24
1.Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and
the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,
3 “and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 9: 25-27; 13:7, 15:21
4 “but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 11:26-31; 22:20-23
Sarah is gone and Abraham has but his son Isaac left.
Isaac is about thirty seven years old; give or take and has
not yet married. His mom Sarah has been the only woman
whom he has had in his life that has given him the
nurturing that only a woman can give, but a mother can
only fulfill maybe 50% of what God intended for a woman
to be to a man. Back in creation after God created man he
knew that it was not good for a man to alone; that he
needed a companion, so He created a woman for the man
taken from the womb of man, and saw that it was Good (Gen 2:18-24). I believe Abraham knew this story of Genesis and that God was the one who revealed it to him. Abraham knew that it was not good for Isaac to be alone. Now with Sarah gone it is time for Isaac to find his companion. Just like God the Father helped his son Adam get his companion so to Abraham is walking in the footsteps of God the Father and takes the lead in finding a companion for Isaac. Abraham has lived in the midst of the Canaanites for some sixty, seventy years now and he knows that there are no women in this land that can compare to his wife Sarah. Sarah was loyal, faithful, loving, and a beautiful woman by all accounts, and Abraham wants Isaac to have a wife like her. Also Abraham may fear that the women of Canaan would lead Isaac astray and away from the one true God, that he himself has come to know, and trust in all things. So like we read at end of chapter twenty two Abraham knows that his brother Nahor has many children, and because Sarah is also of the same family he feels that he can find the same qualities in a woman as Sarah among his own people. At least that is what he hopes, but as we will read In future chapters about Rebekah, we will the difference between Sarah and Rebekah. As I read these verses and write down my thoughts, I am again realizing that only God could have inspired these words. I say this because what Abraham is doing here, is the same as what God warned Moses: to tell the Hebrews when they entered into the promised land (Deut 7:1-6) Abraham understands this, and realizes that God has sanctified his seed and will not let it be defiled by the Canaanites. These verses are also a reminder that God is always in control. His purpose will stand and His will be done. Just one more thing I wanted to comment, or should I say
reveal to whoever reads this, is the purpose for Abraham’s
servant putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh to swear
an oath. The following commentary is from the Biblia.com
website:
In our culture, taking an oath usually involves raising the right hand or placing a hand over the heart or on a Bible. In ancient Hebrew culture, we find something a little different. Genesis 24:9 describes an odd practice that involved Abraham’s servant swearing to obey his master’s command
to find a wife for Isaac: “So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.” In Genesis 47:29, Jacob makes his son Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, not Egypt. The same ritual is observed: Joseph is required to put his hand under Jacob’s thigh as he makes the promise. It seems strange to us, but placing one’s hand under someone else’s thigh had a symbolic purpose.
In both cases, the request is made by a patriarch nearing death. Also, both oaths deal with family matters. In the case of Abraham and Jacob, the family was blessed by God Himself (Genesis 15:5; 28:14). The thigh was considered the source of posterity in the ancient world. Or, more properly, the “loins” or the testicles. The phrase “under the thigh” could be a euphemism for “on the loins.” There are two reasons why someone would take an oath in this manner: 1) Abraham had been promised a “seed” by God, and this covenantal blessing was passed on to his son and grandson. Abraham made his trusted servant swear “on the seed of Abraham” that he would find a wife for Isaac. 2) Abraham had received circumcision as the sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:10). Our custom is to swear on a Bible; the Hebrew custom was to swear on circumcision, the mark of God’s covenant. The idea of swearing on one’s loins is found in other cultures, as well. The English word testify is directly related to the word testicles.
5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not
be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son
back to the land from which you came?” v.58
6 But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take
my son back there. 12:1
7 “The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s
house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me
and swore to me, saying, “To your descendants I give this
land,” He will send His angel before you, and you shall take
a wife for my son from there. 12:7; Ex223:20
8 “And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you
will be released from this oath; only do not take my son
back there.”
