Genèse 24 : 1-9
Ce célèbre chapitre sur le mariage d’Isaac nous paraît être une légende, tant il est éloigné de la réalité. Mais notre Dieu souverain met cet histoire du mariage tout au milieu de la Genèse, pour s’en servir comme une indication très importante de l’humanité. Reine Grace de Monaco, future reine Kate de l’Angleterre ne sont pas objets d’envie de toutes les filles de la planète parce qu’elles sont reines, ni parce qu’elles sont belles, mais parce qu’elles se sont mariées avec un prince charmant. Quelle fille dans le monde n’aurait pas envié un tel mariage ? De plus, quel jeune garçon dans le monde n’aurait pas rêvé de se marier avec une si belle femme ? C’est pourquoi le Dieu de la Genès ne manque pas de parler du mariage.
Depuis que Dieu avait instauré le mariage pour le bonheur de l’homme dans le jardin d’Eden, Dieu voulait toujours béni l’homme à travers le mariage. Ne nous souvenons-nous pas du bonheur d’Adam qui avait le sourire jusqu’aux oreilles quand Dieu le souverain marieur lui amena sa femme Eve et qui s’était mis à chanter « Oh je suis le plus heureux parmi tous les hommes. L’os de mes os, la chair de ma chair. On t’appellera femme, car tu a été prise de l’homme, c’est-à-dire de moi, là là là là, là là là là ! J’ai la joie, joie, joie, joie dans mon cœur, là dans mon cœur, j’ai la joie, joie, joie, joie, joie dans mon cœur, la joie dans mon cœur. Je suis si heureux, je suis si heureux… »
Mais malheureusement ce bonheur de mariage ne dura pas si longtemps, car bientôt on commencerait à se disputer et s’accuserait l’un l’autre pour une faute. C’était d’avoir désobéi au commandement divin au sujet de l’arbre de connaissance du bien et du mal dont Dieu les avait défendu de manger. Dès lors, chassé du jardin, un homme et une femme vivent pour le profit de chacun et avec une sorte de complice vis-à-vis Dieu. Ainsi l’homme quittant Dieu, l’institution du mariage se dégénérait, jusqu’à ce qu’on choisisse le conjoint uniquement selon le désir charnel au temps de Noé par exemple, si bien que Dieu avait regretté d’avoir créé l’homme.
Dans l’histoire humaine, derrière la déchéance d’une société, il y avait toujours cette corruption du système de mariage. Par exemple, à la veille de la ruine de l’Empire romain, la relation sexuelle était tellement décadente que la maladie dans la partie génitale a été répandue, si bien que les pères avaient cherché désespérément les garçons et les filles issues de la famille de la religion chrétienne comme candidat de l’épouse ou l’époux de leurs enfants. C’est-à-dire presque toutes les filles et les garçons de la classe noble s’amusaient avec le libertinage sexuel, si bien qu’aucun garçon et aucune fille n’étaient crédible au niveau de la sexualité. Dieu s’en attristait du phénomène du mariage en pêle-mêle à l’époque de Noé. Dieu savait toujours que le mariage sain et pure est une facteur primordiale pour le bonheur de l’homme. C’est pourquoi quand Jésus commença son ministère messianique, il se fit inviter par la famille des époux dans une noce et le bénit.
Le chapitre 24 de la Genèse décrit comment le 2e patriarche Isaac put se marier avec sa femme Rébecca. Au début du cette histoire, nous voyons 2 hommes dialoguer entre eux, après quoi 1 homme se lève et part en voyage. Un d’eux est Abraham, père d’Isaac et l’autre son serviteur dont le nom n’est pas précisé dans le texte.
Voici un peu plus de détail de ce dialogue : vieux Abraham appelle son serviteur et lui dit : Tu vas mettre ta main sous ma cuisse – c’est le coutume ancien fait entre ceux qui faisaient le serment – et jure par l’Eternel que tu ne prendra pas la femme de mon fils parmi les Cananéennes, mais tu prendra sa femme parmi les femmes de mon pays d’où j’étais sorti. Donc, tu ira là-bas et la cherchera. Le serviteur répond à Abraham : Peut-être que la femme ne voudra pas me suivre, car il est bien possible qu’elle ne me croit pas, de plus elle ne voit pas le visage de son futur conjoint. Donc, si j’amène ton fils… Abraham lui répond : Garde-toi de l’y ramener. L’Eternel, le Dieu du ciel, qui m’a fait sortir jusqu’ici te fera amener une fille pour mon fils. Si la femme ne veut pas te suivre, tu sera dégagé de ce serment. Le serviteur met sa main sous la cuisse d’Abraham et lui prête le serment au sujet de cette affaire qui se conclue ainsi. Puis, le serviteur fait le préparatif et part en voyage vers le pays d’origine d’Abraham en Mésopotamie.
Pendant ce voyage, le serviteur d’Abraham montra sa fidélité à son seigneur Abraham du début jusqu’à la fin. Dans ce voyage de mission vraisemblablement impossible, ce dévoué serviteur ne cessait de témoigner sa fidélité absolue à son maître, et finalement son voyage étant excellemment réussi, il fut de retour avec le chant de joie et de triomphe.
