The Lord Jesus judges the church at Smyrna that suffers persecution (2:8-11). 

POOR AND PERSECUTED, BUT RICH

Philippe R. Sterling
 
Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? Have you ever been put at a disadvantage because of your faith? Have others ever hated or shunned you merely because you were a believer?
 
The teachings of Revelation 2:8-11 and the example of Smyrna can help us cope. They alert us to the possibility of being persecuted in various ways for our faith, and encourage us to remain faithful to Christ. Smyrna means “bitter,” an appropriate description for the experience of believers who lived there. They experienced severe persecution and the hardships that accompany it.

Destination  

We don’t know a whole lot about Smyrna, but we know a few things. Smyrna was a major city, about forty miles north of Ephesus but not as big. It was a bustling seaport and a center of wealth and science. It still exists today as a major city of Turkey. The name of it is Izmir, the Turkish equivalent of Smyrna. One third of its community is Christian. The church has had a continuous faithful witness for God while many others of the early churches have long lost their testimony.
 
Smyrna was very cozy with Rome. Many Roman citizens lived there. Whereas Ephesus was the center of worship for the local goddess, Smyrna was a center of emperor worship. In AD 25, a temple was built there to Emperor Tiberius.  Thus, emperor worship became a matter of great pride and loyalty to the people of Smyrna.  In John’s time, Emperor Domitian had declared himself a god and required all citizens to perform a sacrifice to him, saying, “Caesar is Lord.” This was mostly a political commitment in religious trappings, but most believers saw it as idolatry. Once you performed the sacrifice, you would get a certificate. Without that certificate, you were a subject of discrimination and possibly punishment.
 
There was also a substantial Jewish community in Smyrna. Although Jews and Christians coexisted peaceably in some areas, this was not the case in Smyrna. Well into the second century, the Jews were strong opponents of the Smyrna church. They repeatedly informed against Christians and incited the local governor against them.
 
The city of Smyrna received its name from its commerce in the fragrant herb myrrh. In the providence of God, the name came to symbolize the experience of the church when it entered severe persecution. The word “myrrh” has to do with embalming, with suffering, with death. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used myrrh for embalming the body of Jesus (John 19:39). It was one of the gifts the wise men gave Jesus at His birth (Matthew 2:11).
 
Portrayal of Jesus
 
Jesus, who’s dictating the letter, describes Himself as the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. Why might this be important to the believers there?
 
Christ was around before the Emperor and would be around long afterward. He had conquered death. Here was the promise of resurrection for the threatened believers. As Jesus experienced death and rose in triumph over it, so will the martyrs, a fact guaranteed by His eternal nature.

Praise for the Church
 
Jesus says He knows about the Smyrna situation. He knew of their affliction, their poverty, and the slander against them. He states that though materially poor, they were spiritually rich.
 
If Smyrna was such a wealthy city, why were the believers poor? Likely there was economic persecution. Believers lost their jobs, their businesses, their lands because of their loyalty to Christ. The economic and social life of the city was organized around the religious and imperial cults. When a believer refused to participate in some of their observance, he was marked off. His faith cut him off from the job that he held and from social life.
 
Who were “those who say they are Jews and are not”? There was a pocket of Jewish troublemakers causing problems for the church. By birth and religion these may have been Jews, but this was only an outward sense. Inwardly, they were not believing and did not have a circumcised heart (see Rom. 2:28-29). They were not of the faith of Abraham.
 
They are rather the synagogue of Satan. This is not a synagogue building, of course, but the people who gathered there. They assembled and planned their assault on the church, putting themselves at the disposal of the devil to carry out his will. They were circulating many false ideas of believers in Christ. They accused them of cannibalism – eating flesh and drinking blood at the Lord’s Supper, incest – love between “brothers and sisters”, and treason – meeting in secret to promote the kingdom of Christ.
 
In what ways are believers slandered today? Believers are accused of hate speech for upholding biblical values.  Believers are accused of being anti-science for holding creation views.

Criticism of the Church  

There are no words of reproof for this church.  There is no call to repentance.  Their trials kept them from compromise with evil. The purifying fires of affliction caused their lamp of testimony to burn all the more brilliantly.

