Genesis 24:1-32

Now Abraham’s going to get a bride for Issac his beloved son of God’s promise and in so doing he’s really entering into the next phase of God’s promise where the line of multiple descendants will continue through Issac.

He doesn’t want to get a bride from the Canaanites who inhabited that place. They were deeply embedded in idolatry and paganism so he wants to find the bride from back in his own people. We’ll see a great significance in all these events and we’ll see how they relate to you and me today.

We come now to the story of how Isaac secured his bride.

Abraham sends his trusted servant back to the land of Haran in Mesopotamia to get a bride for Isaac. He’s successful and secures Rebekah. This is a great love story and it reveals that God is interested in who you marry.

Now, there are two institutions that God’s given to the human family. One is marriage, and the other is human government. God permits man to rule himself. When these are broken, a society falls apart.

The home is the backbone of any society and God knew that and so He established marriage, intending it to give strength, purpose and stability to society.

The same thing is true of human government. God is always the foundation of both. When the home or the government start to fall apart as it surely will when God ceases to be the foundation, all of society begins to suffer and fall.

It starts slowly at first with a gradual falling away from God and rejection of His wisdom and then picks up speed dramatically. Trust in the home environment where children are supposed to learn of God and the foundations of morality, discipline and goodness are eroded and instead of a peaceful loving environment, there’s tension and strife and rebellion.

When governments reject God’s wisdom they gradually cease to fulfill their purpose of maintaining peace and freedom and instead cause the opposite.

God is intensely interested in your love story, and it’s wonderful when you bring God into it.

This chapter of Genesis is one of the richest sections of the Word of God because it tells a love story that goes way back to man’s early history. It’s a very dramatic account of the way that a bride was secured for Isaac, and again, a fantastic spiritual picture is presented to us also.

There are two things that we should notice as we go through this chapter. One is the leading of the Lord in all the details of the lives of those involved. Time and time again we see God’s leading. Even in these early days, there were those who were looking to God and following His leading.

If God could lead in the lives of these folk, He can lead in our lives today.

The second thing to notice in this chapter is the straightforward manner in which Rebekah made her decision to go with the servant and become the bride of Isaac and we’ll see that more clearly as we go through.

Let’s begin by reading from verse 1 to verse 4 of this chapter 24. 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.” 

The servant named Eliezer held this position before in Genesis 15:2. Since he is described as the oldest servant of his house, this was likely Eliezer. He held a position of great honor and responsibility, managing all that Abraham had.

The LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. Did God bless Abraham when he commanded him to slay his son? Yes; he ‘had blessed him in all things.’ What about when he took away his wife Sarah? Yes, for ‘the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.’ Those things may not have seems much of a blessing at the time but they added greatly to the picture of Abraham’s life, which was blessed.

Put your hand under my thigh. What does this mean?

According to ancient custom, this described a solemn and serious oath.

Abraham was extremely concerned that Isaac not be married to a Canaanite bride, making his servant swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth.

“The person binding himself put his hand under the thigh of the person to whom he was to be bound. That is, he put his hand on the part that bore the mark of circumcision, the sign of God’s covenant.

Our ideas today may be appalled by this but, when we consider the nature of the covenant, of which circumcision was the sign, we perceive that this rite could not be used lightly.The parties to this action would be well aware of the importance and to each party it was an extremely solemn pledge

Take a wife for my son Isaac. Abraham was clear that he didn’t want Isaac to have a Canaanite wife, and that the wife should be found among Abraham’s ancestors in Ur of the Chaldees. Go to my country and to my family, Abraham says.

Now to Genesis 24:5-6, 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?” 

But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. 

In other words, the servant says to Abraham, “Suppose I can’t find a girl who will come with me. Shall I come back and get Isaac to take him to that land?” And Abraham says, “Never take Isaac back! This is the place where God wants us. Do not return him to that land under any circumstances.” This is very important for us to see.

Verse 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. 

Abraham really is a man of faith. He demonstrates it again and again, and here he’s magnificent.

He says to this servant, “You can count on God to lead you. God has promised me this.”

Abraham’s not taking a leap in the dark. Faith is not a leap in the dark. It must always rest on the Word of God. Many people say, “I believe God, and it will come to pass.” That’s fine. It’s wonderful for you to believe God, but do you have something in writing from Him?

Abraham always asked for it in writing so to speak and as we’ve seen previously he got it. God had made a contract with him. Abraham is really saying, “God’s promised me that through my seed Isaac He’s going to bring a blessing to the world. You can be sure of one thing: God has a bride back there for Isaac.”

You see, Abraham rests upon what God said. We need to not be foolish today. Faith is not foolishness. It’s resting upon something. It’s always reasonable. It’s never a leap in the dark. It’s not betting your life that this or that will come to pass. It’s not a gamble, it’s a sure thing. Faith is the surest thing there is when it’s based on what God said. Abraham is perfectly sure.

Verse 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.

