This is a true story packed with drama, love and matchmaking. We hope you enjoy the ride with us! No wonder the servant of Abraham (what a wonderful character) experienced exciting awe and amazement at being a first hand witness of God working all things together for Rebekah and Isaac. Seeing a plan come together is good. Seeing God's magnificent plan of salvation fall into place is mind-blowing!
Genesis 24, starting at Verse 10:
The servant sets off on a THOUSAND MILE journey with his master’s 10 camels, etc. It takes 2 months and finally he arrives. Would any of these strangers know the household of Nahor?
The servant is a praying man and WHILE he asks, God answers - Rebekah is already on her way to the well!! (Verse 15)
(Some maths on watering the camels) One can takes 25 gallons. She can take 3 gallons on her head a time. That means 8 trips to the well and 8 trips back to give water to ONE camel, The servant has TEN camels. Rebekah does 80 trips!
The servant is amazed: these willing hands, this beautiful face. Could this be Isaac’s wife?? Could this be the girl??
Is she from Abraham’s family???
The servant has to ask the BIG QUESTION: Verse 23: “Please tell me whose daughter you are……”
She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” MUSIC IN THE SERVANT’S EARS!! THIS IS THE WOMAN! God puts His answer to the prayer right in front of his eyes.
And what does the servant do? He worships and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.”
And Rebekah? Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things.
Laban comes on the scene. "As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. His greedy eyes grew as big as sources.
Fast forward to...........the scene at home. There's an agreement to let Rebekah go.
Next morning........the mother hesitates! She wasn’t ready to give up Rebekah so soon.
The servant wisely refuses a postponement of their departure and he says: “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”
THEY SAID:
57 “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
REBEKAH’S ANSWER:
“I will go.”
I WILL GO!
With those 4 words she left behind her family, her friends, the life known to her, all she knew in the world.
Yes, I will go. Never to see family and friends and home again.
The parting and the blessing - little did they know how this blessing would be fulfilled!
"So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”
Rebekah would become the great, great, great (unknown number) grandmother of the Lord Jesus Christ......and every child of God is part of that fulfilment.
Two months and 1,000 miles later………..Was Rebekah wondering: “Did I do the right thing? Is he kind, is he handsome?"
Then in the distance…..
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.”
So she took her veil and covered herself.
The servant runs ahead and tells Isaac the whole story in detail. Joy is everywhere and love is in the air!
"Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. "
(ON GUIDANCE Are we willing to will what God wills? If we insist on our own way - He may give it to us, to our peril.)
