癤풱unday, February 1st, 2004
Scripture Reading: Genesis 24:1-9

Getting a Wife for Isaac

Today I'm going to tell you a message
titled, "Getting a Wife for Isaac".
Abraham sent his servant Eliezer
to Mesopotamia to get a wife for Isaac.
Even though Abraham was old, God
blessed him in everything he did, so he
was prosperous spiritually and physically.
In order to marry his only son, Isaac,
off, Abraham sent his servant Eliezer,
who was in charge of his household,
to his hometown, Mesopotamia,
to bring back a virgin. The servant
left with treasures and presents
loaded on ten good camels.
First, let us see what Abraham, Isaac,
and a virgin for Isaac symbolize.
Abraham symbolizes our God.
God possesses heaven and everything,
doesn't He? Isaac symbolizes Jesus.
God planned to give His Son Jesus
everything as an inheritance.
A virgin for Isaac symbolizes saints.
You and I as virgins for Jesus Christ
are to inherit everything with Him
from God our Father. It is said that
Abraham gave all his possessions
to Isaac. We see that God gave Jesus
all authority in heaven and earth.
God created heaven, earth, and
everything in them, and gave it
all to His Son Jesus. As Abraham
gave all his possessions to Isaac,
so God gave everything to Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus
came to them and said, 'All authority
in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very
end of the age." When Jesus was
risen from the dead, He was given
all the authority of heaven and earth.
Today God is pleased to grant all
the authority of heaven and earth
to us through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, when we receive Jesus,
we receive that authority
Isaac symbolizes Jesus. Obeying
Abraham, Isaac was willing to become
a sacrifice at Moriah. When Isaac
was about to be offered as a sacrifice
on the altar, he didn't resist at all,
but obeyed Abraham and offered
himself as a sacrifice. Likewise,
Jesus Christ came in the flesh
and obeyed the Father completely,
even to death. Philippians 2:5-11 says,
"Your attitude should be the same as
that of Christ Jesus: Who, being
in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be
grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance
as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient to death--even death
on a cross!" The death on the cross
is most shameful. The Lord didn't
complain about dying as an extremely
wicked prisoner, but obeyed God
and accepted it. Therefore, God loved
Jesus as much as His own life.
Here, a virgin for Isaac symbolizes
those who will inherit from Abraham
with Isaac. Rebekah was accepted
as a wife for Isaac and she was
to inherit from Abraham along
with Isaac. We are the saints who
will inherit all from God with Jesus.
We didn't do anything righteous.
Though we were sinful, unrighteous,
wicked, and rebellious, Jesus Christ
accepted us as His brides.
So we received the grace of God
freely in Him and will inherit
the universe and everything in it.
Nothing is greater than this grace.
We can't get anything through
our work. It is only by accepting
Jesus Christ as our Savior, who died
on the Cross for us, that we will
inherit the universe with Him
as His brides. Secondly, let us think
about the servant Eliezer who went
to Mesopotamia. Genesis 24:10-11 says,
"Then the servant took ten of
his master's camels and left, taking
with him all kinds of good things
from his master. He set out
for Aram Naharaim and made his way
to the town of Nahor. He made
the camels kneel down near the well
outside the town; it was towards
evening, the time the women go out
to draw water." Here, Eliezer
the servant of Abraham symbolizes
the Holy Spirit. He set out
for Mesopotamia to get a wife for Isaac.
Eliezer symbolizes the Holy Spirit
who came to this earth and works
to get brides for Jesus. He came
to Nahor in Mesopotamia with ten
camels and waited for a virgin
near a well. He didn't wait at any
other place. Even today the Spirit
of God comes to get brides for Jesus
and is waiting at the well. Then what
is the well? The church is the well
in this world. The church is where
there is the living water of the Word
and the Holy Spirit. Eliezer the servant
of Abraham waited for a virgin
near the well in Nahor with camels.
Today the Holy Spirit of God comes
and waits for us at the church,
the well in this world.
Eliezer symbolizes the Holy Spirit
and his attendants, the angels.
John 14:26 says, "But the Counsellor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, will teach you
all things." The Holy Spirit waits
for us. Look at the conditions
of a virgin to be a wife. Eliezer prayed
to God, "Lord, let me confirm that
a virgin will be a wife for Isaac
if she does what I ask for." It says
in Genesis 24:14, "May it be that
when I say to a girl, 'Please let down
your jar that I may have a drink,'
and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water
your camels too'--let her be the one
you have chosen for your servant Isaac.