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham
his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
Abraham is very adamant about His servant to not, for any reason take Isaac up out of the land that the Lord promised to him and his descendants. He tells his servant “Beware” not to take Isaac back to the land of Haran. It has been over approximately 50 years now that Abraham has known the almighty one (Gen 17:1). Abraham has had a personal relationship with God all this time and he has now come to trust the Lord in all things. God once asked him if there wasn’t anything that He couldn’t do? (Gen 18:14). Abraham has seen God’s work throughout his life and he
believes. Abraham is telling the Servant that the Lord God of heaven (who has been with him for fifty years of his life), will be with the servant in his journey just as He has been with Abraham. It is the same faith that Abraham showed when he was to offer up Isaac to the Lord as a sacrifice, and he told his son then that “The lord will provide” Abraham Knows, without the shadow of a doubt, that the lord God will provide a wife for Isaac. This is why Abraham is called the father of faith. We who follow the Lord can hold our heads up high and not have any doubts or fears, for God is our provider, and His presence is always with us day and night, he lifts us up when we are down, He will never Forsake us. What an awesome, loving God we serve.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and
departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he
arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11:26-29
So the servant of Abraham’s journeyed to the land from
of Abraham’s family. The city of Nahor is the place where
Abraham’s brother lived, which is located in modern day
Iraq, and Syria. I must note here that This servant of
Abraham’s had to be very loyal to him. Abraham entrusted
this man with many of his treasures. This servant could
have ran off with all this wealth and never returned.
11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by
a well of water at evening time, the time when women go
out to draw water.
12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham,
please give me success this day, and show kindness to my
master Abraham.
These two verses here I believe kind of emphasizes what I
mentioned previously About this mans loyalty to Abraham.
In his prayer he ask for God to give him success and that
He, (God), to show kindness to his master Abraham. I
think this loyalty and trustworthiness of the servant tells
of Abraham’s character and how he treated his servants.
If Abraham had treated this man in a cruel manner, the
servant would not have set out to do what he swore to do
for Abraham. He would have just high tailed it and never
returned.
13 “Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the
daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw
water.
14 “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say,”Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, “Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’-let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that you have shown kindness to my
master.” Judge. 6:17, 37, 39
Picking up from where we left off from in verses 11, and 12
The servant is still praying to the God of Abraham, which
just got me to thinking that sometimes when I pray I start
off with “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it is to you
whom I pray” so I believe that just because the servant is
saying in his prayer “O Lord God of my master Abraham”
it doesn’t mean that he has a different god he prays to, he
is merely acknowledging the one true God. In the spirit
of this prayer the servant must be remembering what
Abraham told him back in verse seven of this chapter (Gen 24:7). He recognizes that God is in control of this matter and not
him. He is putting his trust in God just as his master
Abraham does, he is a reflection of Abraham, and come to
think of it, a reflection of God’s promise to the gentile
nations that we who have the faith of Abraham are grafted
in along with the seed of Abraham to the promises. This
servant is showing his faith in God as his master Abraham does. (Compare Rom 4:16, Gal 3:7 9). This servant, though he probably does not know it, is blessed with the faithfulness of his master Abraham.
The last thing I want to mention here is in this servants prayer he calls Isaac God’s servant. We are all servants in to someone or something in our life. Those of us who understand God’s word and the teachings of Jesus, know that even though we will be spirit beings in that kingdom, and in charge of many or a few cities (as told in the parable) in Luke: even though we are masters we are also servants. Jesus taught this in the new covenant at the Passover meal when he began to wash the feet of the disciples. “he who is first will be last. Compare Mark 10:45, Luke 19:17, John 13:12- 17). This servant is no slave to Abraham, he can come and go
as he pleases. So when people try to say that God teaches slavery and they hold up the old testament as their basis, they do not know what they are talking about. There is a difference in the way that the Hebrew nation, and the sons of Israel treated their “servants” God taught them that they
were an extension of their family and not slaves. Now did all Israeli’s treat their servants in the way God intended? certainly not! for we are of the flesh and sin lies within us. But in Abraham’s case, he treated his servants as family, the way God intended.
