The Loyalty of God (Genesis 24:1-67)

The Loyalty of God

Genesis 24:1-67

June 29, 2014

 

Well, Judy Williams asked Wednesday night if I would finish Genesis while she was in the nursing home (implying that the study is taking a while)

 

So we’ll just go ahead and cover 67 verses this morning

And see if we can’t push the pace along.

 

No, actually we cover chapter 24 because (as is often the case)

The chapter forms a singular thought

That Moses was driving home to the children of Israel.

As you know we are the twilight years of Abraham’s life.

 

Abraham is a man at the end of his life,

With most of his major accomplishments behind him.

Now we said he is “Finishing Strong”

 

Charles Rogers – an old man at Crawford near death, would say:

“I’m in my sprinting years now”

 

That is where we find Abraham.

He is seeking to finish his race strong.

 

And for Abraham, that finish is seen in two very important decisions that he made late in life.

 

The first was to bury Sarah in Canaan.

This was bizarre because Canaan was not his home land, nor was it the land of his people.

Sarah’s death, would normally have resulted in Abraham returning to Mesopotamia to bury Sarah among her people.

But Abraham, banking on the promises of God, determined not to return, but to let it be known that Canaan was now his land.

 

Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

 

And of course we learned that this is how we should live as well.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

So we saw Abraham finishing strong by deciding to remain in Canaan,

Even though it was now evident that the only portion of the land

That he would ever personally own was the tomb where Sarah was buried.

 

Well this morning we see another important decision from Abraham, and that comes as

Abraham seeks a wife for Isaac.

 

Abraham’s decision is simple:
Find Isaac a wife
Not among the Canaanites (Abraham was aware of their degrading nature)
But no matter what, DO NOT TAKE ISAAC BACK TO MESOPOTAMIA!

 

Abraham was adamant that Isaac stay in Canaan and there raise a family.

 

Abraham is finishing strong.

Abraham is not going to waiver at the end.

 

We could easily say that Abraham will remain loyal to God.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS MORNING:

Is why Abraham is loyal to God.

 

ABRAHAM IS LOYAL BECAUSE GOD IS LOYAL.

 

It is the unique thing about covenants.

Covenants only work if both sides remain loyal.

 

If one side breaks that loyalty, then the covenant is shattered and rendered useless.

 

While Abraham’s loyalty is good, and our loyalty is important,

It is just as important that God also remain loyal.

 

It is that loyalty that I want to show you this morning.

I want you to see that God is loyal to His people.

Now to show you this, I first need to introduce you to a Hebrew word.

 

“HESED” (pronounced “chesed” – like you’re clearing your throat)

 

And it is kind of tough word to define.

It is actually one of those words that can sort of get lost in translation.

By that I mean, there is no English word that sufficiently explains it.

 

The word is used over 250 times and it is translated in a variety of ways.

About 60% of the time it is translated “mercy”
Sometimes translated “lovingkindness”
Sometimes translated “kindness”
Sometimes translated “goodness”
Sometimes translated “steadfast love”

 

But obviously it is a word that

Is seeking to define a very important attribute of God.

The first time we see it is when God spares Lot from Sodom. 

Remember, Lot was hesitant to leave and so

The angels physically removed Lot from the city for his own protection.

 

Lot responded by saying:

Genesis 19:19 “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness [HESED], which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;”

 

Lot obviously saw a favorable attribute from God

That caused God to act on his behalf, even when he himself was sluggish.

Lot referred to that attribute as HESED

We saw it again in Genesis 20 as that which Sarah did for Abraham.

Genesis 20:13 “and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness [HESED] which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”‘”

 

So it was HESED that Sarah showed by putting herself in danger

To protect Abraham’s life.

 

It was a word used by Rahab the harlot as she bargained with the spies.

Joshua 2:12-14 “Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly [HESED] with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly [HESED] and faithfully with you.”

 

There Rahab offered HESED and wanted HESED in return.

Translated there as “kindly”

And just by examining some context,

You are seeing that receiving HESED is a good thing.

 

Now HESED is actually a word that God uses to describe Himself.

Exodus 34:6-7 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness [HESED] and truth; who keeps lovingkindness [HESED] for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

 

God actually abounds in HESED, meaning He has a lot of it.

It is extended to His covenant people and results in their forgiveness

 

And whatever specifically God’s HESED is, it will never go away.

 

Lamentations 3:22 “The LORD’S lovingkindnesses [HESED] indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.”

 

God’s HESED then is one of the attributes

That motivates our worship of Him.

 

Perhaps the most famous use of the word comes in Psalms 136,

Where the word is used 26 times, in each verse proclaiming “For His lovingkindness [HESED] is everlasting.”

