Rebekah - Doing the right thing the wrong way - Part 1

In my last devotion I mentioned that God's work must be done in God's way and in God's time.  Many good Christians think they are doing God's will but sadly are under a delusion. Just because you "feel its God's way" is no guarantee that its the way God works. God's ways always conform to His word. Anything else is a misnomer.  God will never ask you to steal or lie or contradict His word to accomplish His purposes. In Genesis 27, we read another example of doing God's work in man's ways and the severe consequences of such an act. No matter how urgent the crisis maybe or how desperate your urge to take revenge, the ends do not justify the means. The motives many be inspirational but if the method is wrong, the whole endevour collapses. Its just like trying to rob a bank to feed the poor. A wrong is still a wrong no matter even if it produces saints in the end. I would like to look at the character of Rebekah first before we look at the theme of this discussion.

Rebekah is a fine example of what a godly woman should be...at least as seen in the first few chapters of her life as recorded in Genesis. I observed the following qualities about this woman which should be a benchmark for those wanting to seek a bride.

•  She was divinely chosen as a bride for Issac.   Abraham's servant makes very specific request to the Lord concerning the bride for Issac. "The woman who does this , this and this will be the one You have chosen for Issac." (Gen 24:12-14) Rebekah comes along and fulfills everyone of those requirement the servant laid before the Lord. She was God-given. Many young men struggle with choosing the right life partner for their lives. "How do I know who is God's plan for me." This is a wide subject and may warrant a discussion at another forum. But certain truths emerge from the passage. We certainly don't want to fall for a woman just because  she is beautiful or rich. That is transient. Neither do we want to settle for someone who is totally incompatible. How does one look for the right woman? I think we should adopt the same process as the servant did. Lay before the Lord the reasonable qualities you will want in a woman that you want to spend the rest of your life. God will bring her to you as you search for the right one. Your job - search with criteria, the Lord's job - bring the right person before you. Bear in mind that this was an arranged marriage not a love marriage. So today's youth have an added advantage.

• She was hospitable.    Gen 24:18 onward tells us how she willingly served the servant and his camels with water and later even brought them to her brother's house. She was respectful and kind towards strangers who needed help and even going the extra mile. Respect the elders. Don't despise the poor. "Be kind one to-another." Hospitality is a quality that is fast disappearing in a society like Singapore. Heb 13:2 tells us - Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 

• A woman of faith who dared to take risk.   Can you imagine, here comes a stranger and tells her about her prospective husband whom she has never seen and she does not even know if he existed. But she was willing to follow the servant.It takes  a lot of faith and trust in God to make a decision like that. Esther was one such woman.

• She was a woman of prayer.   In Gen 25: 22 - we read that when "The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord."She did not consult anyone else but  the Lord. She had developed the habit of hearing the voice of God and hence when to Him when faced with a queer situation. How unlike us who will go to everyone for advise , except the Lord. Only a person who has the habit of waiting and hearing the voice of the Lord will have the confidence to seek Him for personal answers. We don't have to run to the pastor or to a prophet to prophetically tell us what's God will for us. God can reveal to us direct. if only we are willing to wait on Him. When was the last time we heard the voice of God?

• She knew God's plan for her children and worked towards that end.  As a parent she knew what was the destiny of her children right from the beginning. Even when Issac seems to have forgotten God's plan, she did not and she wanted to ensure it was done as how God intended it to be. Its so important that parents know what God has in store for their children. At least put them on a path that they will seek the ways of God and not leave them to their own wishes and wants. Pro 22:6- Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. I know of parents  who will insist on their kids to go for all the extra lessons that will help them to excel in their education, in arts and self enrichment classes. But when it comes to God, they leave the choice to the children to decide. I know of parents who give excuses when it comes to their children attending Sunday School. "They are very tired and that's why they did not come." But they will not make that an excuse when it come to secular education and enrichment classes. Rebekah was different. She made sure that her kids fulfilled God's plan for their lives. That's why she was in a frenzy when Issac wanted to bless Esau instead of Jacob. She remembered the prophecy concerning the boys when they were still in her womb.

Although this godly woman had all these fine qualities, she made one serious blunder in a moment of indiscretion and paid a heavy price for it. She wanted to fulfill God's plan but chose a wrong way to do so.... to be continued