Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 24:10-27.
“10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14 now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.” 26 Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.” Genesis 24:10-27.
—————————
It would have been good enough for the LORD to grant success to the servant to find wife for Isaac from Abraham’s country as Abraham generally requested.
But, the LORD guided the servant to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s specific relatives.
It would have been good enough for the LORD to grant the prayer request of the servant after a reasonable search.
But, the LORD brought Rebekah to the servant before the servant was even done praying.
It would have been good enough for the LORD to bring a plain country girl to the servant.
But, the LORD brought Rebekah who was very beautiful and a virgin.
It would have been good enough for the LORD to cause Rebekah to exactly say what the servant requested: “Drink, and I will water your camels also”.
But, the LORD caused Rebekah to say more and to show respect to the servant and to offer to draw water for the camels until they finished drinking. “She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” (Emphasis added.)
It would have been good enough for the LORD to cause Rebekah to simply fulfill her duty to do what she said she would do.
But, the LORD caused Rebekah to do so “quickly” which showed the servant that Rebekah was enthusiastic and favored the servant.
It would have been good enough for the LORD to cause Rebekah to say: “Yes.” to the servant’s question: “Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?”
But, the LORD caused Rebekah to again be enthusiastic and welcoming: “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.”
And such is the lovingkindness of God to us. It is abundant.
Numbers 14:18
‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’
Psalm 5:7
But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
Psalm 37:11
But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Psalm 65:10
You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth.
Psalm 78:15
He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.
Psalm 86:5
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
Psalm 106:7
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Psalm 130:7
O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
Psalm 132:15
“I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.
Psalm 145:7
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
Lamentations 3:32
For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness.
Jonah 4:2
He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Acts 4:33
And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
2 Corinthians 1:5
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
1 Timothy 1:14
and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
2 Peter 1:11
for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 