Audio Messages:
Pastor Wade Burleson

---

The Cross of Christ
My Birth Is No Accident

Genesis78.mp3 (13.6 MB)

---

Genesis 22:20-24 (KJV)

20. And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
21. Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22. And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

In Genesis 22:23 there is a remarkable four word sentence: "And Bethuel begat Rebekah." These four words are very unusual because it is not the usual pattern for recording a Jewish genealogy. But I think there are some very specific reasons for these four words.

1. God is emphasizing the equality of a woman.
   It's out of place for the normal pattern of a Jewish genealogy. We are being told of the lineage of Nahor, Abraham's brother, whose wife Milcah bore him eight sons. The last of these sons, Bethuel, bears many children, but only Rebekah is mentioned.
   1. Jesus fully accepted women as his disciples and they accompanied him in his travels with the male disciples (Luke 8;1-3). These women also supported the mission of Jesus with their own resources. In the first century it was unheard of for a Jewish rabbi to have female followers.
   2. Women were prominent in the church at Philippi, beginning with Lydia's home. In Philippians 4:3 Paul asked for two sisters -- who must have had no small spiritual influence in the body -- to be at peace with one another. He called Euodias and Syntyche "co- workers" and "co-strugglers" in the gospel.
   3. The Lord chose females to be the first witnesses and proclaimers of his Resurrection, when a woman's testimony was disallowed as evidence in first century courts. (John 20:1-2, 11-18; Luke 24:1-11, 22-24; Mark 16:1-8).
   4. Philip the evangelist had four virgin daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9). We wouldn't be wrong in assuming there were many other sisters with this gift.
   5. Even in the Old Testament we have an emphasis on women.
2. God is emphasizing the superiority of His grace.
   There is a similar pattern between Ishmael and Isaac. We read of Ishmael in Genesis 21. The parallelism between his story and Isaac's is striking. Both have the same father. Both almost die. Both are saved form death by God. Ishmael obtains a wife (21:21). God, by His grace, obtains a wife for Isaac (Chapter 24). Isaac's wife is a "fair" lady, from the family of Abraham (not an Egyptian), and is obtained for Isaac by God. It's as if God says, "I will never allow sin to ever amount to more than my grace."
3. God is emphasizing the fulfillment of individual purpose.
   "I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born" (Isaiah 44:2). The Psalmist says, "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me" (Psalm 138:8). Because God made you for a reason, he also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. He planned the days of your life in advance, choosing the time of your birth and death. Every day was recorded in your Book! (Psalm 139:16). The purposes of God are not so much what we do (Rebekah filled water troughs), but are all about who we know. We are human beings who exist for relationship. For this reason those people whom God has brought into you path become your purpose. It is not an accident. God left nothing to chance. He planned your life with purpose.

Emmanuel Home
Return to Message Overview Page