Exhortation
 
Persecution was the watchword of this church.  They had suffered often at the hands of the Romans and would suffer even more in the years to come.  Their devotion to Christ was such that they refused to burn incense at Caesar’s bust.  They paid dearly for their faithfulness to the Savior. 
 
How should believers react to persecution? Jesus says, “Stop being afraid, be faithful.”
 
One of the most famous martyrdoms happened in this city of Smyrna in 168. The pastor there at the time was Polycarp. On a festival day, when the crowds were excitable, a cry went out from the mob about Polycarp and they brought him before the Roman governor.
 
Polycarp was given the choice of saying, Caesar is Lord” or “Jesus is Lord.” He refused to say that Caesar was Lord. The governor urged him, “Swear! I will set you free. Reproach Christ.” Polycarp answered with this famous phrase, “I have served Him for eighty-six years and He has always done me good. How, then, can I blaspheme my Lord and my Savior.” The proconsul said, “I will burn you with fire if you will not change.” Polycarp said, “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little while is extinguished. But you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why do you wait? Do what you will?” Soon after, the people gathered the wood and burned Polycarp.
 
What is the “ten days” of tribulation all about? It could be a literal prediction of some ten-day reign of terror. Or it may have symbolic meaning of ten periods of persecution from Nero to Diocletian. Most likely, however, it may simply stand for “a short time.”
 
As was so often the case, the blood of the martyrs was the “seed of the church.”  The church at Smyrna grew into one of the most influential churches of its time because its leaders and believers were willing to lay down their lives for Christ. 

Penalty or Reward
 
Jesus promises a crown of life to those who are faithful to the point of death. Why would this appeal to those in Smyrna? A crown of laurel was given to those who won races. The believers at Smyrna would have won the race of life. Also, their persecutor, Emperor Domitian, wore a crown. In the life to come, the believers will reign. The crown is a special reward that is over and above the eternal life that all believers have. The New Testament cites five crowns for overcomers:

• the incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:14-27)
• the crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19-20)
• the crown of life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10)
• the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8)
• the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:2-4)

 
General Admonition  

The command to hear is identical with the one to the church at Ephesus. The Lord’s announcement of imprisonment and martyrdom for some of the believers in Smyrna has some applicability to the other churches also.

Promise to Overcomers  
​
What is the “second death”? The second death is judgment at the great white throne, the lake of fire, separation from God for eternity (Rev. 20:14).
 
The one who overcomes will in no way be hurt by the second death. Jesus employs a figure of speech called litotes. Litotes is an assertion that understates the reality being referenced. Jesus is making an understatement. He is saying that the faithful believer will be more than amply repaid for whatever sacrifice he may make for Christ’s sake, and that his eternal experience will be so far beyond the reach of the second death that it cannot be imagined.
 
Why would this encourage the believers at Smyrna? They would be facing deadly persecution, and this puts it in perspective. The first death is not the end. There is another life to come. The glories of the life to come contrast with the dark shadows of persecution and death.
 
Conclusion – Poor and Persecuted, But Rich! – The War on Faith
 
WWJS to the church experiencing persecution:  “Don’t be intimidated by opposition.  Remain faithful.”
 
The Lord assures the Smyrnan believers that He knows about their faithful service despite great persecution and poverty. They are actually very rich in His sight, even though they have lost everything in this life for His sake, because they are earning eternal rewards.
 
Persecutors in our culture may not arrest you or execute you, but they may mock you, lie about you, or make you lose your job. There is now a name for that: “the cancel culture.” Our culture supposedly tolerates any belief, but biblical faith consistently applied is shocking and unacceptable.
 
How should we respond when we hear of believers in other countries being persecuted for their faith? Pray; help in any way possible; learn from them; push political leaders to change things.
 
Let us ask God for strength when our faith puts us at a disadvantage in today’s world. Also, pray for those believers around the world who are suffering for their faith.

WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY?
The Letters to the Seven Churches Introduction and Letter to Ephesus
Revelation 2:1–3:22

Philippe R. Sterling
 
The Lord of the Church judges the seven churches of Asia which represent the possible state of churches of any time (2:1–3:22). 

What do you look for in a church? Many churches believe they must have a dynamic, young, good looking pastor with a hot wife who raises beautiful children, has a professional singing voice, and conducts a weekly Bible class for the women of the church. Other churches think they will attract the crowds with a lavish sanctuary, a first rate orchestra, or a contemporary worship band. None of those things are necessarily bad, but are they the important things?
 
What does Jesus look for in a church? The Lord who “builds” the church has spoken concerning what He wants and doesn’t want in His churches. The theme of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 is “Jesus speaks to His churches.”
 
Chapter one of the Book of Revelation ended with Christ as the Lord of the church moving in the midst of the seven golden lampstands which represented the seven churches in the first-century Roman province called Asia, the western part of the present-day country of Turkey.  Jesus told John to write to the seven churches about how they should respond to the prophecy of His coming.
 
The seven churches were seven literal churches that existed in Asia Minor in the first century A.D. These churches were real. People attended services in them and listened to the messages. Although the letters were written in the first century, they apply to our contemporary churches and have personal value to every believer. These letters have not been assigned to the national archives to gather dust. They are as current as today’s calendar, and they offer a comprehensive evaluation for churches today. Here we have WWJS – What Would Jesus Say.
 
Ephesus was the largest city in the area and probably the largest church. Ephesus served as a “mother” church to the other six which were connected by Roman highways. It would be like sending letters today to churches in Dallas, Irving, Coppell, Lewisville, Carrollton, The Colony, Frisco, and Plano.
 
Those churches in the first-century represent the variety of spiritual conditions that have characterized local churches throughout the centuries since Christ’s first coming to earth.  In other words, the messages to the churches are commentaries on existing conditions of churches up to and even including churches of the twenty-first century.
 
Since the churches of John’s time, like the churches of the present had areas that needed improvement, John at Jesus’ command devotes the next two chapters of Revelation (chapters 2–3) to challenging the seven churches to attend to their areas of need, especially in light of the imminence of His return. 
 
In essence, Jesus reminded the churches that judgment begins with the household of God (1 Peter 4:17).  Before He begins to judge the world, He calls the churches to repentance.  Churches 1 and 7 are in grave danger; churches 2 and 6 are in excellent shape, churches 3, 4, and 5 are middling, neither very good nor very bad.
 
Before considering each of the seven letters that follows, we should note some of their features as a group. They are similar in that they are all brief, and each contains a unique description of the Lord Jesus, mostly drawn from 1:12-20, that is appropriate to that church.  Moreover each contains a word of commendation (except the letter to Laodicea) and each carries some rebuke for the congregation (except those to Smyrna and Philadelphia).  Furthermore each exhorts its readers to specific action, and each holds out a promise as an incentive for faithful obedience.  These promises in some cases present interpretative difficulties. Each is future reward oriented and is correlated with the last two chapters of the book (21—22).  Furthermore, the promises are echoes of Genesis 2—3: what was lost originally by Adam in Eden is more than regained in Christ.
 
One of the crucial issues is the identity of the overcomers.  Some commentators propose that the overcomers represent all believers on the basis of 1 John 5:4-5. However, we are dealing with two distinctly different contexts.  In 1 John 5, John is speaking of people who through a single instance of faith in Christ overcome the blindness intrinsic to the present world system so hostile to the gospel.  Understanding the message of life and believing it is truly a significant victory.  In that sense they have “overcome the world.”  But the victory that Jesus is looking for from His people in Revelation 2-3 is subsequent to their faith in Christ for eternal life and results in eternal rewards such as partaking of the tree of life (2:7), ruling with Christ over the nations of the earth (2:26; 3:21), and the confession of the overcomer’s name before the Father and His angels (3:5) to name a few.  This kind of victory (i.e., overcoming) is not by faith alone as in 1 John 5, but involves demanding endeavors such as keeping Christ’s works “until the end” (2:26).  We are talking about two different types of victory. The overcomers here in chapters 2-3 are those people who not only believe in Christ for eternal life, but walk in godliness (see 2 Pet 1:5-11) and remain faithful to Him until the end of their lives (see 2:26; Matthew 25:19-21; 2 Timothy 2:12).
 