By this I will know that you have
shown kindness to my master."
That was the condition for the virgin
who was to be Isaac's wife.
When she was asked for water,
she didn't give water only to Eliezer,
but also to the camels. was not easy
to water the camels. For she needed
80 liters of water for each camel.
So for 10 camels she needed 800 liters
of water. She had to walk between
the well and the camels about 40 times
and it would take more than two hours.
If she watered the ten camels, she
would be all wet with water, sweaty,
and be very tired. Nevertheless,
she was willing to give the servant
a drink and also water the camels
It should be the same with us today.
When the Holy Spirit comes to us,
we should give Him a drink.
That is, we should come to church,
listen to His Word, and have
a relationship with Him through prayer
so we can be brides for Jesus.
Except through the Holy Spirit,
we can't accept Jesus Christ
as our Lord. When we hear the voice
of the Holy Spirit, have a relationship
with Him through prayer, and give
water to Him this way, can we
meet the Son of God in our hearts,
recognize God the Father, accept Christ
as our Savior, and be born again.
Without the work of the Holy Spirit,
we can't see heaven, the Father,
or His Son Jesus Christ.
Our faith begins and continues
to live through our relationship
with the Holy Spirit,
and without it, there is no church
and the brides of Christ can't be found.
Acts 2:38-39 says, "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise
is for you and your children and
for all who are far off--for all
whom the Lord our God will call."
Therefore, only by the Holy Spirit,
can we repent, believe in Jesus,
and be saved. As Rebekah gave a drink
to Eliezer and became a wife for Isaac,
so we should recognize, welcome, accept,
depend on, and have a relationship
with the Holy Spirit to be brides
for Christ. Moreover, Rebekah was
willing to water the camels Eliezer
brought with him. This tells us
that the Holy Spirit brings camels,
which symbolize trials, troubles,
and affliction. It was very hard
for Rebekah to water ten camels.
As soon as she poured water
into the manger, the camels drank
it up and cried out for more.
When she poured more water into it,
again they drank it very quickly and
cried out for more. Drawing 80 liters
of water for each camel was very hard
for her. Watering ten camels needed
great patience and devotion. Today,
the Holy Spirit changes our character
to make us brides for Christ,
and there are trials and trouble
in our lives that prepare us.
In order to be brides for Christ,
we should water the camels of trials
and trouble that come to us.
Without watering camels,
we can't become brides. Then what
are the camels? They may be husbands,
wives, children, parents-in-law, relatives,
and neighbors. Husbands may cry out
for water, by complaining about
many things. They will be big burdens
for you. Unbelievers may divorce them
easily. These days I hear that
the first thing women do is offer
to divorce their husbands if they are
tired of their marriage. However,
we Christians should water the camels.
If your husband comes to you
and asks for water, you should
be patient, understanding, sympathize
with him in love, and continue
to give him water. If he is filled
with water, he will stop asking.
Your wife may be a camel. She will
nag, complain, and resent, but you
must not threaten or menace her.
You should water her. If you keep
watering her with love and patience,
she will be filled with water
and stop complaining. Children may
also be the camels and trouble
their parents. However, the parents
must not strike them with clubs
to drive them out. If the parents do,
they will only come back again.
Without watering them, the parents
can not make them stop causing
trouble by using clubs. Therefore,
the parents should water their children.
They should continue to pray, weep,
soothe, and take care of them.
The camels may be our neighbors,
enemies, bad health, business, stores,
and jobs, and they bring us different
types of trials and hardship.
Why do we believers have these trials?
That's because the Holy Spirit brings
them to prepare us as brides.
Eliezer brought ten camels
from Abraham. The devil didn't bring
the camels but the Holy Spirit did.
He breaks our stubbornness, temper,
coldness, disobedience, and unbelief,
by making us water the camels,
so that He may change us.
While watering, we must be changed.
We will weep, struggle, and pray
to God, "Lord, why should I have
this camel? Lord, please help me."
Then, we will be changed.
While watering the camels, we will be
changed, broken, mild, obedient, and
become a people of love and faith.
Drawing water for ten camels is
a test of love, patience, and devotion.
James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, whenever you face trials
of many kinds, because you know
that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking anything."
Thanks to the camels we water,
we'll receive glory, praise, and honor
on the day when Jesus Christ comes.
