250 - A Prosperous Journey

250 - A Prosperous Journey

To start off with I'd like to show you a key in How to Reading the Bible to get more scope and understanding of what the Scriptures have to tell us in lessons for living.

Hebrews 11:32 – 34 “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: ³³ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Paul in his writings of God's Word didn't have time to mention everything that was written before. But we do. We have our Bibles and we could look at these records and gain more scope, more understanding and see how they could apply to our lives today.

God expects us as Bible students to compare spiritual things with spiritual things. To compare Scriptures of like topics, biblical concepts from other parts of the Bible. It is searching the Scriptures to see what the scriptures say. Using all the keys on how the Bible interprets itself. In the verse, in the context, where it's been used before, and all the other keys that we have learned.

Another one that I'd like to show you that is more direct to our teaching session today is in Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4:1 – 5 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? ² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. ³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. ⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

A few years ago I did a biblical study teaching series on “The Example of Abraham’s Believing.” Where I investigated the records about Abraham from the Old Testament in the Book of Genesis. The last teaching that I did was on “The Prosperous Journey.' That's the one I'm going to redo today. I've deepened my scope of understanding. I'm going to share those with you today. If anyone wanted to look in more detail in The Example of Abraham's Believing” there's a class on my website on this topic. With that brief background let's get into the teaching.

3 John :2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

When I share this verse someone always says “it doesn't always mean money.” And it doesn't. But it includes money. It includes everything you need to be prosperous, to be successful. That's the idea of the word.

Genesis 24:1 “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.”

In Genesis chapter 24 is the first four usages of the word 'prosperous'. Meaning blessed in all things.

Genesis 24:2 – 7 “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: ³ And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: ⁴ But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. ⁵ And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? ⁶ And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. ⁷ The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

You won't be alone you'll have an angel going before you. Thinking about angels. We have something much better than an angel. We have the holy spirit. Christ within us. God is with us all the time. I know of the records of angels helping people in the Old Testament. Also in our administration angels help people. Peter in prison, Paul on the ship. We still have something greater than an angel with us sometimes. We have spirit in us all the time.

Genesis 24:8 – 10 “And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. ⁹ And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter. ¹⁰ And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.”

Abraham was very prosperous. We can read about it in the earlier records in the Book of Genesis. The servant was like the CEO of Abraham Incorporated.

Genesis 24:11- 14 “ And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.”

The servant was praying and asking for what he wanted to see.
Expecting to see a favorable outcome.

Genesis 24:15 & 16 “And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. ¹⁶ And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.”

She was a very pretty girl. This reminds me of Sarah, Abraham's wife. She was still very beautiful in her older years. There must have been beautiful pretty girls in that family. We've seen that at times. When certain family they seem to have a lot of pretty girls in the family.

Genesis 24:17 – 20 “And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. ¹⁸ And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. ¹⁹ And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. ²⁰ And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.”

She was willing to serve and bless people. Camels drink a lot of water.

Genesis 24:21 “And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.”

This is the first usage of the word 'prosperous' in the Bible. Here prosperous means a favorable outcome. How can we get favorable outcomes in our lives? Prayer, asking God. Knowing we have Christ in us.

Genesis 24:22 – 25 “And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; ²³ And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? ²⁴ And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. ²⁵ She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.”

Spiritually minded people look for ways to bless others. Having godliness is an attitude that as we bless and help others God is favoring us for our labor of love.

Genesis 24:26 -27 “And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. ²⁷ And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.”

Giving God the glory and thanks to God. God is in us and for us.

Genesis 24:28 – 32 “And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things. ²⁹ And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ 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. ³² And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.”

They washed the servant's feet and the men that were with him their feet. This reminded me of Jesus Christ when Simon did not wash his feet or gave him any customary appreciation.

Genesis 24:33 – 40 “And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. ³⁴ And he said, I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵ And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. ³⁶ And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. ³⁷ And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: ³⁸ But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. ³⁹ And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. ⁴⁰ And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:”

This is the second usage of the word prosper meaning a favorable outcome or the desired outcome.

Genesis 24:41 – 44 “Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath. ⁴² And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: ⁴³ Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; ⁴⁴ And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son.”

We should trust God much better than a man with an angel. We have the holy spirit and the manifestations. We can pray, ask God and God can show us what to do and where to go. God favors us. What the servant was saying is, “It looks like God's working to me.” Look at the confession and the mindset.

Genesis 24:45 – 48 “And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. ⁴⁶ And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. ⁴⁷ And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. ⁴⁸ And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.”

It reminds me of the song, “The Lord Knows The Way Through The Wilderness.” All we need to do is to follow.

Genesis 24:49 – 51 “And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.”

They saw God working and they could not deny it.

Genesis 24:52 & 53 “And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. ⁵³ And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.”

The servant gave them nice things. It was customary in the lands and times of the Bible to give your host gifts. But these were very nice gifts showing their appreciation.

Genesis 24:54 & 55 “And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. ⁵⁵ 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.”

They wanted to change their plans the next morning. But the servant said unto them. “If God is working let's not change anything. God knows the way. God has a better way.” Who knows what would have happened during those 10 days. God does. Let's go.

Genesis 24:56 – 61 “And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. ⁵⁷ And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. ⁵⁸ And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. ⁵⁹ And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. ⁶¹ And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.”

God has prospered us. Why change a thing. God has made it so that we have a favorable and desired outcome. This is the fourth usage of the word 'prosper.

Genesis 24:62 & 63 “And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. ⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.”

Isaac was a spiritual man also. He meditated thinking about the things of God. Reminds me of Psalm.

Psalm 1:2 & 3 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. ³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Genesis 24:64 – 67 “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. ⁶⁵ For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. ⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. ⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”

What are the lessons for us? We can have favorable outcomes in our lives as we pray, ask God for help, and allow God to show us the way. By following His guidance we can have the desired outcomes that we want in our lives as we trust in God. In every category of our lives, in our jobs, in our relationships, in our desires, in our witnessing, and in our fellowships. We need to think about these things.

Until the next time we get together, may God bless you abundantly. 

Agape,

Steve Jaynes

The Announcer: Maurice Coleman 

Intro and Outro Music: Pamela LoVerme Janovyak, Her version of "Be Thou My Vision" from her CD Behold

But you don't have to wait till the next show to continue to learn and grow. Go to stevejaynes.com where Steve has plenty to give in resources to help you continue to learn today.

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