 

Psalms 136:1-3 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

 

And so on for 26 verses…

 

The point being that God’s HESED

Is what makes Him worthy of praise and adoration.

 

In fact, our salvation hangs upon God’s propensity to show HESED

Psalms 13:5 “But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness [HESED]; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”

So already you are seeing the variety of uses for the word.

For Lot it was a type of mercy that delivered him from Sodom
For Sarah it was a type of self-sacrifice that protected Abraham
For Rahab it was an undeserved kindness that went beyond expectation
And it is also the word used of God’s faithfulness to unfaithful people

It is a word that describes God’s propensity to come to our rescue.
It is a word that describes God’s willingness to sacrifice self on our behalf.
It is a word that describes God’s mercy to save undeserving people.

 

You can call it “mercy”

You can call it “love”

You can call it “kindness”

 

But none of those words seems to fully do the trick of whatever this word means.

This morning I want to submit a different word for HESED

You may have figured out, but I’m going to call it “Loyalty”

 

And specifically – “God’s loyalty to His people”

 

·         God was loyal to Lot and so rescued him…

·         Sarah was loyal to Abraham and so put herself in harm’s way for him…

·         Rahab was loyal to the spies to protect them and expected loyalty in return…

·         God is loyal to His people, even when they are not loyal to Him…

 

And it is so important for you to understand that God is loyal to you.

Now I might ask you, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAITHFULNESS AND LOYALTY?

Faithfulness regards honoring a commitment – and certainly God does that.

When He makes a commitment, He keeps it.

 

Loyalty reveals the fact that God will never fail to make the commitment.

 

Faithfulness means God will do what He promises.

Loyalty means God will always make the promise.

 

Let me illustrate.

Let’s say you need your yard mowed

And you don’t have any money and you want someone to mow it.

 

And I tell you about a friend I have who mows yards, and I tell you he’s FAITHFUL.

 

Now does that mean he will mow your hard?No, it only means, that if he agrees to mow your yard that he will follow through with it.

 

But what if I tell you I have a friend who mows yards, and he is LOYAL.

 

That implies that he will agree to do it,

Because of his commitment to our friendship.

 

That is what HESSED refers to in God.

Yes He is faithful to do what He promises,

But He is also loyal to always promise.

 

The passage in the New Testament

That probably best illustrates God’s HESED to us is:

 

Romans 8:28-31 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become  conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

 

In short, God is for you.

·         God is loyal to you.

·         He will not forsake you.

·         He has set His love and kindness and mercy on you and that will never

                    change.

If you’ve ever been betrayed by a friend or a loved one,

You know how bitter disloyalty can be.

 

Well, you can always count on God to be loyal.

It’s probably also illustrated in what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

Paul knew God was loyal.

God would not quit on you.

 

And I point you to this word and to the loyalty of God,

Because that is what Genesis chapter 24 is all about.

 

HESED is used 4 times in this chapter.

 

Now obviously we spent a greater amount of time on the introduction

So we are going to move through the story rather quickly,

But as we do, I want you to pay attention the loyalty of God.

 

Then begin to let it sink in what your response to God’s loyalty should be.

 

We are going to break this chapter down into 6 points,

And they all deal with the loyalty [HESED] of God.

#1 ABRAHAM EXPECTED IT
Genesis 24:1-9

 

It is important to note that God had

Never failed Abraham in any way throughout his life.

 

(1) “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.”

 

It is safe to say that God was good to Abraham.

God had never done wrong by him.

And it is clear that Abraham was sure God never would.

 

And now Abraham (as we said earlier) is at the end of his life and he is making decisions based upon God’s continued faithfulness to him.

 

Abraham’s decision here is to get a wife for Isaac.

A wife not from Canaan (a corrupt land),

But a wife from his own people (the chosen line)

 

(2-4) “Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ” Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

 

So Abraham has a commission to “his servant”

We assume that this servant is Eliezer whom Abraham identified in chapter 15 as the heir of his house before Isaac or Ishmael were born.

 

The placing of the hand under the thigh was a sign indicating that my descendants will avenge this agreement if you fail to follow through.

 

So Abraham is serious about this.

 

However, under such a serious oath,

It is no surprise that Eliezer has a few concerns.

 

Namely, what if the woman won’t come?

(5) “The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”

 

Put yourself in his shoes.

You want me to travel to a different country, find a girl and get her to agree to leave her family and come back and marry a man she has never seen.

(That should be easy)

 

No doubt Eliezer thought this would be near impossible. 

In his mind, the best he could hope for was to get the girl to agree to marry Isaac if he first came there, and she could at least stay near her family.

 

But Abraham is staunch about this.

