Genesis 24:11-51
No doubt the responsibility of finding a suitable bride
for Isaac had lain heavily upon Abraham’s shoulders.
Under the circumstances, it seemed like an
insurmountable problem.
He must find a godly and capable partner for his son.
This was important for more than one reason.
Not only would she inherit great riches, but, through
her husband, she would inherit the blessings and responsibilities of the
Abrahamic Covenant.
Clearly the daughters of the land, being raised in the
idolatrous and worldly homes of the Canaanites, were not to be considered.
And even his own background was
not that encouraging.
His father Terah had been an idol worshipper, and
probably that was typical of most of his relatives.
However, they were his own people, and no doubt of a better moral calibre than the nations around him.
Also there was the hope that his own testimony to God's
faithfulness had borne some fruit among them.
So after much prayer, Abraham called for his eldest
servant, a man whom he trusted completely, and put this most important task
into his hands.
Genesis 24:2-3 "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of
his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my
thigh:
3: And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the
God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters
of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife
unto my son Isaac."
The servant, being a perceptive man, immediately noticed
that Isaac’s involvement in the plan was conspicuously missing.
How could his master expect a young lady to leave her
family and country to marry a man she had never seen?
Yes, this arrangement could present a real problem.
V 5-9 "And
the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow
me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence
thou camest?
6: And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither
again.
7: The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and
from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me,
saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before
thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8: And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt
be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9: And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master,
and sware to him concerning that matter."
There are some real similarities between God’s calling
of Abraham from
Ur
of the Chaldees and His calling out of a bride for Isaac.
Both Abraham and Rebekah were required to leave their
kindred and their home behind and travel to an unknown country.
In both cases, it required a tremendous step of faith.
So when Abraham’s servant suggested the expediency of
bringing Isaac back to
Mesopotamia
, Abraham
did not just say no, and leave it at that.
He assured him that the same God that had called him to
Canaan would call Isaac's bride to
Canaan
also.
V 7 "The LORD God of heaven, which took me from
my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me,
and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall
send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from
thence."
So in the end, the success of this venture depended
wholly upon God.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In last week’s lesson, we began to see that the calling out
of Rebekah by Abraham's servant closely pictured the Holy Spirit's work today.
Yes, in this Age of Grace, the Holy Spirit is
responsible to call out a bride for Christ.
And the further we go into this chapter, the clearer
this picture becomes.
When Abraham assured his servant that God would bless
his mission, we see in his words an interesting blend of election and freewill.
V 7 "He shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my
son from thence.’
---"thou shalt take a wife"--that sounds as if Rebekah had
no choice in the matter, and yet she did.
V 8 clearly says, "And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be
clear from this my oath."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
So having received his instructions, Abraham’s servant
wasted no time in implementing his master's plan.
V 10 "And the servant took ten camels of the
camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his
hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Having traveled over 500 miles, and having followed
Abraham's directions to the letter, he still found that the job was only half
done.
And he could go no further without specific directions from
God Himself.
Yes, it was time for prayer.
V 11-14 "And
he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the
time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12: And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me
good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13: Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the
men of the city come out to draw water:
14: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let
down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and
I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I
know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master."
We can learn a lot from this man's prayer.
First of all, he did not make his request until he had
lived up to the light he already had.
He had followed his master's directions faithfully, and in
doing so had put himself in the place of blessing.
Actually this prayer would have been unnecessary and unacceptable
had it been offered at Abraham's tent door.
And even in
Haran
he took some very logical steps to further his master's objective before
turning to God for direction.
He needed to meet the young ladies who lived there, so
he "made his camels to kneel down
without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time
that women go out to draw water."
So, to the best of his ability, he made sure he was in
the right place at the right time before he asked God's assistance.
Now that made a lot of sense, didn't it?
And, I don't think there is anything unspiritual about
being practical.
Secondly, he was very specific, and again very practical
in his prayer: "And let it come to pass, that the damsel to
whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she
shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she
that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac."
This was not just a request for a sign, although it certainly
was that, but it was also a very practical test of the young lady’s character.
And also a request for a drink of water was about the
only acceptable way that a strange man could make conversation with a young
lady.
As a matter of fact, our Lord used this same technique
to open up a conversation with a Samaritan woman many years later.
His situation was even more delicate than the one
Abraham’s servant found himself in, for not only was Jesus a stranger, but He
was a despised Jew as well.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
V 15-16 "And
it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out,
who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother,
with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16: And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any
man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came
up."
V 15 tells us that "before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out."
Isaiah 65:23 says--"before
they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." And it was a good thing for the servant that
the Lord answered quickly.
No doubt it would be common courtesy to give a thirsty
traveller a drink of water, so the poor man would have been obliged to drink a
lot of water had not the Lord answered his prayer quickly!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And also there was a very practical reason why Abraham’s
servant didn't have to drink a gallon of water.
