City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”

Genesis 24:22-33

Reflection

As Nate and Aisha so eloquently explained in their devotionals, Abraham’s servant followed the leading of the Lord and had a divine appointment at the well where God showed him who He had chosen as Isaac’s wife. This is a story of God’s sovereignty. And like most stories of God’s sovereignty, His sovereignty is expressed through a person’s obedience and exists in a sea of other stories of people pursuing their own selfish interests. 

It is in passage above where the quasi-notorious figure of Laban first makes his appearance in the Bible. When he sees his sister wearing some serious new bling, Laban “ran out toward the man” to meet him at the spring.” Laban apparently had shekel signs in his eyes, and seeing the wealth the servant represented immediately begins flattering him and trying to get him to his house. Laban was probably hoping to secure more gifts or money for letting his sister go. Laban’s actions recorded later in Genesis, further reveal his self-interested motives. And yet, here, God still achieves His purpose. His sovereignty prevails.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this interesting intermixing of God’s sovereignty in a sea of selfishness when he said, “We know that God works all things together for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. God works “all things”—even those selfish and hurtful things other people around you are doing—together to achieve His will for your life, provided you love Him. And to love Him is to obey Him. John 14:15.

Application

As we obey the Lord, just as Abraham’s servant did in seeking His will in finding Isaac a wife, we become instruments of His sovereignty despite the influence of a surrounding, self-interested world.

Prayer

Lord, help me to be an instrument of Your sovereignty. Amen.