Psalm 91 Part 5 of 7: Angels Watching Over Us

Psalms 91:9-12

"Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone."

ANGELS.  He will give His angels charge over us!!  What wonderful comfort, especially in light of what you read in part 4.  

Follow the link below in case you missed it:  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/05/psalm-91-part-4-fear-not.html?m=1

According to Hebrews 1:14, Paul says of them (the angels), "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister FOR those who will inherit salvation?"

Notice it says they are sent to minister "FOR" those who will inherit salvation not "TO" us, meaning believers. "What's the difference?" you ask.
Working FOR us means they are at our command when we confess God's word. 

For instance, when we recite Psalm 91 out loud, the angels hear it and spring into action on our behalf.  That's a very important component:  SPEAKING OUT LOUD.  Just like the devil, a fallen angel, cannot read your mind, so the good angel also cannot read your mind.  They only respond to God's SPOKEN WORD. 

How many angels are we talking about here?  Jesus Himself actually spilled the beans, so to speak. 

Remember when the temple guards came to arrest Jesus in the garden?  The ever impetuous Peter grabbed a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant.  (He was probably aiming for his neck).  Jesus stopped him, restored the man's ear and said in Matthew 26:52-53 “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than TWELVE LEGIONS OF ANGELS?"

12 legions!!?  That's 72,000 angels, folks!  

...and we can do likewise.  

"Legions of angels" will come to work "FOR" us lest we dash our foot against a stone WHEN WE CONFESS GOD'S WORD.  Each and every believer has legions of angels serving them.  

Just let that sink in for a while......Wow!  Don't you feel safer already!?

In the dwelling place of Elyon, "the Most High," under the Shadow of Shaddai, the "Almighty One," is complete safety.  Part one of this series brings that out.  

Here again we see more of just how protected we are.  "There shall NO EVIL BEFALL YOU NOR SHALL ANY PLAGUE COME NEAR YOUR DWELLING." 

This is referring to open pestilences: 

Ebola

S.A.R.S.

A.I.D.S.

T.B on the rise.

Legionnaires disease, just to name a few. 

Incurable diseases are abroad and abound in our day; even some older ones once eradicated in the West have reared their ugly heads again.

Perhaps you ate something harmful unawares but you prayed over your food, sanctifying it in Jesus' Name.  Good practice in these last days!  Praying over your food is not a futile exercise today; IT'S ESSENTIAL. We're not playing around here.  We are consciously activating our covenant with our God to protect us.

The word for plague in Hebrew here is "néga," which means "affliction, infection, mark, plague, stripes, stroke or wounds."  

This same word for plague is used for stricken in Isaiah 53:8:  

"He {Jesus} was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was STRICKEN."

Because Jesus was "stricken" in place of His covenant people...US...we don't have to be "néga--stricken."  Our protection, deliverance, healing and safety was FULLY PAID FOR in the body of our Savior, JESUS!

It is SO AWESOME that our God actually gives His angels charge over us!  All our steps are guarded and guided lest we dash our foot against a stone in our walk as Christians.  

Now that doesn't mean we take unnecessary risks or chances to test God.  But as we WALK out our life WE NEED NOT FEAR.

Remember when the devil took Jesus up to the highest pinnacle of the temple and dared Him to jump off?  He used...well actually, he misquoted and misused...a part of this very Psalm to try and entice Jesus to take the leap, saying that the angels would "bear Him up..." 

Why did he MISquote this particular Psalm?  Probably because it has been the one most quoted by God's people. 

But Jesus defeated him every time with the words, "IT IS WRITTEN."  This time He said, "You shall not put God to a foolish test."

WHAT??!  This is Jesus we're talking about here!  The Beloved Son of Almighty God!  

Do you think that if He jumped off that pinnacle that His Father wouldn't come to His Son's rescue?  I'm sure He could have jumped off that pinnacle and not been hurt anyway.  After all, He walked on water later on, right? 

