Friday 23 November 2012

Background

The lengthy speech in this passage (verses 34-39) tells usnothing new because it has all been said before. To our eye itappears to be lengthy, but in the ancient world they would havethought very differently.

To be able to speak competently, with authority and intelligiblywas to people a sign of good education and training. Listeners paidattention not only to what was being said, but to the way it wasbeing spoken. The purpose of this long speech is to impressRebekah's relatives with God's visible guidance, without passingover the material benefits, and so to force them to the onlypossible conclusion.

To Ponder

• How does this passage affect you?

• Do you find it hard to listen to many words?

• How does God guide you?