You may say, "I have no camel
though I believe in Jesus. I am
comfortable without trials and trouble."
Since you are disqualified for brides,
you have no camels. If believers have
no trials or trouble and are comfortable,
they are not fit to be a bride.
They are not preparing themselves.
Trials, trouble, and hardships prepare
us as brides, so that we may have
patience, love, faith, a humble heart,
and obedience. By watering the camels
that come to us, we will prepare
ourselves as brides. However, people
usually strike the camels with bats.
They beat the camels in the bedroom,
which then run away into the kitchen,
the living room, and the yard, crying
out. The camels will keep crying out
louder. If your husband is a camel
and you blame him, he will cry out
more. If you mistreat the camel,
your wife, she will struggle to cry out.
May you become those who water
the camels! If you give them the water
of patience, love, understanding,
sympathy, and prayer, they will be
satisfied and no longer cry out.혻
In order to prepare us as brides,
God sent trials, trouble, and hardship.혻혻
Thirdly, the servant Eliezer was sure
that Rebekah was qualified for a bride,
because she gave him a drink
and watered the ten camels, too.
At once he put on her gold and
silver earrings, bracelets, and necklaces,
and decided to accept her as a bride.
If we have a relationship with
the Holy Spirit and are changed
by trials and trouble, He will
give us the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
He'll grant us gifts such as faith, hope,
love, righteousness, peace, and joy.
After Eliezer arrived at the house
of Rebekah's parents and tied
the camels in the stable, he began
to boast about Abraham and Isaac.
Before washing his feet and eating
the meal that was prepared for him,
he boasted about Abraham and Isaac.
Genesis 24:34-38 says, "So he said,
I am Abraham's servant. The LORD
has blessed my master abundantly,
and he has become wealthy.
He has given him sheep and cattle,
silver and gold, menservants and
maidservants, and camels and donkeys.
My master's wife Sarah has borne
him a son in her old age, and he has
given him everything he owns.
And my master made me swear
an oath, and said, 'You must not get
a wife for my son from the daughters
of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,
but go to my father's family and to my
own clan, and get a wife for my son.'"
Likewise, as he told them only about
Abraham and Isaac, today,
the Holy Spirit comes and tells us
only about God the Father and Jesus.
The Holy Spirit does not speak of
Himself. He does not exalt any person.
He does not boast about any church
or any denomination. If someone says,
"God chose me particularly, so only
through me you will be saved,"
he must be Satan. The Holy Spirit
tells us only about God the Father
and Jesus. He does not exalt any
specific person. If someone says,
"You will be saved only through
our denomination," he must be Satan.
We must not boast about our
denomination, or church, but only
about God our Father and Jesus.
This is how the Holy Spirit works.
He does not boast about any specific
person, denomination, or church,
but He speaks only God the Father
and Jesus. John 16:13-14 says,
"But when he, the Spirit of truth,
comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears,
and he will tell you what is yet
to come. He will bring glory to me
by taking from what is mine
and making it known to you."
The Holy Spirit tells us the things
of Christ and the Father, not those
of humanity and the world.
Besides, Rebekah needed to make up
her mind. After Eliezer spoke of
Abraham and Isaac, telling her parents
that he came to get a wife for Isaac,
he asked them for Rebekah.
Now it was up to Rebekah. No matter
what her parents said, it depended
on her whether she went off or not.
Genesis 24:55-58 says, "But her brother
and her mother replied, Let the girl
remain with us ten days or so; then
you may go. But he said to them,
Do not detain me, now that the LORD
has granted success to my journey.
Send me on my way so I may go
to my master. Then they said,
'Let's call the girl and ask her
about it.' So they called Rebekah
and asked her, 'Will you go
with this man?' 'I will go,' she said."
She was raised very well by her
parents, but after she heard of Isaac,
she at once made a decision to leave.
Today God wants us to make
this kind of decision. After we are
born again by the Holy Spirit, accept
Jesus as our Savior, and overcome
trials and trouble, we have to make
strong decisions to leave this world
for heaven. Rebekah couldn't stay
both with her family and Isaac.
She had to decide to choose one
or the other. Rebekah immediately
made a decision. Today many Christians
want to have both the world and heaven.