En effet, quand le serviteur arriva au pays d’origine de son seigneur, le serviteur se mit à genoux et prier, en disant : « Seigneur de mon seigneur Abraham, Dieu de l’Eternité, veuille prêter les oreilles à ma prière : Si je demande aujourd’hui à une fille de ce pays de me donner une gorgée d’eau qui étancherait ma soif de cette fatigue de voyage et que cette fille me donne cette eau en plus qu’elle donne de l’eau pour mes chameaux fatigués et assoiffées, je le reconnaîtrait comme la future épouse de mon seigneur Isaac. » Or, il n’a pas encore fini sa prière, qu’une si jolie fille apparut devant lui. L’auteur insère une phrase descriptive pour cette fille, en disant : « C’était une très belle jeune fille ; elle était vierge, et aucun homme ne l’avait connu. » Cette fille descendit à la source, remplit sa cruche et remonta. Le serviteur courut vers elle et lui fit la requête préconçue. Alors, la fille – son nom était Rébecca – agit d’une façon si étonnante, c’est-à-dire selon la version exacte de la prière que le serviteur avait formulé à Dieu. L’auteur décrit cette action de la fille qui était très vive. Ainsi, il dit deux fois que la fille était empressée d’exécuter la demande de l’homme. Une fois, elle s’empressa d’incliner sa cruche et de lui donner à boire. Et une nouvelle fois, elle s’empressa de vider sa cruche pour aller à la source remplir la cruche pour la boisson des animaux. Tous ces mouvements si ardus de la fille étaient suffisants pour faire perdre à l’homme les mots. Le serviteur était planté là-bas sans bouger ni dire un mot de sa bouche. Il fut tout simplement émerveillé non seulement de ce geste si beau de la jeune et gracieuse fille, mais surtout de cette réponse immédiate vraisemblablement venant de Dieu.
Dans cette histoire qui prélude le mariage, je voudrais attirer votre attention ce matin, chers mes frères et sœurs, à 2 phrase préfixées par la préposition « si ». Comme vous avez déjà supposé par le titre du message qui était « deux suppositions, l’une inutile et l’autre utile. »
D’abord, lors de la conversation avec son seigneur, le serviteur d’Abraham proposa en disant : Si j’amène ton fils dans le pays ? Mais cette supposition était inutile, car selon la réponse d’Abraham, qui s’en était convaincu, son Dieu le fera réussir le voyage, et ce sans qu’il amène son fils sur place.
Pour ceux qui ont la foi, ils n’ont pas besoin d’une telle supposition. Dans sa vieillesse, Abraham vit tout le voyage qui allait se dérouler se défiler comme un photocalque. Ce n’est pas une moindre affaire pour le disciple que nous sommes. Mais quand Abraham proposa un tel voyage risqué, le serviteur était dubitatif. Il devint incrédule. Donc, il dit, « Si j’amène ton fils, ça peut marcher. » Mais pour Abraham qui avait la foi, ce n’était pas la peine.
Ici, nous apprenons 2 choses de la part du 1er patriarche. D’abord, Abraham est ancêtre de foi, non nominalement, mais vraiment. Or, la foi est la démonstration de ce qu’on ne voit pas et l’assurance de ce qu’on espère. Abraham ne voyait pas encore mais espérait toujours, puis il crut en Dieu qui lui donnera. Le problème du serviteur était qu’il pensait à l’absence du fils. Il pensait à ce dont il est privé. Il pensait à la réaction de la candidate qui sera causé par cette absence du marié : le refus.
Autrement dit, le problème du serviteur était son cœur bigot qui ne le fit voir que la possibilité calculé. C’était son monde raisonné. Il ne put voir de plus. Ses yeux étaient enfermés à sa raison. Voilà la réalité d’un homme terrestre. Mais heureusement il y a Abraham qui sut relever un défi. « Garde-toi d’y ramener mon fils. »
Vraiment dans le subconscient d’un homme incrédule, le mot le plus fréquent qui se fait retentir sera ce maudit : Si. Pas do, ré, mi, fa, sol, la si, mais si prépositif qui commence pour fabriquer une phrase conditionnelle : si j’ai cette somme d’argent. Si j’ai le temps, Si j’ai la santé, Si j’ai une bonne famille gentille, si j’ai le travail, si j’ai cette intelligence, etc.
Quand André a apporté 5 pains et 2 poissons, Philippe avait consommé tout son temps pour calculer le coût nécessaire pour nourrir la foule. Puis il a commencé à avoir des maux de tête. Il se disait toujours, « si j’ai cet argent, argent, argent. C’est ce qu’il me faut. Mais s’il s’en sortait de son bigotisme d’esprit, en fait, cette inquiétude n’avait pas de raison d’être. Si Jésus avait dit : donnez leur vous-mêmes à manger, il a ce désire de nourrir la foule, donc en croyant qu’il ne parle jamais des paroles vaines, on n’a qu’à regarder Jésus. Mais Philippe ne regardait pas Jésus, mais il s’appuyait sur son propre intelligence, alors il encaissa une échec inexorable.
Cette foi d’Abraham est une sorte de foi de résurrection. Abraham savait que si Dieu n’en convient pas, malgré toute la préparation parfaitement calculée, on sera amené à l’échec, mais si Dieu en convient, même si le fils sera absent, Dieu suscitera une candidate de mariage de son fils parmi les filles de son pays.
Si nous sommes le peuple de Dieu, tout ce que nous devons apprendre est la foi. Sans la foi, dit la Bible, il est impossible de plaire à Dieu. Au fil des ans, si nous grandissons dans la foi, Dieu s’en réjouit. La vie d’Abraham en dit long. Il était déjà vieux, quand il fut appelé. Mais il ne douta pas l’appel de Dieu et quitta son pays, sa patrie et la maison de son père pour aller au pays lointain. Puis il vivait là-bas toujours par la foi.Parfois, c’est vrai, il commettait des fautes d’impatience, car la réponse de Dieu était trop lentes. Mais il faisait toujours son mieux pour apprendre et garder la foi en lui. Or, lui vint la dernière épreuve dans sa vieillesse. Un jour Dieu lui apparut et l’appela. Alors Abraham répondit : Me voici. Dieu lui dit : Va au mont de Morya et offres-y ton fils comme holocauste. Abraham se leva tôt matin et fit le préparatif pour le départ immédiat. Au bout de la marche de 3 jours, il leva les yeux et la silhouette de la masse montagneuse entra dans ses vues. Il marcha, avec son fils toujours à côté, pour se diriger au sommet de cette montagne. Du coup, le fils ouvrit la bouche et adressa sa parole : « Père, il y a le bois et le feu, mais où est l’holocauste ? » « L’Eternel pourvoira ! » Ces deux mots n’ont pas encore disparu de ses oreilles que les mains de son père prirent son corps et le ligotèrent du fil et le firent coucher sur une pierre. Puis le père leva le couteau et le fit descendre lentement. A ce moment-là, l’enfant entendit du ciel une voix : Abraham ! Abraham ! N’étends pas ta main sur le jeune homme et ne lui fais rien : car j’ai reconnu maintenant que tu crains Dieu et que tu ne m’as pas refusé ton fils, ton unique. Puis Dieu renouvela sa promesse de donner ce pays à sa descendance.
