“Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”” (v1-4)
These were the last days of Abraham, and he counted his blessings for The LORD had blessed him in everything just as He had promised. Abraham called his senior servant, most likely Eliezer who ruled over his household. This was a privileged position and therefore he was given this very important task. He had to take an oath but putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, which was a method of taking oaths, and promising before God, so great was the promise. Eliezer was given the task of finding a wife for Isaac. There was no way that one should be found from among the Canaanites, but he was to go to Abraham’s home country and family for a wife for Isaac.
In a way this might seem strange because the Canaanites were a Godless people but so were the people back home where Abraham had been called out from. This was a very delicate mission putting a great responsibility on Eliezer’s shoulders. I think the important phrase in the instructions was ‘to my family’ as there was a greater chance of the best girl coming from within the family, and this proved to be so.
Eliezer said to Abraham (v5-9) “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. The LORD God of the heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.”
Eliezer was given clear instructions leaving him in no doubt that if Abraham didn’t outlive this mission, there was no way that Isaac was to go back to Ur to get a wife. Abraham told him that twice. The woman was to be brought to him in Canaan. This was the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. Eliezer asks the inevitable question, “What if she is not prepared to come with me?” The servant would be released from his oath if she refused. Abraham is clear that God’s will must be done. He had, however, absolute faith in God and said, “He will send His angel before you.”
Eliezer took ten of Abraham’s camels and his master’s riches and set off for Nahor (probably Ur) in Mesopotamia, a journey of around 500 miles as the crow flies probably up to 1000 miles to travel. (v10-14) at the time when women come to draw water at the evening, he reached a well and his camels knelt down there. He prayed, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
Notice that Eliezer speaks to God as ‘The LORD God of my master,’ not my Lord God. Maybe he didn’t have the faith of his master, but he does recognise that The LORD is God. He then asked for a sign. We are not encouraged to ask for signs but to have faith and trust in God. It is not the way to trust God for guidance, hence, I suggest he didn’t have the same faith as Abraham. However, he was committed to his master and wanted to please him.
Many may have said, ‘If you (God) do this or that I will follow you.’ Even if God does, they often fall down on their promise. God is looking for absolute trust in Him, not contracts with Him.
I may be doing the man a disservice. For he certainly does recognise, however, that he needs the guidance of God in this monumental task, which is good sign.
He simply wanted a woman of character- thoughtful, generous and hard-working as I understand that a camel can drink a huge amount of water, and I guess they store it to travel long distances in desert conditions.
What a wonderful God! “And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.” (v15)
Isaiah 65:24 says that “…. before they call, I will answer; and while they are speaking, I will hear.” Of course, Eliezer did not know that this was the answer, she still had more to prove. Rebekah, was indeed, of Abraham’s father’s house as we saw at the end of chapter 22.
What a wonderful example of God answering prayer. Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel came out to draw water from the well (v16-21). She was very beautiful and a virgin, no man had known her. I guess that the servant wouldn’t know the latter, but the former would be obvious.
The Bible gives us several examples of women who were beautiful – from Sarah through to Esther and the daughters of Job. In passing, I mention the word ‘virgin.’ How important it is that we are ‘virgin’ for the one we are to marry. The world will tell us today that it is unimportant, but the Bible tells us differently. We are to keep ourselves virgin until we marry God’s chosen one for us. I read in Readers Digest many years ago about a young woman who could not understand why she had a venereal disease. When the doctor asked, she said she had only been with one boyfriend, but it transpired that he had had several girlfriends before, who, each had had several boyfriends. They had all had sexual relations and thus the young woman had inadvertently had relations with numerous others.
She went to the well and filled her water carrier. Eliezer watched and then went to her and asked for a drink. He was patient as he could have asked for water for his camels, but he waited and then came what he had asked God for, “…. she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
Eliezer watched her and wondered, remaining silent as she watered all his camels, no mean task, so that he would know that she was the one. He did not force matters. Many of us might have done that to hurry things along. He wanted to be sure it was God’s provision. It seems that Eliezer was, what we might call, ’gob-smacked,’ but this was all God’s doing, and he needn’t be amazed.