It is impossible. Many people fail
in their Christian lives, because they
do not make a decision. As soon as
they believe in Jesus Christ, they
should leave the devil and decide
to serve only Jesus, and to live
for heaven. Then they are surely
qualified as brides. However, today
some Christians belong to both
the world and heaven. They say,
"I want to drink and smoke.
I want to follow the devil.
I want to have physical pleasure.
I don't want to go to hell, but heaven,
so I need to go to church.
I want to have both."
No, you must not. Unless you love
God and follow Him with all your
heart, mind, will, and life, you will
not enter into heaven. As Rebekah
made a strong resolution to leave
for Isaac, so today if you accept Jesus
as your Savior, you must leave
the world and the devil. You must
make a resolution! You must decide
to devote yourself to God.
By being baptized with water, you can
announce to the whole world that you
have died with the world and are
raised from the dead with Christ.
It says in 1 John 2:15, "Do not love
the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him."
The camels did not come alone,
but with presents. Genesis 24:53 says,
"Then the servant brought out gold
and silver jewellery and articles of
clothing and gave them to Rebekah;
he also gave costly gifts
to her brother and to her mother."
Abraham sent his servant Eliezer
with a lot of presents loaded on camels.
"Ten" symbolizes a perfect number.
Abraham sent plenty of presents.
When did the servant unload
the presents? Right after Rebekah
made a decision to marry Isaac,
the servant began to open the presents
that were loaded on the camels.
Today many people come to church
and are not blessed though they
believe in Jesus. They say, "I believe in
Jesus, but why doesn't God bless me?"
Since they don't make a decision,
God doesn't show his blessings to them.
Only when we decide to seek first
His kingdom and His righteousness
and serve God with all our heart, mind,
and will, the Holy Spirit will open
the packages of treasure that He has
brought from heaven. When Rebekah's
parents and brothers said, "Stay
with us for ten days or so and go,"
she said, "No, I will go right now."
Then the servant gave her the presents
that he had brought on the camels.
When Rebekah was adorned with
various gold and silver jewelry
and dressed in new clothes,
she looked so beautiful that she
seemed like a new woman.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation, the old has gone and the new
has come." If the Holy Spirit opens
His presents and adorns us, we'll be
changed so completely that the people
in the world will be surprised at us.
It says in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10,
"However, as it is written: No eye
has seen, no ear has heard, no mind
has conceived what God has prepared
for those who love him but God has
revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things,
even the deep things of God."
We do not know the grace and
tremendous blessings that God has
prepared for us. We will see them
when the Holy Spirit opens them.
He opens them when we make
strong decisions. We can't believe
in Jesus with the world and the devil.
We can't believe in Him with physical
pleasure and lust. When we decide
to follow Christ, the Holy Spirit will
fill us with the treasure of heaven.
If we are conformed to the world,
we think that we can be happy,
but it gives us more trouble and
hardship. If we decide to believe
in Christ and in Him we receive grace
from God, it will be so great that it
can not be compared to the pleasure
of the world. Some people say, "If I
believe in Jesus, I will not be happy."
No, not at all. If you believe in Jesus,
you will be much happier than you are
in the world. You may say,
"If I believe in Jesus, I will have
no joy." The world gives you
a false joy. If you believe in Jesus,
you will have the indescribable joy
that comes from heaven. You may
think that you will have no advantage
by believing in Christ. However,
you have to know that the world
gives you the things perishable, filthy,
and ugly, but heaven will fill you
with glory eternal, beautiful, precious,
and happy things. We don't understand it
with our physical eyes but we can
experience it through the Holy Spirit,
and we will see how great the glory
of heaven is. God gives His presents
to those who have made up their mind
for Jesus Christ, so that they may be
prosperous in everything spiritually
and physically with good health
and abundant life. If we have trouble
watering camels and weep, blessings
will come to us before long.
After we go through trials, trouble,
and affliction in Christ, God gives us
as much blessing as them or more.
Without trouble there is no glory.
Without affliction there is no joy.
After we water camels and overcome
trials and trouble in Christ,
marvelous blessings are waiting for us.
As a day comes after a night;
as the calm comes after a storm;
as we walk on the plain after
the rough road; so the Holy Spirit will
open the package of heaven to us
after we have watered camels.
Psalm 112:1-3 says, "Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will
be blessed. Wealth and riches are
in his house, and his righteousness
endures for ever." Psalm 33:12-13
also says, "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the LORD, the people
he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind." Today we
can see that twenty eight of 30 OECD
countries have accepted Christianity.
