.)  We live in a society that has a negative view of the older community.  They see the older crowd as out of date, ignorant, out of style, and out of touch.  The older generation may not know how to use the internet or a cell phone as well as you do, but they have years of wisdom and should be respected.  The World War II generation may not know how to get a hold of you via e-mail, but they know how to get a hold of God via prayer.  They may not be as savvy on technology, but they know how to walk with God.  We see them as ignorant, but their generation served God and ours is vastly rejecting and turning away from God.  I think it would do some of us well to look to the old preachers and the old saints and seek their wisdom.  Abraham understood that there was much wisdom with his eldest servant.   

3.)  There is no greater position than that of a servant.  We are the servants, bond slaves, of the Lord Jesus Christ.  A.)  I am a servant by purchase.  Jesus purchased me with His own blood on the cross of Calvary.  Therefore, I am not my own; I am bought with a price.  It is my obligation to serve Christ because He purchased me.  B.)  I am a servant by choice.  A servant could be set free, but decide that he loves his master and wants to be a servant forever.  He would then pierce his ear with an awl as an outward symbol of his devotion to his master.  (Exo.21:5-6)  I am not just a servant by purchase, but by choice.  I choose to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is not greater position than to be a servant of the King of Kings.

4.)  Eliezer was given great responsibility because he had proven himself over many years of faithful service.  Many people want great responsibility, but they don’t want to make the sacrifices and put in the years of service to earn that right.  The Bible teaches that you must first be faithful over the little things before God will make you faithful over great things.  The cream always rises to the top.  If you desire to be used by God and given great responsibility then be faithful, have a servant’s spirit, and do you best at whatever task God gives you.  Luke 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:11  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  Luke 16:12  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? If you will be faithful in the small thing then God can trust you with bigger things.  Some people won’t come to church unless they have some position in the church.  The way it works is exactly the opposite.  God will not put you into a position until first you show that you can be faithful in the small things like church attendance.  Why should the Pastor make you a Sunday school teacher and allow you to teach God’s word when you are not faithful to obey yourself?  If you want God to promote you and give you more responsibility then you must first prove that you can be faithful with the requirements He has already given you.  God doesn’t move you on to the 2^nd grade until you have completed first grade.  If you are not faithful to tithe, attend church, or witness, don’t expect God to make you the next great evangelist.  Eliezer was faithful to his master and as he served he was trusted him with more and more responsibility. 

Genesis 24:1

Genesis Ch.24

Summary:

Abraham makes a covenant with his servant in regards to finding a wife for Isaac (Vs.1-9); The servant goes his way and prays for God’s blessing (Vs.10-14); God orchestrates the meeting of the servant with a young damsel named Rebekah (Vs.15-27); Abraham’s servant meets Rebekah’s family and tells them the purpose of his journey (Vs.28-49); The family answers the servant and agrees to give Rebekah to Isaac in marriage; Rebekah and the servant return to Abraham (Vs.50-61); Isaac meets Rebekah and they are married (Vs.62-67).

 

Vs.1- “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age:”- Abraham is now 140 years of age.  The Bible bluntly says that he was old.  It is interesting how the Bible describes old age here; we are told that Abraham was well stricken in age.  The word stricken means to be struck, afflicted, tormented, troubled, or disturbed.  The longer an individual lives on this earth the more they understand the description.  A little girl observed her grandfather make aching noises to get up and down, she noticed that he was tired a lot of the time and took pills for many different ailments that he had.  She asked him, “Granddad are you sick?”  He replied, “No, worse; I am old!”   Abraham was 75 years of age when he left Ur of the Chaldees and has been on his pilgrimage for 65 years now.  He was 100 years of age when Isaac was born and Isaac is 40 in this story so Abraham must be around 140 years of age. 

