Genesis 24.10-14-Abraham's Servant Prays to God for Help in Identifying Isaac's Wife
Wednesday April 5, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 24:10-14-Abraham’s Servant Prays to God for Help in Identifying Isaac’s Wife
Lesson # 127
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 24:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of Genesis 24, which records Abraham employing a servant to secure a bride for his son Isaac.
As we noted last evening, this chapter is divided into five sections:
(1) Genesis 24:1 presents an introductory statement regarding Abraham’s age to begin the chapter and demonstrates the urgent need to secure a bride for his son.
(2) Genesis 24:2-9 records Abraham commissioning his servant in his household to go back to Paddan Aram and secure a bride for Isaac among Abraham’s relatives.
(3) Genesis 24:10-27 presents Abraham’s servant providentially meeting Rebekah at a well in Nahor in Aram Naharaim.
(4) Genesis 24:28-61 records that in the home of Bethuel, Rebekah’s family consents to the marriage of Rebekah and Isaac.
(5) Genesis 24:62-67 presents Rebekah and Isaac meeting in the Negev and as a married couple enter into Sarah’s tent.
There are four characters who figure significantly in God’s providential designs: (1) Faithful Abraham (2) Abraham’s prayerful servant (3) Virtuous Rebekah (4) Rebekah’s unscrupulous family.
Although, He is not mentioned, the Lord is the chief actor in this chapter.
Last night, we studied the first two sections of this chapter.
This evening we will study the third section contained in verses ten through twenty-seven, which presents Abraham’s servant providentially meeting Rebekah at a well in Nahor in Aram Naharaim.
The providence of God is the divine outworking of the divine decree, the object being the final manifestation of God’s glory.
The doctrine of providence expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God Who reveals the purpose of providence through the work of Christ on the Cross.
Providence is extended to God’s forethought, omniscience, and the functional care over His creatures, both good and evil, but especially those creatures who have exercised positive volition toward His Word and have believed in Christ.
Genesis 24:1, “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.”
Genesis 24:2-4, “Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ‘Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.’”
Genesis 24:5, “The servant said to him, ‘Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?’”
Genesis 24:6, “Then Abraham said to him, ‘Beware that you do not take my son back there!’”
Genesis 24:7, “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.”
Genesis 24:8, “But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.”
Genesis 24:9, “So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”
Genesis 24:10, “Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master's in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.”
Abraham’s servant made this trip in faith meaning that he trusted in the Lord for His guidance, asked for that guidance in prayer and then listened to God in prayer tell him where to go and identified for him the bride for Isaac.
Camels were prime measure of wealth back in the days of Abraham since camels were rare back then.
Therefore, for Abraham’s servant to take “ten” camels with him was an evidence of Abraham’s great wealth and designed to impress the relatives of the bride and the bride herself.
The ten camels would have a practical purpose of providing the means of transportation back to Canaan for the bride and her entourage.
They would also be used to test the character of the woman since Abraham’s servant is going to ask the woman to water his camels and a camel can drink twenty-five gallons of water!
Betrothal was marked by presenting large gifts to the bride’s family and so Abraham’s servant goes prepared as evidenced that he took with “a variety of good things of his master’s.”
“Mesopotamia” is composed of the pronoun noun Aram (sra&), “Aram” and the plural form of the noun nahar (rhn*), “two rivers.”
These two rivers were in the western part of Mesopotamia and the two rivers were the Balikh and the Khabur, tributaries of the Euphrates River.
The city of Haran was on the Balikh River about a seven hundred mile journey north-northeast of Beersheba and nearby was the city of Nahor.
“Nahor” was Abraham’s brother and he founded a city, which bears his name and is known in cuneiform sources as “Nakhur.”
Genesis 24:11, “He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.”
The seven hundred mile journey has come to an end and is not even described even though undoubtedly they encountered interesting people and things, and dangers and difficulties.
Nevertheless, God has given success to Abraham’s servant on this trip.
Abraham’s servant went directly to the place that Abraham’s brother Nahor resided, whom Abraham received information about according to Genesis 22:20-24.
It was not unusual for a newly arrived stranger to go directly to the public wells where he could replenish his water supplies.
Also, at the wells, he could gain valuable information about the town and make contacts since the well served as a meeting place for the townspeople and shepherds.
In the days of Abraham, the custom was for the women, particularly unmarried girls to be responsible for drawing water and herding the flocks (cf. Gen. 29:10; Ex. 2:16; 1 Sam. 9:11), but not unusual for a man to do so as in the case of Jacob and Moses.
It was also the custom in Abraham’s day for the women to wait until the heat of the day was over to come out and draw water from a well.
Of course Abraham’s servant was aware of this and made it a point to be at the well of water by evening time.
Genesis 24:12, “He said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.’”
This is the first recorded instance of prayer for specific guidance in Scripture.
In fact, the entire meeting with Rebekah is encircled by prayer (see Genesis 24:26-27).
