Genesis 25:20,21,25-28

Genesis 25:20,21,25-28 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. Rebekah had the same problem that her mother-in-law had: she could not bear children. But after Isaac, her husband prayed, God gave then twins! Rebekah had an interesting pregnancy as the two boys fought inside of her all the time! Esau was born first. Even at birth, he had fiery red hair all over. And when his twin brother came out, he grabbed Esau by the heel! Even as a newborn, Jacob was struggling to overcome his stronger and more athletic twin brother. As the boys grew, Isaac and Rebekah had their favorites. Isaac liked Esau because he was a hunter and brought him venison to eat from the field. Jacob was a home-body and stayed near his mother, Rebekah. Jacob tricked Esau out of his first-born birthright and then he tricked him out of Isaac’s blessing. Jacob was sneaky, but God had plans for him. God had to work on Jacob to remove bad habits and sins before He could use him. Does God need to weed out some of your bad habits? He will before He can use you. And God will use you, if you let Him.

Genesis 24:23-26

Genesis 24:23-26 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. Eleazar was ecstatic! Not only was Rebekah kind and thoughtful, she was a hard worker too. When Eleazar asked if there was room for him to spend the night at their house, Rebekah welcomed him. But when she spoke of her family, Eleazar praised the Lord. God had brought him to the very family that he was looking for! When he asked her brother, Laban, if she would be interested in marrying Eleazar’s master’s son, she agreed. The expensive gifts that Eleazar had just given her probably sealed the deal for Rebekah! Eleazar wasted no time in getting Rebekah back to Isaac. What a wedding they had! God had honored Abraham’s faith and had given him a son in his old age. And now Isaac was married to Rebekah and the future nation of Israel was now possible! God was preparing th4e nation that would have a Messiah, Who would save the world from their sins. Isn’t God good?!

Genesis 24:10-12

Genesis 24:10-12 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Eleazar took ten camels loaded with gifts for Isaac’s wife. But he didn’t know who she was yet! But he asked God for direction and laid out his plan to God. When they got to where they were going, Eleazar would go to the community well about the same time that the women of the city were going to the well to get their water. He would ask for a drink of water. If the girl offered to draw water for him and his camels, that would be the one that God had selected for Isaac to marry. And, wouldn’t you know it, that is exactly what happened! Rebekah came down to the well to draw water and Eleazar asked her for a drink. She agreed, but went on to offer to draw water for his camels too. A thirsty camel can drink about 30 gallons of water in thirteen minutes! Thirty gallons would fill two or three refrigerators! And that’s just for one camel. Eleazar had ten camels! Rebekah was kind and considerate and hard-working! But the first thing that Eleazar did was to thank the good Lord for answering his prayer. And then he gave Rebekah a solid gold earring and two gold bracelets. Eleazar knew how to get to a woman’s heart! And God put them together in the same place at the same time. God had worked things out once again!

Genesis 24:2-4

Genesis 24:2-4 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, ... 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, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. Sarah had passed away. Abraham was very old and concerned for his son, Isaac. Abraham called Eleazar, his trusted servant in to give him some final instructions. Eleazar was to get Isaac a wife from their family, not from the wicked Canaanites where they were living. Abraham made him promise with a solemn oath. And Eleazar agreed. Abraham and Eleazar both wanted Isaac to have a good wife. They knew how important it was to have a good companion for life. I know you are too young to be thinking about a husband or wife, but when you do look for a husband or wife, look for a good one. Look for someone who is kind and trustworthy and someone who loves God with all of their heart. God will direct you, just like He directed Eleazar. God cared for Isaac, and God will care for you too!

Genesis 22:6-12

Genesis 22:6-12 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Wow! What a dramatic story! God wanted to test Abraham to see if Abraham would obey Him. And Abraham did. But why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son? I’m sure Abraham kept asking himself that question as they walked up Mount Moriah. But Abraham trusted God. And just as Abraham raised his sharp knife to slay his only son, God stopped him. Over in the thicket was a ram caught by his horns. Abraham untied his son, grabbed that ram, and gratefully offered the sacrifice to Almighty God. God may not test you in the extreme way in which He tested Abraham, but God will test you in some way. Is God trying to destroy you in testing? Of course not! God wants to know if He can trust you. And God is wanting you to know that you can trust God. Remember, God honors faith because faith honors God. Think about it.

Genesis 21:2,3,33

Genesis 21:2,3,33 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. God had blessed Abraham and Sarah and had given them a little baby boy in their old age. Back in those days, people lived much longer than they do today, but Abraham and Sarah were still very old to be having a son. But with God, all things are possible! Abraham planted a grove of trees and made his home beautiful. But Abraham never forgot Who had blessed him. Abraham always gave God the credit for all of his blessings. Where do all of your blessings come from? Does God bless you too? God blesses us all, even when we don’t realize it. And just like Abraham, we should recognize what God has done for us.