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Isaac and Rebekah - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Genesis 24-26 Dear God, as I am on my journey
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  Speaker 1: to fulfilling the purpose you have for my life, thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: for partnering me with the right people. I decree and
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  Speaker 1: declare that today is the day that you begin to
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  Speaker 1: partner me with kingdom connections. I decree and declare that
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  Speaker 1: as I am moving in obedience, and working in alignment
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  Speaker 1: with your assignment, that you're giving me uncommon favor with
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  Speaker 1: uncommon men and women. I want to also thank you
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  Speaker 1: in advance for my spouse. Thank you that they are
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  Speaker 1: being preserved and protected. I know, like Isaac and Rebecca,
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  Speaker 1: my spouse will be your best for my life. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that my marriage will be one of purpose and understanding.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that we will be in sync as two
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  Speaker 1: hearts become one. Lord, I praise you for helping me
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  Speaker 1: to become the person I need to be to love
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  Speaker 1: them completely. Thank you for partnerships. Thank you for relationships.
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  Speaker 1: And thank you, Lord, for placing the right people at
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  Speaker 1: the right place at the right time in my life.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Isaac and Rebekah Before this story, we learned how God
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  Speaker 2: told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. God had finally given Abraham
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  Speaker 2: his promise, but now required an act of faith. Abraham,
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  Speaker 2: with anguish and sorrow, obeyed, but the Lord provided a
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  Speaker 2: ram instead and blessed Abraham for his obedience. Now we
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  Speaker 2: will learn about Sarah passing away and Isaac meeting and
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  Speaker 2: marrying Rebekah as inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. Now that God has tested Abraham's faithfulness,
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  Speaker 3: which he passed with flying colors, Our narrative turns to
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  Speaker 3: a time of grieving loss followed by a preparation for
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  Speaker 3: the future. The first thing we'll hear of is the
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  Speaker 3: death of Sarah. She had lived long, finally born a
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  Speaker 3: son to Abraham, and now the Lord was calling her
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  Speaker 3: to her eternal rest in Him. This was to be
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  Speaker 3: a time of sorrow and grief for Abraham and a
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  Speaker 3: final opportunity for him to demonstrate care for her and
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  Speaker 3: honor her memory. But understanding that his work on earth
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  Speaker 3: was not yet done, we see that Abraham would turn
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  Speaker 3: to future planning, to securing a wife for his son Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: so that God's plan to bless and grow his family
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  Speaker 3: would continue progressing. Today's passage demonstrates great wisdom on the
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  Speaker 3: part of Abraham, both in where he sends his servant
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  Speaker 3: to look for a mate for Isaac and in what
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  Speaker 3: he insists Isaac do as the search is happening. Listen
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  Speaker 3: to what he commands his servant to do and why
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  Speaker 3: he requires that Isaac remain in the land where they were.
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  Speaker 3: Notice also how Abraham's servant goes about finding a suitable
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  Speaker 3: partner and how he brings the Lord into the process.
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  Speaker 3: Watch also as God works through the process to ensure
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  Speaker 3: that Isaac is provided with the right mate in Rebekah.
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  Speaker 3: You'll once again see how God's plans for his people
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  Speaker 3: come together, often in unexpected ways, and unexpected places. There's
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  Speaker 3: God's surprise. Listen now to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: Abraham and Sarah lived a long life together. Together they
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  Speaker 2: braved famines, journeyed to new lands, made mistakes, and experienced
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  Speaker 2: the faithfulness of God over their marriage and family. Together
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  Speaker 2: they endured heartache and shared in triumph. Yet time is
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  Speaker 2: the cruel thief of life, and Sarah in her old
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  Speaker 2: age had gone to be with her Lord. Abraham ventured
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  Speaker 2: to the land of the Hittites and purchased a field
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  Speaker 2: and cave there to bury his wife. Filled with sorrow,
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  Speaker 2: he said goodbye to Sarah, his truest partner and friend.
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  Speaker 2: God had blessed Abraham in all things. He had accumulated wealth, influence, land,
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  Speaker 2: and adoration. Yet the death of Sarah reminded him that
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  Speaker 2: his life was but a vapour and soon he would
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  Speaker 2: return to the dust from which he came. It was
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  Speaker 2: time to consider his son Isaac in securing his future.
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  Speaker 2: Abraham desired to find his son a wife as faithful
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  Speaker 2: and God-fearing as his mother was. This would be a
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  Speaker 2: great challenge, since he dwelt in a land where God
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  Speaker 2: was not yet known. Canaanites worshipped the gods of the earth.
