Gen 24:1
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.: Commentators believe Abraham was around 140 years old here.
Gen 24:2
So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh,: According to John Wesley, this servant is likely Eliezer of Damascus. Eliezer means, "God, my help." The Preacher's Homiletical says that Eliezer was Abraham's steward for sixty years before this. Abraham asking Eliezer to "put your hand under my thigh," was an ancient custom, kind of like how we raise our right hand to God when swearing. Seems strange to me though. Very intimate.
Gen 24:3
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;: We learn later (Gen 24:7) why Abraham stayed in the land, even though he didn't want his family intermingling with the peoples there. The Canaanites were certainly becoming more evil and Abraham didn't want Isaac to be tainted, so he didn't want Eliezer to get Isaac a wife from the wicked inhabitants.
Gen 24:4
but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.": We learn later that the place Abraham is speaking of is Mesopotamia. Elizer eventually heads to Nahor. Abraham doesn't want Isaac to take a wife from the people where they are staying, but from his own family in Mesopotamia. We look at this now and think how strange it is for Abraham to want Isaac to have a wife from his own family, but it seems like the genetic line hadn't yet been so degraded by incestual relations that God hadn't forbidden it yet.
Gen 24:5
And the servant said to him, "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?": Of course, Eliezer is a bit concerned that the woman he chooses might not want to come back with him, so he asks if he should then take Isaac over to her if she refuses.
Gen 24:6
But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there.: Abraham believed the promise of God, that He would give the land to Abraham's descendents. Abraham does not want Isaac to leave because God had promised the land.
Gen 24:7
The LORD God of 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.: Because Abraham believed God, he believed that God would arrange for a woman for Isaac who would be willing to come back with Eliezer because Isaac was the son of promise.
Gen 24:8
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.": And he also throws this bit in for Eliezer, to set him at ease. If the woman he finds for Isaac isn't willing to come to the promised land, Eliezer is free from the obligation to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham would rather that Isaac not leave the land over Isaac getting a wife.
Gen 24:9
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.: The servant swears this solemn vow.
Gen 24:10
Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.: These camels were for transport, but also gifts. They were meant to convey the wealth of Isaac, to entice the woman into coming back. The servant had Abraham's trust, and was the overseer of all of Abraham's household. His role seems to be the equivalent of a butler in our day. It's not sure where they were at this time.
Gen 24:11
And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.: Making a camel kneel is something they're taught to do from a young age. Here's a video of it in action. The custom of women drawing water in the evening is still the same today in some parts of the world.
Gen 24:12
Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.: The servant, probably Eliezar, prays that God bring success to his mission. The request to show kindness to Abraham is likely a request for God to fulfill His promise to give the land to Abraham's descendents.
Gen 24:13
Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.: Here, the servant starts to elaborate on his request to God. Although I personally tend to try and limit my requests and petitions to God, there's certainly nothing wrong with going into detail. For me personally, I believe that I can never come up with a better solution than God can, and I can't possibly relate something to God that He doesn't already know. Because of this, I try (but certainly don't succeed) to limit my prayers to something like, "God, you know my situation, so please strenghten my faith that you are handling it." In practice, I usually find myself giving commands and laying out the situation, and have to stop myself in the middle and then rely on God.
Gen 24:14
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.": This is a practice I see a lot in the Bible (Jdg 6:36-40). Some sort of test to know God's will. I personally struggle with this, in that I often don't know what God's will is for me in life, and I'm too cautious in asking for something like this from God. And even when I do, I still doubt the result. So in this, we see the immense faith that this servant had. We need to pray that God strenghten our faith so we can confidently walk in God like this.
Gen 24:15
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.: God knew before the servant made the request, because before the request was even finished, Rebekah shows up on the scene. Which really brings the whole time-travel movie scenario into play here. Would it have happened without the request being made? Or would it have happened regardless? Or did the servant make the request due to the guiding of the Spirit? My belief is that Eliezar made the request following the lead of the Holy Spirit, making him aware of the plans of God. But who knows? That's just a guess on my part.
Gen 24:16
Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.: At least God had arranged a beautiful woman! Sometimes, you have to wonder about these things. Would Eliezar have made the same decision if he saw a woman that wasn't beautiful? I doubt it. And I'm sure God knows these things about us and arranges situations accordingly. Our inner ugliness and lust is known to God. I mean, what does beautiful mean, exactly? Not the same thing to everyone. And can't prior experiences have a profound influence on how we look at beauty? I know it happens in my life all the time.
Gen 24:17
And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.": Here begins the test that Eliezar had set up with God. He asks her for a drink, hoping that she'll also give water to his camels.
Gen 24:18
So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.: And the first part is fulfilled. Will she also give water to his camels?? We'll wait on the edge of our seats here...
Gen 24:19
And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.": Yes! Yes! It's a success! She offers to draw water for his camels also! This is the woman God wants Isaac to have!