The Lord Jesus judges the church at Ephesus that left its first love (2:1-7). 
​
THE LOVE CONNECTION

Destination
 
The church at Ephesus was one of the outstanding churches of the apostolic era.  Paul, Timothy, and John all served this church in the first century.  Aquila and Priscilla were also involved at Ephesus, as was Apollos.  This was a privileged church.
 
Ephesus was known as the “metropolis of Asia.” It was self-governing. There was no permanent Roman military stationed there. It was a large and prosperous city. Even today, its ruins are the most extensive in the region. It had a population of more than 250,000 people. It also had a large Jewish population.
 
The largest structure at Ephesus was the Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple stood on a platform measuring over 100,000 square feet. That’s twice the size of a football field. The temple was supported by 100 marble columns 55 feet in height. Inside the temple stood the statue of the goddess Diana, Artemis in Greek.

Portrayal of Jesus  

In each letter the exalted Christ presents Himself in a way selected for the most part from the description in chapter one which is relevant to the condition of the church addressed. In this instance He emphasizes His watchful relationship to the churches and their leaders in two ways. He holds fast the seven stars or messengers, and He is walking in the midst of the churches.
 
It was the assignment of the High Priest to go into the Holy Place and there to trim and light and care for the seven golden lampstands. In the great picture of the Lord Jesus here in the Revelation, He is dressed in His kingly and priestly robes, and He is walking in the midst of these seven golden lampstands. As He walks among His lampstands, He pours in sacred oil, He takes out impurities, He trims the wick and He makes the light to shine.
 
Jesus walks among His churches and sees everything that affects their flame. He sends messages that congratulate, criticize, and counsel.

Praise for the Church  

The Lord commends them for their labor, patience, faithfulness, and endurance (verses 2-3).  They were excelling in hard work. They had stood true to the faith despite their pagan surroundings.  The constant lure of temptation was all around them, yet they remained pure.  They rejected false apostles and hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans – false teachers who claimed the actions of the body didn’t affect your spirit, so go out and sin up a storm. They did not tolerate false doctrine and false practices. Yet as time wore on, they had begun to lose their first priority.

Criticism of the Church  

Sounds like a great church, doesn’t it? But Jesus saw past all the pious façade. The church at Ephesus had heart trouble.  Jesus said, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (verse 4).  What a shock to be told that you don’t love Christ as you once did.  These Ephesians (and the spiritual Ephesians of our time) had stopped loving Christ and each other the way they once had done. 
 
We hear the same about marriage.  “I just don’t love him anymore,” the wife complains to a counselor.  What happened to the girl whose heart beat faster when she heard his car outside? Where is the man who used to bring flowers and tell her how lucky he was to have found her? The “Ephesian” marriages have lost the thrill of first love.
 
“Have you ever been in love with God? How can we avoid ‘leaving our first love’?”

Exhortation  

Once the diagnosis is made, the prescription can be written.  Here are three steps to renewing love. 
 
First, remember (literally “keep on remembering”) what it was like.  Relive the thrill of romance. When I see the tears of joy in the eyes of men, women, and children who have believed in Jesus for eternal life, when I perform a marriage and see the faces of that couple as they look at each other, I want to touch them and say, “Don’t lose your first love.” 
 
Second, repent and turn your life around.  Take steps to make that relationship right again. 
 
Third, repeat – “do the things you did at first” – those acts of first love, even if you don’t feel like it. Do those acts of first love and the feelings will follow! Restore the original fellowship that was diminished by neglect. Reengage in prayer, Bible reading and reflection, obedient service, and worship.
 
We are to preserve continually the warm and intimate love for Jesus that we first had when we learned of His self-sacrifice for us, the sacrifice which made our salvation possible. It’s partly for that purpose that we often participate in the Lord’s Supper.
 
