GUIDANCE NEEDED – God directs the steps of those who seek Him.

 

GENESIS 24:12-20, 24-27

 

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Memory Verse: 26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

 

Seeking God! We should all be about the task of seeking God and learning more about Him. Why? Because there are many blessings and awards attached to that task. Some are given down here on earth, and others are given in eternity.

 

The very basics of our faith are rooted and established in seeking and believing God.

 

Hebrews 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

God wants us to know Him, to believe Him, to trust Him, and to follow Him.

 

John 15: 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

 

Just think! The Almighty Creator of the universe becomes our “friend”, we are not merely just servants. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are a part of His Family, and we are loved and nourished throughout eternity. Wow!

 

God has made that guidance available through His Word and prayer. Abraham’s servant recognized his own critical need for divine guidance as he obeyed Abraham’s directive to find a wife for Isaac.

 

THE CONTEXT (GENESIS 24:1 - 25:18)

 

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 his relatives. Abraham made the servant vow that under no circumstances would he take Isaac back to the homeland of his relatives. 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).

 

The Lord responded faithfully to the servant’s prayer for guidance, leading him to the household of Bethuel, the son Abraham’s brother, Nahor. When Rebekah’s brother, Laban, saw the gold ring and bracelets the servant had given his sister, he welcomed him into their home. The servant explained his mission and how Rebekah’s actions served as a positive response to his prayer for the Lord’s guidance. Rebekah willingly agreed to go with the servant and become Isaac’s wife. She departed from her family, accompanied by her nurse Deborah (see 35:8).

 

After the group’s return to the Promised Land, Rebekah became Isaac’s wife. She provided needed comfort for Isaac in the days after his mother Sarah had died (23:19-20; 24:67)

 

Chapter 25:1-11 concludes the record of Abraham’s life. Apparently after Sarah died, Abraham took another wife name Keturah. Abraham, however, gave gifts to the sons born to her and sent them away as he had Ishmael. Meanwhile, the covenant blessing rested on Isaac, the son of promise.

 

Abraham died at the age of 175. The description of his death in 24:8 emphasizes how the Lord’s blessing rested on this patriarch. His burial in the cave of Macpelah calls to mind the significance of that site. It was the first piece of property to which Abraham gained title in the promised land (23:16-20). This cave became the burial place for each of the succeeding generations. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were all buried in the cave.

 

The Lord vowed also to make a great nation of Ishmael’s descendants. However, the Lord’s covenant would be confirmed with Isaac, not Ishmael. Ishmael, the son of Hagar died at the age of 137.

 

A REQUEST (GENESIS 24:12-14)

 

12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Abraham’s servant had observed his faith and the difference that faith had made in Abraham’s life. Abraham had already given his instructions and provided guidance for his servant. In turn, his servant was motivated to do the same in carrying out those instructions.

 

Abraham’s servant prayed that the Lord would show kindness or loyalty to Abraham. As it turned out, God did that very thing to lead him to the wife God meant for Isaac.

 

13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

The Hebrew word for “spring” also means “eye” or focal point of the landscape. The fountain or spring became symbolic of the Lord and His power to refresh. The servant recognized that Isaac’s wife needed the willingness to demonstrate hospitality, a quality regarded not only as good manners, but also a sacred duty in the ancient world. The practice of hospitality involved entertaining or receiving a stranger into one’s household, treating the person as an honored guest, and providing food, shelter, and protection.

 

14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

The servant wished to have his perceptions verified. Rebekah was a woman who willingly took the initiative to act in certain ways that showed she had the qualities desired.

 

THE ANSWER (GENESIS 24:15-20)

 

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.

16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

Her lineage, as described in Genesis 24:15, identifies Rebekah as the great niece of Abraham. After marrying Isaac, she became the mother of twins, Jacob and Esau.

Rebekah was a beautiful virgin, a generous servant, and a woman who showed hospitality. She voluntarily chose to leave her home to become Isaac’s wife.

 

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

18 "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

Rebekah’s identity as a descendant of Abraham’s family pointed to her as a person that Abraham wanted as the wife for Isaac. Also, she was fulfilling the request that the servant had made to God.

 

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.

Camels are well-suited for desert travel. They benefit from their muscular bodies, padded feet, and humps of fat to sustain them on long journeys. The number of camels someone owned played a role in determining the measure of their wealth (Gen. 24:35). A young camel can travel 100 miles in a day. Rebekah was again showing the signs of being kind, respectful, hospitable, and caring.

 

PLACE OFFERED (GENESIS 24:24-27)

 

24 She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor."

The name Milcah means “queen”. Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. Rebekah was Milcah’s granddaughter.

 

25 And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

27 saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."

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). This was no coincidence. Abraham had given his instructions and now the very request that the servant had made to God had been fulfilled. The servant gave thanks and worshipped because of the clearness of the directions that had been validated.

 

The servant is full of thankfulness and worships God. Also, the word translated “faithfulness” derives from a verb meaning “to support” or “to confirm”. Our transliterated English word “amen” also comes from this verb. We often translate that word as “so be it.” The noun “faithfulness” conveys the concepts of stability, certainty, dependability, and trustworthiness. In Genesis 24:27, the term describes the Lord’s nature. In exodus 34:6, the word appears in a list of God’s characteristics. As a description of the Lord’s nature, the word “faithfulness” is often coupled with kindness.

 

Our God is loving, merciful, just, and righteous. You can imagine the blessings that come as we draw close to Him to get to know Him better.