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  Speaker 2: AND IN VAIN THEY PURSUED NO HIGHER PURPOSE BESIDES SELF-PLEASURE
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  Speaker 2: AND PRESERVATION. ABRAHAM CALLED HIS MOST FAITHFUL SERVANT TO HIM,
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  Speaker 2: THE OLDEST IN HIS HOUSEHOLD AND HIS FRIEND. COME AND
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  Speaker 2: SWEAR AN OATH TO ME, ABRAHAM SAID. SWEAR TO THE LORD,
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  Speaker 2: THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, THAT YOU WILL FIND
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  Speaker 2: MY SON A WIFE AMONG MY HOME COUNTRY AND FAMILY.
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  Speaker 2: SHALL I TAKE YOUR SON WITH ME? THE SERVANT ASKED.
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  Speaker 2: for a woman might be reluctant to come with me
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  Speaker 2: if her potential husband is not there. You shall go
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  Speaker 2: to my home country without Isaac, Abraham pressed. God has
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  Speaker 2: promised him this land, and he shall not depart from it.
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  Speaker 2: If a woman is unwilling to go with you, then
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  Speaker 2: I release you from your oath. But I trust God
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  Speaker 2: will provide, since he has promised that my son will
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  Speaker 2: continue to build a nation with his children. So the
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  Speaker 2: servant swore an oath to Abraham by putting his hand
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  Speaker 2: on his thigh, which was a form of serious covenant promise.
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  Speaker 2: Then the servant departed back to the land of Mesopotamia,
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  Speaker 2: to the city of Naor, with ten of his master's
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  Speaker 2: camels and gifts. After a long journey, the servant had
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  Speaker 2: arrived on the outskirts of his master's homeland. At the
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  Speaker 2: time of evening, he brought his camels to drink from
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  Speaker 2: a well. This was the time when women from town
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  Speaker 2: came to draw water for their families. The servant looked
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  Speaker 2: to God, saying, O Lord, please grant me success today.
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  Speaker 2: Show love to my master, and show me who might
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  Speaker 2: be the wife of his son. Then the servant, knowing
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  Speaker 2: God's faithfulness, prayed a strange prayer, saying, I am standing
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  Speaker 2: near this spring, and the young women of the city
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  Speaker 2: are coming out to draw water. I will ask them
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  Speaker 2: for a drink. And whoever also offers to give my
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  Speaker 2: camels water will be the one you have chosen. It
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  Speaker 2: may have seemed like a strange prayer, yet the servant
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  Speaker 2: knew that a woman who was willing to go the
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  Speaker 2: extra mile to bless a stranger would truly be an
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  Speaker 2: excellent wife. As he was speaking to the Lord, Rebekah,
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  Speaker 2: the daughter of Abraham's brother, came near the spring to
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  Speaker 2: draw water. She had an elegance and beauty that stood
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  Speaker 2: out among the rest of the women. The dim light
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  Speaker 2: of dusk accentuated her beauty, and the servant prayed again
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  Speaker 2: that she might be the one for Isaac. He approached
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  Speaker 2: her gently and asked, Would you mind drawing me some water? Rebecca,
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  Speaker 2: even more young and beautiful looking up close, smiled with
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  Speaker 2: kindness emanating from her eyes.
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  Speaker 1: Of course.
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  Speaker 2: Drink, my lord, she said while drawing him some cold water.
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  Speaker 2: The servant thanked her and took a drink with anticipation.
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  Speaker 2: As he was drinking, she put her hands together and said,
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  Speaker 2: I will draw some water for your camels. It seems
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  Speaker 2: like you have come a long way. So she emptied
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  Speaker 2: her own jar into a trough nearby and led each
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  Speaker 2: camel to drink from it. Ten times she drew water
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  Speaker 2: and carried it and waited for each camel to have
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  Speaker 2: its fill. She did so with diligence and speed. The
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  Speaker 2: servant watched her work with excitement welling up inside him.
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  Speaker 2: Have you done it, Lord? the servant thought to himself.
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  Speaker 2: When Rebecca finished with the camels, the servant ran to
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  Speaker 2: her and adorned her with gifts and gratitude. Please tell
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  Speaker 2: me who you are and who your family is, he said.
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  Speaker 2: Would they have any room for me to spend the night?