La foi d’Abraham atteignit le comble par cet événement. Bien sûr que cette foi n’arriva pas du jour au lendemain. C’était le résultat de son apprentissage de foi durant ses longues années en Canaan. Quand il l’avait fidèlement appris, il sut combien la foi est précieuse, plaît à Dieu et fait se réjouir ceux qui la possèdent.
Donc, voici le 2e point que nous apprenons du 1er patriarche. Il voulut mettre sa foi au profit des autres. L’ancêtre de foi doit toujours penser à la foi des autres, afin que non seulement lui-même vive la vie de foi sur la terre, mais aussi les autres vivent leur vie de foi sur la terre. Abraham saisit cette occasion de mariage comme la dernière chance de plaire à Dieu à travers son défi propre et le défi à son serviteur cherchant l’épouse et le défi à son fils qui accepterait l’épouse venant de loin. Ce trio masculin de la foi plus la foi d’une femme qui sut dire oui au mariage, malgré l’absence du mari fondirent ainsi une famille de foi de laquelle de génération en génération toutes les familles de la terre apprendront.
Comme Abraham, nous devons apprendre la foi personnellement puis la mettre au profit des autres. C’est la plus grande la plus sublime philanthropie.Comme Abraham, nous devons vivre jusqu’au dernier jour de notre vie, en influant ainsi sur les autres par notre foi. Alors, nous le verrons dans le ciel face à face et nous partagerons nos expérience de la même fois avec une allégresse extrême.
Maintenant, je vous propose de venir réfléchir sur le 2e si. Nous le trouvons dans la phrase du serviteur quand il pria Dieu au seuil de la Mésopotamie. Laissez-moi répéter une fois encore cette merveilleuse formule de prière, ou plutôt la version originelle du serviteur écrite dans vs 12-14. « L’Eternel, Dieu de mon seigneur Abraham, fais-moi, je te prie, rencontrer aujourd’hui (ce que je cherche) et agis avec bienveillance envers mon seigneur Abraham !... Que la jeune fille à laquelle je dirai : Penche ta cruche, je te prie, pour que je boive, et qui répondra : Bois et je donnerai aussi à boire à tes chameaux, soit celle que tu aura destinée à ton serviteur Isaac ! Ainsi, c’est-à-dire s’il en est ainsi, je reconnaîtrai que tu agis avec bienveillance envers mon seigneur. »
Après ce serment avec Abraham, le serviteur sentit qu’il avait établi un pacte de foi avec Dieu au terme duquel il était impossible de reculer. Il faut défier par la foi et remporter la victoire de la foi absolument. C’était en tant que soldat de Dieu qui travers cette frontière de Mésopotamie. Mais l’esprit de soldat vaillant est une chose, défi et résultat est une autre chose. Que faire ? Il sut qu’il n’y avait d’autre chose que la prière. D’où sa prosternation devant Dieu et sa supplication ardente.
Mais sa prière n’était pas n’importe comment. Parfois, on prie : n’importe quoi seigneur, voici ton serviteur prêt à accepter tout ce que tu me donne. Puis si on en vient à être coincé dans une situation inévitable, on se dit : Voilà, la volonté de Dieu. Mais ce serviteur d’Abraham ne pria pas ainsi de façon pêle-mêle. Sa prière était très ordonnée et bien visée. Il n’était pas, dira-t-on, un serviteur d’Abraham pour rien. Tel maître, tel serviteur. Le serviteur défia par la foi Dieu par sa requête. Pour ainsi dire, sa demande était très exigeante. Il prie à peu près ainsi : « Mon Dieu, je veux ça pour mon seigneur. Fais-moi grâce en me l’accordant. » L’exaucement de Dieu dépend de la « qualité » des objets de nos prières. C’est un très important point dont nous devons prendre conscience, car nous sommes appelés à être serviteurs de prière pour la gloire du roi. Si nous prions pour le pois chiche, Dieu nous donner le pois chiche.Si nous prions pour la Golden, Dieu nous donne la Golden.
Dieu apprécie notre désir noble. Il ne le dédaigne pas. Il veut l’exaucer, s’il est pur et sans tâche. Donc, il est important d’ennoblir nos désirs, ou notre niveau des désirs. Le serviteur d’Abraham avait exigé Dieu à lui accorder une femme qui a la vertu noble de la générosité jusqu’à abreuver le troupeau en dépit de son corps faible féminin et d’énorme effort demandé vu la grandeur du caravansérail. Dieu se réjouit de cette demandé qualifiée, si bien qu’il donne une autre qualité supplémentaire de la beauté physique de la femme et sa chasteté, qui n’était pas dans la liste de qualités demandée du serviteur au début. C’est un peu comme quand Salomon a demandé la sagesse pour gouverner le pays, le but si honnête, Dieu lui a accordé aussi la richesse exceptionnelle du pays. C’est aussi un peu comme ma femme m’a dit, « Comme son cœur cherchant la parole est beau. Mais dis donc, combien elle danse bien en plus ! » Nous ne devons pas prier Dieu n’importe comment. Il est le Roi des rois, le Seigneur des seigneurs qui a tout le pouvoir du ciel et de la terre. Il peut sélectionner parmi le millier de candidats une personne qui nous convient le mieux. Si nous lui demandons n’importe quoi, n’importe qui, quoi que déjà une personne accordée soit une rareté extrême en France, ce sera une lèse-majesté. Donc, ennoblissez vos désirs et vos demandes quand vous venez solliciter au roi. Et je suis sûr que le Roi ne tardera pas vous écouter. Avancez vos conditions à Dieu pour que vous soyez satisfait du plus haut niveau de qualité. Dieu exauce selon vos demandes.
