Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (Gen. 24-10-14)
Right away, we can note that the servant is never named. We don’t know if this is Abraham’s old and faithful servant, Eliezer (Gen 15:2), or another servant. It doesn’t matter that we know, GOD knows. In the same way, the Holy Spirit’s job is not to draw attention to Himself, but to Christ. Then, also note that the servant took with him TEN camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. The Holy Spirit brings us wonderful gifts from the Father - loads of them! When the servant gets to his destination, he says a very specific prayer. He is looking for someone with a servant’s heart, who will respond immediately. Don’t be afraid to pray specific prayers! I believe God put this specific prayer in the servant’s heart so there would be no doubt about God’s choice for Isaac.
From the time Molly and Emmy were young, I prayed specifically, and told them over and over, that I wanted them to find husbands who would meet two criteria: (1) ones who loved God first and foremost and who would take them by the hand to serve God together, and (2) men who would “cherish” them. I used that specific word over and over, because I feel so strongly that women need to marry men who truly value them above all other women. When Molly met her husband, Kevin, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she was a senior and he was a freshman. They met through a Christian fraternity, with which she was a little sister, and they spent that first year together as mere friends and prayer partners. By the end of her senior year, it was clear that Kevin was very attached to her (he cried at her graduation). They went on their first date right after graduation, and while they were at dinner, Kevin wrote to her on a napkin, “I cherish you!” BINGO!! It is my greatest joy to see my girls married to such godly men, who truly do cherish them as wives and mommies.
Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. (vs. 15-16)
The servant received the answer to his prayer before he had finished praying!! This same thing happened to Daniel in Daniel 9:23. Before the words leave our mouths, before the desires even take form in our hearts, God is at work answering. Again, I believe that is because God is the One who initiates this relationship and He wants us to know when the answer is His. And, surely, Rebekah was the answer to this servant’s prayer. Not only did she come from the right family, she offered to go above and beyond the servant’s direct request for a drink, volunteering to also take care of TEN camels! That would be MANY trips to the well with a heavy jar! The servant gives her a gold nose ring and gold bracelets as thanks for her generosity of spirit. Then Rebekah even offers hospitality at her father’s home (verse 25)! No wonder the servant breaks out in worship:
Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” (vs. 26-27)
Remembering that Rebekah is a type of the Bride of Christ, what do we learn from her response to the servant? When the Holy Spirit asks something of us, do we respond so quickly? Do we go above and beyond or just meet the bare minimum? Are we people of hospitality and generosity? Certainly, we learn from the servant that we need to pray specifically and expect God to answer. Are you doing that for your children and grandchildren? Especially as it concerns a future mate? There will be no more important decision they make, so we must begin praying early for their mates. It’s never too early to start those prayers. :)
Tomorrow we’ll look at the response of Rebekah to the servant’s next offer and get our first glimpse of her brother, Laban, who comes back into the picture later with Jacob.
Off to school - our first day of state testing!
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