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  Speaker 2: Rebecca replied, My father is Bethuel, and my brother is Laban,
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  Speaker 2: and we have plenty of room for you and your
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  Speaker 2: camels to stay the night. The man bowed his head
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  Speaker 2: to God and worshipped. With a grin of astoundment, he
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  Speaker 2: spoke to the Lord saying blessed are you Lord God
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  Speaker 2: of my master Abraham your steadfast love and faithfulness has
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  Speaker 2: orchestrated everything perfectly and I am simply blessed to watch
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  Speaker 2: it unfold then the young woman told her household about
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  Speaker 2: these things Laban hurried to the well to assist the
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  Speaker 2: servant and gave his warmest welcome by saying, Come on in,
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  Speaker 2: I've got the house ready for you, and there's also
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  Speaker 2: a place for your camels. They all happily settled in
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  Speaker 2: the house and prepared to eat a meal together. Before
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  Speaker 2: I eat anything, I need to tell you why I
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  Speaker 2: am here. The servant said, I am the servant of Abraham,
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  Speaker 2: and the Lord has truly blessed Abraham since last time
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  Speaker 2: you saw him. He has become great, with flocks and
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  Speaker 2: herds of thousands. He owns land, silver, gold, servants, and
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  Speaker 2: all sorts of treasures. Yet his greatest treasure is Isaac,
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  Speaker 2: a son he had with his wife Sarah. He was
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  Speaker 2: a son given to them in their old age, and
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  Speaker 2: God's favor is on him as well. The family sat
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  Speaker 2: at the table, astonished by what he was saying, for
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  Speaker 2: they knew Abraham from years ago before.
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  Speaker 3: He had departed.
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  Speaker 2: The servant spoke again, saying, I have come here to
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  Speaker 2: find my master's son a wife, and I believe Rebekah
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  Speaker 2: is the woman God has chosen for him. He then
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  Speaker 2: told them all the things he had prayed to God,
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  Speaker 2: and Rebekah's actions confirming all that he had prayed for.
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  Speaker 2: Laban and his father answered, This is undoubtedly from God.
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  Speaker 2: Take her and go. Let her be the wife of
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  Speaker 2: your master's son, as God has made it plain. The
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  Speaker 2: servant praised God and blessed the entire household with expensive gifts.
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  Speaker 2: The thought of Rebecca leaving saddened her family, and they
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  Speaker 2: wanted her to stay a little while longer, but Rebecca
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  Speaker 2: felt the call of God to go. Similarly, as God
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  Speaker 2: had beckoned Abraham and Sarah to depart from their homeland
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  Speaker 2: into something greater, so Rebecca departed as well. Back home,
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  Speaker 2: Isaac went out into the field to meditate. The sun
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  Speaker 2: was setting, and the warm breeze whistled across the plains.
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  Speaker 2: Colors of orange and purple filled the skies, and the
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  Speaker 2: clouds moved with the wind. Isaac closed his eyes to pray.
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  Speaker 2: He missed his mother. He whispered to God and breathed
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  Speaker 2: in the sweet air of the promised land. He then
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  Speaker 2: opened his eyes, and in the distance he saw the
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  Speaker 2: camels approaching on the horizon.' Rebecca,' Sitting upon the camels
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  Speaker 2: also lifted her eyes to see a distant figure standing
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  Speaker 2: among the fields. She saw him drawing nearer and got
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  Speaker 2: off her camel.' Who is that man walking in the
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  Speaker 2: field to meet us?' she asked.' It is my master,'
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  Speaker 2: the servant replied. So Rebecca put on her veil to
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  Speaker 2: hide her face for the wedding. Isaac came to greet
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  Speaker 2: them and was informed about all the things that had
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  Speaker 2: taken place. So Isaac brought Rebecca to his home and
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  Speaker 2: the two entered a prepared wedding ceremony. He removed her
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  Speaker 2: veil and fell madly in love with Rebecca. The two
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  Speaker 2: became one, as Abraham and Sarah once were. Isaac enjoyed
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  Speaker 2: the warm embrace and comfort of his wife, and the
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  Speaker 2: two began to build a life with one another.
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  Speaker 3: Abraham and Sarah had been through so much together. Countless
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  Speaker 3: miles of travel, ups and downs in their marriage, and
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  Speaker 3: at long last, the joy of a beloved son. Sarah
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  Speaker 3: has lived a long life and has fulfilled her purposes.
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  Speaker 3: Her time on earth has come to an end and
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  Speaker 3: Abraham grieves her death with great sorrow. Wanting to honor
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  Speaker 3: her in her passing, he lavishly provides a resting place
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  Speaker 3: for her body, purchasing a field and a cave. But
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  Speaker 3: Abraham will not remain stuck in his grief. He understands
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  Speaker 3: that there is a time to mourn and a time
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  Speaker 3: to grieve, and also a time to look to the future.
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  Speaker 3: God has promised to bring him many descendants through Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: and for that to happen, he must find a mate
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  Speaker 3: for his son. Here we find Abraham acting as a
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  Speaker 3: wise father and leader of his family. He could easily
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  Speaker 3: have sent his servant to search the region for a
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  Speaker 3: young woman for his son, but that could mean a
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  Speaker 3: marriage to a pagan woman who knew nothing of his God.