So why didn't He jump?

First of all, Jesus is secure in Who He is:  God's beloved Son.  He has nothing to prove.  Secondly, the reference to angels keeping Him from dashing His fool against a stone is referring to "walking" the Christian life not taking foolish risks, like jumping off the temple or flirting with danger.  As we "walk" along His Angels keep us safe.  God’s 24/7/365 protection has us covered!

Accidents, terror attacks, unforseen disasters, wild weather, you name it!  Our God protects us from them AS ONLY HE CAN.  

Good thing because no matter how carefully you plan, how smart you are or how many degrees you have, you cannot know when or where the dangers in the road ahead will occur.

Bur our Daddy knows......and He has His Angels watchin' over us!

Psalm 91 Part 2 of 7: I Will "SAY" Of The Lord

Psalm 91:2

I will SAY of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 

If there were ever a time in history when we need a sure refuge and a secure fortress, it is now.  The world is spiraling further and further down into darkness and chaos.  God's protection isn't some luxury or an nice option;  IT'S A NECESSITY!

"I will SAY of the LORD..."  David writes.  "Saying" is the essence of prayer.  He is my refuge because I "SAY" He is my refuge.  Every day, in every situation, we need to "SAY," to speak it out loud, "He is my refuge and my fortress." 

According to the terms of our lease of the earth given to Adam in the garden, GOD’S ’s PROTECTION ISN'T AUTOMATIC and it's ONLY AVALIABLE TO BELIEVERS.  But even we must ask.  God cannot be Sovereign over our lives unless we allow Him to be Sovereign. 

Those outside of Christ, however, HAVE NO PROTECTION FROM THE DEVIL WHATSOEVER.  He can pick their number out of the hat any time he pleases.  I don't think people of the world or even most Christians understand this.

(For more on this subject please follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-we-pray.html)

Once upon a time God was sovereign over this world. When He was FULLY in charge...fully being the operative word...everything was perfect.  There were no hospitals because no one was sick.  There was no need for weapons because there were no wars.  There was perfect peace, perfect provision.

Then God handed the keys over to man.  It was only a temporary lease, you understand: 6 "days," meaning 6,000 years.  (See 2 Peter 3:8)

Good thing!  

Nevertheless, once given, God will not take back the keys until the appointed time. 

When Jesus returns to earth in His second coming, ownership will revert back to Him. He will once again be Sovereign over the whole world, ruling it with righteousness and truth!  HALLELUJAH!  What a day that will be!

Man rather briefly had the keys but, as you know, in the garden he committed high treason.  He bowed his knee to an outlaw spirit, satan, and in essence handed the keys over to him.  The rest is our very sad history.

Because it was a man who forfeited the keys, it must legally be another Man to get them back.  That's why Jesus had to become man:  So He could buy them back.

Until He returns, however, because of the terms of our lease, God has to find a way to intervene in the affairs of man LEGALLY.  He cannot just jump in and help whenever He wants, as much as He would like to; and He wants to more than we can possibly imagine.  He must find people who agree to covenant with Him; to agree that, yes, they need Him to reign over their affairs. 

ONLY THOSE IN COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD CAN ASK FOR AND RECEIVE HIS PROTECTION.  

The key word here is "ASK," which means "pray."  Prayer activities our covenant with Him. 

Think About it:  If God was really in complete control do you really believe there would be all this trouble on the earth?  Wars, familne, poverty, killing, stealing, precious little children dying before their time?  

I DON'T THINK SO!  

Prayer, contrary to popular opinion, is a covenant transaction. It is a person in covenant with God ASKING Him to take charge of him or her and their situation. Prayer is what activates that covenant.  So you see, it isn't some pointless exercise by the weak-minded.  FAR FROM IT.

Every day as you step outside of your door, ASK the Lord to be your refuge and that of your family.  Don't take for granted that it's gonna be a normal day because you never know.
He is our refuge, like a bunker, for you and your family to hide in; your fortress, like Masada.  Pretty secure!