“Watch your motivation,” says Jesus. “Renew often your love for Me.”

Penalty or Reward  

Jesus warns the church at Ephesus that it would lose its light and testimony in the community if the first love was not revived.  He might even close the church’s door (which He eventually did).

General Admonition
 
Jesus includes in every one of the letters to the churches the same admonition: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The use of the plural “the churches” indicates the universal aspect of the invitation. By means of this call the message to a single congregation is extended to all the churches of Asia and through them, as representatives, to the church throughout the world. The ordinary title “the Spirit” is substituted for the visional symbol of “the seven Spirits.” The exalted Son of Man gives His message through the Spirit.
 
Hear and respond to the message sent to the church at Ephesus. In our busy lives we may allow our love relationship with the Lord to grow weak.  The church at Ephesus has an important message for us: the Lord is to have priority in our lives. 

Promise to Overcomers
 
To the one who listens and overcomes, Jesus promises that he will eat of the Tree of Life which is in the Paradise of God. This reward is reminiscent of the original paradise in Genesis 1–2 where Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from any tree in the Garden, including the tree of life. At the end of the Book of Revelation the tree of life is described as bearing twelve kinds of fruit, one for each month, with leaves that bring healing to the nations (22:2). Not everyone has the right to eat from the tree of life (22:14). A believer can forfeit the right to eat from the tree by adding to or taking away from the words of Revelation (22:19). Aside from this we know little about the tree of life. Its vagueness makes this reward even more tantalizing and motivating.
 
Conclusion
 
WWJS to the church that left its first love:  “Watch your motivation.  Renew your love.”

A DRAMA OF PROVIDENCE
A Wife for Isaac
Genesis 24

Philippe R. Sterling
 
A philosopher was asked to explain the meaning of history.  He took a length of string and with a flick of his finger turned it into an intricate design.  With another flick he let the string unravel.  He seemed to imply that there is no grand design to history but history is simply a random unraveling of names and dates and places.  He seemed to say that your life is but a meaningless twist in a string of history.
 
The Bible looks at history and presents a different story, a story with meaning, a story under God’s control and direction.  The Bible advances the doctrine of God’s providence.
 
The doctrine of providence deals with God’s government of the created world and God’s direction of human affairs.  God’s direction of human affairs extends to both the public realm and the personal realm, to international affairs and interpersonal affairs, to the relationship between North Korea and the United States and to the relationship between Philippe and Brenda.  Our focus today is going to be on God’s direction in the personal realm of our lives.
 
There are two sides to the personal aspect of providence: the activity of God in the events of life and the responsibility of men and women in the events of life.  Genesis 24 illustrates these two sides of providence.
 
Genesis 24 presents a drama of God’s providence, a story of God’s activity in the lives of His faithful people to make their way straight and successful.  From it we can learn how to live our lives in such a way that at its end we can testify “God led me all the way.”
 
Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in Genesis.  It is about Abraham finding a wife for his son Isaac through his servant.  It is about Rebekah’s willingness to leave her family and travel across a great desert to share her life with a man she had never seen before.  The emphasis of the chapter is on the providential activity of God in the circumstances of His faithful servants.  It is a story of God’s guidance and human faithfulness.  There are five parts to the story:

1. The commission given by Abraham to his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac among his own people.
2. The course of the servant’s journey across the desert to the city of Nahor and his meeting with Rebekah at the well.
3. The communication of the servant’s mission and the family’s positive response to his request.
4. The contract that finalizes the betrothal.
5. The completion of the mission in the marriage of Isaac to Rebekah.

 
Review of the Drama

I.   The Commission: Abraham entrust to his servant the responsibility of finding a wife for Isaac requiring that
     he swears to fulfill his task (24:1-9).  

     A.  Abraham is old having greatly experienced the blessing of God (1).
     B.  Abraham charges his servant to go to his relatives and find a wife for Isaac (2-8).
     C.  Abraham requires the servant to take an oath (9).
 
II.  The Course: After the servant arrives at his destination, he prays for a sign of God’s guidance and then praises
     God for sending Rebekah as the sign (24:10-27).  

