ETB Genesis 24:12-20; 24-27

Session #2 - p.19 - Guidance Needed

Obtaining and following wise guidance is essential to a full and meaningful life.

Share: Relate that today we often use apps on our phones or tablets to remind us about appointments. We access a map app or GPS to get the best route and to keep us updated on traffic conditions or alternate routes. We recognize that plans don’t just happen, so we want to be prepared.

Above all, we need spiritual guidance to make decisions that honor the Lord and help us avoid disaster on the road of life. God has made that guidance available through His Word and prayer. Abraham’s servant recognized his critical need for divine guidance as he obeyed Abraham’s directive to find a wife for Isaac. [LifeWay Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2024]

Ask: How is there comfort in knowing that God directs the steps of those who seek Him? (PSG, p. 19)

Understand the Context

Last week we read about Abraham and Isaac going up to worship in mount Moriah in Chapter 22. In Chapter 23, Sarah dies and is buried in land that Abraham purchases. Between the mountain experience and the passage we will be looking at today in Chapter 24, 25-30 years have elapsed.

Chapter 24 of Genesis focuses on finding a wife for Isaac. For the Lord’s promise to Abraham of multiplied descendants to be fulfilled, Isaac needed a wife. Therefore, Abraham sent his trusted servant, most likely Eliezer of Damascus (Gen. 15:2), to find a wife for his son of promise from among the patriarch’s relatives. Abraham made the servant vow that under no circumstances would he take Isaac back to the homeland of Aram-naharaim. By placing his hand under Abraham’s thigh, the bodily zone associated with Abraham’s posterity, and swearing an oath, the servant affirmed that Abraham could depend on him to carry out his master’s instructions (24:9). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Our passage picks up the narrative after the servant has already made the long journey up into what is now Syria into the region where he believes Abraham’s family resides. He does not know for certain as 80+ years have passed since the patriarch was in the area. He goes to the place where all people of ancient times would eventually have a family come to, the local source for water.

Explore the Text

Genesis 24:12–14 ESV

12 And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

v.12

O Lord, God of my master

In need of guidance, Abraham’s servant prayed to the God his master worshiped. Apparently, the servant had observed Abraham’s faith and how it had made in Abraham’s life. Thus, whether the witness had been verbal or primarily nonverbal, Abraham had provided guidance for his servant. Abraham’s example of faith motivated the servant to turn to the Lord for help in carrying out this important assignment from his master. Of course, it’s also possible that after years of service to Abraham, this servant also accepted God as the only true deity and had a relationship with Him as well. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

… please grant me success

Could be translated with “cause success before my face.”

Ask: What do you think prompted Abraham’s servant to pray? (PSG, p. 22)

Some see this prayer of the servant as telling God what to do or trying to get Him to “perform.”

Back in verse 7 when talking with Abram and asking how he would be able to do this, his master promised him that God would “send his angel before you.” Now that he has arrived in the town named after his servants brother, he is merely requesting the promise to reveal itself in a way that he can recognize. I also see a servant who does not attempt to rise above those in authority over him and totally devoted to his master. He knows that unless God acts, the task his master sent him to do will not come to fruition. He also knows his limitations and offers God a way to “reveal Himself” within these. “All I can do is stand here I and ask questions of those going by.” I don’t know if he even spoke the language of the area so that may have also been a hurdle as he was in Syria. His plea for love was for his master, not himself. He is a servant so how he completed the task assigned to him was his reward or punishment, he did not expect love or grace.

Similar but different than Gideon - who later in life did presume of God’s blessing - and probably closer to Johnathan when deciding to attack a garrison in the mountains. (1Sam 14:6-10). If God did this, then He is with us, if not than He is not.

I do not seem much difference between this servants prayer and the test for a prophets words.

Deuteronomy 18:21–22 “21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”

The Psalms have several similar pleas.

Psalm 25:5 “5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”

Seeking God’s guidance, however you can, is a good idea. Most who really want to hear from Him, will find an appropriate way and be willing to ask again if God reveals their error.

v.13-14

spring of water

I find it interesting that almost all the images and acted out scenes of this passage show Rebekah at a stone surrounded well pulling up a jar with a rope but the text uses “spring” of water 4 times in the chapter and only “well” once. I could not find a distinction or definition between the two, but the words in the original languages were definitely different.

