Abraham’s Servant Finds a Wife for Isaac
June 6, 2024
Commentary
This chapter reveals Abraham’s dedication to finding a godly mate for his son Isaac. Abraham’s eldest servant was selected for the task (v. 2). This may have been Eleazar (Gen. 15:2). Abraham is now approximately 140 years old, and his son Isaac is 40. It is evident that the old patriarch was very concerned about who his son would marry. The daughters of Canaan were a worldly, wicked crowd with no knowledge of the true and living God (v. 3). When the servant questioned as to how he would know when he had found the right person, he was assured that the Lord would guide him (vv. 5-8). The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham and swore to him (v. 9).
Charged with his great commission, the servant arose and went to Mesopotamia, about 450 miles from where Abraham was living in Hebron (v. 10). He designed a specific test that the woman who would draw water for his camels would be the one for Isaac (vv. 11-14). To draw 50 gallons of water from the well and empty into the drinking pails of 10 camels in the heat of the day was no small task. Each camel would drink about 5 gallons of water. Such a woman would make a very good wife. Soon Rebekah came along and all unknown to her, she met the conditions of the servant (vv. 15-21). Immediately the servant rewarded her for her willing spirit with a generous gift (v.22). Then he discovered that she was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother (vv. 23-25). The servant bowed his head and thanked the God of his master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward his master Abraham (v. 26). Then he thanked the Lord for leading him to the house of his master’s kinsmen (v. 27). Following this the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things (v. 28). Soon he was taken to Rebekah’s home where he shared with the family that his mission was to find a bride for Isaac, and it was evident that Rebekah was the chosen one by God.
Application
I need to make sure that I am not wandering around aimlessly in life but make sure that the things I am doing have a purpose and are well planned out just as the servant was in seeking a bride.
Genesis 24:1– 28 (NET)
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 3 so that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 “Be careful never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city. It was evening, the time when the women would go out to draw water. 12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to my master Abraham. 13 Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever been physically intimate with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 17 Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 19 When she had done so, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 20 She quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold wrist bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them to her. 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, “and room for you to spend the night.”
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about these things.
Illustration: Einstein’s Test of Growing Old
None of Einstein’s ideas have so fascinated the public and provoked such controversy among physicists as the so-called “clock paradox.” This paradox is based on the assumption that time passes more slowly for an object in motion than one at rest. Thus, if Einstein is correct, an astronaut traveling at an extremely high speed, say to a distant star and back, would age less during his trip than a twin brother who had remained on earth. Depending on the length of his mission, the astronaut could, upon his return, actually be years younger than his twin. Man has not yet advanced far enough technologically to stage such a test of relativity. (Encyclopedia of Illustrations #13349).