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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但族遣人觅地

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〈士师记〉  18:31 神的殿在示罗多少日子，但人为自己设立米迦所雕刻的像也在但多少日子。

阅读经文：〈士师记〉  18:1-31

「那时以色列中没有王」，这句话在〈士师记〉中一共出现了四次（17:6/18:1/19:1/21:25），表示作者在写此书时，以色列中已经有王治理。所以他认为，以色列人的问题，是因为以色列中没有王的原因。其实「王」只是领导者的代名词，但是以色列人想的并不是这样，他们渴望的是像外邦人一样有个耀武扬威的王，使人产生敬畏的王。因为摩西、约书亚和一些士师，其实都起了很好的带领作用，使他们远离偶像，敬拜耶和华，在许多方面蒙福。因此我们可以看到，以色列人一直没有找出他们得罪神和失败的根源。

在约书亚为以色列人分地时，但支派似乎没有像其他支派那样，得到又大又美的地界。他们分到了十七个城邑，散住在迦南各地（地图上有红点的便是但人原分得的城）。在〈士师记〉第一章34 节说：「亚摩利人强逼但人住在山地，不容他们下到平原」，加上在参孙做士师前后受到非利士人的压迫，所以但支派的人一直在为寻找一个可以定居的地方而努力。从约书亚死后到参孙做士师的时期结束，可以算出的大约是410年，当然其中有一些年数是我们无法统计的，因为作者没有把它们列出来。但支派找到拉亿定居是否是在参孙死后，因为无法抵抗非利士人，所以更积极地寻找长久的定居之地呢？因为参孙被耶和华的灵感动时，但的军营或者说但的营地，尚在玛哈尼但，琐拉和以实陶之间。

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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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