This Hebrew word for the water source also means “eye.” The connection between the two words probably lies in the fact that a spring or well served as the focal point of the landscape. Different from a cistern, it designates water flowing from an opening in a hillside or valley. In Genesis 16:7, it identifies the fountain where the angel of the Lord found Hagar after she fled from Sarah’s mistreatment. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

All these English words seem to be used interchangeably depending on the translators which probably adds to the imagery confusion of where Rebekah got the water. Regardless of it being a deep well or an open stream, it was a laborious task to get enough water to survive and work every day in the ancient world.

young woman

The servant was not looking for someone the same age as Isaac, but not a teenager either. Someone of marrying age and old enough to be allowed to go to the city well unsupervised.

the one whom you have appointed

This English phrase is just on Hebrew word - chosen. “Let her be the Chosen for Isaac.”

The servant recognized that Isaac’s wife needed the willingness to demonstrate hospitality, a quality regarded not only as good manners, but also as a sacred duty in the ancient world. Further, the servant’s request related to the kind of personality that he believed Isaac needed in a wife. Isaac, who possessed a quiet, retiring nature, found in Rebekah a woman who willingly took the initiative to act. In the end, God was behind the selection. He had appointed Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

The servant also continues to acknowledge that God is in control of the situation and is asking Him to make His choice abundantly clear to him.

It probably was not written down yet, but the servant is fleshing out the truth of the proverb.

Proverbs 19:14 “14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

By this I shall know

The Hebrew verb rendered knowexpresses a variety of shades of knowledge gained through the senses. While the term typically designates knowledge gained by experience, it also indicates the contemplative perception a wise person possesses. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

“If you will please do it this way so that I can be sure that Abraham’s desires are fulfilled as I may not recognize You workings another way.”

Genesis 24:15–20 ESV

15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.

v.15

Before he had finished speaking

The servant was praying out loud.

The speed of the answer, coming before the prayer was finished being uttered, is a validation of the purity of the servants request and the humility of his request. It may also speak to the servant’s desperation wanting to complete the task and get back to his master quickly.

v.16-17

young woman was very attractive

We know from what the servant prayed that this was a place that “daughters of men” came for water. We cannot tell from this text if there were other women coming out at the same time or not, but Rebekah’s appearance may have been something that helped the servant pick her out to approach. Another quality of a good servant trying to get “the best” for his master’s son.

She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up

If the servant asked for water on her way down, then the agreement to give water would still have been hospitable, but by agreeing on the way back up the woman would have to be willing to go back and refill the jug before going back home. A willingness to be interrupted and change plans is a must for any good mother.

a little water

Servant as for only a little water, or a sip for himself but is given his fill.

This speaks to the generosity of Rebekah.

v.18-20

until they have finished drinking.

Not only gave the man (men) more water than requested but offered to ensure all the animals were also watered. This was not only generous but showed an understanding of livestock and their needs for travel. Also exhibits a willingness to help others and accepting responsibility of completing laborious tasks.

But we know from the rest of Scripture that Rebekah may have been pure of body, but not of heart, and was an opportunist. Could it be she saw all those camels and knew that the man was rich and hoped for some “compensation” for he efforts?

ran again to the well

This phrase lets us know that she did not dawdle in the task but put forth additional effort to get it done quickly. She initially came to get water for her family so they could be waiting as well so finishing quickly could avoid any confrontations if “big brother” came looking for her.

Genesis 24:21 “21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.”

The book skips over this verse but I think it reveal another godly trait in this servant. Even though what he asked of the Lord was happening right before him as he asked, he still analyzed it and meditated on it to be sure that is was from the Lord and not the enemy. If he knew how to read and had scrolls to do so, I’d call him a Berean at heart.

In verse 23, the servant as her “Please tell me whose daughter you are”

As a final verification, the servant gets a verbal confirmation of the Lord’s “appointed” woman.

Genesis 24:24–27 ESV

24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”

v.24-25

daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor

The servant, maybe not even Abraham, may not have know the first two names as they were probably not alive when Abram left the area back in Gen 11 and but the servant was probably around when the news came to Abraham about his brother’s children back at the end of Chapter 22. However, when Rebekah says “Nahor” that was a name he would certainly recognize and probably had heard stories about. God had granted the servant success in finding the right household, through a providential “water fountain” moment.

Later in the chapter Rebekah is given the decision whether or not to leave her family immediately or to stay a “few more days”. She replies “I will go.”

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary “I Will Go”

Nothing in the recorded history of Rebekah so puts her in the true spiritual line of Abraham as this decision. For, of course, this had also characterized the faith of Abraham. When Abraham was instructed to circumcise the males of his household, he did it “on that very day” (Gen. 17:23). When he was commanded to send Sarah’s slave Hagar and Hagar’s son Ishmael away, it was “early the next morning” that Abraham put the command into effect (Gen. 21:14). Again, after Abraham was instructed to offer his son as a burnt offering, “early the next morning” Abraham got up and made his preparations (Gen. 22:3).