En conclusion, un autre si se trouve dans le nouveau testament. Ce si s’apparente au 1e si de notre message. Quand Jésus attarda de venir à Béthanie, Lazare fut décédé. En effet, Jésus resta 4 jours après la nouvelle de la maladie de son bien-aimé. Quand il vint, d’abord Marthe ensuite Marie en venant vers lui disaient en commun cette parole déplorable : « Si tu a été ici, mon frère ne serait pas mort. » Jésus répondit, « Je suis la résurrection et la vie. Celui qui crois en moi vivra quand même il sera mort. » L’incrédulité consiste à dire : tu n’est pas si puissant et capable. Quand nous venons à Jésus, nous ne devons pas délimiter la puissance de Dieu comme le 1er cas du serviteur et les 2 sœurs de Lazare. Il nous est pourtant permis d’extrêmement délimiter nous qualité souhaitée, car Dieu est tout-puissant. C’est pourquoi en concluant mon message ce matin, je vous exhorte vivement à utiliser cette proposition si très convenablement, aussi souvent que vous voudrez, mais très convenablement pour que vous puissiez bénéficier pleinement de l’extrême dimension de bonté, beauté, majesté et sainteté de Dieu pour vous. Puis, quand il s’agit d’un événement qui arrivera une fois par notre vie tel le mariage, il nous paraît absolument judicieux de demander avec une qualité spirituelle bien noble, car nous savons que l’apparence comme le prince ne sert à rien, si l’union est un attelage disparate, et nous désirons servir Dieu avec notre futur foyer. Puis, je vous invite à prier Dieu avec moi pour la conférence d’été, de nous envoyer des brebis qui seront candidats de disciples, qui auront finie la 1e étape de l’étude biblique et dont le cœur est préparer pour accepter le pardon et le salut par l’écriture du témoignage pendant la conférence. Amen !
TWO ASSUMPTIONS, ONE UNNECESSARY, THE OTHER NECESSARY
Genesis 24: 1-9
This famous chapter on the marriage of Isaac seems to be a legend, for it is so far from reality. But our sovereign God brings this story of marriage while in the middle of Genesis, so that he use it as a very important indication of humanity. Queen Grace of Monaco, future Queen of England Kate are objects of envy of every girl on the planet neither because they are queens, nor because they are beautiful, but because they were married with a charming prince. What girl in the world would not envy such a marriage? Also, what young boy in the world would not have dreamed of marrying a so beautiful woman? Therefore the God of Genesis is no shortage of talking of marriage.
Since God created marriage for the happiness of man in the Garden of Eden, God would always bless the man through marriage. Do not we remember the happiness of Adam who was smiling from ear to ear when the sovereign God brought him his futur wife Eve and began to sing "Oh I am the happiest of all men. The bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. You shall be called Woman, because you've been taken out of man, that is to say of me, la la la la, la la la la! I have the joy, joy, joy, joy in my heart, here in my heart, I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, joy in my heart, joy in my heart. I'm so happy, I'm so happy ... "
But unfortunately this happiness of marriage did not last so long, because soon they begin to dispute and blame each other for a foul. It was to have disobeyed the divine command about the tree of knowledge of good and evil which God had forbidden to eat. Therefore, expelled from the garden, a man and a woman live for oneself's benefit and with a kind of accomplice vis-à-vis God. As man left God, the institution of marriage degenerated, until one choose a spouse only by lust in Noah's time, for example, so that God regretted having created man.
In human history, behind the decline of a society, there was always this corruption of the system of marriage. For example, on the eve of the downfall of the Roman Empire, the sex was so decadent that the disease in the genital area has been widespread so that fathers had sought desperately boys and girls from the family having Christianity as a wife or husband candidates of their children. That is to say almost all girls and boys of the noble class had fun with the sexual libertinism, so no boy and girl were not credible in terms of sexuality. God was saddened by the phenomenon of marriage pell-mell at the time of Noah. God always knew that a healthy and pure marriage is essential factor for the happiness of man. That's why when Jesus began his messianic ministry, he was invited by the family of the husband in a wedding and blessed.
Chapter 24 of Genesis describes how the second patriarch Isaac could marry his wife Rebecca. At the beginning of this story, we see two men interact, then a man gets up and goes on a journey. One of them is Abraham, father of Isaac and another his servant, whose name is not specified in the text.
Here's a little more detail of this dialogue: old Abraham called his servant and said: You'll put your hand under my thigh - it's the old custom done between those who take oath - swear by the Lord that you’ll not take the woman of my son among the Canaanites, but you’ll take his wife among the women of my country where I was come from. So you go out there and search her. Abraham's servant answered: Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me, because it is quite possible that she does not believe me, furthermore she does not see the face of her future spouse. So if I bring your son ... Abraham replied: "Beware of that you bring my son there back. The LORD God of heaven, who took me out so far will let you get a girl there for my son. If the woman does not follow you, you will be relieved of this oath.The servant puts his hand under the thigh of Abraham and he takes the oath about this matter which conclues so. Then the servant does the preparative and goes on a trip to the country of origin of Abraham in Mesopotamia.
During this journey, the servant of Abraham showed his loyalty to his lord Abraham from beginning to end. In this mission trip likely impossible, this devoted servant kept to show his absolute loyalty to his master, and finally his trip being excellently managed, he was back with the song of joy and triumph.