Rebekah was the first one to arrive because that was the
way she did things.
I doubt that the young ladies of that day enjoyed this
job very much.
Trudging all the way to the city well and carrying back a
heavy jar of water couldn't have been too appealing.
It was a job that they would tend to put off as long as
they could.
But that wasn't Rebekah’s style.
She was the first one to the well because she knew how to shoulder responsibility.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In V 15, the Holy Spirit lets the reader in on a little secret,
which, as yet, Abraham's servant knew nothing about.
Rebekah was a near relative.
However, at this point, the servant had no idea who this
young lady was.
As far as he knew, she might not meet Abraham's
requirement at all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And this was not the kind of the well that we might
envision.
It wasn't a deep hole that you lowered a bucket into on
the end of a rope.
No, it was an Eastern-style well with a series of steps
leading down to a subterranean pool.
We see that indicated in V 16: "And she went down to the well, and filled
her pitcher, and came up."
V 17-20 "And
the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little
water of thy pitcher.
18: And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her
pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19: And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water
for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20: And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran
again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels."
Probably most of the young women would have been willing
to given him a cup of water. It would be
a common courtesy.
But not many would have been willing to run up and down
those steps in order to supply his camels.
And certainly with 10 camels to manage, Abraham’s
servant must have had other servants with him.
So most women would have said to themselves, It's not my job. Let his servants water the camels.
I'll loan them my
jar, but they can do the work.
But that's not what Rebekah did.
She said, "I
will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking."
She didn't have to do that, but she looked at the tired
servants and the thirsty camels, and she said "I will do it.”
Obviously this young lady was not lazy.
Anyone who would take on such a task would have to be industrious,
kind to animals, and willing to go the second mile.
And it was no easy job either.
I'm told that a thirsty camel will drink 5 gallons of
water, so 10 camels would have run Rebekah off her feet!
How many steps did she have to climb? How many pitchers of water did she have to
carry to supply 10 camels?
We don't really know, but we can be sure that beauty
wasn't her only virtue.
The book of Ephesians describes God as the One "that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Certainly this was true of Rebekah.
Besides being beautiful, it was obvious that she was
also very healthy.
And she was not a shirker, and she had a kind and
generous spirit.
Yes, this was quite a girl!
But, in spite of this seeming answer to prayer, Abraham’s
servant did not jump to conclusions.
V 21 says, "And
the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit (or to learn) whether the LORD had made his journey
prosperous or not."
There was no doubt that she would make someone a very
good wife, but was she the right one for Isaac?
Did she satisfy Abraham’s requirement about being one of
his kindred?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
But kindred or not, she certainly deserved a reward for
her labours, and Abraham's servant was very generous with her.
V 22 "And it
came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden
earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels
weight of gold." And then he
asked the all-important question.
V 23-25 "And
said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24: And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of
Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25: She said moreover unto him, We have both
straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
Well, the last piece of the puzzle had been added.
Although Rebekah had not given him her name, I wouldn't
be surprised if he had already guessed it.
After all, it hadn't been too many years since someone,
perhaps from a passing caravan, had showed up at Abraham's door and updated him
concerning his brother Nahor’s family.
Out of the eight sons that Milcah had born to Nahor, only
one girl was mentioned.
She was the daughter of Milcah’s youngest son, Bethuel,
and her name was Rebekah.
We find that in Genesis 22:23 "And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor,
Abraham's brother."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Actually, Rebekah was Isaac's second cousin.
Because Isaac had arrived very late in Abraham's life,
his first cousins would old enough to be his aunts, but Rebekah, the
granddaughter of Nahor, would probably be just the right age to be Isaac’s wife.
So, having heard that this young lady was Abraham's
kindred, the servant was convinced that indeed God had answered his prayer.
V 26-27 "And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27: And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my
master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his
truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's
brethren."
Although he had generously thanked Rebekah for her labour,
his real thanksgiving was directed toward God.
And if we look closely at his prayer, we will see that
it illustrates the proper steps in determining God's will.
In V 27, the servant says, "I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's
brethren."
He had prayed earnestly that the Lord would lead him
"to the house of my master's
brethren."
But he had not prayed that prayer at Abraham's door.
No, he had followed his master's directions, which
involved a 500 mile journey, before he prayed for further direction.
And that I believe is the significance of his words---"I being in the way, the LORD led me."
Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD."
But, you know, sometimes we don't follow His orders.
Sometimes our steps are ordered by our own desires.
So we must follow what is clearly revealed in the Word
of God, and then the Lord will give us more light.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
No doubt the servant had prayed fervently, and probably
audibly, so Rebekah couldn't help hearing Abraham's name mentioned.
