Genesis 24:1-67
24:1 Abraham himself was reaching the culmination of his life on
Earth and there were matters he wanted to settle before moving on. Before we
get there, consider the end of this verse: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in
all things. Abraham developed and maintained a strong connection and
communication with God and that relationship afforded him blessings in all
aspects of his life: health and home, family and wisdom, protection and
guidance.
Our faith strengthens our moments of weakness and our characteristically
weak traits. We are covered on all
sides by God. God has a purpose for each individual but he does not just help
us to fulfill that which is specific to his objective, he also helps in the
details of every part of our journey here. He does not only appear in monumental
life moments; He is present without even in the mundane. God promised Abraham massive
blessings, posterity that would prosper long after he left earth, but perhaps the
most beautiful of God’s blessings are those which take place in the quiet and
solitary moments. For He is present with us in our moments of broken and
disheartened spirit and even a whispered or unspoken prayer for strength is
answered speedily and mightily.
24:2 Abraham requests that his servant (in these days, a social
system of mutual respect made up a household) make a promise to him.
24:3 Abraham requests that this man promise, in faith, that he will
ensure that Isaac enters in marriage with a women from their origin country,
rather than from this adopted region they currently live. It is important to
Abraham that Isaac marry a person of like-faith.
24:4 Therefore, Abraham’s request is that this servant return to
their origin country and return with a wife for Isaac.
24:5 Before making the promise, the servant worries that the woman
he chooses will be unwilling to follow him… thus rendering his promise to
Abraham unfulfillable. The servant has an idea: he asks Abraham if he should
bring Isaac with him.
24:6-7 Abraham rejects this proposal. God had promised Abraham the
land on which they presently lived and Abraham knew that it was crucial for
Isaac to remain there. If Isaac were absent from their home and something
happened to Abraham, they might have lost their claim to the land. Also, if
Isaac chose not to return, it would subsequently reject God’s gift of the land.
Abraham reassures his servant
that God will help him to accomplish his task of finding Isaac a wife.
24:8 In further reassurance, Abraham tells his servant that if the
woman he chooses will not follow him, he is released from his promise. Abraham
is not worried because he knows that God will be with the servant in choosing a
wife for Isaac.
24:9 Abraham perceived that his servant was worried about failing
but Abraham himself never worried. It was with kindness that Abraham gave the
servant a way out of the oath. He did not want his servant to be burdened, to
feel as if he were embarking on an impossible task.
24:10-13 The servant begins his journey to Abraham’s place of
origin. He does not make the journey alone. The servant makes sure to pray to
God for help in his journey. This is sound advice for us, for whenever we are
about to embark on a new journey in life, the request for God’s help is an
assurance of God’s help.
24:14 The servant requests help from God in identifying the woman
he is supposed to bring back to Isaac. Essential the servant wants to identify
the correct women by her kindness. His plan is to request water from a woman
and if she 1) generously offers him some and also 2) offers some for his camel,
he will know that he discovered a compassionate woman.
24:15 Before he finished his prayer, the right woman presented herself:
Rebekah. What we can learn from this is that God knows what our prayers are
before we even consciously develop them into words. The moment we begin a
prayer is the moment God begins answering it. The moment he begins creating the
circumstances which will manifest it.
24:16 Rebekah is described to be beautiful. It is also stated that
she has never had a relationship with a man before.
24:17 The servant ran to meet her: this is clearly a man raised in
Abraham’s household. Abraham was a focused and determined person. He was not lethargic
or apathetic. He got things done and without hesitation.
24:18-20 Rebekah identifies herself as compassionate: she offers a
drink of water to the servant and to his camels. Like Abraham, she is quick in
being productive.
24:21 The servant is marveling at the occurrence: his prayer was
answered in the exact manner he requested. He took a moment of silent observation
and reflection to ensure that he was making the right decision. He did not want
to act hastily. It’s a wonderful reminder to us to take a moment before making
a decision and assure that it aligns with our faithful objectives and values.
24:22-25 The servant requests to know of Rebekah’s family as
Abraham was specific requiring that a wife from Isaac come from his family.
Rebekah reveals that she is Abraham’s family indeed (a few generations removed)
and welcomes the servant to lodge in their home.
24:26-28 As Rebekah went to tell her mother of the servant and his
stay in their home, the servant begin to pray in gratitude rather than request
this time to God. After all, God had helped him complete his task perfectly.
24:29-31 Rebekah’s brother Laban greets the servant with welcome
and grace.