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that
behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah,
the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her
pitcher on her shoulder. Is. 65:24
Compare Isa 65:26 with Matt 6:7-8. While the servant was praying to God, the Lord was already answering this prayer; Rebekah was already on her way towards the servant. God knows our needs and desires before we ask it of Him. Some people say, “then why pray if He already knows our needs?” We pray in acknowledgment of His power, His existence, we pray to Him as a way of showing our faith in Him, we pray to Him as if to say “Lord I need you, you are my rock, my reason for living, you are where I get my strength from, I can do nothing without you.”
16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a
virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the
well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 26:7; 29:17
We men have all, at one time or another come across a woman
who in our eyes was the most beautiful woman we have
ever seen, this is Rebekah; a very beautiful woman who is
soft to the eyes, someone to whom when you look at her you
see nothing but innocence, an angel, an answer to every
mans prayer who’s heart is in the right place. Rebekah has
never slept with any man, undefiled, and worthy to be the
wife of Isaac, who together can share in the blessings giving
to Abraham and Sarah by God almighty.
17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me
drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink my lord.” Then she quickly let her
pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 And when she had finished given him a drink, she said,
“I will draw water for your camels also, until they have
finished drinking.”
20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough,
ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his
camels. v. 14
21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to
know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous
or not. vv. 27, 52
So the servant, after seeing Rebekah went to meet her, to, in a sense test her, and see if she would do all the things which he prayed to God about; so he could take comfort in knowing that she was the woman whom his master Abraham said to him that the Lord will send an angel to help him. When Rebekah acted in the manner to which he prayed to God about he stood there speechless, in amazement and awe, as to what had just happened. She was exactly what he had hoped and prayed about. We don’t know exactly what went through his mind, but if it were me I would be like, “What an awesome God I serve,’ this is truly a sign from heaven above.”
22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,
23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge.?”
After weighing out all that had just happened, the servant he knew in his heart that the Lord had led him to Rebekah. Being confident he reached into the goods that Abraham had entrusted upon him and gave Rebekah some jewelry that women would have worn at the time, and being that
they were made of gold would have been of great significance to Rebekah as to the intent of the servant.
24 So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel,
Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 22:20-23
25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”
26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped
the Lord. v. 52
27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my masters brethren.”
vv. 4, 21, 48; 32:10; Ps. 98:3
28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.
After Rebekah told the servant who she was and her genealogy, it was then that the servant knew without the shadow of a doubt that God’s hand had guided him to her, and so he got down on his knees and acknowledged the God of Abraham, and His kindness that He has shown towards his master Abraham. Rebekah is the granddaughter of Nahor who was Abraham’s brother. By this we can conclude that she was close to Isaac’s age since Isaac was born late in Abraham’s life. We see a trend starting to develop here as far as God’s plan for His chosen people. Since the time of Terah we see that the marriages between his sons Abraham, Nahor, and Haran have all been from the same seed as Terah. In Exodus we can read where God tells Moses to tell the Israeli nation that they are a chosen people, and as such are a holy people unto God (Compare Exo 19:5-6. Lev 19:1-2, Deut 14:2, 26:18-19). In order for the descendants of Abraham to become a holy people unto God they must be of the same bloodline, and undefiled, a pure and holy nation. This is why God told the Israeli’s at the time of the exodus, upon entering into the promised that they had to drive out and destroy all the people in the land of Canaan so that they would not marry into an ungodly people and bear children of mixed seed who would turn them away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exo 23:27- 33).
29 now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and
Laban ran out to the man by the well. 29:13
30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
We will hear more of Laban later on as well in Genesis chapter 29-31, when we come to the story of Jacob. We will find that Laban is a very cunning man. But for now in these verses he appears to be genuine in his hospitality towards Abraham’s servant. I would say that right now his curiosity has been sparked, and he wants to see if indeed what Rebekah had told him was true, but I also believe that the fine jewelry Laban sees that was given to his sister Rebekah has peeked his interest in more ways than one, and I will leave at that for now. If it were me, and it was my sister I would be protective of her and want to find out who this man is and his true intentions. Also I believe that later on in Genesis we will see Laban for who he truly is in his dealings with Abraham’s servant and also even later in the way he deals with Jacob; son of Isaac, and grandson of Abraham.