Gen 24:20
Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.: Oh, I'm sure she behaved in this manner all the time, right? Running to get water, offering to draw water for the camels, giving water to people who request it. Just another day in the life of Rebekah... It couldn't have been that she saw a rich servant and she was hoping to be married, presenting herself in such a favorable light. No... couldn't have been that!
Gen 24:21
And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.: She was such a good actor that Eliezar was gazing at her with astonishment. Could this totally wonderful woman be the one that God wants Isaac to have? It's really like a funny skit to me with everyone acting out their part accordingly. Now, I'm not saying that Rebekah wasn't a wonderful woman, but we all put on a front when we meet someone we're trying to impress.
Gen 24:22
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 we see Eliezar doing his part in impressing Rebekah. He has ten camels, and from them, pulls out huge gold bracelets and a gold nose ring. He doesn't just pull out these things, but he puts them on Rebekah. Does it work?? Again, we're sitting on the edge of our seats here!
Gen 24:23
and said, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?": Now's the time to see if he has truly impressed Rebekah, so he asks, "Whose daughter are you?." He also asks for lodging. If she responds, he's in there!
Gen 24:24
So she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor.": Score!! Ding, ding, ding, ding! Now, this introduces a lot of confusion. I don't get it, but there's a ton of confusion about who the father of Rebekah actually is. I actually discovered the confusion because of verses Gen 24:28-29. There was no mention of the father, and Laban came out as the representative of the household after it was related that Rebekah went back to tell "her mother's household" these things. That seemed highly unusual because in those days, it was usually the father's household. I expected the father to be at least mentioned, but he isn't until Gen 24:50. Anyway, rather than try to understand the confusion here and relate it, here's a link for study. It's something I may come back to later, but it's seems more suited for serious scholars to argue about.
Gen 24:25
Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.": And I'm sure the servant's heart just about exploded when he's told they have lodging for them all too.
Gen 24:26
Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD.: Wouldn't you? You just asked the LORD to give you a sign, and it's completely, 100% fulfilled with zero doubt!
Gen 24:27
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.": In worshipping God, he says these things out loud so Rebekah would hear them. In his praise, he tells Rebeka who Abraham is, and that they're related. A clear sign of providence! He's basically saying, "Rebekah, God arranged this meeting."
Gen 24:28
So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things.: Youthful exuberance. She ran back. She knew from the gifts that this visit was for marriage, and we see from her excitement, that she's onboard.An interesting note here is that Rebekah runs back and tells "her mother's" household. Not the father?
Gen 24:29
Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well.: We're introduced to Laban here. Laban is an opportunist, as we'll see later. In the last verse, we see that Rebekah ran back to tell "her mother's" household. Now we see that Laban comes out. Something must have happened to Rebekah's father because the representative of the household is Laban, Rebekah's brother, and not Bethuel.
Gen 24:30
So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.: Notice what gets Laban's attention? It's the nose ring and the bracelets. Laban smells money... So he goes out to meet the man.
Gen 24:31
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.": Interesting that Laban would call this servant "O blessed of the LORD." Laban wasn't a follower of the true and living God. He was an idolator (Gen 31:30-35). Just part of Laban's opportunistic personality. He sees a man of wealth, and this is an opportunity to get some money. Dowries from a rich man can be worth a whole lot.
Gen 24:32
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.: The man here is Laban. And from this verse, we now know that people accompanied the servant. He's rolling out the red carpet here, giving them the full hospitality treatment. This is because he expects huge gains.
Gen 24:33
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.": Strange way of writing, but there are two people in this verse. Food is set before the servant, who won't eat until he tells the story, and Laban says to "Speak on." Basically, this is Eliezar making a sale concerning finding Isaac a wife.
Gen 24:34
So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.: It's believed that this servant is Eliezar (Gen 15:2).
Gen 24:35
The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.: Eliezar explains the wealth of Abraham. It's considerable.
Gen 24:36
And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.: Eliezar explains that Isaac is the heir of Abraham.
Gen 24:37
Now my master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;: Abraham was dwelling in Canaan at that time. The servant was tasked not to take a wife from there. They were corrupted and Abraham didn't want his son to become corrupted.
Gen 24:38
but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.': This is exactly what happened.And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
Gen 24:39
And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.': There was no guarantee that she would want to come back wih Eliezar, no matter how much wealth there was.
Gen 24:40
But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.: Abraham had such faith that God would keep his word to make Abraham's descendents numerous like sand, and that God would give the land to Abraham's descendents, that he knew God would give Isaac a wife from outside this land of corrupted inhabitants.
Gen 24:41
You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.': And if the woman Eliezar chooses for Isaac doesn't want to come back with him, his obligation is then fulfilled and he would be released from responsibility.
Gen 24:42
"And this day I came to the well and said, 'O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,: Eliezar explains that he arrived that day at the well and prayed to the LORD to make his search prosperous.
Gen 24:43
behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,": Here's the first part of what Eliezar prays to God so that he can know who God wants Isaac to have as his wife.
