Abraham, My Friend

Abraham, My Friend The Making of a Praying Man_61 will you go with this man It is wonderful how clearly characters are captured in just a few words in the this story. We see the mercenary streak in Rebekah’s brother Laban; And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. (Gen 24:29-31 KJV) This instant character study of Laban is borne out in his subsequent dealings with Jacob. It puts me in mind of Simon in Samaria; “when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands…”. The Servant repeats his commission to Laban. It is curious that he never mentions Isaac by name but always by relationship; My master’s son. When he had prayed he referred to Isaac by name (Gen 24:14) and had referred to him as “thy servant Isaac”, but to the household of Laban he is just ‘my master’s son’. Both Abraham and Isaac are called servants of God. It is a title which has fallen out of favour; servants. Men are ever conscious of power and authority but the distinctive character of Abraham and Isaac is the servant heart. It is not possession but relationship which comes to the surface here, and it was not by power that Abraham and Isaac received the promise to be a blessing to the nations, but because of the unbroken relationship of master and servant. They are channels not reservoirs. Laban cannot but recognise the authority of God in the Servant’s story and refuses to grant or withhold permission for the marriage; Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken. (Gen 24:50-51 KJV) The servant bows in worship and opens up the treasures carried on his 10 camels; gifts for Rebekah, for Laban, for Bethuel, Rebekah’s mother, and then the celebration begins. The following morning however Laban tries to delay the process. It is the familiar short term compromise of the worlding; not yet. Why did Laban do this? I suspect he had his eyes on the remainder of the camel’s panniers. The wordling is always ready to bargain; Lot and his plea to be allowed to remain in Zoar; it is a little city. Now Laban; not today, next week or the week after. This is the sublety of the world; it seldom comes full face and says ‘no’ but wheels and deals, what difference will a day or two make? Sometimes it makes the difference between death and life; Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, (Heb 3:7 ASV) But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:13 KJV) (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2Co 6:2 KJV) Since the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, the date on God’s invitation is always ‘today’. The Servant will not tolerate this compromise; ‘hinder me not’. Laban’s solution is to let the young woman make the decision; “wilt thou go with this man?” This is the all important question; “will you?” The old Anglican marriage service has lots of hidden treasures. Some people choose it for its beauty but sometimes the beauty can obscure the truth it holds. Most will have seen something similar but let's go to the original. The first part of the traditional service of matrimony was the establishing of the eligibility of both persons. In formal civil weddings this sometimes has to be stated publicly. This eligibility is then confirmed; I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, ye do now confess it. For be ye well assured, that so many as are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God; neither is their Matrimony lawful. The wedding cannot continue unless both parties are free of all other bonds of this nature. No man can serve two master and in the perfect picture no man can have two wives, or woman have two husbands. This is an exclusive relationship. It was a sad comment of Diana, Princess of Wales, that their marriage had become ‘crowded’. The persons are about to give the assent to oaths which demand exclusivity and such would never be possible if prior relationships were still operating. This is why God brought Israel out of Egypt to be joined to him in matrimony. The nation could not be Pharaoh’s servants and God’s at the same time. The Sinai Covenant, of course was a wedding; Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord Jehovah, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. And I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a ring upon thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head. (Eze 16:8-12 ASV) with the same wedding tokens as the Servant had given to Rebekah. Back to our Anglican wedding… When the eligibility has been established the other questions begin; If no impediment be alleged, then shall the Curate say unto the Man, Isaac, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live? The Man shall answer, I will. This first question in addressed to the bridegroom. The cross is our Heavenly Isaac’s great ‘I will’ to this question. These are the terms of a covenant. Will he keep faithful to his bride? Will he fellowship with her in intimate relation? Will he love her? Will he comfort (strengthen) her? Will he guard her in good times and bad? Will he, forsaking all other, keep himself ‘only unto her’ for life? The cross says ‘I will’. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Eph 5:25-29 KJV) Rebekah is a good picture of the church in its virgin purity, but there is a much more rugged one earlier in that Ezekiel passage; And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.(Eze 16:6-9 KJV) Here the bride is a foundling, blood spattered and abandoned. There is note here not to be missed. He wraps her in his love before He washed her clean. If we could keep this clear we would not make sanctification a ‘condition of acceptance’ but what it is in reality; ‘the privilege of love’. If any who reads this has any doubt let his cry ring down the centuries. “I will, be thou clean”. (Matt 8:2,3) The officiating minister then turns to the woman; Then shall the Priest say unto the Woman, Rebekah, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live? The Woman shall answer, I will. These are not questions about your present state. They do not ask ‘do you obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?’ but ‘will you’. To ask ‘do you’ would be to demand qualifications, to ask ‘will you’ demands a choice. We have no qualifications to fit us as His bride, but when He asks the question ‘will you?’ we can choose. And we must for our whole future destiny depends upon it. I wonder, did someone explain to you when you first responded that this was a covenant and that you had some responsibilities in it? Did they tell you that it was conditional upon your being willing to ‘have this heavenly Isaac, as your lord and head?’ Did they tell you that you were promising to ‘obey him, and serve him?’ Did they tell you that you were promising to love him, and honour him in the good times and the bad?’ Did they tell you that you were opting into a life long exclusive relationship? Or did they tell you to invite Jesus into your heart? The traditional service of matrimony now moves on. The two parties have declared their willingness, surely that’s it they are married now? No they are not! Now they must carry out their decisions. It is recorded of the prodigal son that he said; I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father… (Luk 15:18-20a KJV) His decision is recorded in verses 18 and 19; his salvation is recorded in verse 20. Without the ‘getting up and moving towards his father’ his fine decision would have left him in the pigsty. The declaration of mutual willingness is not enough. Then shall they give their troth to each other in this manner. The Minister, receiving the Woman at her father's or friend's hands, shall cause the Man with his right hand to take the Woman by her right hand, and to say after him as followeth. I Isaac, take thee Rebekah. to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth. Then shall they loose their hands; and the Woman, with her right hand taking the Man by his right hand, shall likewise say after the Minister, I Rebekah, take thee Isaac, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth. It’s become the fuel for jokes, ‘plighting my troth’. It simple means ‘I pledge my word’, but notice the orientation of this part of the service. The first part was a conversation between each individual and the one asking the questions. Now it becomes a conversation between the two partners. They are talking to each other, for the first time in the service of matrimony. Do you hear the question in your heart? Will you follow this representative of the Father and the Son? I don’t ask how you feel or what your experience has been, only ‘will you go?’ If you do He will lead you into the presence of a heavenly Isaac, and in that moment of personal encounter you can talk to each other, and give and receive each other’s pledged word.