Genesis 24:11-1611And 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. 12And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. 13Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14And 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 showed kindness unto my master. 15And 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. 16And 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. (Genesis 24:11‑16).
WE have followed the pathway of Abraham’s servant to the side of the well, and as we remarked last week, he was then in the right place to choose a bride for Isaac. Water, in the Scriptures often speaks to us of God’s Word (see Eph. 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26)) and so we can see in this a picture of one who is walking in obedience. While patiently waiting on the Lord, Eliezer prayed and asked His guidance that the decisions which he was about to make might be the right ones. How many serious mistakes would be avoided if we always made our decisions in this way.
The Lord surely guided Eliezer most remarkably, and the story abounds with little details which are full of instruction for us as young people. Rebekah was thoughtful and kind. It could be said of her as of the one described in Proverbs 31, “In her tongue is the law of kindness.” Children of God who want to please the Lord are not thoughtless of the needs of others, nor would they be selfish, and always thinking of themselves first. Nor would they be lazy. Eliezer knew all this, and so he asked the Lord that he would lead him to the one, who when asked for a drink would say, “Drink, and I will give thy counsels drink also.” He knew too that only the Lord could guide him aright, and he was content to wait on Him.
Eliezer wasn’t long in getting an answer to his prayer. But perhaps some of our readers are saying that they do not get such a ready answer to their prayers. Let us draw your attention to something very beautiful in Eliezer’s attitude before he ever came to the well at all. He had said to Abraham, “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son unto the land from whence thou camest?” and Abraham had replied “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.” If he could not get a bride for Isaac in the path of obedience, he was to come back through the wilderness alone, and this he was content to do. What lovely faith! and God has been pleased to record it for our encouragement. He knows the difficulties of the way, and takes notice of all we do for Him even when we suffer rather than disobey. Abraham’s word was definite, “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.” How can a Christian expect the blessing of the Lord, if he or she goes back into the world, out of which God has saved us, to get a life companion. It is a dangerous course to pursue.
Rebekah then came to the well, and she was “very fair to look upon”, but this was not the deciding factor in Eliezer’s choice. There were much deeper considerations than these, and we do well to bear in mind the Scripture which says, “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Prov. 31:3030Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30). Eliezer knew that “the Lord looketh on the heart” 1 Sam. 16:7,7But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) and he awaited His guidance.
Before closing our little “talk” we would like to remark that the primary meaning of this story is that the Spirit of God, like Eliezer, has come down into this world to get a bride for Christ.
All who are truly saved form part of that bride, and if the one who reads these lines is unsaved, our desire is that you might listen to the pleadings of the Spirit of God with your soul, and accept Christ as your Saviour NOW.
Messages of the Love of God 1/25/1948