Actually, when the servant came to the country of origin of his lord, the servant fell on his knees and pray, saying: "Lord of my master Abraham, God of Eternity, please lend ears to my prayer : If I ask a girl today in this country to give me a sip of water that would quench my thirst due to this travel and the fatigue and that this girl gives me the water and furthermore she gives water for my tired and thirsty camels, I would recognize her as the future wife of my lord Isaac." But he has not yet finished his prayer that a pretty girl appeared before him. The author inserts a descriptive phrase for this girl, saying: "She was a beautiful young girl and she was a virgin, whom no man had known." This girl went down to the spring and filled her pitcher and came up. The servant ran toward her and made her preconceived request. So the girl - her name was Rebecca - acts in a manner so amazing, that is to say according to the exact version of the prayer that the servant had made to God. The author describes the action of the girl who was very eager. Thus, he said twice that the girl was eager to fulfill the request of the man. Once, she eagered to incline the pitcher and give him to drink. And again, she eagered to hurry and empty her pitcher before going to the source to fill the pitcher for drinking animals. All these movements so arduous for the girl were sufficient to loose the words. The servant was standing there without moving or saying a word in his mouth. He was simply amazed not only because of that gesture of so beautiful and graceful young girl, but almost because of this immediate response likely from God.
In this story which is a prelude to marriage, I would draw your attention this morning, my dear brothers and sisters, 2 sentence prefixed by the preposition "if." As you've already assumed the title of the message was "two assumptions, one useless another useful."
(ppt 1) First, during the conversation with his master, Abraham's servant proposed by saying: If I bring your son in the country? But this assumption was unnecessary because, according to Abraham's response, who was convinced, his God will successfully complete the journey, and this without bringing her son on the spot.
For those who have faith, they did not need such an assumption. In his old age, Abraham saw the whole trip that would take place parade as a blueprint. This is no small matter for the disciple who we are. But when Abraham offered such a risky journey, the servant was skeptical. He became incredulous. So he said, "If I bring your son, it can work." But for Abraham who had faith, it was not worth it.
Here we learn two things from the first patriarch. First, Abraham is the ancestor of faith, not nominally, but really. Now faith is the demonstration of things not seen and the assurance of things hoped for. Abraham did not see yet, but still hoped, then he believed in God who gives it. The servant’s problem was that he thought the absence of the son. He thought about what he is privated from. He thought the reaction of the candidate that will be caused by the absence of the groom: the refusal.
In other words, the problem was his servant's narrow mind who let him see only the calculated possibility. It was his rational world. He couldn’t see more. His eyes were locked to his reason. That is the reality of an earthly man. But fortunately there is Abraham who knew to take a challenge. "Beware of bringing back my son. "
Really in the subconscious of a incredulous man, the most frequent word that sounded will be this cursed: If. Not baseball’s if, but preposition if that begins to make a conditional sentence: if I have this money. If I have time, if I have health, if I have a pretty good family, if I have a work, if I have this intelligence, etc..
When Andrew brought 5 loaves and 2 fish, Philippe had consumed all his time to calculate the cost required to feed the crowd. Then he started having headaches. He always said, "if I have money, money, money. That's what I need. » But if he left his spirit of bigotry, in fact, this concern had no reason to be. If Jesus had said: Give ye them to eat, he wants to feed the crowd, so in the belief that he never speaks empty words, we need only look at Jesus. But Philip did not look at Jesus, but he relied on his own intelligence, then he collected an exorable defeat.
This faith of Abraham is a kind of resurrection faith. Abraham knew that if God does not agree on, despite all the preparation perfectly calculated, it will lead to failure, but if God agree, even if the son is absent, God will raise a wedding candidate for his son among the daughters of his country.
If we are the people of God, all thing we must learn is faith. Without faith, the Bible says it is impossible to please God. Over the years, if we grow in faith, God rejoices. Abraham's life speaks well on it. He was already old when he was called. But he did not doubt God's call and left his country, his homeland and his father's house to go to a distant country. Then he lived there always by faith. Sometimes, it is true, he committed mistakes of impatience, for God's response was too slow. But he always did his best to learn and keep faith on him. However, came the last ordeal in his old age. One day God appeared to him and called him. Then Abraham said, Here I am. God said to him to go at Mount Morya ahead and offer his son as a holocaust. Abraham got up early morning and made the preparations for immediate departure. After walking for three days, he looked up and the silhouette of the mountain mass entered into his views. He walked with his son always there til the summit of this mountain. Suddenly, the son opened his mouth and addressed his words: (ppt 2) "Father, there is the wood and fire, but where is the Holocaust?" « The Lord will provide! » (ppt3) These two words have not disappeared from his ears yet then the hands of her father took her body and tied him up with wire and laid it on a stone. Then the father raised the knife and brought it down slowly. At that time, the child heard a voice from heaven, Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the young man and do anything to him: for now I recognized that you fear God and you have not withheld thy son, thine only. Then God renewed his promise to give this country to his offspring.
Abraham's faith reached the climax through this event. Of course, this faith did not happen overnight. This was the result of his learning of faith during his long years in Canaan. When he had fairly learned it, he knew how much faith is valuable, please God and rejoice those who possess it.
So here's the second point that we learn from the first patriarch. He wanted to put her faith in favor of others. The ancestor of faith must always think about the faith of others, so that not only himself lives the life of faith on the earth, but also others live their life of faith on the earth. Abraham took the event of marriage of his son as the last chance to please God through his own challenge and the challenge to his servant searching wife and the challenge to his son, who would accept her by faith. This trio of masculine faith more faith of a woman who knew how to say yes to marriage, despite the absence of the husband founded a family of faith whom from generation to generation all peoples on earth will learn.
Like Abraham, we must learn the faith personally and put it for the benefit of others. It is the greatest and most sublime philanthropy. Like Abraham, we must live up to the last day of our life, by influencing others by our faith. Then, we will see him in the sky face to face and we will share our experience of the same faith with an extreme joy.
