Sun.’s Devo - Isaac Gets a Wife -

Read: Genesis -23:1-24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 3:1-6 Sarah died when Isaac was 28 years old. Abraham bought his first and only piece of land in the promised land to bury her in. He purchased Kiriath-arba for 400 pieces of silver. This later became Hebron, a city of refuge. This piece of land included the place where Abraham had offered up sacrifices to the Lord. Abraham knew he was getting old and wanted to find a wife for Isaac before he died. He didn’t want him to marry a Canaanite woman so he sent his servant back to his homeland to find a wife from his relatives. He made him make an oath not to let him move there. If the woman refused to come with him, he would be free of his oath. The servant took 10 camels loaded down with gifts and traveled to Aramnaharaim. When he arrived he went straight to the town well to water his camels. He prayed that God would give him success and let the woman who offered to to not only give him a drink but to water his camels. Along came Rebekah who did both of those things. When the servant found out that she was Abraham’s great niece, he praised the Lord for hearing his prayer. She was very beautiful and just the right age to be married. He gave her two bracelets and a gold ring for her nose and asked her if her father had room to put his entourage up for the night. Rebekah’s brother, Laban ran out to meet the servant when he saw the gold jewelry he had given Rebekah. Laban was an opportunist. He brought them home and treated them like royalty. The servant refused to eat until he had told them his mission. Once Rebekah’s father, Bethuel and Laban her brother heard his story they agreed that Rebekah should go with him. In Matthew, a man with leprosy came to Jesus to be healed. He was a Jew so Jesus healed him and told him to go straight to the priest and take the offering required by Moses for those who had been healed of leprosy. These things he would need to have were two live birds, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. No one had ever been healed of leprosy except Naaman, the Syrian. So, this ceremony found in Leviticus 14 had never been done. Who knows if this man knew what Jesus was talking about or if the priest would have know how to do it. Jesus left the mountain and went to Capernaum where a Roman officer had a servant who had become paralyzed and was in great pain. Jesus agreed to come and heal him. The officer stopped him and told him that he was not worthy that he should come to his house but all he had to do was to speak the word and he would be healed. Jesus marveled at this man’s understanding of faith. He told the crowd that this Roman was a picture of the future influx of Gentiles that would come into the kingdom while the Jews who the kingdom had been prepared for would miss out. Jesus sent the centurion home where he found his servant had been healed the very hour Jesus said he would be. Jesus continued to Peter’s house where his mother-in-law was in bed sick with a high fever. Jesus touched her and she became well. Many brought people who were demon-possessed and they were delivered. Lord, thank you that your power has not diminished in the least. Thank you for all the people you still heal and are going to heal of not only diseases but their souls.