Blessed by the Lord

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BLESSED BY THE LORD

Gen 24:28-38

28 The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels." 32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say." "Then tell us," [Laban] said. 34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 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. 36 My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37 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, 38 but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.'

NIV

First, we find it interesting that Rebekah runs to her mother's household. It is possible that Bethuel, the girl's father, was dead because her brothers conducted the business. Laban formally invites Abraham's servant to their home. Laban calls him blessed by the LORD as he extends hospitality to the servant and his men. This is the first time we learn that other menservants who traveled with Abraham's servant. Once he was in the family home, he explained his purpose: to fulfill his duty to his master, Abraham. Although Laban called him blessed by the LORD, the servant only spoke of how much the LORD had blessed his master with so much wealth, and that it had been passed on to his son; everything had been given to Isaac. He said this deliberately to let Laban know his sister would be the wife of a very wealthy man. However, our lesson is not about Isaac's inheritance or his father giving him everything he owned. This is also foreshadowing the Father giving his Son everything he owns. Before leaving them, Jesus told his disciples that he had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Although the Son was obedient to the Father and always wanted to do the Father's will, the Father gave the Son all authority. Jesus told the seventy-two he had sent out that he gave them the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome the power of the enemy. However, they were not to rejoice in that authority but to rejoice because their names were written down in heaven. This is also our greatest joy, to know our names are written down in heaven. However, we also have the authority in the name of Jesus over the power of the enemy, the one Jesus saw fall like lightning from heaven. Satan is a fallen power, but he has power over anyone who rejects Jesus. Like Bob Dylan's song, "You gotta serve somebody, either you're gonna serve the Lord, or you're gonna serve the devil, but you gotta serve somebody." Because we have decided to serve the Lord, we are assured of two truths. First, our names are written down in heaven, and second, we have authority over the enemy of our souls. Simply by resisting him, he must flee from us. We are blessed by the Lord.