Now, I suggest you think about the second if. We find it in the sentence of the servant when he prayed at the threshold of Mesopotamia. Let me repeat once again this wonderful form of prayer, or rather the original version of the servant written in vs 12-14. (ppt 4) "The Lord God of my master Abraham, give me, I pray thee, to meet today (what I want) and act with kindness to my master Abraham ... That the damsel to whom I say: Incline thy pitcher, I pray thee, so that I drink, and who answers: Drink and I will also give your camels to drink, that’s the one you will appoint for thy servant Isaac; Then, that is to say, if so, I recognize that you act with kindness unto my master. "
After the oath with Abraham, the servant felt that he had established a bond of faith with God, after which it was impossible to recede. He ought to challenge by faith and take the victory of faith absolutely. He was as a soldier of God passing through this frontier of Mesopotamia. But the spirit of brave soldier is one thing, challenge and outcome is another thing. What to do? He knew there wasn’t something other than prayer. Hence his prostration before God and his impassioned plea.
But his prayer was not no matter how important. Sometimes we pray: Lord anything, here is your servant ready to accept whatever you give me. Then if we come to being stuck in an inescapable situation, we say: That’s the will of God. But this servant of Abraham did not pray pell-mell like this. His prayer was very orderly and well targeted. He was not become, we will say, a servant of Abraham for nothing. Like master, like servant. The servant challenged God by faith in his prayer. So to speak, his request was very demanding. He asks something like this: "My God, I want it for my lord. Have pity on me by giving me it." The Fulfilment of God depends on the "quality"of the objects of our prayers. It is a very important point we must realize, as we are called to be servants of prayer for the glory of the king. If we pray for chickpea, God give us the chickpea. If we pray for Golden, God gives us the Golden.
God appreciates our noble desire. He does not disdain it. He wants to fulfill it, if it is pure and unblemished. So it is important to ennoble our desires or our level of desire. Abraham's servant had called God to grant him a woman who has the virtue of noble generosity to watering the herd despite her female weak body and huge effort required given the large caravanserai. God is pleased with this qualified resquest, so he gives another additional quality of the physical beauty of the woman and her chastity, which was not in the list of qualities required of the servant at the beginning. It's like when Solomon asked for wisdom to govern the country, the purpose so honest, God has also given the exceptional wealth of the country. It's also a bit like my wife said, "How beautiful is ths heart seeking the word. But, wow, how well she danse furthermore ! » We must not pray no matter how important. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords who has all the power of heaven and earth. He can select among the thousands of applicants a person who suits us best. If we ask no matter what, no matter who, even though a person already granted be an extreme rarity in France, it will be a lese-majesty. So, ennoble your desires and your requests when you come to seek the king. And I'm sure the king will soon listen to you. Put forword your requirements to God so that you be satisfied with the highest level of quality. God answers according to your requests.
In conclusion, another if is in the New Testament. This if is related to the first if in our message. When Jesus lingered to come to Bethany, Lazarus was dead. In fact, Jesus remained four days after the news of the illness of his beloved. When he came, first Martha then Mary came to him and said to him this sad speech: "If you've been here, my brother would not be died. » Jesus answered, "I am the resurrection and the life. One who believe in me will live even if he is dead. "Unbelief is to say, you are not so powerful and capable. When we come to Jesus, we must not define the power of God as the first case of the servant and two sisters of Lazare. He yet allowed us to define our resquest on highly desired thing, because God is omnipotent. Therefore, in concluding my message this morning, I strongly urge you to use this proposal if very properly, as often as you like, but very properly so that you can fully benefit from the extreme dimension of goodness, beauty, majesty and holiness of God for you. Then, when it is an event that happens once in our life such as marriage, it seems absolutely appropriate to ask a very noble spiritual quality, because we know that appearance as the Prince is useless If the union is mismated yoke, and we want to serve God with our future home. Then I invite you to pray with me for the summer bible conference, to send us sheep who will be candidates of disciple, who have finished the first step in Bible study and whose heart is prepared to accept the forgiveness and salvation by writing the testimony during the conference. Amen!
Genesis 24: 1-9
This famous chapter on the marriage of Isaac seems to be a legend, for it is so far from reality. But our sovereign God brings this story of marriage while in the middle of Genesis, so that he use it as a very important indication of humanity. Queen Grace of Monaco, future Queen of England Kate are objects of envy of every girl on the planet neither because they are queens, nor because they are beautiful, but because they were married with a charming prince. What girl in the world would not envy such a marriage? Also, what young boy in the world would not have dreamed of marrying a so beautiful woman? Therefore the God of Genesis is no shortage of talking of marriage.
Since God created marriage for the happiness of man in the Garden of Eden, God would always bless the man through marriage. Do not we remember the happiness of Adam who was smiling from ear to ear when the sovereign God brought him his futur wife Eve and began to sing "Oh I am the happiest of all men. The bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. You shall be called Woman, because you've been taken out of man, that is to say of me, la la la la, la la la la! I have the joy, joy, joy, joy in my heart, here in my heart, I have the joy, joy, joy, joy, joy in my heart, joy in my heart. I'm so happy, I'm so happy ... "
But unfortunately this happiness of marriage did not last so long, because soon they begin to dispute and blame each other for a foul. It was to have disobeyed the divine command about the tree of knowledge of good and evil which God had forbidden to eat. Therefore, expelled from the garden, a man and a woman live for oneself's benefit and with a kind of accomplice vis-à-vis God. As man left God, the institution of marriage degenerated, until one choose a spouse only by lust in Noah's time, for example, so that God regretted having created man.
