Gen 24:1-21
A Bride for the Son
For some reason, marriage is on my mind! If you can let God change
you, and if you can find someone who will let God change them, I
strongly recommend marriage. Since my mind is so much on it, it
seemed logically and I believe of the Lord, for me to preach on it
this morning. However, I want to look at this marriage from a
slightly perspective. Let’s look at it from the prospect of the God
seeking a bride for His Son.
The Bible makes it clear that God is seeking a bride for His Son.
Re 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Re 21:9 And there came unto me one of the
seven angels which had the seven vials full
of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride,
the Lamb’s wife.
Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say,
Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely.
What comparisons can we find between these two accounts?
I. In both accounts, it was the Father who sought a bride for His
Son.
A. There is no missing the fact that Genesis 24, it was Abraham
who was seeking the bride.
1. Abraham called his eldest servant and charged him to find
a bride for his son.
2. As a matter of fact. Isaac is hardly mentioned and we are
never told that it was his desire to get married.
3. Of course, in that Middle East culture, it is often the
parents who arranged the marriage for the children.
B. Yet, it is also the heavenly Father who desired a wife for His
Son, Jesus Christ.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent
me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and
I will raise him up at the last day.
Mt 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your
Father which is in heaven, that one of these
little ones should perish.
Lu 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Lu 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing,
remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my
will, but thine, be done.
1. And again, Jesus is hardly mentioned in the selection
process.
2. About the only thing we see related to Jesus is that He
came to do the will of His Father.
C. Why did Abraham pick this time to find a bride for his son?
\\#Ge 25:20\\ tells us that Isaac was 40 years old when he
married!
1. Isaac was now more alone and it was likely that he would
soon be completely alone.
a. Sarah, his mother, had recently died.
Gen 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven
and twenty years old: these were the years of
the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is
Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came
to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
b. Abraham was old and soon to die.
Gen 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken
in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all
things.
c. Although Abraham and thus Isaac was very rich, wealth
makes for a very poor companion.
2. I would suggest that Sarah’s death prompted Abraham to
realize just how difficult it would be for Isaac to be
left alone.
a. Death is NOT normal.
(1) Death is a result of sin and although God
expected and even provided for man’s sin, God
never intended His creation to go through it.
(2) The human race is not equipped to deal with sin
or sin’s results.
(a) We are not equipped to deal with sin’s
guilt.
(b) We are not equipped to deal with sin’s
penalty.
i. The ongoing spiritual separation from
God.
ii. Death
iii. Hell
b. Abraham looked at his son Isaac and saw his
brokenness, his loneliness, and his need and
determined that Isaac needed a wife.
c. By the way, the Bible itself indicates that Abraham’s
plan worked.
Ge 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother
Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became
his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was
comforted after his mother’s death.
D. Why did God the Father seek a bride for His Son?
1. It was NOT because the Son needed a wife!
a. Jesus, God’s Son, is complete in Himself. He needs no
other.
b. In fact, the Bible makes it clear, that it was not
God’s Son who will be completed by His bride but the
bride who will be completed by the Son!
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of
the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the
head of all principality and power:
2. We are the ones who are alone, broken, and needy! God
desired a bride for His Son not for the Son’s sake, but
for the brides’!
a. Here is one of the strange paradoxes of Bible.
b. Why would God love the human race so much that He
would sacrifice His Son for us?
c. The only answer is LOVE.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
II. In both accounts, the Father sent His trusted Servant.
A. \\#Ge 24:2\\ Abraham sent the oldest servant in his house.
1. Abraham was a mortal man himself and was old at this time.
a. Abraham had inherited a good bit from his father,
Terah.
b. It is possible that the servant Abraham sent was one
of the servants his father had left to him.
c. That would simply mean that this servant knew Abraham
and what Abraham would want for his son like no other
man on earth. He might have known Abraham since
before he was born!
2. Abraham sent his servant with only two commands.
a. \\#Ge 24:4\\ Find a bride for his son.
b. \\#Ge 24:6\\ Bring the bride to my son. Do not take
my son to the bride.
c. Concerning the first command, find a bride from the
son.
(1) That was pretty vague.
(2) It left all of the decision making to the
servant.
a. The servant could decide was important in
determining the correct bride for the son.
b. He decided if she was to be pretty and what
pretty was, he decided what was to be too
big or too small. He decided whether her
nature was good or bad.
c. He even got to decide HOW he would determine
this things.
d. \\#14\\ The servant decided that the most
important thing was the woman’s nature so
he set up a test in his mind.
e. He would ask woman for a drink of water and
the one who had enough of a servant’s heart
to give him a drink and to water his 10
camels would be the right woman!
f. According to Wikipedia, a dessert camel can
drink up to 53 gallons of water! This woman
was offering to tote over 500 gallons of
water!
d. Concerning the second command, bring the bride to my
son.
(1) That was pretty absolute.
(2) \\#8\\ Abraham was so absolute on this command
that if the woman the servant thought was the
perfect woman for Isaac would not come back with
him, then the servant was free of his promise.
(3) That meant Isaac would NEVER be married.
(4) By the way, as hard as it is to hear, we need to
know. No mate is better than the wrong the
mate!
B. What about God’s Son? Who did God send to find a bride for
Him?
1. God sent the Holy Ghost! There is no salvation without
the Holy Ghost.
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God.
2. The Holy Spirit was given two charges.
a. Select the bride for the Son.
(1) The Father sent the Holy Ghost and the Son died
to save souls but it is the Holy Ghost who draws
people to the Son.
(2) How does the Holy Spirit determine who will make
up the bride for Jesus?
(3) Two requirements:
(a) They must believe that Jesus died for their
sins.
(b) They must follow the Holy Spirit in turning
from their sins.
b. Do not take the Son back to the bride but bring the
bride to the Son.
(1) Jesus will not be coming to sojourn on this
world, but His bride will be going to Him.
(2) One of the points of the Christian life is for
the bride to be getting ready to LEAVE this
world.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing; and I will receive you,
1Jo 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as
strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts, which war against the soul;
(3) Last week, Brother Rosado spoke to us about the
shofar, the trumpet, and the fact that the saved
are waiting for it to sound!
(4) Once we hear it, we will be instantly take from
this world into the presence of Jesus Christ!
(5) He is not coming to us. We are going to Him!
III. In both accounts, the potential bride must chose to marry the
Father’s Son.
A. Rebekah had to choose.
Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the
damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her,
Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will
go.
B. Everyone individual must choose to accept Jesus.
Re 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me.
IV. In both accounts, a small taste of the Father’s riches was
shared.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels
of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and
gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother
and to her mother precious things.
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope
of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints,
V. In both accounts, there would be a great wedding celebration when
the bride arrived home!
A. Genesis 24 does not describe it, but I am certain it happened.
B. Revelation describes the celebration that heaven will have.
Rev 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne,
saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and
ye that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and
as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to
him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they
which are called unto the marriage supper of the
Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true
sayings of God.
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And
he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy
fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have
the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Friend, the question is not, "Will there be a bride?" The question
is, "Will you be part of the bride?" You must choose to obey the
Holy Ghost. You must believe that Jesus died for your sins and you
must follow Him in turning from sin. What will your choice be?
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