32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. v.2
35 “The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 13:2; 24:1
36 “And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. 21:2; 25:5
37 “Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; v.3
38 ‘but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ v.4
39 “And I said to my master,’Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
40 “But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. vv. 5-7
41 ‘You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ v.8
The servant’s mind is still thinking about the task at hand. He first makes sure that the men, and the animals who have traveled with him are tended to before his own needs. The servant will not rest until he has fulfilled the oath that he swore to Abraham. Then and only then can this servant find
rest. Verses 34-41 the servant is telling Laban (Rebekah s brother), who he is, who sent him, and his purpose for being there. The servant also lets it be known that the Lord God has blessed Abraham and it is His hand who is at work here, and has guided him to the family of Abraham, just as Abraham said He would do. He also lets it be known to Laban that the woman he seeks to be his masters son’s wife must come from the house of Terah (Abraham s father), Laban s grandfather. The servant then goes on to tell Laban that the only way he can be released from this oath is for
Laban and his family to deny him the woman of his choosing.
42 “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if you will now prosper the way in which I go, v. 12
43 ‘behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” vv. 13, 14
44 ‘and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”- let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
The servant is emphasizing to Laban that he prayed to the God of Abraham, and puts in in His hands to chose a wife for his master Abraham’s son. The servant also lets it be known to Laban that in his prayer he is very specific to the Lord so as to be sure that it is indeed God s will being done, and not that of his own.
45 “But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ vv. 15-17
46 “And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. vv. 18-20
Mat 6:8, Again the servant is emphasizing to Laban that it is God who has chosen Rebekah to be the wife of his master Abraham’s son Isaac. Just as the servant told Laban about his prayer to the Lord, Rebekah fulfilled this request he made to Him. Her actions are just as the servant requested
of the Lord. There can be no doubt in the servants mind that Rebekah is the one whom God has appointed, and he is making it plain to Laban also, so as to remove any doubt from his own mind that everything being played out here is of God.
47 “Then I asked her, and said, “Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. v. 24
48 “And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and bblessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. vv. 26-27
49 “Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Now to put the nail in the coffin (If you will), the servant did not know who Rebekah was or what family she belonged to until he asked her. Once he found out that she was indeed from the house of Abraham’s father Terah, he proceeded to give her gifts that Abraham gave him for this purpose. After telling Laban all these things he now asks Laban if he will indeed see it in his heart that what he speaks to him is the truth and to grant his master Abraham all that he ask of him. The servant ends by asking Laban if he should search elsewhere for his master or will Laban find favor in him, and let him stay and search no further.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The things come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Ps. 118:23
51 “Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”
The servant has spoken the truth according to God’s will, and Laban, and his mother realize that the Lord is guiding all that is before them. Just as Abraham had heard of the family of his brother Nahor from caravans or however the news came to him, so to Abraham’s exploits have been well documented and the news about him have been passed on throughout the known world by this time. Laban and Bethuel have heard how God is with Abraham and has blessed him in all that he has or does, even before this servant came to them asking for Rebekah on Abraham’s behalf. This is why Rebekah s family will not speak out either for or against to the servant. For they know that if they do they are in essence speaking out to the Almighty God Himself, and they do not want to go against the will of God.
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. vv. 26, 48
Again the servant gives thanks and all the glory to God. He bows to His greatness in recognition of His deity.
53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
As was the custom, and it is still practiced today in the middle east and other nations, for the groom to give the family of the bride a dowry of precious gifts. Some people who do not understand may look at this act as a selling off of Rebekah like a slave. But this is clearly not the case. No where do we see where there is any negotiations between the parties as to the price for Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife.