Gen 24:44
and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,"—let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.': Not only was this woman to be a virgin, but she would be generous, allowing the servant to drink from the water that she draws, but will also draw water for the camels. Remember, there were 10 camels (Gen 24:10), so she would be drawing a lot of water.
Gen 24:45
"But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.': Now he relates the story of his introduction to Rebekah. He saw her and asked her for a drink of water. Notice how he left out how he thought she was beautiful.
Gen 24:46
And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.: The question I had suddenly was how big were these pitchers these ladies would carry? I looked at probably a hundred pictures of people all over doing it today, and they were carrying various sized pitchers, but usually anywhere from 3 to 5 gallons. I saw a lot of pictures of ladies stacking them too. But from the pictures, it seems like an enjoyable thing, usually done in groups.
Gen 24:47
Then I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.: After verifying that she was from the family that Abraham asked him to find a woman from, he put on the bracelets and the nose ring.
Gen 24:48
And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.: Eliezar relates to them that this meeting was by providence. God had arranged it.
Gen 24:49
Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.": What Eliezar is asking here is for them to be straight with him. Will they give Rebekah to Isaac or not? He just wants to know so he can get back.
Gen 24:50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.: The father and son acknowledge that this was arranged by God, so they can't say anything.
Gen 24:51
Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken.": They agree that Isaac can take her as a wife, and that Eliezar can take her back home.
Gen 24:52
And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.: Eliezar did the right thing here. He simply thanks God. It truly is a miraculous thing that just took place, and he acknowledges it.
Gen 24:53
Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.: This is very interesting that there is no record of the father being given anything. Laban (his wish came true!) is the one recorded instead. Very strange. I'm not sure what the significance of this is, although I am reminded of Mat 12:48. In Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, he mentions Josephus's commentary on this, so I found it. When the servant asks Rebekah who she is, here is what Josephus records as her answer: "They," says she, "call me Rebeka; my father was Bethuel, but he is dead; and Laban is my brother; and, together with my mother, takes care of all our family affairs, and is the guardian of my virginity." This is definitely an interesting commentary, but doesn't account for Gen 24:50. How can Laban and Bethuel answer if Bethuel is dead? It seems more likely that Bethuel was old and tired, and left everything to his son to take care of.
Gen 24:54
And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master.": They partied. This was a time of great joy and celebration. However, because the servant was eager to return, he arose early to get a move on.
Gen 24:55
But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.": The family wanted to spend time with her (again no mention of the father), so they request that they stay ten days. I have a suspicion that there was more to this request, that maybe they believed they could milk the servant for more, but there's no evidence of that.
Gen 24:56
And he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.": But the servant just wants to get back home and fulfill his mission.
Gen 24:57
So they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her personally.": The family decides to leave the decision up to Rebekah.
Gen 24:58
Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go.": She doesn't want to wait around anymore either and agrees to leave right then. Remember how she acted when she saw the servant (Gen 24:15-20)? It seems like she wanted to leave that place and was eager to go.
Gen 24:59
So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.: We find out here that Rebekah's family was at least prosperous enough to have a nanny for Rebekah. We find out later that her name was Deborah (Gen 35:8).
Gen 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: "Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them.": Interesting blessing. They echo the promise of God (Gen 22:17).
Gen 24:61
Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.: Gen 24:53 records that jewelry, clothing and other precious things were gifted, but not camels. The camels the servant brought are used now for transportation back to Abraham. They weren't to be gifts.
Gen 24:62
Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.: Beer Lahai Roi: The well of the Living One who sees me (from the NET translation notes). It seems that Isaac was living near the well.
Gen 24:63
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming.: We all have times when meditating on God feels right. I like to meditate in the morning. Apparently Isaac liked to meditate in the evening. This is the first indication recorded in the Bible of Isaac's faith. The meditation here has a religious connotation, so it's likely that he went out to meditate in prayer.
Gen 24:64
Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;: This verse is supposed to convey that Rebekah quickly got off the camel when she saw Isaac. It seems that she was excited. I also saw in commentaries that it could have been cultural, that women would dismount when meeting strange men. To me though, everything points to Jesus, and it seems that Rebekah was excited, just as the Church (the bride) is excited to meet Jesus in the clouds.
Gen 24:65
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.: When Rebekah saw Isaac in the field, she didn't know who he was, so she asked the servant (Eliezer) who he was. So she covered herself and quickly dismounted her camel.
Gen 24:66
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.: Isaac listens to the servant's story before speaking with Rebekah. This seems to relate to Jesus in the way that Isaac was introduced to Rebekah by the servant. It's a picture of the way Jesus was introduced to the Jews by John the Baptist.
Gen 24:67
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.: Sarah had died about three years before. Isaac was still mourning after three years. He must have really loved his mother. (Mom, if you're reading this, I'd mourn for four years!) And this ancient custom of taking the wife seems very strange to us today, but if you think about it, it's kind of like a honeymoon.
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