Abraham says, “Don’t ever take my son back there, but if the woman won’t come, then you’re discharged.” What does that mean? It simply means that Abraham was saying, “God has another way of working this out. I don’t know what it’ll be, but I’m sure that God doesn’t want my son to marry a godless girl.”

My friend, that’s what faith is. It’s acting on the Word of God. Real faith rests upon something. God wants us to believe His Word, not just believe. It’s nonsense to think that you can force God to do something and that God has to do it because you believe it. many of us have been told that we can force God and that God’ll heal us if we demand it. You and I don’t know exactly what His will is or what His purpose is in every circumstance of life but whatever it is, that’s what we want done. God wants us to bring our needs to Him, but He has to be the One to determine how He’ll answer our prayers. Abraham has something to rest upon. He’s not demanding anything of God. He says, “If this doesn’t work out, then God has another way to work it out.”

Now we read verse 9,  So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 

Now watch the servant as he goes out to get a bride for Isaac.

Verse 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. 

Abraham’s servant (most likely Eliezer) is off to Mesopotamia now to get the bride and takes ten camels along which was a large and impressive caravan with quite a number of people.

They carried substantial riches and the scripture says, all his master’s goods were in his hand.

The journey was long. The line of sight distance from Canaan to Ur of the Chaldeans was about 500 miles or 800 kilometers, but the most common route was about 900 milesor 1,450 kilometers.

To verse 11 now,  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. 

It may seem strange to you and me that the women came out to draw water, but they were the ones who did the watering of the camels in that day. Women did lots more work hard, physical labour in those days.

The women were the ones who watered and took care of the stock. The men were supposed to be out trading and doing other work. They weren’t loafers, by any means. But it is  was the custom of that day for women to go out to draw water. This servant was waiting because it was not the proper thing for him, as a stranger, to water his camels before the others who lived in that community.

This servant is depending upon God. Abraham had put all of this in the hands of the Lord, and now the servant does also.

Now we come to Genesis 24:12-14,  Then he (that’s Eliazer the servant) said, “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.” 

The servant’s prayer is something like this: “The daughters of the men of the city will be coming out. I don’t know which one to choose, and it’s just left up to me to pick one of them. I pray that the one that I pick might be the one that You pick.” In other words, he calls upon the Lord to lead him in making the right choice.

Who do you think he is going to pick? Well, he’s a man, and he’s going to pick the best looking woman who comes out. And you can be sure of one thing—Rebekah was a good looking woman. The Puritans had the idea that beauty was of the devil. The devil is beautiful—he’s an angel of light, by the way—but he doesn’t have it all.

After all, God is the Creator, and you’ve never seen a sunset or looked at a beautiful flower that He didn’t make. He makes women beautiful, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m sure this man’s going to pick the best looking one who comes out—he’d be a pretty poor servant if he didn’t.

Now to verses 15 and 16,  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. 

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. 

This confirms what we’ve said. Rebekah was good looking.

“Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold” She was not just an ordinary girl. She would have won a beauty contest. She was “a virgin; no man had known her.”

Verses 18 to 19, So 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.” 

Notice that Rebekah is a very polite and courteous girl as well as beautiful. Also, she’s not dumb, and she’s very polite.

Verses 20 and 21, 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 (the servant), wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 

Notice that servant just stands there in amazement. He’s wondering whether this is it, whether God’s leading or not, He believes He is.

Now to verses 22 to 24 and we are of course in Genesis 24,  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.” 

Remember Nahor? He’s a brother of Abraham.

Verses 25 and 26, 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. 

The servant sees the hand of God in this. It is wonderful to have God leading and guiding, is it not?

Verse 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.” 

This is a great statement here: “As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” The Lord leads those who are in the way—that is, those who’re in His way, who are wanting to be led, who’ll be led of Him, and who’ll do what He wants done. God can lead a willing heart anytime.

Now we come to Genesis 24 verses 28 and 29,  So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things. 

Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 

Now, here’s a warning! Keep your eye on old Laban. He’s a shrewd operator, to say the least. He was greatly moved by material things. Notice what happens in verse 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. 

The servant just waited out there at the well to see whether anyone would come out to lead him into the home of Rebekah, whether he really had a welcome or not.

Now, Believe me, when old Laban saw those rings, he knew it was a very wealthy guest they were dealing with and old Laban’s not one to miss a deal. He’s a real piece of work as Jacob, Issac’s son will find out later. He was an even better hustler than Jacob himself was and that’s saying something. So Laban went out to welcome the servant.

Verse 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.” 

Even old Laban recognised the fact that there was the living God, the Creator, the one God.

Then verse 32, Then the man (the servant) 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. 

Again, we have this foot-washing ceremony. Note that there’s quite a few men who have come with this servant. The servant is entertained royally in this home. Shrewd old Laban sees to that.

Next time we’ll see how the servant wins this girl Rebekah and she’s going to go back to Abraham’s home to become the bride of Issac. Until then friends may God bless you and make His face to shine upon you.