Turn to Genesis chapter 24 with me and dive into one of the greatest love stories of all time, resembling the greatest love story, the church's marriage to Jesus Christ.
Where our story begins, Abraham is very old, his wife Sarah has just passed away, and he and his son Isaac are distraught. Abraham knows his time is coming to an end, and one of his greatest wishes is for his son to find a good wife to comfort and love him. He beckons his servant (the same servant we see in Genesis 15)... but before we go any farther, let's take a rabbit trail and look into this unnamed servant.
In this chapter, the mysterious servant we are told about is mentioned by name in Genesis 15 as the one who would inherit Abraham's estate if he remained childless (Gen. 15:2). His name, Eliezer, means "my God is help." The big question, though, is why Eliezer remains unnamed in this chapter? The reason is that his name is not significant. Eliezer's role in the story is not one of himself, but one as a dedicated servant, an extension of Abraham, the hands and feet of the man he served. An embodiment of Abraham's power.
If you aren't freaking out right now over what that last paragraph just described and implied, go reread it.
Who is Eliezer? He is a picture of the Holy Spirit. He represents what would come and dwell and work within us later on. He is the unnamed servant, the extension of Abraham, his master's hand!
Abraham beckons the servant to his side, earnestly commanding him to place his hand under his thigh and swear an oath to find his son, Isaac, a wife not of the Canaanites, but of his people. The servant obeys and departs, taking ten camels with him for the journey. He approached the town of Nahor, near evening time, the time of day women lined up to draw water from the well, resting outside the city. The servant wanting to do well for his master asked the Lord very specifically to make it clear which young woman was to be Isaac's bride.
"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."
-Genesis 24:12-14 NIV
Before the servant was done praying, the Lord delivered and sent a beautiful maiden, a virgin, about twenty years of age. The servant sensed her beauty and purity and hurried over to her, "Please give me a little water from your jar." (Gen. 24:17) "Drink my Lord" (Gen. 24:18) was the woman's reply. When he was satisfied, she said," 'I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink." (Gen. 24: 19)
Now to understand the context, what Rebekah offered was no small feat. Remember, Abraham's servant had ten camels. Not only can ten of any animal drink tons of water, but camels are created to contain water so that they can go long periods without drinking, so when they do drink water they take in large, I'm talking massive quantities of water. One camel can take in thirty gallons of water, if not more! Rebekah just offered to water ten camels till they were had enough to drink. No, she was not using a faucet or hose to fill a trough, she was toting water from a well in a clay jar on her head. What selflessness, what kindness, what humility.
After the camels were watered, the servant showered the maiden gifting her a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels (Gen. 24:22). The servant then asked whose daughter Rebekah was and whether there was room in her household for him to stay the night. Her selfless answer confirmed God's mark on this woman for Isaac, and Abraham's servant rejoiced.
Rebekah was the chosen one. The servant (Holy Spirit) chose her.
God chose her, and he chooses you. Every day, he chooses you.
When you accept Jesus as your savior and invite the Spirit of the living God into your being, you will feel the Holy Spirit living inside you, using you as the hands of God. Working through you and choosing you for God's work.
After these things, Rebekah ran and told her mother's household of the man at the well. When her brother, Laban, saw and heard what Rebekah shared, he hurried to Abraham's servant and found him with his camels near the spring.
"Come, you who are blessed by the Lord," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."
-Genesis 24:31 NIV
God is speaking through Laban in this verse.
These are God's words to us, he calls us blessed. He welcomes us into his house, and he proclaims that he has prepared a place for us.
Later, as the servant sits at the table of Rebekah's family's household, he relates the purpose of his journey, his master's eagerness, his own prayer, and God's answer in sending Rebekah. Laban can not deny these things are from the Lord and willingly gives over his sister to be Isaac's bride. Laban's one request is ten more days with his sister, but Abraham's servant will not be detained, and when asked if she would go, Rebekah responds, "I will."
Before Rebekah went away, Laban blessed her saying,
"Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies."
-Genesis 25:60 NIV
Now Isaac went out one night to a field to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. Getting down, off her camel, she asked Abraham's servant who the man was in the field, and he replied it was his master. Rebekah covered her face with a veil. Isaac did not see Rebekah again until he married her, then he took her into his mother's tent and loved her.
In these times, the bridegroom did not see their brides until they had a household for them to live in. The brides would cover their faces with veils and ready themselves for their betrothed's coming every day, for they never knew when the bridegroom would come. The marriage practices of a man and women of this time resemble the church's 'marriage' with Jesus.
We as the church are the bride, and we must wait and be ready for our bridegroom to come. We never know what moment he will arrive, we just know he will come when he has prepared a place for us, and he will come in his perfect timing.
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