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary “I Will Go”

This was also Rebekah’s disposition. She had probably never been away from home in her entire life, but if God was sending her away, she wanted to respond to his leading immediately. So should we, when God indicates new directions for us. If we delay our obedience, little will be accomplished. Ten days will turn into ten months and then ten years, and the time for service will be gone.

v.26-27

The man bowed his head and worshiped

CSB translates “bowed head” as “knelt low”

The verb has a restricted use in the Old Testament, appearing only fifteen times. Thus, it emphasizes deep devotion or respect at especially critical times. For example when Joseph’s brothers brought Benjamin to Egypt, they demonstrated respect for Joseph by paying homage to him (Gen. 43:28). Likewise, Abraham’s servant responded with such an act of awe and reverence when he learned that the Lord had guided him to the house of Abraham’s relatives (Gen. 24:26). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

… and worshipped.

The Hebrew verb rendered worshiped literally means “to bow down.” This tells us the servant was not only prostrating or humbling himself physically before the Lord but also in spirit.

It is an appropriate response to answered prayer. I have to admit I often forget to do that part after I have prayed for and received a positive answer.

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 24

And when success crowned his efforts, he was quick to acknowledge that the speedy fulfillment of his objective was in answer to his supplication. It was the guidance of God, and not his own acuteness or wisdom, which led to such a favorable issue. Thus it is also with every true minister of the New Testament. We will never speak to men for God with any power of persuasion unless, first, we speak to God for men with power of supplication.

Blessed be the Lord

The Hebrew verb in this context means “to offer praise.” Here it is used of Abraham’s servant praising the Lord. Other examples of such usage appear repeatedly in the Psalms (see Pss. 16:7; 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 34:1; 41:13; 66:8,20; 68:19; 72:18; 103:1-2). The person addressed as blessed was viewed as possessing the power for abundant and effective living (see 1 Sam. 26:25). The address became a formalized means of expressing praise to the individual because he had given out of the abundance of his life or resources. Often, the Lord was addressed as blessed, as is the case here, because of His unending resources He is eternal “blessed” and “blesses” other from it. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

In this cause God’s resources and character had given the servant the guidance that he needed and requested.

the Lord has led me in the way

The wording that Moses uses here to recount the story is reminiscent of what God had been doing for them in the wilderness now for many years.

Nehemiah 9:19–20 “19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.”

May the servant’s words be our claim each day and night as well.

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) Genesis 24:26–28

The servant says, “Being in the way, the Lord led me.” I find his phraseology interesting, for centuries later, Jesus would declare, “I am the Way” (John 14:6); and the early church itself was called “the Way” (Acts 19:23).

If you are walking in the Way, gang, if you’re obeying Jesus, you will end up at the right spot. You don’t have to waste your time struggling and striving to find God’s will. Simply walk day by day in the Way, and, as He did Abraham’s servant, the Lord will lead you.

God’s providence arrange this marriage over several years and many miles but it was not just so that Abraham could see the promise coming true with grandchildren or even so Isaac could be comforted at the loss of his mother. These were additional blessings.

Opening Up Genesis A God Who Is Determined to Save Sinners

Here is, perhaps, the most important lesson of all from Genesis 24. The whole reason for this arranged marriage was to ensure that Abraham’s family tree continued to grow—that the nation of Israel would assuredly come to birth. And why was that important? Because, as Jesus said in John 4:22, “salvation is from the Jews.” God’s plan of salvation for the whole world—Jews and Gentiles alike—depended upon a Jewish Messiah! And God is determined to save sinners. Therefore God was determined to send Jesus, the Messiah. And therefore God was determined to establish Israel, through which he would send this Messiah! So, way back in Genesis 24, God was so interested in saving you that he was orchestrating a marriage in the middle of nowhere to ensure that, in the fullness of time, you would have a Savior!

Apply the Text

Summarize: Review these points from Apply the Text on page 27 of the Personal Study Guide:

Believers should approach God when seeking direction.

Believers can see God’s answers to prayer when sensitive to His work.

Believers can praise God for His faithful provision and direction.

Guide: Lead adults to substitute “I” for “believers” as they reflect on these statements. Consider what a life characterized by worship communicates to God and others. (PSG. p. 27)

Pray: Close with prayer, praising God for His guidance and asking Him to lead the group to be more sensitive to His work in their lives.