The Journey
Genesis 24:12 (NASB 1995)
Abraham was a man whom God, according to His sovereign grace, chose to establish His covenant people. Possessing nothing but the promises of God, he left behind everything familiar, trusting the Lord wherever He led. His faith was demonstrated by his willingness to offer up his beloved son Isaac in obedience to God’s command, believing that God was able even to raise him from the dead.
The Lord declared to him, “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
In time, according to God’s abundant blessing, Abraham became a man of great wealth. When he was advanced in years, he summoned the servant who had charge over all that he possessed and made him swear before the Lord, “You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites… but you shall go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Abraham entrusted this faithful servant with an extraordinary responsibility. Many commentators believe this servant was Eliezer of Damascus, though the text does not explicitly identify him. Through God’s providence, this servant would become the instrument by which the covenant line continued—the very line through which the promised Messiah would one day come into the world.
Let us pause and marvel at the faithfulness of this humble servant. Though God’s sovereign purposes never rested upon man, the Lord graciously chose to accomplish His will through the obedience of one who feared Him.
With Abraham’s command before him, a heart filled with reverent fear, and confidence in the Lord, the servant began a journey of nearly five hundred miles across difficult terrain. He did not treat his calling lightly. Instead, he learned to lean continually upon God in prayer. He did not turn to the right or to the left but remained fixed upon the task entrusted to him by his master.
Having witnessed Abraham’s faith for many years, he undoubtedly reflected upon the goodness and faithfulness of God throughout his journey. As he arrived near the homeland of Abraham’s family in Paddan-aram, he lifted his voice to heaven, “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.”
The God Who sovereignly governs every event of history heard the prayer of His servant. In His perfect providence, He directed Rebekah to the well, prospered the servant’s mission, and brought her safely back to become Isaac’s wife. In time, Isaac and Rebekah had Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. From Jacob came the twelve tribes of Israel, and through that covenant people, according to the flesh, came Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah and Savior of the world.
Those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb have likewise been commissioned by their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, to journey through this present evil age. We are pilgrims traveling through a world that is passing away, a world that one day will be consumed under the righteous judgment of God.
The Lord’s indignation will be poured out upon every nation and every individual who persists in rebellion against His beloved Son. Though God sent His Son into the world to accomplish redemption and to proclaim forgiveness to all who repent and believe, many have loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.
Isaiah, speaking of God’s coming righteous judgment upon the unbelieving world, declared, “The mountains will be drenched with their blood, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll.” Centuries later, the apostle John described that same dreadful day, writing, “They said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.’” On that great day, the Father will publicly vindicate His Son in perfect righteousness. Those who have rejected Christ will bear the just punishment for their sins, while those who have fled to Him by faith will rejoice in His mercy forever.
Therefore, beloved children of the Most High, fix your hope upon the things above. Like Abraham’s servant, we too are traveling toward the fulfillment of our Master’s promises. As the Puritan John Bunyan portrayed so vividly, we must pass through “Vanity Fair”—a place where self-indulgence is celebrated, truth is despised, and the blood of Christ is treated as a common thing. It is a place where immorality is applauded and darkness is called light.
Stand firm in the grace of God. Keep your eyes fixed upon Christ. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Through every trial, the Lord is refining His people like gold in the furnace, preparing them for the glory that is to come. So gird yourself, valiant warrior of Christ. You also have been given a sure promise, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”