The servant’s prayer is essential for the fulfillment of his mission and demonstrates his humility and dependence upon God to meet his need and Isaac’s as well as his awareness that God is sovereign over the circumstances and that an angel of God is present though invisible to facilitate this encounter between himself and Rebekah.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Abraham’s servant’s prayer demonstrates his unselfishness in that he looks out for the interests of his master rather than his own well-being.
Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:4, “do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
“Lord” is the proper noun Yahweh (hw *hy+), which is the personal covenant name of God emphasizing the “immanency” of God meaning that the Lord was involving Himself in and concerning Himself with and intervening in the life of Abraham and Isaac and would provide a wife for Isaac to fulfill His covenant promises.
The fact that Abraham’s servant addresses God with the covenant name of God, Yahweh indicates that he is a believer.
“God” is the noun Elohim, which emphasizes that God has sovereignly determined to intervene in the life of this servant so that he meets Rebekah.
The fact that Abraham’s servant uses the term Elohim, “God” demonstrates his awareness that God is sovereign over his circumstances and therefore expresses his confidence that God would provide a wife for Isaac.
The fact that Abraham’s servant addresses God in prayer, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham” indicates that he recognized the Lord as the God of Abraham because Abraham introduced him to the Lord.
He was circumcised as everyone in Abraham’s household was and was told why by Abraham, thus he became a believer through Abraham’s witness.
Also, his prayer demonstrates he not only recognizes God as Abraham’s God but also his since he turns to God to solve this impossible task, which demonstrates knowledge of God’s character and nature.
Furthermore, God would not answer the prayer of an unbeliever unless it is of course the prayer to accept Christ as Savior.
The servant’s request “please grant me success today” demonstrates his awareness of God’s providence and sovereign control over circumstances.
“Lovingkindness” is the noun chesedh (ds#j#) (kheh-sed), which means, “loyal for faithful love” to Abraham and Isaac and which loyal or faithful love God expresses in faithfulness to His covenant promises to Abraham and Isaac and their descendants.
Therefore, we see that Abraham’s servant has an awareness and knowledge of God’s character and the covenants He has established with Abraham and Isaac.
This word chesedh involves the inferior partner depending on the kindness of the superior to meet a desperate need.
Therefore, we see that Abraham’s servant is depending on God who is superior to meet the desperate need of Isaac to have a wife.
Genesis 24:13, “Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.”
Genesis 24:14, “now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’ -- may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”
Notice that Abraham’s servant does “not” attempt to advertise in the city that he is looking for a wife for his rich master but rather, he prays to God instead demonstrating his wisdom.
Now, that Abraham’s servant is in perfect location to observe the unmarried women of the city of Nahor, but now he is faced with an almost impossible problem to resolve.
Namely, how does he go about determining the spiritual character of the woman, which would identify her as the woman that God wants Isaac to marry?
Therefore, we see the servant turning to prayer to resolve this problem.
The plan that the servant proposes to God in prayer to determine the identity of the woman that God wants Isaac to marry appears on the surface to be “putting out the fleece” and testing God as Gideon did in Judges 6:36-40 but rather, the servant’s proposal to God in prayer would test the woman rather than God.
So the servant asks God to confirm His choice for Isaac by a test.
The fact that the servant’s proposal to God in prayer was to test the woman expresses his care and concern for Isaac and his high opinion of Isaac as well as his father Abraham.
He does not want Isaac to marry a woman with poor character.
Proverbs 12:4, “A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.”
So according to the servant’s plan, the woman must volunteer to draw water for ten thirsty camels.
As we noted, camels can drink twenty-five gallons of water!
The servant knew the kind of hospitality that characterized Abraham, so the test would also demonstrate that she was the kind of woman who would fit into Abraham’s family.
Camels are known to be very thirsty creatures, especially after a long trip in the desert.
To give the servant a drink was one thing but to give a drink to the men and then to satisfy the thirst of the camels was an entirely different matter.
The servant did not plan to ask the woman for water for his camels, only for himself.
She could thus meet his request quite easily, while sensing no obligation to meet the total needs of the caravan.
Any woman who was willing to “go the extra mile” in this matter was one of unusual character.
Therefore, we see that the “character” of the woman Isaac was to marry was essential to God and not her beauty or virginity.
Proverbs 31:10, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
It was a wonderful plan, and the servant committed it to God in prayer.
This unusual request reflected deep insight into human nature as well as de-pendence upon divine guidance.
Bruce K. Waltke, “Hospitality is the determinant, over and above beauty and virginity (24:16). Since each camel could drink twenty-five gallons, the servant’s sign is sagacious; it is a test of the woman’s kindness, hospitality, industry and willingness to help a stranger. Sternberg calls it ‘a shrewd character test.’ He states, ‘What touchstone could be more appropriate than the reception of a wayfarer to determine a woman’s fitness to marry into the family of the paragon of hospitality? And it is a stiff test, too, since it would require far more than common civility to volunteer to water ‘ten’ thirsty camels’” (Genesis, A Commentary, page 328, Zondervan).