Just Take the Next Step + God Provides in the Mourning

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 24:52-67.  Let’s go!

Genesis 24:52-61 (NIV)
52  When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
53  Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54  Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”……

On verses 52-61:  Willingly Rebekah leaves her home and goes back with Abraham’s servant to become Isaac’s wife.  To leave her family, friends and homeland and to move to a new land to marry a stranger was no easy task.  Earlier in Genesis 24 we learned that Rebekah had the heart of an excellent and humble servant.  Here in these verses we see that Rebekah was also brave.  It’s no wonder God used Rebekah to help accomplish God’s plan of building a family of nations through Abraham, a family which would ultimately include you and me and everyone else who places their trust in Jesus Christ.  Nothing in Genesis so far seems to suggests that Rebekah had any idea of God’s bigger plan to use her life in this way.  Most likely, Rebekah was just faithfully taking the next step that she believed God was showing her and had no idea how much God would end up using her decision to become Isaac’s wife.

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但族遣人覓地

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〈士師記〉  18:31 神的殿在示羅多少日子，但人為自己設立米迦所雕刻的像也在但多少日子。

閱讀經文：〈士師記〉  18:1-31

「那時以色列中沒有王」，這句話在〈士師記〉中一共出現了四次（17:6/18:1/19:1/21:25），表示作者在寫此書時，以色列中已經有王治理。所以他認為，以色列人的問題，是因為以色列中沒有王的原因。其實「王」只是領導者的代名詞，但是以色列人想的並不是這樣，他們渴望的是像外邦人一樣有個耀武揚威的王，使人產生敬畏的王。因為摩西、約書亞和一些士師，其實都起了很好的帶領作用，使他們遠離偶像，敬拜耶和華，在許多方面蒙福。因此我們可以看到，以色列人一直沒有找出他們得罪神和失敗的根源。

在約書亞為以色列人分地時，但支派似乎沒有像其他支派那樣，得到又大又美的地界。他們分到了十七個城邑，散住在迦南各地（地圖上有紅點的便是但人原分得的城）。在〈士師記〉第一章34 節說：「亞摩利人強逼但人住在山地，不容他們下到平原」，加上在參孫做士師前後受到非利士人的壓迫，所以但支派的人一直在為尋找一個可以定居的地方而努力。從約書亞死後到參孫做士師的時期結束，可以算出的大約是410年，當然其中有一些年數是我們無法統計的，因為作者沒有把它們列出來。但支派找到拉億定居是否是在參孫死後，因為無法抵抗非利士人，所以更積極地尋找長久的定居之地呢？因為參孫被耶和華的靈感動時，但的軍營或者說但的營地，尚在瑪哈尼但，瑣拉和以實陶之間。

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Made to Love and Be Loved

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 24:15-33.  Let’s go!

Genesis 24:15-17 (NIV)
15  Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
16  The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17  The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

On verses 15-17:  Just as God brought Rebekah to Abraham’s servant even before Abraham’s servant finished praying, God knows your need even before you express it.  So why ask God if He already knows what we need?  Even though He already knows what we need, we ask God because asking is part of growing in our relationship with God, learning to rely on Him and experiencing the power of faith.  Faith is like a muscle that grows with use.  So use your faith muscles and ask God for what you need.

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