54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.” vv. 56, 59; 30:25
The servant has fulfilled the oath that he swore to Abraham and so now he can finally rest easy and eat and drink, not just because they were hungry and thirsty (Which no doubt they were), but now they have reason to be merry and rejoice at what they have accomplished. Now that they have done all that they set out to do there is no reason to make haste. They must be on their way for they know that their masters Abraham and Isaac are eagerly awaiting their return.
55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”
Now we start to see the craftiness that is in Laban s nature. I believe that Laban and his mother have been spending the night trying to conjure up ways in which to take advantage of the servant and maybe squeeze him for more jewelry of gold and silver and whatever riches he may have. They still do not want to go against the Lord will, but they are just wanting to delay it for awhile hoping to gain more riches; thinking that if they put it off for awhile the Lord will bless them with more treasures.
56 And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” vv. 54, 59
I believe the Servant can see right thru the true intentions of Laban and his mother. So he reminds them that it is the Lord God Almighty who has put His hand, or you will His seal of approval of this marriage between Isaac and Rebekah.
57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.”
So as to have their conscience clean they put this decision on Rebekah, and if she decides to stay awhile longer then they can say in their hearts to God that it was not them but Rebekah who has hindered His will. (Matt 27:24), one problem though, they do not know God as Abraham does, and are not aware that God knows the hearts of men. Laban and Bethuel s actions here remind me of Pilate when he washed his hands at the killing of an innocent man.
58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” v. 5
59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. vv. 54, 56
Rebekah was more than willing to go with the servant, and we see no hesitation on her part. She has had ample time to meditate on this and I believe that the Lord’s spirit is with her and has put it in her heart to fulfill her destiny. As I said before, Rebekah has no doubt herd about her uncle Abraham and his relationship with God Almighty. She may indeed feel blessed among all the people of the land of Haran to be chosen by God in fulfilling His purpose for humanity. Just as we who are chosen today to be a part of His spiritual family, should keep in mind why we are here, and what God is preparing us for in His soon coming kingdom. The last thing I would like to add hear, and also clarify to whoever reads my work. First I would like to make it clear that before I comment on the verses that I read, I meditate on them, ask for God to inspire my writings, just as he did with all those whose words I hold true to the spirit, in recording His word that we know as the bible. When I feel that I understand the verses I comment on them, without any outside help from man. Then and only then will I go to all the sources I have listed in my devotional quality in the preface to my work. There have been a couple times I felt it necessary to go to my sources first in order to help me in understanding the verses, IE; the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah. I say this because after commenting on these verses, I went and read the commentaries, and there is one that stood out and gave me another insight on how one could interpret these verses from the spiritual aspect, so I would like to share this now with the reader. The commentary that stood out to me was from the poor man’s commentary by Robert Hawker published in 1805:
Some have thought, that this bringing in of Rebekah into the tent, is no unapt similitude of the bringing in of the Gentiles to the church.
Now Mr. Hawker was commenting on verse 67 of this chapter when Rebekah finally arrived to meet Isaac for the first time. However I felt compelled to mention it in these verses, and I would like to expound on that now.
Rebekah was taking a leap of faith for the promise not yet seen but hoped for. She, as a gentile, is displaying the faith of Abraham, and is therefore a representation of being grafted into the family of God along with Abraham, and the Hebrew people, and is therefore a joint heir of the promise (Compare Rom 4:10-18, Heb 11:8-10, Gal 3:26-29). Rebekah displays all these attributes above by leaving her home and going to a place where she hoped would be better than whence she come from, believing in the things which she has yet not seen, and having the faith of Abraham, and His God.