“So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” Moreover, she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.” (v22-28)
Eliezer is overwhelmed with God’s provision, and he praised God and said, ““Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master.” This must have been a great experience for him, for The LORD to answer so precisely. He makes a very important statement in connection with God’s leading, “As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
It is virtually impossible to steer a stationary car. Trusting God for guidance usually requires us to be ‘on the way.’ Yes, sometimes we have to stand still and watch God at work, but there must be a willingness to move. If Eliezer had stayed at home he probably would never have been led to Rebekah, although that’s not doubting God’s ability to bring her to him. In the context here, Eliezer had to go on a journey and the LORD would lead him. This was not only a great day for Eliezer and ultimately for Abraham and Isaac, but also for Rebekah. “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)
Rebekah had obviously run to her home with the news and bearing the gifts given to her, for her brother Laban ran out to meet the man at the well (v29-33) “And there he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.””
Laban seemed to represent the family although Bethuel was still alive. Maybe he was the big brother looking after his sister. He saw the precious gifts given to Rebekah and maybe his eyes lit up. However, Laban welcomed him to the house. Eliezer unloaded the camels and food for the camels and water to wash the men’s feet. Food was offered to Eliezer but, he replied that he wouldn’t eat until he had told them why he was there. It was vital that he told them of his errand, and he told them the whole story (v34-49) beginning with his master Abraham and how God had blessed him greatly, and how he and Sarah had had a son in their old age. No doubt they were eager to know what had happened to Abraham since he had left home in Ur around fifty years before. He related how Abraham had told him to find a wife for Isaac from his own family and how he came to Rebekah, in accordance with the promise of God leading him. He testified of God leading him to Rebekah and how he knew she was the right one and how he had worshiped God and thanked Him for His leading. He truly represented his master Abraham who had great faith in God. He asked them for an answer. Laban and Bethuel were convinced that this was all from The LORD (v50-53) and they granted the request for Rebekah’s hand in marriage for Isaac. Eliezer worshiped The LORD and brought out more gifts for Rebekah as well as gifts for Laban and Rebekah’s mother which I suppose was like a dowry.
The servant and his men stayed overnight and feasted. (v54-60) Next morning they wanted to set off home to their master, but the family asked them to stay for a few days, at least ten. One writer suggests they may have thought there would be more gifts before she went. Eliezer was not going to be delayed. He recognised that God had led him thus far and he wasn’t going to wait to get his ‘catch’ back to Abraham and Isaac. So they asked Rebekah if she would go, and she said, “I will go.” She was willing to go to be the wife of a man she had never seen. So, they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse with their blessing, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands, of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them.”
Once again this was a long journey, but they were determined, Rebekah with her maids and Eliezer and his fellow servants. The ladies rode on the camels and followed the man. I doubt the man was walking, it was a long way, so they would probably have enough camels. He had taken ten camels, and we are not told how man servants there were, nor how many maids and they had unloaded many gifts, so it was with foresight that he took ten initially. I’m no expert on camel travel but maybe two men could ride on one camel!
They went by the way of the well at Beer Lahai Roi (where Hagar met with God) between Kadesh and Bered, towards the south of Canaan where Abraham was living. Isaac went out into the fields to meditate in the evening. He knew that Eliezer had gone on this mission to find a wife for him. Going into the fields to meditate may mean that he was communing with God, waiting for the servant’s return with a wife for him. Isaac was a man of faith as we saw when Abraham was offering him to God. This was the day – he saw the camels coming (v61-67)
“Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”
Not only was Isaac waiting with anticipation, but so was Rebekah as she drew near to their destination. Eliezer pointed out Isaac to her. She was the perfect lady – she covered herself and was introduced to Isaac who took her into his late mother’s tent. It seemed to happen very quickly – ‘she became his wife’ but marriages did take some time, up to a year, to be completed. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah.