(View from top of Masada courtesy Will Metcalf.)

 

Only God can put you in the right place at the right time or keep you from the wrong place at the wrong time. Only He knows where the pot holes and the land mines are.  He knows what lies ahead on your road each day.

What we "SAY" affects what we "RECEIVE" from God.  What we "BELIEVE" about God affects what we "SAY."  

So be very careful what words you speak.  Don't be like some Christians who say things like, "God sometimes gives me troubles and sicknesses to teach me a lesson."  

Church, TROUBLE AND SICKNESSES ARE NOT FROM OUR FATHER.  He always turns our situations around to our benefit, see Romans 8:28.  He is a Good Daddy!

Would you, as a good parent, make your little child lay down in your driveway and run over their legs to teach them not to play in the street?  

I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT!  

Do you like seeing them sick or hungry?

OF COURSE NOT! 

 

Yet we accuse God of doing exactly that: of allowing accidents and sicknesses to teach us a lesson.

AS IF!!! 

How horrible is that thought?   Are we better than God that we wouldn't want our kids hurt or sick but He would?  

Another big fat lie from you-know-who. 

The Bible says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how MUCH MORE will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  (Matthew 7:11 NKJV)

"SAY" of the Lord every day, "He is my refuge and my fortress.  My God; in Him will I trust."  

When you speak out God's word it activates His angels, who work for us by the way.  They respond to God's SPOKEN WORD.

SAYING God’s word instead of your own throws the devil off guard.  He cannot read your mind, nor can God's angels.  The only way the devil knows he's got you is by WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH! 

"SAY" of the Lord "He is my refuge," often.  

See Him as your salvation.  

Invite Him into every area of your life. 

You will have what you say, so be very careful what you "SAY" of the Lord.

Who Needs The Law?

Romans 6:13-15

"13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW BUT UNDER GRACE."

Paul makes it very clear in this verse that we, who are born again, are not under the law, meaning, the Ten Commandments.  We are under grace.  This truth is reiterated throughout the Bible, like a running undercurrent.  

The Ministry Of Death.

Paul even goes so far as to call it "the ministry of death."

2 Corinthians 3:7

"7 But if the MINISTRY OF DEATH, WRITTEN AND ENGRAVED ON STONES, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away...."

  

The ONLY laws that were "written and engraved on stones" were "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS."  The other 603 were written on parchment.  Yep, there were 613 laws in all!  Aren't you glad we have a New Covenant?!

MUCH MORE.

Paul goes on to say about the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians 3:8-11 "how will the ministry of the Spirit not be MORE GLORIOUS?

For if the MINISTRY OF CONDEMNATION {the Ten Commandments} had glory, the ministry of righteousness {the Abrahamic Covenant of GRACE} EXCEEDS MUCH MORE IN GLORY. 

For even what was made glorious {the law} had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 

For if what is passing away {the law} was glorious, WHAT REMAINS {Grace} IS MUCH MORE GLORIOUS."

What he means by the phrase, "What remains," is this:  The Law no longer "remains," having "passed away" because Jesus fulfilled it as He said He would.  In other words, He kept perfectly what we could not.  That's why He could cry out, "FINISHED!"  

You and I were delivered from the laws of Ten Commandments, Church, when we put our trust in Jesus.  He writes New Laws on our hearts and they're not the Big Ten. (See Hebrews 8) The Holy Spirit now directs us from within by His Holy Spirit. It's a much better and more effective system.  You see, Jesus is all about HEART TRANSFORMATION not simply behavior modification.  Inward transformation results in right behavior.

What are the laws God writes on our hearts?  Find out more by following this link:  https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/the-laws-of-the-new-covenant/

Do We Still Need The Law?

So where does the law fit in?  Does it fit in at all any more?  

Yes.  

