Many, many years before Abraham had left as instructed by God the land of his birth lived and from his own relations there. Now he was old and Sarah his wife had died. His son needed a wife, but there were none of his race where he lived.
So Abraham decided to send his oldest servant, the one he trusted to look after everything for him, back to his old home to take a wife for Isaac, and bring her to the promised land. The servant asked only one question, it seems, and that was, what should he do if the woman would not come back with him,—should he take Isaac back to that country? And Abraham answered “Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.” If Isaac was not to be taken back, and the lady refused to come, there would be no bride for him, so we can see a good deal depended on what the servant could say about Isaac, when he got across the desert among Abraham’s people. It was certainly the most important thing this chief servant ever had to do, we may be sure, but I expect Abraham knew that the servant would be faithful to the trust he put in him. How confidently he spoke of God, didn’t he, in the seventh verse? God would be with the servant he said, and send His angel before him. Abraham trusted in God first of all and knew Him as his best Friend.
Abraham had a trusted, eldest servant who ruled over all that he had. He decided to send his servant back to the land of his birth to take a wife for his son. The servant was not to take a daughter of the Canaanites for his son. So the servant gave his solemn promise to take a wife his kindred.
The servant prayed to the Lord to direct him to speak to only the one person, for he had asked God to guide him to the right one, and He did. The young woman he spoke to, asking for a drink for himself, answered just as he had prayed the right one should, saying that she would not only give the servant a drink, but draw water for the camels too. I suppose that meant a good many trips down the steps to the water with the empty pitcher and up again to the trough. So we can say she was a willing person, as well as very nice looking or pretty as verse 16 says.
While she was bringing water for the camels, the servant was wondering if God had not only led him to the right person to speak to, but if He would make her willing to go back with him. As she finished supplying the thirsty camels, the servant took a gold ring, and two gold bracelets, and gave them to the young woman, at the same time asking her whose daughter she was, and if there was room in her father’s house for them to stay. And then he learned that this was Abraham’s grand-niece, Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor; there was straw and food for the camels, and room for them all to stay too. And again the servant prayed, but now it was a prayer of thanksgiving to God Who had led him to his master’s brother’s home. Rebekah ran home to tell of the stranger, and her brother Laban ran out to the well to invite him in as soon as he had seen the gold ring and the bracelets his sister was wearing and heard what the man had said to her.
The servant then went on to the home of Rebekah and Laban with the camels and attendants, and when the camels had been cared for and the men had washed their feet, food was set out for the servant to eat, but he would not eat a thing, he said, until he had told why he had come.
“I am Abraham’s servant,” he said “and the Lord has blessed my master very much and he has become great; He has given him flocks, and herds and silver and gold, and men-servants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.” Abraham was rich indeed: And Sarah my master’s wife had a baby when she was old, and to that baby, now grown to be a man, he has given all that he has.” Everything Abraham had was Isaac’s. And the servant went on to tell of his orders to go to Abraham’s home land and to his relations there and take a wife for Isaac, told them too about what had happened during the last hour or two, and at the end he said “Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master tell me, and if not tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” He wanted to know if he was a welcome visitor or not, because if the errand he had come upon was nothing of interest to them, he was going right away to someone else. Laban and his father then answered “This is something that comes from God; take Rebekah and go; let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.” Hearing these words, the servant was filled with thankfulness and praise to God, and brought out splendid and expensive presents of gold and silver things and clothes which he gave to Rebekah; even her brother and mother were given presents. After this they ate and went, to bed, but the next morning the servant said “Send me away to my master.” What a servant that was! He didn’t want to do anything for himself; he had an errand to attend to, and nothing must come in the way of doing it. Laban and the mother wanted to keep Rebekah for a few days, but the servant said “Don’t hinder me, since the Lord has blessed my journey here; send me away that I may go to my master.” So they called Rebekah and said to her “Wilt thou go with this man?” and she answered, “Yes, I will go.”
So back across that dreary desert went the servant, with Rebekah and her maids following on the camels. How long did it take, and did anything happen on the way? Well, I suppose that no matter how long and how dreary and troublesome a journey it was, Rebekah was thinking about the wonderful thing that had become true, that she was to be the wife of the great and rich Abraham’s son, though she had never seen him nor been in that place where was his home. That is why I suppose verse 61 tells about the beginning of the trip, and there isn’t a word said about any troubles on the way, nor how long it took, for the very next thing we come to about the bride is in verse 64, “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac she lighted off her camel.” Isaac had come out in the field and met. them before they got all the way to his home. The servant told the whole story of his doings, and Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother’s tent and they were married, and he loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
All of this very interesting story is true, as I surely do not need to say, but it is also a lovely picture or type of something we learn from the New Testament) and that is the Holy Spirit’s being sent into the world to gather out a lot of people, men, women, boys and girls, to form a bride for the Lord Jesus in the glory. Jesus has gone home to heaven, and will not come back to this earth while the Holy Spirit is telling about Him, telling of His greatness and His love—much more than Abraham’s servant could tell about Isaac. And some are believing what the Holy Spirit says and of them it was that the Lord Jesus spoke when he said to Thomas in John 20:29,29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29) “Because thou hast seen Me thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.” The Lord Jesus is coming to meet His loved ones in the air very soon; turn to Revelation 22:7, 12, 177Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Revelation 22:7)
12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)
17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17) and you will find not only the promise of the Lord to soon come, but the wish of the Holy Spirit down here acting as God’s servant, together with the saved ones that are going to form the bride of Jesus: “And the Spirit and the bride say ‘Come’.”
So, my dear young friend, what is your answer to the question “Wilt thou go with this man?”
Messages of God’s Love 5/15/1921