Genesis 24:28-67

The Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah

 

24:28 The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.

 

29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring.

 

30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.

 

31 "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

 

32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.

 

33 Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say."

 

"Then tell us," Laban said.

 

34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.

 

35 The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.

 

36 My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.

 

37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.'

 

39 "Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?'

 

40 "He replied, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family.

 

41 Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you—you will be released from my oath.'

 

42 "When I came to the spring today, I said, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come.

 

43 See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar," 44 and if she says to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'

 

45 "Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

 

46 "She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also.

 

47 "I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?'

 

"She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.'

 

"Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 4

 

9 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn."

 

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.

 

51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed."

 

52 When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

 

53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.

 

54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

 

When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master."

 

55 But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go."

 

56 But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."

 

57 Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?"

 

"I will go," she said.

 

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

 

"Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess

the gates of their enemies."

 

61 Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

 

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.

 

63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

 

64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?"

 

"He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

 

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.

 

67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah.

 

So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

The Marriage of Isaac to Rebekah

There is a lot to this passage but one main point is the fact that Eliezer (Abraham's servant) had no qualms about telling openly what God had done in his life.

When telling his story to Laban, he told freely of God's goodness without hesitation.

Oftentimes we are not open when engaged in conversation. We will do the very opposite of what Eliezer did and neglect to mention God's part in our story.

We're afraid that people may take it the wrong way or even chastise us for being "too religious" if we mention God as the source of our success, no matter what the situation.

Let's try to be more open and share what God has done in our lives. People may not take offense at all and may even start contemplating about what God has done in their lives.

A quick footnote is that, when Rebekah learned that the man in the field was her fiancé, she dismounted from her camel and covered her face with a veil.

According to oriental customs, stepping down from her camel was a gesture of respect and covering her face was to show that she was a bride.

Love in Christ

- Bob

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