You see, Jesus didn't come to make bad people good; He came to make DEAD PEOPLE LIVE:  Spiritually alive, that is.  Humans are born with body, soul and a spirit that is not regenerated; you know, dead.  You can only insist on good outward behavior.  Does that give you a clue as to why parenting is so difficult?  They need strict laws and boundaries (laws) with definite consequences or your home life would be very difficult.  

Now, think for just a minute:  What happens when you remove the stones (the law) from dead people?  THEY STINK!

It is the unregenerated or unsaved who need the Ten Commandments.  The Law only regulates outward behavior and produces outward change.  The Holy Spirit cannot live inside them to direct their behavior because there is still one sin left unforgiven that separates them from God:  UNBELIEF.

Heart Of Stone.

Inside they still have the old heart of stone.  That's where the problem lies.  Because God is Spirit and speaks to the spirit of man, they have no means of communication.  They are spiritually cut off, no way to communicate because they're spiritually DEAD, you see.  The ONLY thing you can do for them is to preach the gospel to them, lead them to Jesus so that He can make them spiritually alive!

That is why, outside the Church, the law is absolutely essential for governing.  Without it there would be total chaos.  

Does that help explain all the mayhem in the world, especially of late?  It should.  The world has thrown out the standard, the Buble.  These poor folk don't understand that the One against Whom they are objecting so vehemently is the One Person Who can make everything right!

Unregenerated people are at a great disadvantage because they don't have what you and I do, Church:  Our inner teacher, The Holy Spirit.

(The contents of the Ark)

What Happens When You Preach The Law To The Church?

In the Old Testament, the tablets of stone were placed UNDER THE MERCY SEAT.....in other words, under JESUS.  They were hidden from God's sight where they were covered by the blood of an acceptable sacrifice.  THAT'S WHERE HE WANTS THEM TO STAY!!  

But, stubborn, foolish man thinks he knows best.  He continues to insist on hauling out the tablets of stone and preaching on the Law to believers who are spiritually alive.

There are two problems with that.  

#1:  When you (in effect) push aside the mercy seat and preach the law, YOU ARE PUSHING JESUS ASIDE!!   That's right.  You have to shove Jesus out of your way, take the tablets out of the Ark from UNDER THE MERCY SEAT, WHERE GOD WANTS THEM KEPT mind you, in order to teach the Law....and proceed AT YOUR OWN RISK, I might add.

Tell me:  What happens when you pile stones, (a typology of the Law), on top of people who are alive?  YOU KILL THEM.  The law crushes the spirit which, sooner or later, kills the body. 

Disaster At Beth Shemesh.

The men of Beth Shemesh could tell you all about that subject.  They found out the hard way just how serious it is to God that those tablets not see the light of day.  Remember what happened there?  

(Beth Shemesh, where The Ark first returned to Israel from its Philistines captivity.)

The Ark had been in the hands of the Philistines for some 20 years and caused them nothing but grief, sickness, tumors and death.  They finally decided (wisely) that it should be sent back to Israel before it killed everybody!  So, they put it on a new cart drawn by two milk cows and sent it on it's way.  

The first town the Ark came upon was Beth Shemesh.  The men of the town were overjoyed to see the Ark returned, of course.  Unfortunately, they were also curious to look at the stone tablets inside.  They unwisely lifted up the Mercy Seat to look inside, (Uh oh!) having probably heard about the sapphire tablets from childhood.  Who wouldn't want to pass up a chance to see that, right?  

(Sapphire tablets a new concept to you?  Follow this link for more on that topic;  https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/07/17/ananias-and-sapphira/)

Well, God was SO ANGRY at them that He struck down 50,070 men in one fell swoop.  OUCH!  

(For more on this topic and why the Ark was in Philistine hands in the first place, follow this link:  https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/why-did-the-oxen-stumble/)

Falling From Grace.

This story perfectly depicts the verse that says, "the letter kills but the Spirit gives LIFE!"  It certainly does.....LITERALLY!  