Twenty eight of 30 advanced and
rich countries in this world believe
in Jesus. After they believed in Jesus
and have continued to serve God,
the Holy Spirit has opened material
packages for them. Today, we
Korean people have become rich
after the Korean War. Because
of 50,000 churches, 100,000 servants
of God, and 12 million saints,
God has blessed our nation, Korea.
The servant didn't only give presents
to Rebekah, but also to her family.
In the same way, God blesses us
who believe in Jesus and also
our people who don't believe.
That's why today, in order for Korea
to be richer, the churches should
be revived and the saints should
serve the Lord more eagerly.
Then the Holy Spirit will bless us
more and He'll also bless our people
even though they don't believe in Jesus.
The Spirit of God has come
with lots of treasure on ten camels
and He is looking for brides.
When will the treasure on the camels
be opened? When we, the brides
of Christ make decisions, overcome
trials and trouble with Him, leave
the world with strong faith in Him,
and follow Him. That's when
the treasure will be opened and given
to our people as well as to us.
Moreover, after watering the camels,
Rebekah went to Isaac on those camels.
Genesis 24:61 says, "Then Rebekah
and her maids got ready and mounted
their camels and went back
with the man. So the servant took
Rebekah and left." When you face
trials and trouble, do not complain.
Rebekah had trouble watering
the camels but was taken to Isaac
on them. How could she walk
through the desert? She had to go
on the camels. We may complain
about trials and trouble, but we
will go to heaven with the faith
that we get through them.
Therefore, thanks to the husbands
who give us trouble, the wives
who nag us, the bad children,
and the neighbors who distress us,
we will weep, become humble, pray,
have faith, and go to heaven.
That's why nothing is bad to believers.
We know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to
his purpose. Good things are good
as they are, and bad things give us
trouble and cause us to be changed
and become strong in faith, so that
we may go to heaven through them.
For 2,000 years, since the Pentecost,
the Holy Spirit has been looking for
the brides of Jesus and preparing them.
We are preparing ourselves as brides
with love, patience, and devotion
through various trials. Now you are
preparing yourself as a bride
by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Then you may say, "I haven't seen
myself preparing as a bride."
The trials and trouble that come
to you prepare you as a bride.
By being broken, repenting, being
patient, loving, and caring for those
around us, we prepare ourselves
as brides. You are preparing yourself
with patience, love, gentleness,
obedience, and godliness. God keeps
preparing you as brides through
the Holy Spirit by having you
water camels, so that you may
go to heaven on the camels.
Abraham symbolizes God; Isaac,
Jesus Christ; Rebekah, the saints;
As Abraham sent his servant Eliezer
and found Rebekah as a wife for Isaac,
so today the Holy Spirit is sent from
God the Father and is looking for us.
Where is He looking for us?
He is looking for us near the well.
Where is the well? It's in the church.
At the well of the Word and
of the Holy Spirit, He is looking
for you now. Through the relationship
with the Holy Spirit, you will receive
grace, recognize Christ, and be tested
with the help of the Holy Spirit.
When you are tested, you must not
think that it is very disadvantageous.
Being baptized with water in
the Jordan River, Jesus was led
by the Holy Spirit into the desert
and tempted by the devil.
The Holy Spirit brought camels.
He brought trials. Persevere trials,
overcome them, and defeat them.
Then, the bundles of blessings that
the camels carried and that trials
brought will be opened to you
and they will not only adorn you
but also your family and neighbors
with blessings. Through the faith that
trials brought us, we'll enter heaven.


Shall we bow down and pray together?
Dear Holy God our Father who has
great love! We thank You that You
took us as brides for Jesus Christ.
To look for us, the Holy Spirit is
waiting at the well, the church.
Through the Word of the Holy Spirit
and prayer, we are saved.
We thank You that we will be
changed by the trials that the Holy
Spirit brings and we will become
the brides for Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, thank You that You do not
only test us through trials and trouble,
but You also have the bundles of
blessings that those trials carry.
Thank You for blessing us more
than we are tested in this world.
Dear God our Father, the jewelry
that Eliezer brought on the camels
was as precious as silver and gold.
As that jewelry was given to and
placed on Rebekah, please help all of us
to adorn ourselves with Your treasure.
Please help us to be prosperous in
everything we do spiritually and physically
with good health and abundant life.
Please, let all of us go to heaven
with the faith that we get through trials.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.