24:32 The servant arrives at the home, unloads his camels and ensures
that they are cared for with comfort and food. He washes his feet after the
travel, and also those of the men who were with him. The servant is concise in
fulfilling his promise to Abraham but he is not hasty. He does not rush and
neither does he delay. He takes care of what needs immediate attention (his camels)
and out of respect washes himself to prepare to make a respectful request from
this family.
24:33 The servant is invited to eat but before accepting food and
merriment from the family, he wants to make clear his intentions, his reason
for visiting.
24:34 The servant identifies himself as a man from Abraham’s
household.
24:35 He begins to familiarize Rebekah’s family with the conditions
of Abraham’s house. Abraham’s household is certainly a unique one. It has been
led and protected and even established by God from its very beginning. The
servant ensures that this family understands that Abraham is prosperous in
direct result of his faith.
24:36-38 The servant introduces the crux of his visit: Abraham and
Sarah’s son Isaac has reached the age to begin a family of his own and his
father has requested that she be found among his family.
24:39-41 The servant withholds no information. He recounts his
exact conversation with Abraham, including his doubts that it would be so easy
to convince a woman to follow him back to Isaac. He explains to Rebekah’s
family that his journey is propelled by God and also that, should they and
Rebekah decide to refuse him, there will be no harm done.
24:42-44 The servant then recounts meeting Rebekah at the well
under the specific circumstances which comprised his prayer to God. He tells
the family that he asked God to help him find the right woman and Rebekah
appeared.
24:45-47 In full disclosure, the servant even explains the
conversation he initially had with Rebekah concerned a drink of water for
himself and for the camels. This is the way of Abraham’s household: honesty and
earnest. The servant is aware that he makes a grand request: to bring their
child back with him to start a new life with… essentially strangers. He wants
them to know the full story, in truth, in order that they understand they are
respected.
24:48-49 The servant explains his joy, wonder and gratitude toward
God for answering his prayer. He also reassures the family that although the
events unfolded perfectly for him this far, they are not expected to comply if
they do not wish to. Our God does not force anyone to do anything. He
constantly gifts us the freedom of choice.
24:50-51 In ancient tradition, Rebekah’s father and brother decide
her fate: they relent in allowing her to join the servant in his return to
Abraham and Isaac. After hearing of God’s abundant blessings and the kindness of
the family requesting her, they likely decided that allowing Rebekah to go
would be the best decision for her wellbeing.
24:52 When he accomplished his mission, the servant bowed to God
and prayed. Notice that the servants faith was present throughout his journey.
He prayed before he began, he prayed as he went and he prayed as he finished.
Our relationship with God should
be just as complete. We should invite Him into every aspect of our lives, into
every decision and into each phase of those moments because He has the capacity
and the ability guide and protect us. To ensure our success.
24:53 In celebration of their agreement, the servant adorns Rebekah
and also her family with gifts. He knows that Abraham and Isaac will be grateful
for their generosity and will want to adequately express that.
24:54-56 The servant is ready to return to his home and officially
complete his task. Rebekah’s family wants to continue to the celebration. The
servant however, is insistent that he and Rebekah should leave in a timely and
productive manner.
24:57-58 Kindly and fairly, the family allows Rebekah to determine
her time of departure and she decides to leave with the servant without delay.
Although it is not written, we know that God is complete and fair in his
arrangements. It is entirely plausible that Rebekah has been informed of this
life-change. Not only informed but also reassured: Rebekah is a child of God,
meaning that blessings are offered to her and likely in the form of joining
with the family.
24:59 And so Rebekah and her nurse joined with the servant and his
men in their journey back to Abraham and Isaac.
24:60-61 And Rebekah was blessed to become a mother of great and
protected posterity. With that, they set out for home.
24:62-63 As the servant and Rebekah reach home, Isaac is meditating
in the field. Isaac is now a man, grown in patience and faith and his
meditation is representative of that. It is a beautiful moment for Rebekah, his
future wife, to arrive as he is meditating in gentle humility and love for God.
24:64-65 Upon her notice of him, the servant identifies Isaac to
Rebekah. She lifts her eyes up to him. In that moment God’s plan manifests and
Rebekah dismounts to meet her future husband.
24:66-67 Isaac had been in mourning at the departure of his mother
and with the arrival of Rebekah, he had renewed and reassured joy in life.
Isaac knew that he would love this compassionate woman and that their union
would extend the blessings of God into new generations.