     A.  The servant arrives at the city of Nahor and prays that God would be faithful to Abraham by clearly guiding
          him to Isaac’s future wife (10-14).
     B.  God sends Rebekah to the well as the answer to the prayer where she displays kindness and reveals
          kinship (15-25).
     C.  The servant acknowledges God’s faithfulness in guiding him to Rebekah (26-27).  

III. The Communication: After Laban receives the servant, he recounts his pilgrimage and resolves to settle
     the betrothal (24:28-49).  

     A.  Laban extends hospitality to the servant and his party (28-32).
     B.  The servant recounts to Laban his commission from Abraham and his experience of God’s guidance (33-48).
     C.  The servant seeks to settle the betrothal (49).  

IV. The Contract: Laban finalizes the betrothal of Rebekah and sends them off with a blessing (24:50-59).
 
     A.  After Laban agrees to the marriage, the servant praises God (50-54a).
     B. The servant requests that he return with Rebekah immediately but Laban stalls and consults with Rebekah
          who agrees to go (54b-58).
     C.  The family sends Rebekah away with a blessing (59-60).  

V.  The Completion: Rebekah returns with the servant and becomes the wife of Isaac (24:60-67).  

     A.  Rebekah returns with the servant (61-65).
     B.  The servant recounts to Isaac everything that transpired (66).
     C.  Isaac weds Rebekah and is comforted by her (67).
 
Summary: Abraham, trusting in God’s loyal love to provide a wife for his son Isaac, entrusts the responsibility of the betrothal to his servant, who loyally carries out his task under the providential guidance of God.
 
Reflection on the Drama
 
Two things interplay in the outworking of God’s design for our lives: God’s providential control and our proven character.

I.  The Proven Character of the Actors: Believers have the responsibility of acting in faith.
 
Let us consider a few of the ways the servant and Rebekah demonstrate their character.

     A.  The Character of the Servant: His attitude and his actions illustrate the qualities of faithful service.  

          1.  He acts with obedient faith.  

He was at hand ready to work.  Informed of his task, he committed himself to the task.  He promptly set out on his important errand.

          2.  He acts with prayerful faith.  

He bathes the expedition in prayer.  He fervently seeks God’s direction and blessing on every step of the journey.
 
One part of the servant’s prayer is important.  It involves a test upon which the story turns.  This was not a haphazard test, but a test appropriate to the task at hand.  He had thought out his prayer carefully.

          3.  He acts with grateful faith.  

Upon seeing God’s hand in the events, the servant immediately worships and praises.

          4.  He acts with focused faith.  

The servant refuses to be distracted from his mission.  He tactfully pursues the interests of Abraham until he experiences success.

     B.  The Character of Rebekah: Her attitude and actions illustrate the qualities of faithful response.  

          1.  She acts with kindness.  

She offers the visiting stranger a drink and then offers to draw water for his camels.  A camel drinks more than twenty gallons of water, especially after a long day’s journey in hot lands.  Here were ten camels!  She makes repeated trips from the well to the watering trough.  She does this willingly and energetically for a stranger.

          2.  She acts with decisiveness.  

When Laban asks Rebekah “Will you go with this man?” she replies “I will go.”  If this was of God, she was prepared to go immediately.  This puts her in in a similar spiritual line as Abraham.
 
When God indicates new directions for us, we should go.  If we delay we might accomplish little.  Ten days will turn into ten months and then ten years, and the time for service might pass.
 
This is a story that intertwines human activity with divine activity.  Let us now look at God’s activity.

II.  The Providential Care of the Director: Believers may be confident that God will lead them in their faithful actions.  

The story emphasizes the providential working of God in the circumstances of His faithful servants.  God providentially ensures the fulfillment of His promise by guiding Abraham’s servant in acquiring a wife for Isaac.

     A.  The story shows God’s direction of events from behind the scenes.  

God is the hidden director of all the events in the story.  The servant’s words, “The LORD has guided me” (verses 27 and 48) capture God’s role.
 
