The Father sends for the Bride

Genesis 24

Last night here at FBC, we discussed at length much of this chapter of Genesis. For those who don't know, in this chapter, Abraham sends his servant, Eleazar, back to Abraham's homeland for the purpose of bringing a wife home for Isaac, Abraham's son. As usual, much of the discussion centered on faith. We compared and contrasted the marked differences between Abraham and Eleazar and Abraham's cousin, Laban. We often don't take the time to really meditate on how our faith has ripple effects within our households, our places of employment, and throughout our friendships and relationships with others. Abraham's faith evidently rubbed off on not just Eleazar but also Isaac, who was in the fields meditating when Eleazar returned with Rebekah.

But this is where we ran out of a little bit of time. I really wanted to discuss the wonderful picture that God is showing us of Himself. God is the Father, who sends His servant, to bring a bride for His Son. Stop and let that soak in for a moment.

God is the Father, and not only is God the Father, but he has a plan. He is in preparation right now as we speak. He is preparing a wedding feast, and banquet. In which His Son is to be wed to a glorious bride adorned in her glorious deeds. Listen to what the Book of Revelation says

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

God sent His servant to bring the Bride. Eleazar easily represents those who preach and teach and evangelize and witness to the life, death, resurrection, and return of Christ. And not just the preachers and teachers, but also those who are faithful everyday believers who share that love of Christ with others. Whether it is at work or home, at the ballgame or at VBS, they are faithful servants to the Father. As we have been in Hebrews for many weeks now, God has spoken through many different people throughout history to bring a message of repentance and forgiveness to His people. As Eleazar was faithful to Abraham, the Gospel Preacher/Pastor is to be faithful, not just to the preaching of that message, but also to the journey home. It saddens me when so many pastors before they even begin to put down their roots, pull up stakes and leave. Eleazar told Rebekah about all that was happening, and returned WITH her.

Rebekah is the church. She is beautiful. She is all a bride should be. Eleazar watched intently to see if she infact was worthy of Isaac. She was. There may be alot of problems people have today with the modern church. Many reasons are justified. But I would caution you and say this, "The Bride is still the Bride." Many within the "church" do not follow the Jesus of the Bible nor worship the God of the Bible. They create their own "This is what God should be like and this is who Jesus is" definitions. I simply beg that you make your decision based upon the Bible, which is trustworthy.
Rebekah was also adorned with much silver and gold and linen. Much like the church in the Revelation passage. Rebekah's deeds caught the eye of Eleazar. The Churches deeds catch the eye of God. Why? Because He has adorned her. Ephesians 2 says that these deeds or works were pre-ordained for us to walk in.

Isaac is the son for whom the bride brought. Stop and think for a moment. Within Isaac's life, he went from an object of sacrifice to a marriage. Sound like Jesus? It should.

Scripture so often amazes me. The very first book of the Bible, Genesis, is so full of Gospel pictures and parallel's to the last book of the Bible, Revelation. As you read scripture this week, read and look for Christ within that particular passage. He is there. God is there also, showing His plan and His faithfulness. The only question that remains is "Will you notice?"