All In The Family
God is faithful when we are obedient.
Genesis(44) (Part of the Origins(43) series)
by Stuart Johns(47) on June 15, 2025 (Sunday Morning(58))
Faithfulness(5), Love(5), Obedience(9), Trust(7)
Origins
All In The Family
(Genesis 22:20-24)
INTRODUCTION
“My parents, Salvation Army officers, [#1 – Young people, what organization did the parents serve with? (Salvation Army)] were out on a miserable December night for an open-air meeting. Not another person was around, but my dad said that ‘God didn't need people to be out listening--he only needed us to be faithful.’ So they played a few carols and Dad gave a short message before everyone retreated inside.
A few weeks later, Dad was ringing the bell at a mall when a lady asked him if he had been on that street corner two weeks earlier. She explained: ‘My father had been in a coma for six months. We were dreading the holidays since Dad was not really with us. But then we heard the carols, and to our amazement, my father sat up and said, ‘That's God's music.’ And with that he died.’ What an encouraging proof of God's faithfulness to those who are faithful.”
Source: Pauline Hylton, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 6.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/september/3989.html]
BODY
ME
God’s provision for a house
Judy and I came to VA a couple of times before we moved here to search for a house
If you’ve ever had to do that, you understand how tasking that can be
We were grateful for the real estate agent that was recommended to us
He took time to set up and show us multiple houses on our trips down here (it was long days)
Just when we thought we weren’t going to find a house that checked off the boxes, God provided the exact house we were looking for
God’s provision for a teaching job
We didn’t know if Judy was going to work after we moved to VA, but it only took a day or two of being here that she realized she wanted to work
We were grateful for the many job opportunities presented to Judy
The Kindergarten teacher position at Grace Christian School was just the right fit for her
God provided that position at just the right time
WE
How have we seen God’s faithfulness when we have been obedient?
Take a moment to think about that for yourself
When has God asked you to obediently follow Him?
Did you listen?
What was the result? How did you experience His faithfulness?
Abraham had obediently followed the Lord’s direction in sacrificing his only son Isaac. We saw last week that God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac. In the final five verses of chapter 22, we will see today the genealogy of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. God knew just what Isaac would need in the future and He was already preparing the way for him. Through this short transitional section, we will see that . . .
BIG IDEA – God is faithful when we are obedient.
Let’s pray
GOD (Genesis 22:20-24)
News from home (v. 20a)
Some time later
These are the exact same words that were used in Gen. 22:1
It simply lets us know that time has passed
It was an indefinite amount of time – we do not know how much time had passed
Abraham was told
In verse 1 we know that God was the one who spoke to Abraham
Here in verse 20 we do not know who told Abraham about his brother
It was probable that one of Nahor’s children came from the East to visit Abraham and shared the news about his siblings
It is all speculation, because God’s Word does not identify who told Abraham
What is shared next was Nahor’s genealogy
Nahor’s sons (vv. 20b-24)
Notes about the genealogy
Why is Nahor’s genealogy shared here?
“[This] is the start of the narrative’s epilogue (22:20-25:11). With the question of Abraham’s faithfulness and the identity of the heir settled (22:1-19), the epilogue transitions Abraham’s story to the Jacob narrative (25:19-35:29) by establishing the union of Isaac and Rebekah who parent Jacob and his brother (25:21-26). . . . Reporting the productivity of the Nahor clan after the promise of blessing for ‘all nations’ (v. 18) implies that the Nahor history is part of the beginning fulfillment; . . .” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Volume 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 306]
“. . . it prepares the way for the history of the marriage of the heir of the promise.” [Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, The Pentateuch, 162]
The genealogy is important for the narrative that follows in Genesis 24
Nahor’s genealogy included twelve sons by two women
Through his wife, Milcah (mil-kaw’)
Milcah was Nahor’s niece
She was the daughter of Haran, Nahor’s brother
She was the sister of Lot [#2 – Young people, who was Milcah’s brother? (Lot)]
[Show the family tree]
The intermarrying of family was not considered taboo in the ancient Near East
The mention of Milcah also bearing children, perhaps gives us insight into the conversation that Abraham had with this unidentified individual
They were catching up on each other’s lives
Abraham had shared about Sarah giving birth to Isaac
He probably shared about Hagar having Ishmael
This prompted the individual to inform Abraham that Nahor’s wife, Milcah had also born sons to his brother
Who were these sons? [show more of the family tree]
Sons by Milcah (mil-kaw’)
It began with a statement about Milcah also being a mother and bearing sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor (opens the inclusio)
Uz (oots) “wooded”
Firstborn
Jeremiah 25:20 and Lamentations 4:21 refer to a city named Uz located in Arabia [Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 118]
Buz (booz) “contempt”
“Places or tribes named Buz and Hazo were probably located in the mountainous region of northern Arabia, evidences by the fact that in Jer. 25:23 Buz is mentioned along with Dedan and Tema, which are Arabian tribes or territories.” [Hamilton, 118]
Kemuel (kem-oo-ale’) “raised of God”
Father of Aram
Kesed (keh’-sed) “increase”
“Chesed may represent the Chaldeans of Lower Mesopotamia.” [Hamilton, 118]
Hazo (khaz-o’) “vision”
Pildash (pil-dawsh’) “flame of fire” [#3 – Young people, what does Pildash’s name mean? (flame of fire)]
Jidlaph (yid-lawf’) “weeping”
Bethuel (beth-oo-ale’) “God destroys” or “man of God” or “dweller in God”
Became the father of Rebekah
“. . . noting ‘Rebekah’ in the genealogy (v. 23) refers to the future matriarch by whom blessing will occur for Abraham’s family and, ultimately, all nations.” [Mathews, 306-307]
The inclusio is completed/closed with a nearly identical statement about Milcah bearing eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor
Then the visitor told Abraham about the sons born to Nahor’s concubine
Through his concubine, Reumah (reh-oo-maw’)
“A concubine was a secondary wife, whose position was not considered disreputable in the East.” [Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, Accordance electronic ed. (Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2006), paragraph 1765.]
