Shalom to all.
It has been a restful couple weeks and I so enjoyed the pastor’s appreciation lunch. It was good to see several of our people that I hadn’t seen in a while come fellowship with us. It was very encouraging as others I’d hoped to see were not there.
Now to a little nugget on our Torah, verse #15 says that Abraham’s servant had not yet finished speaking or praying before the answer to his prayer was right before his eyes. What an encouraging verse of scripture. May I submit to you, that our prayers, while very important, are symbolic in nature as opposed to the central reason for our answer? Let me explain; here was the servant sent on an assignment by his master. To be sure, he desperately wanted to fulfill the wishes of his master. His entire life was predicated on fulfilling every desire to please his master. How much more this profound task of finding a wife for his master’s son?
Can you imagine his anxiousness and possibly even his distress in the hopes of completing his master’s desire? We find him languishing in prayer for some kind of sign, a signal, a hope, even, that may be given him for the completion of his task. Yet, unbeknownst to him, even before he uttered his first word in prayer, the answer was nigh him. Hallelujah!
What can we say to this? Are our prayers in vain? Can it be that just the desire of our heart is necessary? The answer is twofold. No, our prayers are not in vain and yes, the desire of our heart is necessary.
In the call of our lives we must be aware of the fact that our call and purpose was ordained before the foundation of the earth. And so while we languish in prayer over circumstances and situations in the tasks of our lives, we must continue to be cognizant of the fact that the purpose of our lives is concrete. The Ruach Hakodesh had set things in motion that are timeless; as I have said before, time is the launching and the landing pad for eternal purposes.
It was foreordained for Rebecca to be at that place at that time in eternity. All that was necessary was for a willing heart of obedience to manifest at that place and at that time. Be encouraged in your walk with the Almighty, knowing, again, that nothing has or ever will take your master by surprise. Be fervent in your prayers. Be steadfast in your walk. Be diligent in your service and watch the manifested promises of the Lord coincide with His purpose for the Kingdom. You see, Rebecca was on a task. Abraham’s servant was on an assignment. Never underestimate the significance of the task you are on. For the task could very well be an assignment. And, eternal purposes are at stake in everything that you say and do. Hallelujah!
Now read the rest of this Aliyah and see the servant giving honor to God in thanksgiving for a prayer answered even before it was finished. Amen!
Our sincerest condolences from David Salinas Ministries & The Lord’s Table go out to the multitudes of friends and family of Dr Myles Munroe. The lives that he touched, including my own, will only be known in heaven. While we have said farewell to a general in the Kingdom, still his impact will reverberate throughout the generations.
Parashat: Chayei Sarah ("The Life Of Sarah")
Genesis 23:1-25:18
3rd Aliyah: Genesis 24:10-26
Chapter 24
| 10. And the servant took ten camels of his master's camels, and he went, and all the best of his master was in his hand; and he arose, and he went to Aram naharaim, to the city of Nahor. | | י. וַיִּקַּח הָעֶבֶד עֲשָׂרָה גְמַלִּים מִגְּמַלֵּי אֲדֹנָיו וַיֵּלֶךְ וְכָל טוּב אֲדֹנָיו בְּיָדוֹ וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם אֶל עִיר נָחוֹר: |
| 11. And he made the camels kneel outside the city beside the well of water, at eventide, at the time the maidens go out to draw water. | | יא. וַיַּבְרֵךְ הַגְּמַלִּים מִחוּץ לָעִיר אֶל בְּאֵר הַמָּיִם לְעֵת עֶרֶב לְעֵת צֵאת הַשֹּׁאֲבֹת: |