In human history, behind the decline of a society, there was always this corruption of the system of marriage. For example, on the eve of the downfall of the Roman Empire, the sex was so decadent that the disease in the genital area has been widespread so that fathers had sought desperately boys and girls from the family having Christianity as a wife or husband candidates of their children. That is to say almost all girls and boys of the noble class had fun with the sexual libertinism, so no boy and girl were not credible in terms of sexuality. God was saddened by the phenomenon of marriage pell-mell at the time of Noah. God always knew that a healthy and pure marriage is essential factor for the happiness of man. That's why when Jesus began his messianic ministry, he was invited by the family of the husband in a wedding and blessed.
Chapter 24 of Genesis describes how the second patriarch Isaac could marry his wife Rebecca. At the beginning of this story, we see two men interact, then a man gets up and goes on a journey. One of them is Abraham, father of Isaac and another his servant, whose name is not specified in the text.
Here's a little more detail of this dialogue: old Abraham called his servant and said: You'll put your hand under my thigh - it's the old custom done between those who take oath - swear by the Lord that you’ll not take the woman of my son among the Canaanites, but you’ll take his wife among the women of my country where I was come from. So you go out there and search her. Abraham's servant answered: Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me, because it is quite possible that she does not believe me, furthermore she does not see the face of her future spouse. So if I bring your son ... Abraham replied: "Beware of that you bring my son there back. The LORD God of heaven, who took me out so far will let you get a girl there for my son. If the woman does not follow you, you will be relieved of this oath.The servant puts his hand under the thigh of Abraham and he takes the oath about this matter which conclues so. Then the servant does the preparative and goes on a trip to the country of origin of Abraham in Mesopotamia.
During this journey, the servant of Abraham showed his loyalty to his lord Abraham from beginning to end. In this mission trip likely impossible, this devoted servant kept to show his absolute loyalty to his master, and finally his trip being excellently managed, he was back with the song of joy and triumph.
Actually, when the servant came to the country of origin of his lord, the servant fell on his knees and pray, saying: "Lord of my master Abraham, God of Eternity, please lend ears to my prayer : If I ask a girl today in this country to give me a sip of water that would quench my thirst due to this travel and the fatigue and that this girl gives me the water and furthermore she gives water for my tired and thirsty camels, I would recognize her as the future wife of my lord Isaac." But he has not yet finished his prayer that a pretty girl appeared before him. The author inserts a descriptive phrase for this girl, saying: "She was a beautiful young girl and she was a virgin, whom no man had known." This girl went down to the spring and filled her pitcher and came up. The servant ran toward her and made her preconceived request. So the girl - her name was Rebecca - acts in a manner so amazing, that is to say according to the exact version of the prayer that the servant had made to God. The author describes the action of the girl who was very eager. Thus, he said twice that the girl was eager to fulfill the request of the man. Once, she eagered to incline the pitcher and give him to drink. And again, she eagered to hurry and empty her pitcher before going to the source to fill the pitcher for drinking animals. All these movements so arduous for the girl were sufficient to loose the words. The servant was standing there without moving or saying a word in his mouth. He was simply amazed not only because of that gesture of so beautiful and graceful young girl, but almost because of this immediate response likely from God.
In this story which is a prelude to marriage, I would draw your attention this morning, my dear brothers and sisters, 2 sentence prefixed by the preposition "if." As you've already assumed the title of the message was "two assumptions, one useless another useful."
(ppt 1) First, during the conversation with his master, Abraham's servant proposed by saying: If I bring your son in the country? But this assumption was unnecessary because, according to Abraham's response, who was convinced, his God will successfully complete the journey, and this without bringing her son on the spot.
For those who have faith, they did not need such an assumption. In his old age, Abraham saw the whole trip that would take place parade as a blueprint. This is no small matter for the disciple who we are. But when Abraham offered such a risky journey, the servant was skeptical. He became incredulous. So he said, "If I bring your son, it can work." But for Abraham who had faith, it was not worth it.
Here we learn two things from the first patriarch. First, Abraham is the ancestor of faith, not nominally, but really. Now faith is the demonstration of things not seen and the assurance of things hoped for. Abraham did not see yet, but still hoped, then he believed in God who gives it. The servant’s problem was that he thought the absence of the son. He thought about what he is privated from. He thought the reaction of the candidate that will be caused by the absence of the groom: the refusal.
In other words, the problem was his servant's narrow mind who let him see only the calculated possibility. It was his rational world. He couldn’t see more. His eyes were locked to his reason. That is the reality of an earthly man. But fortunately there is Abraham who knew to take a challenge. "Beware of bringing back my son. "
Really in the subconscious of a incredulous man, the most frequent word that sounded will be this cursed: If. Not baseball’s if, but preposition if that begins to make a conditional sentence: if I have this money. If I have time, if I have health, if I have a pretty good family, if I have a work, if I have this intelligence, etc..
When Andrew brought 5 loaves and 2 fish, Philippe had consumed all his time to calculate the cost required to feed the crowd. Then he started having headaches. He always said, "if I have money, money, money. That's what I need. » But if he left his spirit of bigotry, in fact, this concern had no reason to be. If Jesus had said: Give ye them to eat, he wants to feed the crowd, so in the belief that he never speaks empty words, we need only look at Jesus. But Philip did not look at Jesus, but he relied on his own intelligence, then he collected an exorable defeat.
This faith of Abraham is a kind of resurrection faith. Abraham knew that if God does not agree on, despite all the preparation perfectly calculated, it will lead to failure, but if God agree, even if the son is absent, God will raise a wedding candidate for his son among the daughters of his country.