(6) Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there!”

 

Abraham is staying in Canaan and he insists his descendants do the same

 

But it doesn’t solve the problem.

Abraham, what makes you think that some woman is going to just up and leave with me to come back and marry Isaac?

 

The answer?

Abraham was counting on God’s loyalty.

 

(7-9) “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. “But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”

Now there we notice that God had made no promise to the effect.

If God had promised Abraham that He would send a girl back,

Abraham would have quoted the promise, but there was none.

Abraham wasn’t banking on God’s faithfulness,

Abraham was banking on God’s loyalty.

 

Abraham just figured that God was on his side, and would work on his behalf.

 

Obviously Abraham is an example to us there.

Abraham had reached a point in his life where he knew that God was for him.

 

If you are not at that place, I encourage you to go there.

If God has chosen you, God is for you – BELIEVE IT

 

Even without a specific promise, Abraham expected God would be loyal.

Abraham Expected It

#2 ELIEZER TESTED IT
Genesis 24:10-14

 

Now some people are mature in their faith like Abraham,

And for them God’s loyalty is an expected thing.

 

But some people aren’t quite so certain.

They want to believe it…
They hope it’s true…
But they still need to see it.

 

Those type of people “throw out the fleece” so to speak,

To see if God is really for them.

That is what Eliezer does here.

 

Did you notice the test?

(READ 10-14)

Now think about that for a second.

It’s one thing to find a nice girl who will give you a drink, but draw water for 10 camels?

Talk about narrowing the field…

 

But there is a specific reason that Eliezer asks for such a specific result.

 

(12) “He said, “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness [HESED] to my master Abraham.”

 

In short, Eliezer is saying,“Abraham seems to think you are loyal to him, well, let’s see… Bring me a girl that will draw water for me and for my 10 camels.”

 

(14b) “and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness [HESED] to my master.”

“If You’ll bring by a girl like that,

Then I’ll start to acknowledge that You are in fact loyal to Abraham.”

Now, I’m not one that is a proponent

Of continually asking God to jump through hoops.

 

Jesus in fact reiterated that “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

I know we often do…

I know Gideon did…

I know Eliezer does here…

 

The only time God ever sanctioned it was in regard to titheing

Where He told the Jews through Malachi, “Test Me in this”

 

But I’m not going to tell you to go out and make God prove His loyalty.

I would rather you just take Him at His word

And know that He is loyal to His own.

I wouldn’t tell you to test God’s loyalty.

But I will tell you that when God is tested, He always passes!

 

GOD IS LOYAL AND EVERY TEST ONLY PROVES THAT

 

So in regard to God’s loyalty:

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested it

#3 GOD PROVED IT
Genesis 24:15-27

 

And hopefully you noticed that God wasted no time in proving it.

(15) “Before he had finished speaking…”

 

He couldn’t even finish the prayer before Rebekah shows up.

 

And notice,

She was in the right place…
She was of the right lineage…
She was beautiful…
She was a virgin (available)…
And she comes to draw water

 

And just as Eliezer had envisioned, he asked this girl to give him a drink and of her own accord she not only gave him a drink, but volunteered to draw water for all 10 of his camels as well.

 

And God now has Eliezer’s attention.

(21) “Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful or not.”

 

In other words, “Eliezer was speechless”

God just blew his mind.

 

I don’t think Eliezer ever dreamed

That such a bizarre circumstance would actually occur.

I think he purposely picked a test

He didn’t think would happen in a million years.

 

But when the camels had finished drinking, and Eliezer verified that Rebekah was of the right lineage, Eliezer was blown away.

 

(26-27) “Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD. He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness [HESED] and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

 

Eliezer is now a believer that God is loyal.

Eliezer knows that God is loyal to Abraham.

 

God proved His loyalty.

And He always does.

 

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested It, God Proved It
#4 LABAN CONSENTED TO IT
Genesis 24:28-51

 

Now, as you notice most of that text is nothing more than Eliezer relating to Laban the circumstances of the story.

 

And after the story is retold to Laban,

You will notice that Eliezer gets to the main question.

 

(49) “So now if you are going to deal kindly [HESED] and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.”

 

In short, Eliezer wants to know if Laban is going to place himself in accordance with God’s obvious will or not.

 

And notice Laban’s answer.

(50-51) “Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. “Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”

 

What did I tell you earlier?

“If God is for us…”

 

That’s exactly what Laban said.

Who am I to try and resist God’s selection?

 

If God is a loyal friend of Abraham, I sure don’t want to be an enemy…

 

And that is a good point for you and I to understand as well.

 

Not only can we trust God’s loyalty, we should also submit to it.

 

As a child of God there are times

When I can obviously see God’s loyalty to me.

