Isaac 2 / Genesis 24:10-28 / The servant in the way

Genesis 24:10–28 KJV (WS)

10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. 11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? 24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. 25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. 26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord. 27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren. 28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.

Introduction

The quote "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" is often cited as a summary of William Carey's missionary philosophy. He expressed this sentiment during a meeting of the Baptist Missionary Society in England in 1792, where he delivered a sermon titled "An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens." In this sermon, Carey passionately argued for the importance of missions and the duty of Christians to spread the Gospel to those who had not heard it.

Carey's message was a call to action, emphasizing the need for faith in God's ability to accomplish great things and the corresponding responsibility of believers to actively engage in the work of missions. He encouraged Christians to have high expectations of what God could do and to be bold in their efforts to share the message of Christ with people around the world.

This quote though also serves to illustrate the attitude of Abraham’s senior servant.

He had sworn to his master that he would make the journey to find a wife for Isaac.

He was convinced there was a single woman for his master’s son.

How was he going to find her?

Abraham believed god would send his angel before him to prepare the way.

We’ll see tonight that this belief was transferred to the servant.

The servant begins his journey.

Having control of all of Abraham’s resources, the servant sets out in style.

He prepares 10 camels and makes his way north to Mesopotamia.

In ancient times, camels were valuable animals used for transportation and carrying goods across long distances, especially in desert regions where they were well-suited to travel. Additionally, camels were a sign of wealth and status. Taking ten camels on the journey would have indicated the seriousness of the mission and demonstrated Abraham's wealth and social standing.

Furthermore, the camels served a practical purpose. They would have carried supplies for the journey, including food, water, and other necessities. Given the arduous nature of traveling through the desert, having an ample supply of resources was crucial for the well-being of both the servant and his caravan.

So, the ten camels were a combination of practical necessity, cultural customs, and a demonstration of Abraham's wealth and status, all of which were important factors in the context of the story.

A general measurement of the distance this trip would have taken is between 400-500 miles.

A loaded camel can travel 20-25 miles a day.

So, you’re looking at a trip that could have lasted anywhere between 16 - 25 days.

This was not an easy trip to make, but the servant did what his master asked of him.

The resources to make the trip belonged to his master.

The personal cost was great.

This was hard, unforgiving terrain that he had to travel.

Remember, he was Abraham’s oldest servant.

But, he went where his master told him and eventually he made it to the city.

Outside the city of Nahor, Abraham’s servant arrives at the city well around evening time.

Evening was the time that the women of the city would come out to collect water from the well.

If this servant had been with Abraham a long time, then he might have remembered when Abraham briefly lived in Nahor with his family.

Perhaps this had been where he met Abraham.

Archeological excavations have discovered that Nahor/Haran was a significant city.

It had a strong culture,

It held significant historical importance.

As the servant sat by the well, perhaps some of the women were beginning to show up.

How in the world would he know which one of them was to be Isaac’s wife?

He decided to do what he had seen his master, a man of faith, do on many occasions.

The servant begins to pray.

Listen to his prayer.

Send me good speed this day.

Shew kindness to my master.

Pretty generic so far.

I stand here by the well.

The daughters of the city are come to draw water.

Getting pretty specific.

Genesis 24:14 “14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.”

That is really specific.

This servant is awfully bold.

Notice he doesn’t base his prayer in his own benefit.

From beginning to end, he comes to God on behalf of Abraham.

He caught the vision weeks earlier for how serious this matter was.

Looking at all the women of the city he knows that God will have to point out the right one to him.

Little did he know, God had already begun to work.

Without him knowing it, there was already a beautiful, single woman on her way to the well as he was praying.

As soon as the servant was done praying, a woman named Rebekah came out.

Rebekah had earlier begun her regular trip to the well.

Can you imagine her going through the tent telling her mom she was headed out to get water?

Tons of commotion and business was taking place as kids ran by.

Families were big back then and they typically stayed together.

Maybe some kids asked if they could go.

Perhaps Rebekah was looking forward to visiting with some of her friends at the well.

Maybe this was her time of quietness and she was looking forward to the walk to the well outside of town.

After several minutes of walking, she made her exit from the city just as the servant was finishing his prayer.

The servant is struck by her beauty.

The Bible says she was not just fair, she was very fair to look upon.

He doesn’t know it yet, but she is Abraham’s niece.

The servant locks on to Rebekah.

But he doesn’t go straight to her.

The Bible clearly says that she went down to the well, drew her water, and began to go back up to the city.

She was done with her chore.

She had visited with her friends.

She had hefted the heavy pot of water back onto her shoulder.

Only then did the servant approach Rebekah.

How would she respond to this old traveler’s request for a drink of water?

Was she the one who give him and his camels drink?

Genesis 24:18 “18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.”

God had answered prayers 1-3.

She had come out quickly.

She was exactly what Abraham had desired for his son.

She had given him a drink.

But, what about the camels?

After the servant had drank his fill, imagine his astonishment when Rebekah immediately offered to draw water for his camels.

Abraham’s servant watched in silence as Rebekah emptied her pitcher into the trough.

Now we don’t know how big Rebekah’s pitcher was.

We don’t know how thirsty the camels were.

A thirsty camel can drink 20-40 gallons of water.

Her pitcher couldn’t have been very big.

Whatever the details, the important thing to notice is that God had answered the prayers of the servant.

He had given the servant good speed.

He had brought a girl that fit Abraham’s description perfectly.

She had given him a drink.

She had given his camels a drink.

Now the servant didn’t pray again and say, now God are you sure.

He immediately rushed to her and gave her gifts.

Now, she may have thought these gifts were just an act of appreciation for her service.

Little did she know, these were a taste of the riches she was about to inherit.

The servant then asked her whose family she belonged to and if there was room for him to lodge with them.

When she told him that she was the grand-daughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, the servant’s heart must have leapt.

When she told him that they were well-prepared to receive him into their home, it was too much for him.

The weight he had felt to please his master was lifted.

This was the girl that God had prepared for Isaac.

So, right there, outside the city next to the bustling area around the well, Abraham’s servant stopped to worship the Lord!

Blessed be the Lord, God!

He has not left my master destitute.

I being in the way, the Lord led me. x2

Interpretation

The servant expected great things from God.

That led him to attempt great things for God.

As he was in the way, God led him to exactly the place he needed to be.

Application

We have all kinds of wants and desires for our lives.

As I said this morning, it is not a stretch for us to see ourselves in this servant sent to do his master’s bidding.

I want to challenge all of us to consider whether or not we are living under the direction of our master.

Bringing him glory through our lives.

Reaching others with the gospel.

It can sure seem like a challenge to fulfill God’s will in our lives.

But, when I read this story, I remember how great our God is in doing amazing things in our lives.

I can expect great things from God because he is great.

When I know I am backed by a great God, then I can attempt great things for HIm.

All I have to be is in the way.

That’s true at home, at work, and in church.

You’ll never meet Rebekah if you’re not in the way.

Rebekah was going to the well that day whether the servant was there or not.

Because he was in the way, he met her.

Who are you supposed to meet tomorrow?

Who are you supposed to influence tomorrow?

Who are you supposed to invite to the Son tomorrow?

Trunk or treat.

Extroverted church

Be in the way.

Get people here.

Be where the people are.

I expect God to do great things.