I Will Surely Bless You: Providence and Provision a. The unfolding plan. As Abraham has been living his life traveling about from Canaan to Egypt to Gerar and Beersheba, his brother Nahor, who he left behind decades ago, has been living his life as well. The plan of God has been unfolding for Nahor. We are not told by whom, but someone tells Abraham about what has been going on in his brother’s life. Abraham learns that his brother is well and that he and Milcah have had children. Nahor also had a concubine that bore other children to him. All this was happening, as we will see, according to the providence of God. J.C. Ryle: “There is no such thing as chance, luck or accident in the Christian journey through this world. All is arranged and appointed by God. And all things are working together for the believer’s good!” b. God’s working. If you don’t know the book of Genesis then you might be thinking, “What is this doing here? Why is this mentioned?” This is here to set up a story that is to come. The parenthetical note that comes after the list of sons is the key. Verse 23 starts, “Bethuel fathered Rebekah.” All this time that Abraham has been sojourning and going through these tests and trials, God has been working to bring about Rebekah, Abraham’s future daughter-in-law, the mother to the heir of the promise. Not only did God prepare and provide a substitute for Isaac but he also had prepared a wife for him. A woman whom they had just now learned even existed.