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  Speaker 3: That would mean disaster. so he sends his servant out
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  Speaker 3: to his homeland far, far away. His servant makes a suggestion.
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  Speaker 3: Why don't I bring Isaac along for the journey so
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  Speaker 3: the prospective wife can know I am telling the truth?
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  Speaker 3: Once again, demonstrating great wisdom, Abraham insists Isaac not leave.
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  Speaker 3: God had promised that land to him, and Isaac must
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  Speaker 3: stay there to protect his claim and be obedient to God.
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  Speaker 3: But there was something more at play here. If Isaac
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  Speaker 3: had journeyed far away and found a beautiful young woman
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  Speaker 3: to marry, the temptation would be to stay right there,
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  Speaker 3: abandoning the land God had given him. By now, Abraham
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  Speaker 3: has lived long enough to understand the importance of trusting
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  Speaker 3: and obeying God and of staying the course that God
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  Speaker 3: has set. So his servant heads out on his quest.
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  Speaker 3: It is notable here that when he arrives in Nahor,
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  Speaker 3: the servant prays to God and proposes a way to
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  Speaker 3: identify the ideal wife. Look what he says in Genesis 24,
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  Speaker 3: verses 12 through 14. He said, O Lord, the God
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  Speaker 3: of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and
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  Speaker 3: show loving kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am
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  Speaker 3: standing by the spring and the daughters of the men
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  Speaker 3: of the city are coming out to draw water. Now
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  Speaker 3: may it be that the girl to whom I say,
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  Speaker 3: please let down your jar so that I may drink
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  Speaker 3: and who answers, drink and I will water your camels also,
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  Speaker 3: May she be the one whom you have appointed for
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  Speaker 3: your servant Isaac. And by this, I will know that
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  Speaker 3: you have shown loving kindness to my master. Why is
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  Speaker 3: this so notable? We already see that it is not
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  Speaker 3: only Abraham's direct line that is honoring and following the
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  Speaker 3: one true God. This servant living in the midst of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: and their family have seen their master's worship and trust
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  Speaker 3: in God, his obedience and dependence upon God. And this
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  Speaker 3: influenced him greatly. So he seeks God also, asking him
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  Speaker 3: to find the right wife for his master. He doesn't
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  Speaker 3: ask for the most beautiful woman, as one might imagine
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  Speaker 3: he would, wanting to impress his master with a striking
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  Speaker 3: beauty for Isaac. His test is looking for a kind heart,
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  Speaker 3: a compassionate person, something that will far outlast physical beauty.
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  Speaker 3: Waiting by the well, he meets Rebecca. She is beautiful,
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  Speaker 3: standing out from all the others. But what wins him
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  Speaker 3: over is how she demonstrates great kindness and generosity to
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  Speaker 3: a stranger, a foreigner in the land. This is the one.
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  Speaker 3: He's sure of it. God is at work in this situation.
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  Speaker 3: When the servant tells Rebekah he needs lodging, she welcomes
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  Speaker 3: him to her family's house. There he reveals the purpose
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  Speaker 3: of his visit to the astonishment, amazement of his host.
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  Speaker 3: He is granted favor and Laban, Rebekah's brother, testifies this
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  Speaker 3: is from God, so far be it from them to
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  Speaker 3: stand in the way. The family grants their blessing, and
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  Speaker 3: Rebecca agrees to the long journey to meet her future husband,
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  Speaker 3: someone that she has never met or seen. They return
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  Speaker 3: to Canaan, and Isaac is amazed. He is overjoyed that
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  Speaker 3: God has provided him such a kind and beautiful wife.
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  Speaker 3: They are married in God's plan for his purpose, and
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  Speaker 3: ultimately the redemption of the world continues to move forward.
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  Speaker 3: This is a story of God's divine providence. God orchestrating
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  Speaker 3: the meeting at the right time between the right people
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  Speaker 3: to provide a right mate for Isaac. It is a
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  Speaker 3: reminder that God works and does amazing things in our
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  Speaker 3: own lives, sometimes even despite unlikely odds and obstacles. What
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  Speaker 3: we need to do is to always trust God, believe
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  Speaker 3: His promises, and to obey Him whatever he asks us
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  Speaker 3: to do. Dear Father, thank you for how this story
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  Speaker 3: reminds us that you are always at work, moving to
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  Speaker 3: bless us and provide for our every need. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: also for the lesson in grieving and honoring our loved
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  Speaker 3: ones that we see from Abraham with Sarah's passing. Help
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  Speaker 3: us to trust that you will work in our situation,
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  Speaker 3: that we will always bring glory to yourself and accomplish
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  Speaker 3: your purposes in obedience with our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go,
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: every single day. So visit jackgraham.org to sign up for
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.