It is a well-known fact of Scripture that New Testament truth and principles are often illustrated by Old Testament history, and this is true of the story of Rebekah’s interaction with Abraham’s servant. The servant had come on a long journey from the land of Canaan to Mesopotamia, seeking a bride for his master’s son Isaac. The Lord prospered his journey, and according to his prayer to the Lord, he had been led to find Rebekah. Her brother Laban invites Abraham’s servant and those who were with him to stay with him, and he provides for their camels as well. However, in keeping with the theme of this issue, we want to focus on the jewels that were given by the servant to Rebekah and the typical meaning of them.
Tokens of Love and Blessing
First of all, we find that when the servant met Rebekah at the well and asked her for a drink, she not only gave him a drink, but offered to draw water for his camels also. After this was done, he gave her “a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold” (Gen. 24:2222And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; (Genesis 24:22)). (Actually, the golden earring was probably a nose ring, which is quite common in the East.) Gold in Scripture generally speaks of divine righteousness, and we will speak more of that later. However, I would suggest that here the golden jewels given to Rebekah are, in type, more suggestive of love and a desire for blessing. Abraham had been blessed exceedingly, and all that he had he was going to give to Isaac. The servant seeking a bride for Isaac is here a picture of the Spirit of God, who is now gathering out of this world a bride for Christ. When the servant places the golden nose ring on Rebekah and the bracelets on her hands, it was a token of the good intentions, and also of the wealth, of the one who was seeking her hand. So it is that when the Spirit of God works in souls today to bring them to Christ, He imparts not only new life (through the Word of God), but also assures them of God’s grace and His desire for their blessing. Through the efforts of Satan, many in this world have been led to view God as an angry God who constantly needs to be appeased by mankind. It is true that God is light and cannot look upon sin, but the work of Christ on the cross has made it possible for Him to come out in love and grace to His sinful creatures.
Jewels of Silver and Gold
Later, we find that when Abraham’s servant tells his errand, both Laban and Bethuel acknowledge that “the thing proceedeth from the Lord,” and they are willing to let Rebekah go and be Isaac’s wife. It is then that the servant brings forth more gifts for Rebekah: “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment” (Gen. 24:5353And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. (Genesis 24:53)). I would suggest that these gifts speak of full salvation and a walk that is in keeping with salvation.
First of all silver is mentioned, which is a picture to us of redemption. We see this first of all in the redemption money that was to be paid for all Israel: “They shall give, every one ... half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary ... to make an atonement for your souls” (Ex. 30:13,1513This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. (Exodus 30:13)
15The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. (Exodus 30:15)). Later, the boards of the tabernacle were seated on sockets of silver, speaking of believers who rest on redemption, the finished work of Christ. All this is represented in the silver jewels given to Rebekah, placing her in a place of acceptance and favor.
Second, the servant gave her jewels of gold. Gold in Scripture, as we have already remarked, speaks of divine righteousness. The ark of the covenant was covered with pure gold, and both the mercy seat and the cherubim were made of pure gold — all of which displayed God’s righteousness (Ex. 25:10-1110And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 25:10‑11)). Likewise, the boards of the tabernacle were covered with gold, typifying the believer, clothed in divine righteousness (Ex. 26:2929And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. (Exodus 26:29)). This is the result of redemption—a perfect standing before God. Because of the work of Christ for us in redemption, we are made “the righteousness of God in Him [Christ]” (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). God has brought us into favor, even though we were sinners, and has done it righteously, for the penalty for sin has been paid on Calvary’s cross.
The Wedding Garment
Finally, Rebekah was given raiment. We may look at this in two ways. First of all, when we are truly saved, we are looked upon as being clothed with a garment of God’s provision. We see this brought out in the parable of the wedding supper, where a wedding garment was provided for each guest. The one who dared to come in without a wedding garment was taken away in judgment (Matt. 22:1-141And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:1‑14)). The wedding garment would speak of our being made fit for the presence of God, and thus set apart from this world.
However, raiment has another meaning in the Word of God, and we may express it as practical sanctification. When we belong to Christ, we are positionally separated immediately from this world. But as time goes on and we progress in divine things, we are progressively and practically sanctified more and more, as we become more like Christ. Thus raiment (clothing) speaks of our lifestyle in this world, our habits, perhaps our means of earning a living, all of which affects our testimony down here.
From the point that she said to her family “I will go” (Ex. 24:58), Rebekah was associated with Isaac and no longer with her family of origin. She was given garments to prove it, and all this would eventually result in her taking a pilgrim position in the land of Canaan, along with the family of Abraham. She learned what it was not to own land, but to look “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:1010For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)). In this way her new raiment, given by the servant, was a picture of her being set apart, both positionally and practically.
The Egyptian Jewels
In all of this, it is interesting to note that long after Rebekah’s union with Isaac, her children, now very numerous, were slaves in the land of Egypt. But after the Lord had redeemed them, in type at the Passover, and they were about to leave Egypt, they “borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment” (Ex. 12:3535And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: (Exodus 12:35)). They had been told to do this back in Exodus 3:2222But every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:22), by the Lord Himself. (The word “borrowed” is rather inaccurate here; it should read “asked” or “demanded.” There was never any intention of these jewels being returned.) These same jewels, together with raiment, were to characterize them now as a people before the Lord, with all that the jewels and raiment spoke of.
We, as the church, are before the Lord in the same way. We are redeemed (spoken of by the silver), made righteous before God (typified by the gold), and sanctified practically by the raiment given to us. How important it is to enjoy all this and to exemplify it in our lives!
W. J. Prost