Wednesday 1 June 2005

Good or Bad?

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee good or bad.”


The time has come for Eliezer to come to Rebekah's family about taking her back to Isaac. He properly goes to the family first instead of her. After he lays out exactly what has happened he asks them for permission to take her back.


Let us put ourselves in their shoes. A total stranger has come to take Rebekah away forever. He claims to be the servant of a distant relative, but there is no “proof,” only the testimony of a servant who explains what has happened. Eliezer's argument must have been persuasive for they were convinced that this was indeed from the Lord.


They reply of Laban and Bethuel is telling. “This is God's doing, who are we to judge if it is bad or good?”


What a wonderful, trusting perspective! To often we base goodness on our human perspective of it. If something is the will of God we cannot judge if it is bad or good. God is good and He always does what is good for His people. Rebekah's family surely did not want to see her leave, that is clear later in the chapter. However, they had enough faith to know that man is no position to judge if something that God brought into their lives was bad or good.


Father, give us the heart of Laban and Bethuel today. May we never have the audacity to try and decide if what you do is good or bad.

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