Why, that is the
uncle I have heard so much about! He was
the one that left home many years ago at the express command of the God of all
the earth.
V 28 "And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these
things."
And I don't think her story was about all the work she
had done. No, it was all about Abraham,
and, of course, Abraham's servant.
Rebekah had run home by herself, leaving the servant
standing by the well.
That was probably the servant’s desire, for he was much
too courteous to just show up at
someone’s door without a special invitation.
And that invitation was not long in coming.
V 29-31 "And
Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man,
unto the well.
30: And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his
sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus
spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the
camels at the well.
31: And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest
thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room
for the camels."
Laban was as excited as Rebekah!
However, I think the basis of his enthusiasm was not the
same as his sister's.
When "he saw
the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands" he smelled money.
And certainly he showed his true colours in later years
when Isaac's son Jacob came to his door.
We'll talk about that young man a little more as time
goes on.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
However, despite Laban's personal motives, his greeting
did seem to indicate an knowledge of Abraham's God--"Come in, thou blessed of the LORD."
However, although Rebekah was a true believer, her
brother was one of those that Jesus later called tares among the wheat.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
V 32 "And
the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and
provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that
were with him."
Every hospitality was extended to Laban's guests.
But the servant, even after so long a journey, was not
willing to take his ease just yet.
V 33 "And
there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have
told mine errand. And he said, Speak on."
Apparently the servant's motto was Business before pleasure.
So, in spite of the fact that he and his men were tired
and hungry, Abraham's business must come first.
Yes, his chief business was to act in the interests of
Abraham's son.
And that is what the Holy Spirit is doing in this present
Age of Grace.
He makes it His chief business to seek out and then
provide for the bride of Christ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they told Abraham’s servant to "Speak on," I'm sure they had no
idea what they were letting themselves in for.
So as the household servants tried to keep the food warm,
and everyone's stomachs began to growl, this servant talked on and on.
But the man was no idle talker. Every word he said was important, and
calculated to produce a specific result.
V 34-41 "And
he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35: And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great:
and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants,
and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36: And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old:
and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37: And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to
my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38: But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and
take a wife unto my son.
39: And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow
me.
40: And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his
angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of
my kindred, and of my father's house:
41: Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my
kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath."
Like the Holy Spirit, this faithful servant needed to woo
and to win a bride for an absentee bridegroom.
This was no small task, and the responsibility lay
heavily upon his shoulders.
First of all, he casually mentioned that-- "the LORD hath blessed my master
greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and
silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.”
He didn't attribute Abraham's great wealth to his
business ability, but rather gave full credit to God.
And then he made it clear that "Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my
master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath."
So it was quite apparent from the servant’s remarks that
Rebekah would not be expected to marry an old man, nor would she be marrying a
poor man.
Isaac had been born when his mother was very old, and
would probably be just the right age for Rebekah.
And although it was obvious that he was a young man and
a rich man, the servant gave no description of his physical appearance.
Was he handsome, or rather plain? Rebekah had no way of knowing.
In the Gospels, the Holy Spirit tells us what Jesus said
and what He did, but He doesn't say anything about Jesus’ appearance.
In Isaiah 53:2, we are told that "he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him."
But, of course, that is only how man sees Him.
If you want to see Christ through the eyes of His bride,
you need only to turn to The Song Of Solomon 5:10-13: "My
beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
11: His head is as the most fine gold, his
locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
12: His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed
with milk, and fitly set.
13: His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like
lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yes, the servant's testimony assured Rebekah that Isaac
was rich.
The golden earring and the two bracelets were tangible
proof of that, but for everything else, she must view him with the eye of
faith.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Well, the food was now getting overcooked, but by this
time, no one seemed to mind.
You see, by now, the servant’s story had become very
personal.
Why, he was talking about their family, and their
daughter Rebekah!
V 42-48 "And
I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now
thou do prosper my way which I go;
43: Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass,
that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I
pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44: And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy
camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my
master's son.
45: And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came
forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and
drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46: And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and
said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made
the camels drink also.
47: And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter
art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel,
Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face,
and the bracelets upon her hands.
48: And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the
LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my
master's brother's daughter unto his son."
At the beginning, the servant’s account had been about
Abraham's plans, but now it was evident that it was God that had directed every
step of his journey.
Yes, it was God's plan, and it included their daughter.
And it was time for a decision.
V 49 "And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and
if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."
Nothing more was to be added.
They must make their decision now, a decision that would
be based exclusively on the servant's testimony.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
V 50-51 "Then
Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing
proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51: Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy
master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken."
Well, as far as the servant was concerned, it was
mission accomplished.
All he had to do now was distribute his master's gifts.
But we will have to wait until next week to read about
that joyous event, and what would follow it.
Yes, things will move quickly in our next lesson, for
Abraham’s servant was a man of action!
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