Gen. 24
THIS Scripture brings before us in a very beautiful and pictorial manner the purpose of God in the proclamation of the Gospel now God's purpose is to bring, who-ever will accept His message, into association with Christ by faith now, and actually and really by-and-by, in the realms of glory in which He is.
Nothing can be more simple than the figure itself. The father sends his servant into a far off land, to seek a bride for his son, with this caution, you must not bring my son into the far off land, but bring the bride to any son!
The Son of God has been in this scene, and men declared they could stand His presence no longer, and they cast Rim out and murdered Him. God did not at once avenge the murder of His Son, He said to Him, “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool,” and before the day, in which His foes are made His footstool, God sends down the Holy Ghost to proclaim salvation to all those who believe in that Son, who is at His right hand.
In our chapter, Eleazar tells how rich his master was there was no end to his wealth, and he says, he has given all that he has to his son, and I want a bride for that son.
And God has given all into the hands of Christ. All power is given unto Him. He is not careful for the present moment to assert His rights—is willing to forego them that He may win your heart and mine, and have us associated with Himself in heavenly glory.
But everything belongs to Jesus. He has bought the whole world. He bought the field for the sake of the treasure hid in it, and what is the treasure? His own people.
So also He, the heavenly merchantman, gives up all for the sake of the pearl, His Church, His Bride.
Perhaps you say, “Oh, I thought that parable meant the sinner giving up all for the sake of Christ." I ask you, What has a sinner to give up? He has nothing belonging to him but his sins. He may have God's possessions in his hands, but they are only put into his hands for him to use as a steward., (and a dishonest steward man is, too, appropriating to himself what belongs to his master), and soon to be turned out of his stewardship for wasting his master's goods, for it all belongs to Christ.
Eleazar comes down with the wonderful message that all that the rich man has he has given to his son, and now, he says, I have come down in quest of a bride for that son.
And so the Holy Ghost has been working for 1800 years to gather out a bride for Christ.
And now the Spirit of God is wanting your heart, my reader, for Christ. He would have you among that happy company who chant the Redeemer's praises by-and-by. Have you any wish to be there?
What is so wonderful in the picture is, that Rebecca turns away from scenes well known, turns her back on all her relations even, turns right round to take a long and wearisome journey, to be the bride of one she has never seen. And that is what you must do. The day must soon come when you must leave this scene, go from time into eternity, and where will you spend eternity? You say, “In heaven, I hope." Who does not hope so? But answer me this one question. If you would like to spend eternity in heaven, would you like to go there to-day? "Oh, no," you say. Why not?
“Because I am not ready." Ah, it is quite clear you have no object in heaven. Heaven is where Christ is. It is the Person who is there who makes my heaven. If you cared for Him you would say, “Yes, I should like to go, and be where Jesus is.”
When Eleazar came down and gave the message no doubt the thought entered Rebecca's mind, Can it be true? But as soon as he had gained her attention he brings out something very tangible, “An ear-ring of half a shekel's weight, and two bracelets, for her hands, of ten shekel weight of gold." And so when the Holy Ghost begins to work in the heart he gives unmistakable pledges of the truth of his message.
Rebecca might have said, "I am unfit." But he gives her what meets her need, and makes her fit—gives her raiment.
The point is, Are you willing to go? All the need is met. I know well you are unfit for God. You need what you have not got in you but God gives it to you. You have no righteousness, but Christ “is made unto us righteousness." You have all your sins upon you, but “the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin." The moment you are willing to go God provides you with everything. The grand object of God is to bring sinners to Christ. If you believe on Jesus—rest your guilty soul on the work and blood of Jesus— God will give you the sense that you are clad, and fit for His presence. You will get the raiment and the jewels, you will be clothed with Christ, the best robe, and His acceptance with God will be the measure of your acceptance. The only question is, Are you willing to accept what God presents? There is no hindrance on God's side.
Many people, in this day, in a way accept the Gospel as truth, and think it should be acted on some day, but not to-day.