| 12. And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master, Abraham. | | יב. וַיֹּאמַר | יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם הַקְרֵה נָא לְפָנַי הַיּוֹם וַעֲשֵׂה חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם: |
| 13. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. | | יג. הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל עֵין הַמָּיִם וּבְנוֹת אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר יֹצְאֹת לִשְׁאֹב מָיִם: |
| 14. And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, 'Lower your pitcher and I will drink,' and she will say, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels,' her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master." | | יד. וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָה אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי: |
| 15. Now he had not yet finished speaking, and behold, Rebecca came out, who had been born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and her pitcher was on her shoulder. | | טו. וַיְהִי הוּא טֶרֶם כִּלָּה לְדַבֵּר וְהִנֵּה רִבְקָה יֹצֵאת אֲשֶׁר יֻלְּדָה לִבְתוּאֵל בֶּן מִלְכָּה אֵשֶׁת נָחוֹר אֲחִי אַבְרָהָם וְכַדָּהּ עַל שִׁכְמָהּ: |
| 16. Now the maiden was of very comely appearance, a virgin, and no man had been intimate with her, and she went down to the fountain, and she filled her pitcher and went up. | | טז. וְהַנַּעֲרָה טֹבַת מַרְאֶה מְאֹד בְּתוּלָה וְאִישׁ לֹא יְדָעָהּ וַתֵּרֶד הָעַיְנָה וַתְּמַלֵּא כַדָּהּ וַתָּעַל: |
| 17. And the servant ran toward her, and he said, "Please let me sip a little water from your pitcher." | | יז. וַיָּרָץ הָעֶבֶד לִקְרָאתָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר הַגְמִיאִינִי נָא מְעַט מַיִם מִכַּדֵּךְ: |
| 18. And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hastened and lowered her pitcher to her hand, and she gave him to drink. | | יח. וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁתֵה אֲדֹנִי וַתְּמַהֵר וַתֹּרֶד כַּדָּהּ עַל יָדָהּ וַתַּשְׁקֵהוּ: |
| 19. And she finished giving him to drink, and she said, "I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking." | | יט. וַתְּכַל לְהַשְׁקֹתוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר גַּם לִגְמַלֶּיךָ אֶשְׁאָב עַד אִם כִּלּוּ לִשְׁתֹּת: |
| 20. And she hastened, and she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and she ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. | | כ. וַתְּמַהֵר וַתְּעַר כַּדָּהּ אֶל הַשֹּׁקֶת וַתָּרָץ עוֹד אֶל הַבְּאֵר לִשְׁאֹב וַתִּשְׁאַב לְכָל גְּמַלָּיו: |
| 21. And the man was astonished at her, standing silent, [waiting] to know whether the Lord had caused his way to prosper or not. | | כא. וְהָאִישׁ מִשְׁתָּאֵה לָהּ מַחֲרִישׁ לָדַעַת הַהִצְלִיחַ יְהֹוָה דַּרְכּוֹ אִם לֹא: |
| 22. Now it came about, when the camels had finished drinking, [that] the man took a golden nose ring, weighing half [a shekel], and two bracelets for her hands, weighing ten gold [shekels]. | | כב. וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּלּוּ הַגְּמַלִּים לִשְׁתּוֹת וַיִּקַּח הָאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב בֶּקַע מִשְׁקָלוֹ וּשְׁנֵי צְמִידִים עַל יָדֶיהָ עֲשָׂרָה זָהָב מִשְׁקָלָם: |
| 23. And he said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there place for us for lodging in your father's house?" | | כג. וַיֹּאמֶר בַּת מִי אַתְּ הַגִּידִי נָא לִי הֲיֵשׁ בֵּית אָבִיךְ מָקוֹם לָנוּ לָלִין: |
| 24. And she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor." | | כד. וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בַּת בְּתוּאֵל אָנֹכִי בֶּן מִלְכָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְנָחוֹר: |
| 25. And she said to him, "Both straw and fodder are plentiful with us; [there is] also a place to lodge." | | כה. וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גַּם תֶּבֶן גַּם מִסְפּוֹא רַב עִמָּנוּ גַּם מָקוֹם לָלוּן: |
| 26. And the man kneeled and prostrated himself to the Lord. | | כו. וַיִּקֹּד הָאִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לַיהֹוָה: |
Haftarah: 1 Kings 1:1-31
