Experiencing God’s promises requires seeking God’s guidance...

This week, we have been looking on as the servant of a man named Abraham, who was in desperate need of God’s guidance, experienced God’s guidance. Wednesday, in Genesis 24:10-27, Abraham’s servant prayed for God to guide and direct him to just the right woman for Abraham’s son Isaac. God responded by leading Abraham’s servant to a young woman named Rebekah. Today, we will see how Rebekah’s family responded to all that they had heard about what had happened in Genesis 24:28:

 Then the girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. And he said, "Come in, blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?" So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. But when food was set before him to eat, he said, "I will not eat until I have told my business." And he said, "Speak on."

Moses tells us that when Laban saw all the bling that Rebekah had received, he responded by wanting to wine and dine Abraham’s servant to discover more information. Yet, while Laban wanted to wine and dine Abraham’s servant, Abraham’s servant was fully focused on the promise that he had made to Abraham and on God’s activity in his life. The servant refused to eat until he had spoken his mind about the mission he was on.

And when the servant received the opportunity to share the mission that he had been given by Abraham and that had been guided by the Lord, the servant seized that opportunity. The servant explained who he represented and all that God had done in the life of Abraham and Sarah. The servant shared the promise and oath that he had made and how God had guided him to Rebekah. And after sharing who he represented and the mission that he had been given by Abraham and guided on by God on, the servant gets straight to the point in Genesis 24:49:

 "So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left."

The servant basically tells Laban “if you are going to demonstrate your faithful devotion and your reliability to my master by allowing me to take Rebekah to be married to Isaac, then just tell me. And if not, just tell me so that we can go our separate ways so I can look elsewhere”. We see Rebekah’s families’ response in verse 50:

 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. ⁵¹ "Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken."

In other words, Rebekah’s family stated “Obviously God has made His decision, so our opinion is irrelevant”. Because God has made His decision, Laban no longer had the privilege or was in the position of making the decision. Moses then records the servant’s response and what happens next in verse 52:

 When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the LORD. The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, "Send me away to my master." But her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go." He said to them, "Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master." And they said, "We will call the girl and consult her wishes." Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go." Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham's servant and his men. They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them." Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

Abraham’s servant responded by worshipping the Lord and providing the bride price, which in the culture of the day was given as a dowry to the bride’s family. After spending the night with Rebekah’s family, Abraham’s servant was ready to hit the road to begin the long journey back to where Abraham and Isaac were the next morning. Rebekah’s family, however, attempted to delay Rebekah’s departure by trying to convince them to remain for ten days.

However, Abraham’s servant would have none of it. You see Abraham’s servant was not about to lose his focus from the mission he was given in light of the promise that he had made and God’s guidance and provision thus far. After failing to manipulate Rebekah into staying a little while longer, Abraham’s servant and Rebekah departed from her family with the prayer that wished her the power for success, prosperity and fertility as she began her life with Isaac as husband and wife.

And it is in this story that we see God reveal to us a timeless truth when it comes to God’s promises in that experiencing God’s promises requires seeking God’s guidance. Just as it was for Abraham’s servant; just as it has been for humanity throughout history; experiencing God’s promises requires seeking God’s guidance. Just as Abraham’s servant prayed for guidance so that Isaac would be able to experience God’s promises in his life, we desperately need guidance so that we can experience God’s promises in our lives.

However, unlike Abraham’s servant, in addition to prayer, as followers of Jesus we have God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the counsel of other spiritually mature followers of Jesus. Where we tend to get into trouble, however, is when we attempt to experience the promises of God on our own apart from God’s guidance. Where we tend to get into trouble, however, is when we attempt to claim God’s promises in our lives without following God’s guidance and direction for our lives.

We get in trouble because the timeless reality is that our attempts to claim God’s promises in our lives are impossible apart from God’s guidance in our lives. We get into trouble because our attempts to guide and direct ourselves to God’s promises only result in us getting lost and off track when it comes to experiencing God’s promises. Because experiencing God’s promises requires seeking God’s guidance.

So here is the question for us to consider: How are you attempting to experience God’s promises in your lives?  Are you attempting to experience God’s promises apart from God’s guidance and direction? Or are you attempting to experience God’s promises by seeking God’s guidance and direction? How often do you seek God’s guidance through prayer, interaction with God’s word, and interaction with other followers of Jesus in community with one another?