Origins: The Promise (Genesis 12–25)Sample

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.” Genesis 24:59 (NKJV)

Having made the decision she would leave her family (whom she would likely never see again) to be joined in marriage to a man she’d never met in a land she’d never known, Rebekah begins the journey to her divinely determined destiny. 

Setting her face towards the unknown, her family pronounces a blessing over her. And this would prove prophetic, as she would play an essential part in God’s plan to establish the nation of Israel. “And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: ‘Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them’” (Genesis 24:60 NKJV).

Let your imagination run a little here. This trek was over 500 miles long and took several days to complete. What must have gone through Rebekah’s mind as one landscape transitioned into the next and the miles rolled on? Did that moment come when she thought, What am I doing here? Was she ever tempted to turn back? Perhaps, but she never did. 

Rebekah was resolute in her decision to face the future according to faith in what God had revealed, not according to her feelings. It took a deep trust for Rebekah to do this, but this trust was possible because the Lord was at work in her heart. And as her faith grew mile by mile, another powerful expression of faith was waiting at the other end of the equation. “Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming" (Genesis 24:63 NKJV).

Don’t miss the fact that Isaac was meditating—dwelling on the spiritual things of God—when he caught his first glimpse of his bride to be. Faith was present at both ends of the equation. There’s a powerful, poetic beauty in this as both were brought together; each seeking to follow after the Lord! 

Here’s what we learn from this; when God does a work, He works on both ends of the equation. When He’s calling on one end, He’s also preparing the other. It’s important to remember this because when God calls us to take a step of faith, we can be confident that He’s actively preparing things on the other side. He’s working ahead of us, readying the conditions that will continue to develop our relationship with Him.

DIG: How did God demonstrate Himself at both ends of the equation here?

DISCOVER: What spiritual principle does this reveal for us?

DO: Pray about how you can apply this spiritual truth so that it may have practical impact in your own life.