 

There are those obvious times, when I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God must be for me, because things just too easily fall into place.

 

However, there are other times, when the circumstances make it look like

Maybe God doesn’t have my best interest in mind.

 

There are times when God asks me to walk into circumstances that I am unsure of.

That is where Laban is.

God is asking him just to surrender his sister to go off to a foreign land and marry a man they’ve never met.

 

It is obvious God is for it
It is obvious God is doing it
But it had to feel a little strange just to go along with it

 

At those moments you simply have to trust that God is in fact loyal to you.

It is the old adage, “When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart”

 

God has a plan, and it is good,

Even if it is a plan that you never saw coming.

 

Namely because God is HESED – God is loyal

His loyalty endures forever.

 

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested It, God Proved it, Laban Consented to It
#5 REBEKAH EMBRACED IT
Genesis 24:52-61

 

Boy don’t overlook the great faith of Rebekah here.

 

And just for a second contemplate what she is up against.

Leave your family
Leave your homeland
Agree to marry a stranger

 

And even when the family is starting to get a little emotional

(hence the requested 10 day waiting period)

 

The decision is thrown directly in the lap of Rebekah.

(57-58) “And they said, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”

Why would she do that?

Why would she leave?

 

Because it was obvious to her that God had chosen her.

& she was learning that when God chooses you, He is loyal to you.

She wasn’t placing her faith in Eliezer…
She wasn’t placing her faith in Abraham…
She wasn’t placing her faith in Isaac…
She was placing her faith in God.

Remember Abraham came from this land and was a pagan.

No doubt Rebekah had seen her share of disloyalty

From the pagan gods of her youth.

 

But now she was confronted with a God who was loyal.

·         Now she was confronted with a God who would never fail to act on her behalf.

·         Now she was confronted with a God who would never ceased to promise her

                         good, or to come through on those promises.

 

And Rebekah did what every one of us should do

SHE JUMPED ON BOARD!

And for those in here who do not have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, let me encourage you to do the same.

 

I’m not asking you to follow some fickle God

That you have to win over day in and day out.

 

I’m asking you to follow a God who will forever be for you.
I’m asking you to follow a God who describes Himself as loyal.
I’m asking you to place your life in the hands of a God who will never fail to act in your best interest.

 

Rebekah saw that and immediately signed up.

And it is obvious that her family knew what she was signing up for,

Because notice what they said:

It wasn’t weeping…

It wasn’t a prayer for protection…

 

They gave her a blessing of expectation

(60) “They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.”

 

They knew Rebekah was going to be blessed as she served the loyal God.

And so will all who make the same choice she made.

 

Now, one final thing about the loyalty of God.

#6 ISAAC BENEFITED FROM IT
Genesis 24:62-67

 

Now men, I’m going to guess that when you found your sweet thing,

It wasn’t nearly that easy.

 

Isaac didn’t have to do anything here.

God went out and found him a beautiful wife
Who was also hospitable…
Who was also hard working…
Who also had a heart for God…

 

And Isaac “loved her”

 

And through this relationship Scripture also says that“Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

 

Can we reiterated what a loyal friend God was to Isaac?
God just went out and acted on Isaac’s behalf.
Isaac didn’t even have to ask Him to.

 

God did it because of His HESED

God had chosen Isaac and so God was a true and loyal friend

 

Call it mercy if you want

Call it kindness if you want

Call it steadfast love if you want

 

But whatever HESED is,

It is obvious God is that to those He has entered into covenant with.

AND HE IS THAT FOR YOU AS WELL.

His loyalty to you never fails.

 

And don’t you think that was in important message for Moses to deliver to the children of Israel?

 

Don’t you think it was important for them to know that God was loyal to them?

But the real question is: WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE SHOULD THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAVE HAD TO THAT?

And I think you know the answer.

God’s loyalty, should have inspired their loyalty.

 

And that is my encouragement to you.

God is a loyal friend

God is for you

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR YOU TO BE LOYAL TO GOD?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to be for Him?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to make Him a priority?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to work on His behalf?

 

Certainly not.

And it was God’s loyalty that inspired Abraham’s loyalty

To stick with God in the land of Canaan.

Let me encourage you to be like Abraham.

Expect the Loyalty of God.

 

And if you are like Eliezer and are just a little skeptical, then once God proves His loyalty (and He will) then you worship Him for it.

 

And like Laban

Consent to the Loyalty of God

 

And like Rebekah

Embrace the Loyalty of God

 

So that like Isaac, you can benefit from the Loyalty of God.

 

And by all means, be loyal to Him in return.

God is loyal to His children – trust it!

 

Exodus 34:6-7 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”