I reiterate:  JESUS IS THE MERCY SEAT.  God wants the stone tablets UNDER the Mercy Seat--OUT OF SIGHT--covered for all time by the precious blood of Jesus.  

I suggest you LEAVE THEM THERE.

You see, when you insist on putting your people under the Law, God has no choice but to punish them for breaking it.  Otherwise, He would be in violation of His own Law.  To go back to the Law is to FALL FROM GRACE.

But here's the problem:  God loves sinful man!  He doesn't want to punish us; He wants to bless us.  That's why He sent His beloved Son so He could eternally be gracious and merciful to those who have accepted His priceless gift.

The key word here is "ACCEPT."  Salvation isn't automatic.  It's a gift you either accept or reject.   That's why there's no such thing as universal salvation.  That us a heinous lie of the devil. 

Dying Before Their Time.

The men of Beth Shemesh discovered, the law is deadly.  IT KILLS JUST AS DEAD TODAY, not as instantly as Beth Shemesh, of course.  But trying to keep it brings condemnation, which is ultimately deadly to our physical bodies.  This is why so many in the church are sick and die before their time.  They are trying to please God by their performance.  It's tantamount to trying to keep the law.

IT DOESN’T WORK.

You are either under Law OR you are under Grace.  PICK ONE.  You cannot have it both ways.  If you ARE under one you ARE NOT under the other.

Let's face it; we can never be or do good enough.  That’s why we need a Savior!  With Jesus as our eternal Mercy Seat, there is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus……forever.  HALLELUIA!!!

We Love Because He First Loved Us.

Because of Jesus, you and I, Church, are the children of light.  We are a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!  NEW HEART + NEW DESIRES = HOLY LIVING.   We have a new Spirit within us and a heart of flesh, not stone. We obey God, not because we're supposed to, but because WE GET TO.  It's a response to His love for us.  We love, because He first loved us

If you truly know how much you are loved by God, you'll have no desire to steal, to commit murder or any number of other things that would dishonor Him Whom you love.  No. You'll be motivated from within to please to The One Who is well-pleased with you.  

You will experience internal correction when you fail, however.  But that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit whispers gently to you, not in condemning fashion, but by reminding you not of sin, but of your righteousness. You have a higher calling.  

The Holy Spirit convicts believers of their Righteousness.  That's what Jesus told us in John 16:10.  Why of righteousness? Because Jesus was going to His Father.  He is right now bodily in heaven, so we cannot look into His beautiful eyes when we fall to see our acceptance there.  That's why we need the Comforter to remind us:  WE ARE ETERNALLY RIGHTEOUS.  Believe right and you will live right.  

We Don't Trust God?

It's our faith that we are the righteousness of God in Christ that is constantly under attack from the devil.  He wants to see us condemned, defeated and disheartened, not blessed, not victorious and definitely not spreading the gospel.  

I believe the biggest problem in the Church today is that we put more faith in man's ability to do wrong than the Holy Spirit's ability to do what a He said He would:  LEAD US INTO ALL TRUTH.  We don't trust God.  We don't trust GRACE.

It's really sad that many preachers don't see that, by teaching law, they are actually helping their people fail.  That isn' their intent, of course.  But their people are struggling and striving only to end up living live UNholy lives, defeated, dejected and depressed.  

Nothing makes the devil happier than to see God's people in bondage.  He wants us to be hindered from being effective for God.  LET'S DISAPPOINT HIM.

But.....if you are preaching the "Law;" you know, morality, dos and don'ts---you're singing his song.  

Think about it:  What happens when you tell a child NOT to do something?  What's the very next thing you find them doing?  THE VERY THING YOU JUST TOLD THEM NOT TO DO.  

Humans never grow out of this tendency.
    

GRACE is the antidote to sin; not laws, laws and more laws.  THEY DO NOT BELONG IN THE CHURCH.  

So pastors, do your people a favor:  Help them live right by reminding them that they are the righteousness of God in Christ, not about how far away they fell from some standard.