“and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.”- The word blessed means to be happy, to benefit or be made prosperous by the Lord.  God had blessed Abraham in ALL things.  1.)  He was blessed in spiritual matters.  He had been given the privilege to be the patriarch of God’s nation, the nation of Israel.  He is also the father of all that believe by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The New Testament tells us that he had the privilege of having the Gospel preached unto him.  All that bless Abraham and his seed will be blessed and all that curse Abraham and his seed will be cursed.  Through Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed.  2.)  Abraham was blessed with a wonderful family.  He had a magnificent wife that followed him wherever God led him.  He had his son Isaac who was a child with a miraculous birth.  3.)  Abraham was blessed monetarily.  He was very wealthy and had faithful servants to minister to him.  Abraham was so wealthy that the land could not contain all of his flocks and herds and all of Lot’s.  They were forced to separate because of his wealth.  4.)  Abraham was blessed with health and a long life.  Abraham lived to a ripe old age and we don’t have any account of him getting ill.  It is a blessing to have health and long life.  Abraham was blessed in every aspect of life.  This is the testimony that I hope to have when I am well stricken in age.  I want to be able to look back on my life and see the blessings of God. 

 

Meaning of Names and Terms:

1.      Stricken- of strike; struck; smitten; as the stricken deer.

2.      Blessed- Happy; prosperous in worldly affairs; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God; enjoying heavenly felicity.

One Line Explanation- Abraham is very old, but very blessed.

 

Lesson:  1.) Well-Stricken- Stricken means to be struck, afflicted ,tormented, troubled, or disturbed.  Getting old is like getting beat up!  The older we get the more our bodies start to break down.  We don’t see as well as we used to, our hearing is not as good, our minds many times are not as sharp as they used to be, we can’t run or jump or get around as well as we used to when we were younger.  We bear the marks in our bodies of the beating we take from age.  The older we get the less hair we have, our teeth begin to fall out, our skin begins to wrinkle, and our bodies begin to stoop.  We all understand that we begin to deteriorate with age, but this was not the way God originally designed us.  Adam and Eve were designed to live forever and never wear down.  The beating of old age and the deterioration of our bodies is an evidence of the effects of sin.  We are born with a sin nature and sin eventually takes its toll on our bodies like the sun eventually takes its toll on your roof.  The more you sin the quicker you are stricken in your body.  We have all seen people that have lived wicked lifestyles that look like they are 85 years old and they are only in their mid-30s. 

The good news is that Jesus defeated death and sin on the cross of Calvary.  Unless we are privileged to be taken in the rapture, we will all have to die.  It is a wonderful thing to know that, for the Christian, death is not the end.  We will trade our age stricken bodies for a glorified body that will never deteriorate or decay or get tired or sick.  In heaven we will no longer face the beating of Father Time. 

2.)  Blessed in all things- Abraham was said to be blessed in all things.  Why was Abraham so blessed?  I can think of a few reasons.  A.)  Because God chose to bless him.  We can never rule out the sovereignty of God.  God can choose to bless whomsoever He desires to show favor to.  B.)  Abraham was blessed because of his obedience.  65 years prior to this verse God had told Abraham to leave everything he knew and to go to the land of Canaan.  Abraham did not argue with God, but followed God’s direction by faith.  Many people do not experience the blessings of God because they refuse to follow His direction for their lives.  Too many people think they know better than God when it comes to the direction for their lives.  Let us seek to follow the direction of God for our lives wherever it may lead us.  If we desire to be blessed then we need to simply be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  If God calls you to be a missionary to Istanbul, Turkey then just simply follow His leading by faith.  C.)  Abraham followed Biblical principles for blessing.  We understand that Abraham did not have the scriptures as we do today, but he did follow principles found in the scriptures.  The Bible tells us over and over again how we can be blessed.  If we desire the blessings of God then all we must do is follow God’s recipe.  I would encourage you to look up all of the scriptures that describe the blessings of God and ask the Lord to help you apply these principles to you own life.  Psalm 0ne is such a passage that describes how to be blessed.  Matthew Ch.5 is also a portion of scripture that describes what God blesses.