"IT'S YOUR DECISION TO MAKE" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 4/2/26

“And they called Rebeckah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” (Genesis 24:58)

“This man” in the text is Abraham’s servant, whom he had sent on an extremely important mission. This trusted servant was to go to the country from where Abraham came, and to his kindred, and take a wife unto his son, Isaac. (Vs. 1-4) The errand could not have been more weighty, for in Isaac would the covenant seed be called. (Rom. 9:7) The fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant depends upon the success of this mission. Isaac is now forty years old, and Abraham is one hundred and forty, thus the sense of urgency.

In reading through this lengthy chapter and considering the specific details, we can clearly see a foreshadowing of our Gospel commission, which our Lord gave to the Church. As we go into all the world preaching the Gospel, what are we doing but finding a bride for the Son of God, the true seed of Abraham? (Gal. 3:16) Of Him, Isaac is clearly a type: a child of supernatural conception and birth; offered as sacrifice and raised in a figure (Heb. 11:17-19); the sole heir of the abundant wealth of his father. (Vs. 35)

As the steward was sent forth, he swore a solemn oath: first, that he would not take a wife for Isaac of the Canaanites among whom they dwelt; and second, that he would not take Isaac to Abraham’s native country. (Vs. 3, 6, 8) These principles must be remembered as we seek souls for Christ. While Christ’s bride may be in the world, she must not be of the world. The Gospel call insists that all who come to Christ must be willing to forsake all for Him. The soul winner is an ambassador for Christ. This servant was going in Abraham’s stead, just as we go in God’s stead. (II Cor. 5:20) We are not free to offer any compromise to help us succeed in our mission. This is something many would-be “soul-winner” would do well to remember. If a sinner is not willing to forsake his or her old life, then they do not qualify to be Christ’s disciples. Notice the servant’s question: “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land…?” Now Abraham’s answer: “If the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear of this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.”

As it is with us, so it was for Abraham’s servant, a mission fraught with difficulties. He was going to a place where he had never been, in search of a family he knew nothing about, to find among them a woman to whom he hopes to make a proxy proposal. Then, should he somehow find her, he must convince her to leave her stable life with family, go with him to a strange land, love, and marry a man she had never heard of, exchange her pleasant habitation for a nomadic life in a land that this man only possesses by promise.

Our mission, like his, can only succeed if we have help from above. Abrahma said to his servant, “…he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shall take a wife unto my son from thence.” (Vs. 7) Then again: “The LORD…will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way...” Therein lies the key to success. We cannot overcome any of the obstacles that were before mentioned, unless the Holy Spirit go before us to prepare the way and the hearts; and unless He go with us to empower and enable us, we cannot succeed.

This being the case, notice how He worked to prepare the way, and to make the woman willing to come to Isaac and be his wife. And yet, the decision was hers to make the angel did not make the decision for her. Nor was it a family decision. (Vs. 57) When they called Rebeckah and asked her, “Wilt thou go with this man?” Rebeckah answered very decisively, “I will go.”

This is the bottom line with every soul to whom the Gospel message is sent. Whomsoever the messenger may be, the question is, “Will you come to Christ?” Then, after you have counted the cost, will you, on His terms, say by faith, “I will come.” F-A-I-T-H = Forsaking All I Take Him.