Unregenerate people of the world:  THAT'S WHO NEEDS THE LAW.

Isaac And Rebecca: Patriarch Series Part 2

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV)

(Isaac carrying wood in his back up Mt. Moriah.)

25 years.  25 long years Abraham and Sarah waited for the son God promised them.  Then, when Isaac was just a young boy, probably a young teenager, He asked Abraham to do something unbelievable:  To take his only son and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah!

Isaac was born to Abrahm and his wife, Sarah, who had not only been barren, she was now well past menopause.  It was a bonafide miracle he was born at all.  His name in Hebrew means "laughter," because Sarah, when she overheard The Angel telling her husband that the following year they would have a son, laughed at the prospect.  

Abraham and Isaac traveled to Mt. Moriah with two of his young men.  Upon their arrival, father and son left this who had accompanied them and climbed the mountain together.  The young lad carried the wood on his back. Abraham bound his son, laid him on the altar and prepared to kill him.  But God stayed his hand.  His son was to be spared!

Incredibly, right behind him, a ram "just happened" to be caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it in Isaac's place, another story in and of itself.  (See the link below for more on this topic:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-very-unusual-request.html)

This is a beautiful picture of how Jesus, 2,000 years in the future, would climb another lonely hill in that very same range of mountains; the highest peak in fact:  Mt. Zion.  Unlike Isaac, however, He would not be spared but sacrificed for all of our sins.

(Isaac is spared.)

The Bible records that father and son went up the mountain but it doesn't record that Isaac came back down with his father, though obviously he did.  The silence of scripture here speaks volumes.  It's a picture of Our Jesus.  He went up His mountain but He DIDN'T come down. He was died on the cruel cross, sacrificed as the Lamb of God, suffering the most awful kind of death that anyone could ever die.  

Unlike any other man, He was mercilessly scourged before He was nailed to that cross.  Pilate did that hoping that the Jewish leaders would call for His release.  You see, it was against the law for a man to be both scourged and crucified.  If someone was scourged, he could not be crucified.  If he was sentenced to be crucified, he could not be scourged beforehand.  But the Jewish leaders wouldn't relent so our Lord Jesus suffered BOTH!  

Because Abraham demonstrated his trust in and faithfulness to God, He came to him and said:  “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the STARS OF THE HEAVEN and as the SAND which is ON THE SEASHORE; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV)

Through this wonderful story of Abraham and Isaac the love of The Father for His Beloved Son, Jesus, is revealed.  It is here in this very passage that the the word "love" (aháva in Hebrew) is mentioned for the first time.  

For those who may not know, there exists in Bible exegesis something called "The law of first mention."  It states that the first time any word or subject is mentioned or introduced in scripture it establishes an unchangeable pattern which remains constant in the mind of God.  It's an indication that there is something very important to learn. 

(God promises to bless Abraham and all his descendants.)

True to His word, God blessed Abraham with every possible blessing.  They are still in effect.  His descendants from that day to this continue to enjoy them.  Yep. Yahweh, the covenant keeping One, has never and never will forget His people.  When He makes a covenant, He honors it FOREVER. 

Though the smallest of all races, the Jewish people have won the more Nobel prizes, made the more scientific breakthroughs and are the more successful in practically every walk of life than all others put together.  It just so happens that the youngest billionaire in the world a Jewish boy named Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook! 

Like them or not, they have a disproportionate ability to influence for good or evil.  It's just the blessing of Abraham.

At the end of  chapter 24, the Holy Spirit does that strange thing again, suddenly shifting gears in mid-stream.  He totally jumps from Abraham's story and starts talking about the family of Nahor, his brother.  Why?  

Let's follow the story:

(For those who want to check out another example of the Holy Spirit and His "shifting gears," follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/06/is-genesis-38-in-wrong-place.html).  

"Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, 'Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.' And Bethuel begot REBECCA. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah." (Genesis 22:20-24 NKJV)

See?  Nahor.  Very strange, isn't it?  Ah, but the Holy Spirit is always up to something good!  He wants to show you and I something to bless us!

Whenever a chapter ends like this, with someone's family history or genealogy, there's a hidden meaning for us to discover.  Rebecca, Isaac's future wife, was born into his family.  She was actually a cousin.  

In the very next chapter, 23, God deals almost exclusively with Sarah's death, the purchase of land from Ephron, the Hittite, and her burial in the cave of Machpelah.

(Abraham sends his servant to procure a bride for Isaac.)

But the chapter after that, 24, just happens to be the lo-o-o-ongest chapter in the entire book of Genesis.  Why? Because it's the story of the father sending an "unnamed servant" to his family to obtain a bride for his son.  

Does this theme sound familiar?  It should! It is in this chapter that we find the second mention of the word, "love," appearing!  Whereas chapter 22 contained the FIRST MENTION, which was of Our Father's love for His Son,  chapter 24--the SECOND MENTION--is the story of The Son's love for His Bride!

Let's continue the story:

"...but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac....”

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand.  And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.  And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water." (Genesis 24:4, 10-11 NKJV)

(Rebecca draws water for Abraham’s servant.)

The servant did go; the servant did find favor; and he did find a bride for his master's son!

"So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” 

(Genesis 24:22-23).   

Thus, the unnamed servant found and met Rebecca and arranged with her family to bring her back to Isaac. 

The Old Testament is the New concealed and the New is the Old revealed. Everything in the New Testament is hidden somewhere in the Old in types, stories, names, places and even the language itself.  Right after the unnamed servant's camels were watered, "the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold."

The nose in Biblical typology depicts discernment while gold speaks of divine righteousness.  The unnamed servant gave these "gifts of gold" to Rebecca who is a typology of the Church.  These gifts are depictions of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to US! 

Since there were no planes, trains or automobiles back then, it took a long time to travel to Canaan.  The journey back was a very lo-o-o-ong one, some 500 miles over  very rugged terrain. No doubt as they stopped and camped each night, this servant who is not named regaled Rebecca with many stories about this wonderful Isaac she was to wed.  Her name in Hebrew means "secured," by the way.  Betcha her favorite topic was the story about the time he went up Mt. Moriah with his father and came "this close" to being sacrificed on that altar.         

Well, by the time Rebecca arrived at their destination,  no doubt she had fallen head over heels in love with Isaac, a man whom she had never met in person.

(Rebecca jumps off her camel.)

At long last they reached their destination.  Genesis 24:64 in the English, the text reads like this:  "Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;" But in Hebrew, the word "dismounted" literally means she "fell" off her horse as Isaac caught her, according to rabbinical tradition.  She couldn't get off her camel fast enough to run and jump into his arms!

You know, Church, this story is really all about us!!  It's a beautiful picture of the Church and our relationship with Jesus.  Isaac means "laughter" which tells us something else about our wonderful Savior.  There's a lot of joy and laughter around him.  He's a fun-loving guy!
 

But Who is the unnamed servant?  Why, The Holy Spirit, of course!   You see, while we have been here on earth, we also have been on a lo-o-o-ng wilderness journey.  The unnamed servant was sent here, a far country, looking for a bride for Jesus. He came looking for you and me.  He found us and secured a bride for The Son.  
Along our journey in this wilderness, He has regaled us with beautiful stories of this wonderful Jesus.  Like Rebecca, we, too, have never seen our Jesus in person.  But because have heard so many wonderful stories about Him, we have fallen as MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIM and He is with us!  We can't wait to jump off this "camel" into his waiting arms!

Isn't God good?  It just blows me away that He wants you and I to know just how much we are loved by Him.  And that, Church, is why He shared with all of us this beautiful story of Isaac and his Rebecca. 

Follow this link to part three:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/08/jacob-and-leah-patriarch-series-part-3.html