60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:
“Our sister, may you become
The mother of thousands of
ten thousands; 13:6;15:5
Compare the following verses, Gen 15:5, 22:17, 28:14
The gates of those who hate
them.” 12:3
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is not an uncommon blessing for families to do when their loved ones get married. Even to this day people from all walks of life bless their children when they get married to be a fruitful family. Back during the time of these verses, this blessing is a little different in regards to blessing them with being mothers of thousands and ten thousands. In my opinion this is because it hasn’t been that long ago since the flood and the blessings that God gave to Noah, to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 9:1). And the people during this time have probably passed this blessing down from generation to generation. I have decided to copy some of the verses that are referenced here so that the reader can see the correlation between these verses and the blessings that God has promised to Abraham:
61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
So not only did Rebekah have a nurse with her, but also she had other servants that went with her as well. In this verse they are described as maids, but that’s just semantics. And it appears here that because Rebekah had these maids with her, that there wasn’t enough camels for everyone to ride. So Abraham’s servant and the men that went with him all traveled by foot back to Canaan.
62 now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the south. 16:14; 25:11
Isaac was living by the well of the living one, also known as Beer Lahai Roi. This is the place where Hagar, (Sarah’s servant, and mother of Ishmael, Abraham’s son), met an angel of the Lord while she was fleeing from Sarai, Abram’s wife, before she bore Ishmael to Abram. The angel of the Lord said to Hagar to go back to Sarai and submit to her. In Gen 16:10 this angel of the Lord also promised Hagar that He would multiply thy seed exceedingly. Because this Angel says to Hagar that He will multiply thy seed, and not “Thus Say the Lord” I believe that this angel is none other than Jesus Christ, or God himself. This is my opinion and I do not get this thought from any other source.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there the camels were coming. Josh. 1:8
So Issac is 40 years of age by this time:
Gen 25:20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
He is meditating in the field around Beer Lahai Roi. One can only guess at what he is meditating about. In my opinion I think he is undoubtedly talking to God, and maybe he is talking to Him about his bride to be, and the kind of woman he would like to have as his wife. This could have been only one thought out of many that could have been going thru his mind. He could also be thinking about his mom and how much he missed her. His destiny, as he has been promised by God, and told to by his father Abraham, and his mom Sarah throughout the years. I know myself when I pray, I do not limit my prayer to one thought but many things are included in them. But I believe that probably his main thought is on who his wife will be, how many children they will have and the like. Just as God tells us that He knows our thoughts and our needs before we ask, Isaac looks up and see s the camels coming towards him. While Isaac was meditating, God had already answered Isaac’s prayer.
64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;
65 for she had said to the servant, “Who, is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.
When Rebekah is told by the servant who Isaac is, out of respect for Isaac, she gets down off the camel so as to not appear to be above Isaac in any way: for the man is the Head of the woman, just as Jesus Christ is the head of man, and God is the head of Jesus Christ (1 Co 11:3-9). Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, again I believe she too was meditating about her future and her husband to be. The two, at those moments before they saw one another, were of the same mind, thinking of the same thing, as if they were already married. Okay I know that I don’t know that this is what was going on between the two and their thoughts, but what a nice love story it is; to think that those fleeting moments, before they saw each other, that God was working with them, and in them as if they were of one mind, and He had already joined them together.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 23:1; 25:20
Just as the servant told the story to Rebekah s family about his journey and How it was God who led him to Rebekah, he is now telling it once more to Isaac. Isaac can rest assure that God has indeed ordained this marriage between him and Rebekah. This being said, there is no need for a wedding ceremony, God has already joined these two together, I believe this is why Isaac, immediately after hearing the servants story, takes Rebekah into his mothers tent and loves her. And we read that Isaac was comforted after his mothers death. This verse helps support my belief that one of the things Isaac was meditating in the field was about the loss of his mom.
One more thing I would like to note here is that some commentaries look at these verses as a representation of The marriage between Jesus Christ and the Church. While there are many similarities between Jesus and Isaac, I have a problem with that train of thought in this particular instance for this reason: When Jesus Christ returns, the church and Jesus will be married together as one, and Jesus will then present the church to the Father, and we will be joined together into Gods kingdom. So now, if Isaac would have taking Rebekah into Abraham’s tent then that would make more sense, but he doesn’t, he takes her into his mothers tent. I am not saying that these commentaries are wrong, I am just saying that it doesn’t make sense to me at this point in my spiritual journey.