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

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the man bowed down his head
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  Speaker 1: and worshiped the Lord. Genesis 24-26 Dear God, as I
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  Speaker 1: am on my journey to fulfilling the purpose you have
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  Speaker 1: for my life, thank you, Lord, for partnering me with
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  Speaker 1: the right people. I decree and declare that today is
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  Speaker 1: the day that you begin to partner me with Kingdom Connections.
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  Speaker 1: I decree and declare that as I'm moving in obedience
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  Speaker 1: and working in alignment with your assignment, that you're giving
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  Speaker 1: me uncommon favor with uncommon men and women. I want
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  Speaker 1: to also thank you in advance for my spouse. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you that they are being preserved and protected. I know
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  Speaker 1: like Isaac and Rebecca, my spouse will be your best
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  Speaker 1: for my life. I declare that my marriage, will be
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  Speaker 1: one of purpose and understanding. I declare that we will
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  Speaker 1: be in sync as two hearts become one. Lord, I
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  Speaker 1: praise you for helping me to become the person I
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  Speaker 1: need to be to love them completely. Thank you for partnerships.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for relationships. And thank you, Lord, for placing
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  Speaker 1: the right people at the right place at the right
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  Speaker 1: time in my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for praying with us today. Continue your time with God
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  Speaker 1: by listening to today's Bible story, brought to 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: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. Now that God has tested
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  Speaker 3: Abraham's faithfulness, which he passed with flying colors, our narrative
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  Speaker 3: turns to a time of grieving loss followed by a
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  Speaker 3: preparation for the future. The first thing we'll hear of
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  Speaker 3: is the death of Sarah. She had lived long, finally
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  Speaker 3: born a son to Abraham, and now the Lord was
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  Speaker 3: calling her to her eternal rest in Him. This was
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  Speaker 3: to be a time of sorrow and grief for Abraham
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  Speaker 3: and a final opportunity for him to demonstrate care for
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  Speaker 3: her and honor her memory. But understanding that his work
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  Speaker 3: on earth was not yet done, we see that Abraham
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  Speaker 3: would turn to future planning, to securing a wife for
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  Speaker 3: his son Isaac, so that God's plan to bless and
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  Speaker 3: grow his family would continue progressing. Today's passage demonstrates great
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  Speaker 3: wisdom on the part of Abraham, both in where he
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  Speaker 3: sends his servant to look for a mate for Isaac
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  Speaker 3: and in what he insists Isaac do as the search
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  Speaker 3: is happening. Listen to what he commands his servant to
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  Speaker 3: do and why he requires that Isaac remain in the
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  Speaker 3: land where they were. Notice also how Abraham's servant goes
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  Speaker 3: about finding a suitable partner and how he brings the
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  Speaker 3: Lord into the process. Watch also as God works through
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  Speaker 3: the process to ensure that Isaac is provided with the
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  Speaker 3: right mate in Rebekah. You'll once again see how God's
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  Speaker 3: plans for His people come together, often in unexpected ways
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  Speaker 3: and unexpected places. There's 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 vapor, 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, Then the servant, knowing God's faithfulness, prayed
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  Speaker 2: a strange prayer, saying, I am standing near this spring,
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  Speaker 2: and the young women of the city are coming out
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  Speaker 2: to draw water. I will ask them for a drink,
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  Speaker 2: and whoever also offers to give my camels water will
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  Speaker 2: be the one you have chosen. It may have seemed
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  Speaker 2: like a strange prayer, yet the servant knew that a
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  Speaker 2: woman who was willing to go the extra mile to
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  Speaker 2: bless a stranger would truly be an excellent wife. As
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  Speaker 2: he was speaking to the Lord, Rebekah, THE DAUGHTER OF
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  Speaker 2: ABRAHAM'S BROTHER CAME NEAR THE SPRING TO DRAW WATER. SHE
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  Speaker 2: HAD AN ELEGANCE AND BEAUTY THAT STOOD OUT AMONG THE
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  Speaker 2: REST OF THE WOMEN. THE DIM LIGHT OF DUSK ACCENTUATED
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  Speaker 2: HER BEAUTY AND THE SERVANT PRAYED AGAIN THAT SHE MIGHT
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  Speaker 2: BE THE ONE FOR ISAAC. HE APPROACHED HER GENTLY AND ASKED,
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  Speaker 2: WOULD YOU MIND DRAWING ME SOME WATER? REBECCA, EVEN MORE
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  Speaker 2: YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL LOOKING UP CLOSE, SMILED WITH KINDNESS EMANATING
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  Speaker 2: 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 fills. 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 he had departed.
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  Speaker 2: The servants 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.
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  Speaker 3: Life Abraham and Sarah have been through so much together.
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  Speaker 3: Countless miles of travel, ups and downs in their marriage,
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  Speaker 3: and at long last, the joy of a beloved son.
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  Speaker 3: Sarah 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 lovingkindness to my master. Why is this
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  Speaker 3: so notable? We already see that it is not only
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  Speaker 3: Abraham's direct line that is honoring and following the one
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  Speaker 3: 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
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  Speaker 3: one he's sure of. 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: Rebekah 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 Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
• 18:29
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  Speaker 3: how to tap into God's power to trust in Him
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  Speaker 3: and obey Him in all things, be sure to visit JackGraham.org.