If we are the people of God, all thing we must learn is faith. Without faith, the Bible says it is impossible to please God. Over the years, if we grow in faith, God rejoices. Abraham's life speaks well on it. He was already old when he was called. But he did not doubt God's call and left his country, his homeland and his father's house to go to a distant country. Then he lived there always by faith. Sometimes, it is true, he committed mistakes of impatience, for God's response was too slow. But he always did his best to learn and keep faith on him. However, came the last ordeal in his old age. One day God appeared to him and called him. Then Abraham said, Here I am. God said to him to go at Mount Morya ahead and offer his son as a holocaust. Abraham got up early morning and made the preparations for immediate departure. After walking for three days, he looked up and the silhouette of the mountain mass entered into his views. He walked with his son always there til the summit of this mountain. Suddenly, the son opened his mouth and addressed his words: (ppt 2) "Father, there is the wood and fire, but where is the Holocaust?" « The Lord will provide! » (ppt3) These two words have not disappeared from his ears yet then the hands of her father took her body and tied him up with wire and laid it on a stone. Then the father raised the knife and brought it down slowly. At that time, the child heard a voice from heaven, Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the young man and do anything to him: for now I recognized that you fear God and you have not withheld thy son, thine only. Then God renewed his promise to give this country to his offspring.
Abraham's faith reached the climax through this event. Of course, this faith did not happen overnight. This was the result of his learning of faith during his long years in Canaan. When he had fairly learned it, he knew how much faith is valuable, please God and rejoice those who possess it.
So here's the second point that we learn from the first patriarch. He wanted to put her faith in favor of others. The ancestor of faith must always think about the faith of others, so that not only himself lives the life of faith on the earth, but also others live their life of faith on the earth. Abraham took the event of marriage of his son as the last chance to please God through his own challenge and the challenge to his servant searching wife and the challenge to his son, who would accept her by faith. This trio of masculine faith more faith of a woman who knew how to say yes to marriage, despite the absence of the husband founded a family of faith whom from generation to generation all peoples on earth will learn.
Like Abraham, we must learn the faith personally and put it for the benefit of others. It is the greatest and most sublime philanthropy. Like Abraham, we must live up to the last day of our life, by influencing others by our faith. Then, we will see him in the sky face to face and we will share our experience of the same faith with an extreme joy.
Now, I suggest you think about the second if. We find it in the sentence of the servant when he prayed at the threshold of Mesopotamia. Let me repeat once again this wonderful form of prayer, or rather the original version of the servant written in vs 12-14. (ppt 4) "The Lord God of my master Abraham, give me, I pray thee, to meet today (what I want) and act with kindness to my master Abraham ... That the damsel to whom I say: Incline thy pitcher, I pray thee, so that I drink, and who answers: Drink and I will also give your camels to drink, that’s the one you will appoint for thy servant Isaac; Then, that is to say, if so, I recognize that you act with kindness unto my master. "
After the oath with Abraham, the servant felt that he had established a bond of faith with God, after which it was impossible to recede. He ought to challenge by faith and take the victory of faith absolutely. He was as a soldier of God passing through this frontier of Mesopotamia. But the spirit of brave soldier is one thing, challenge and outcome is another thing. What to do? He knew there wasn’t something other than prayer. Hence his prostration before God and his impassioned plea.
But his prayer was not no matter how important. Sometimes we pray: Lord anything, here is your servant ready to accept whatever you give me. Then if we come to being stuck in an inescapable situation, we say: That’s the will of God. But this servant of Abraham did not pray pell-mell like this. His prayer was very orderly and well targeted. He was not become, we will say, a servant of Abraham for nothing. Like master, like servant. The servant challenged God by faith in his prayer. So to speak, his request was very demanding. He asks something like this: "My God, I want it for my lord. Have pity on me by giving me it." The Fulfilment of God depends on the "quality"of the objects of our prayers. It is a very important point we must realize, as we are called to be servants of prayer for the glory of the king. If we pray for chickpea, God give us the chickpea. If we pray for Golden, God gives us the Golden.
God appreciates our noble desire. He does not disdain it. He wants to fulfill it, if it is pure and unblemished. So it is important to ennoble our desires or our level of desire. Abraham's servant had called God to grant him a woman who has the virtue of noble generosity to watering the herd despite her female weak body and huge effort required given the large caravanserai. God is pleased with this qualified resquest, so he gives another additional quality of the physical beauty of the woman and her chastity, which was not in the list of qualities required of the servant at the beginning. It's like when Solomon asked for wisdom to govern the country, the purpose so honest, God has also given the exceptional wealth of the country. It's also a bit like my wife said, "How beautiful is ths heart seeking the word. But, wow, how well she danse furthermore ! » We must not pray no matter how important. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords who has all the power of heaven and earth. He can select among the thousands of applicants a person who suits us best. If we ask no matter what, no matter who, even though a person already granted be an extreme rarity in France, it will be a lese-majesty. So, ennoble your desires and your requests when you come to seek the king. And I'm sure the king will soon listen to you. Put forword your requirements to God so that you be satisfied with the highest level of quality. God answers according to your requests.
In conclusion, another if is in the New Testament. This if is related to the first if in our message. When Jesus lingered to come to Bethany, Lazarus was dead. In fact, Jesus remained four days after the news of the illness of his beloved. When he came, first Martha then Mary came to him and said to him this sad speech: "If you've been here, my brother would not be died. » Jesus answered, "I am the resurrection and the life. One who believe in me will live even if he is dead. "Unbelief is to say, you are not so powerful and capable. When we come to Jesus, we must not define the power of God as the first case of the servant and two sisters of Lazare. He yet allowed us to define our resquest on highly desired thing, because God is omnipotent. Therefore, in concluding my message this morning, I strongly urge you to use this proposal if very properly, as often as you like, but very properly so that you can fully benefit from the extreme dimension of goodness, beauty, majesty and holiness of God for you. Then, when it is an event that happens once in our life such as marriage, it seems absolutely appropriate to ask a very noble spiritual quality, because we know that appearance as the Prince is useless If the union is mismated yoke, and we want to serve God with our future home. Then I invite you to pray with me for the summer bible conference, to send us sheep who will be candidates of disciple, who have finished the first step in Bible study and whose heart is prepared to accept the forgiveness and salvation by writing the testimony during the conference. Amen!
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