Look at ver. 55, of our chapter “And her brother and her mother said let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten, after that she shall go." Mark this, my reader, how many a soul brought under the Gospel sound, convinced the Gospel is true, anxious in a way to have Christ, the devil ensnares by this, “There is plenty of time, there is no hurry.”
“A few days, at the least ten." How many put it off. And you have done so, have you not, my reader? Yet you mean to come to Christ, do you not? "Yes" I think I hear you answer.
When? "Some day," you say, you mean to be a Christian, to give your heart to the Lord, to turn your back on the world, and your face to the Lord. But when? I ask.
Do you say, “Give me a little delay—a few days, at least ten." Well, you may spend the next ten days in hell. If you died to-day you would, and the next ten, and the next ten, and ten thousand times ten, and then your eternity of hell would have only just begun.
The devil's gospel is always, salvation to-morrow, or salvation next week, God's gospel always is salvation now.
Why delay? Would you keep Christ waiting any longer? Ten days! Why the Lord may be here in ten days, and each saint hopes He may.
Nay more, He may be here to-day. You have no warrant that you will have another gospel message than the one you are reading now.
Now is your time. Now is the time of God's salvation. Ten days may seem a short time, but it may be too late for you. How long will you trifle with God, sport with eternity, risk your soul? Ten days? I would not run the risk for ten minutes longer, if I were you. I would say this moment to Him, “Lord, I am thine, I trust Thee, I must have Thee now.”
“Wilt thou go?" This is the question for you. Wilt thou commit thyself now to the working of God's blessed Spirit? He wants thee for Jesus now, and for eternity. Wilt thou go? Art thou willing? Thou halt been long enough in the world surely, long enough served Satan, surely. Dost thou not see enough attraction in Christ? Is there naught in the tale of His Cross, in the value of His blood? Is there naught to win thy heart in all that He has done to have thee with Him in glory? Rebecca comprehends the situation she is in, and she sees the future before her, sees the things of this world ready to draw her back; sees the earnest servant pleading for his master, and feels it must be now or never. She says, "I will go." Hers is the decision of faith. I have never seen him, she says in her heart, but I have heard about him.
He must be worth deciding for; I will go.
True, I have never seen him, but I shall see him. As Peter says, "Whom not having seen we love.”
Can you, my reader, say like Rebecca, “I will go? God has called me to share the glories of His Son, and now He would meet my heart by the revelation of the Person of His Son, and if you ask me, Will you go, my emphatic reply is, I will go.”
If your heart thus decides, you will soon see Him. You may have a little trouble by the way. Rebecca mounted her camel and crossed the desert. She had the desert to cross, but she was in safe keeping, and so are you. You start with the knowledge that you are saved, sealed by the Holy Ghost.
Rebecca may have had a rough journey, but do you not think Eleazar beguiled the way with stories of Isaac. As the Lord said, “When the Spirit of truth is come... He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
Do you think it a dull thing to be a Christian? It is the happiest, the brightest, the sweetest thing; sweeter each year. There may come storms, or rough places on the road, but the end is home, with Jesus. I do not think, could we follow Rebecca across the desert, that we should, find she wanted to stay on the road. No, with purpose of heart ' she wanted to go on, and this is what I would beseech you, that “with purpose of heart you would cleave to the Lord.”
Isaac loved Rebecca after she went to him, but Jesus loved us before we came to Him.
He loved us, and died for us, and made us fit for His Father's presence; and the day is soon coming when we shall be like Him, and be with Him forever; and there is one thing that completely satisfies my heart, He loves me!
I could talk to you of coming glory, of the rest that remains, but it is enough for me that He loves me. Oh, my reader, would you not like to be with Jesus in the coming day of His glory? Then turn to Him now, and in a little while you shall be with Him and like Him foi ever! If you have never been decided foi Christ before, the Lord give you, as you lay down this paper, to decide for Him at once and for evermore, saying truly in your heart “I will go." W. T. P. W.