God is behind the scenes, directing the acts.  The story records no direct word from God, no divine miracle.  It does not even restate the Abrahamic covenant.  It is unique in Genesis, yet realistic for our experience today.  It emphasizes the role of faith, expressed in personal prayer and perception of circumstantial evidences of God’s working, because God is not visibly active.

     B.  The story reveals God’s plan to bless mankind.  

The story reveals more than God’s providence.  It is also part of the development of His plan to bless mankind.  Potential hurdles are overcome.  The servant could have failed.  Laban might have refused.  Rebekah might have been unwilling.  God steered through all the hazards and put all the parts together.  The marriage of the son takes place.  The line of the seed that leads to Jesus continues.  God directed in the continuance of the seed and the Abrahamic covenant.
 
We marvel at God’s providence in this event.  We should not let the fact of our human responsibility escape our notice and our practice.
 
III. The Prescribed Course for the Audience: We who act in faith can be fully assured of God’s leading.  

     A.  Let us so live that we can testify “God led me all the way.”  

Would you like to be confident that you are in the will of God?  Would you like to be assured of the fact that God is guiding your life for your good and His glory?  If you put the principles that emerge from this passage into your practice then you can be sure.

          1.  Receive instruction.  

Abraham instructed his servant on what he required of him.  The Bible instructs us on what God requires of us.  You need to inform yourselves of God’s instructions.
 
What are some explicit examples of God’s will for us?  Our sexual purity (1 Thess. 4:3).  Our thankful attitude (1 Thess. 5:18).  Our silencing of critics by doing right (1 Peter 2:15).

          2.  Faithfully follow the instructions.
 
The servant is faithful in following the instructions of Abraham.  We are to be faithful in following the instructions of the Bible.  The Bible does not give us a road map for our lives but it does give us a compass.  We need to follow the direction to which the compass points.

          3.  Pray.  

The servant asked God to guide him in the choice of a wife for Isaac.  We can ask God to guide us in our choices.
 
As the servant prayed, he kept on working.  Prayer is no substitute for action.  We are to pray and work at the same time.  Prayer does not make work unnecessary but makes it effective.

         4.  Discern and test circumstances.  

God answered the prayer of the servant and led him.  God will guide us.  Now, the will of God cannot be divined (forecasted), but it can be discerned afterwards, after we have prayerfully and obediently discharged our duty.  We can look back on our circumstances and testify “God has led me all the way.”
 
It may be legitimate to look for evidence of God’s leading in the circumstances.  Note that the sign which the servant requested was practical.  After the occurrence of the sign, the servant did not give himself blindly to first impression but tested the circumstances.

          5.  Praise God.  

The servant praised God for His leading.  The praise is an important part of the story.  It is repeated in the passage.  We are to praise God for His work in our lives.  We are not to receive the benefits of God without offering praise in return.  Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

          6.  Seek the affirmation of those involved.  

Everyone recognized the leading of God in the matter and granted their permission.  God’s leading in our lives will be recognized and affirmed by those who are sensitive to His ways.

          7.  Complete your task.  

The servant completed his mission when Isaac and Rebekah were united in marriage.  God calls us to be faithful in completing our mission.  Let us so live that we may say as Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

     B.  Let us so live that God can declare “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  

Paul looked forward to the crown that the Lord will award him on the day of His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).  Let us so live that we will gain Christ’s praise and reward.
 
Some years ago there was a play acted on two stages.  On a big stage players played their parts.  Over to one side there was a little stage where one actor played the role of the playwright, scribbling the lines while the players played.  Whenever the actors missed a line or messed up a step, he would make the proper adjustments.  In the second act he leaped across the stage and played a part, rearranged the players, added new lines, and held the play together.  Back and forth he went, writing, directing, and entering until at last he brought the play to a climactic curtain call.
 
That’s the picture!  God writing the script, directing the actors, and entering on the human stage to play a part.  God will bring the story to His great conclusion.  However, there are two sides to providence: Divine guidance and human faithfulness.
 
If we faithfully and prayerfully do the revealed will of God then we can be assured of His guidance.  God leads those who prayerfully and obediently do His will.