Sons of Reumah [show the rest of the family tree]
Tebah (teh’-bakh/teh’-vac) “a slaughter”
Gaham (gah’-kham) “burning”
“Gaham appears on a sixth-century inscription from Arad as one of eight persons from whom grain is either distributed to or collected from.” [Hamilton, 118]
Tahash (takh’-ash) “dugong”
Maacah (mah-ak-aw’) “oppression”
“A place named Maacah is located between Gilead on the south, Bashan on the east, and Mt. Hermon to the north, that is, in southern Syria.” [Hamilton, 118] [#4 – Young people, what country would Maacah be located in? (Syria)]
Not much else is known about the other two sons born to Reumah
What can we learn from the passage that applies to our lives?
Application
PRINCIPLE #1 – “The Lord is faithful to all who love and obey Him from the heart.” (Boice)
We saw last week that Abraham obeyed the Lord by willingly offering his son as a sacrifice to the Lord
The Lord provided a substitute for Isaac, so that Abraham’s line would continue through this promised son
In this passage we see that the Lord is faithfully preparing the way for Abraham’s line to continue through Isaac and Rebekah
As followers/disciples of Jesus Christ and children of God, we can count on His faithfulness also
Read Hebrews 11:1-40
Abraham and many others obeyed God by faith and while none of them received what had been promised, they knew that God would faithfully complete what He had promised
What are you trusting the Lord to faithfully complete?
Are you loving and obeying Him from the heart?
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Love and obey the Lord from my heart and trust Him to faithfully complete His plan in my life.
PRINCIPLE #2 – “God provides for our needs before we even recognize them.” (Wenham)
God knew Abraham and Isaac’s need
The Lord already knew that Isaac would need a wife
The Lord also knew that Abraham would require his chief servant to swear an oath not to get a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but rather from his own relatives back east
We see in this text that Rebekah is already named as one of Abraham’s relatives
The stage is set for Genesis 24
God knows your every need
He knows about your financial needs
He knows about your emotional needs
He knows about your physical needs
He knows about your spiritual needs
“If you let your need drive you to God, God will meet your deepest need.” [Craig Groeschel, Fight, Study Guide, 48]
He knows about the needs you will have in the future
God is ready and willing to meet your needs when you seek His face
Read Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus reminds us that in our greatest need, our first response should be to seek His kingdom and His righteousness
Too often we seek the kingdom of this world and our own strength and wisdom
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and trust Him to provide for my every need.
YOU
Are you ready to love and obey the Lord from your heart and trust Him to faithfully complete His plan in your life?
Are you ready to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and trust Him to provide for your every need?
WE
CONCLUSION
“German pastor Martin Rinkart served in the walled town of Eilenburg during the horrors of the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648. [#5 – Young people, how long did the Thirty Years War last? (30 years)] Eilenburg became an overcrowded refuge for the surrounding area. The fugitives suffered from epidemic and famine. At the beginning of 1637, the year of the Great Pestilence, there were four ministers in Eilenburg. But one abandoned his post for healthier areas and could not be persuaded to return. Pastor Rinkart officiated at the funerals of the other two. As the only pastor left, he often conducted services for as many as 40 to 50 persons a day—some 4,480 in all. In May of that year, his own wife died. By the end of the year, the refugees had to be buried in trenches without services.
Yet living in a world dominated by death, Pastor Rinkart wrote the following prayer for his children to offer to the Lord:
Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom this world rejoices.
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath led us on our way,
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.”
Source: Harry Genet, "The Unlikely Thanker," Men of Integrity (3-3-00)
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2009/november/3110909.html]
