Outline
Abraham’s care for Isaac’s marriage. (Verse 1-9.)
The journey of Abraham’s servant to Mesopotamia, His meeting with Rebekah. (Verse 10-28.)
Rebekah and her relatives consent to her marriage. (Verse 29-53.)
The happy meeting and marriage of Isaac and rebekah. (Verse 54-67.)
1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
[Gen 26:12, Job 42:12, Prov 3:16, Mark 10:30]
Here we see in this chapter a beautiful picture of God the Father (represented by Abraham) sending the Holy Spirit (the unnamed Servant) to get a bride for his Son (Jesus Christ) represented by Isaac.
The church has been called the Bride of Christ by many well-meaning individuals, but the term is never used in scriptures in association with the church which is his body, but rather with the very Jewish City known as New Jerusalem, the Lambs wife in Revelation 22.
There is no problem however in type saying that the Rebekah is a picture of the mostly gentile Church since she was technically a gentile at least at birth.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
[Gen 15:2, Gen 47:29]
“servant” – probably Eliezer of 15:2 – “thy hand under my thigh” – a type of oath like putting one’s hand on the Bible in a courtroom
3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
[Exod 34:16, Deut 7:3, 2nd Cor 6:14]
As we have seen earlier Abraham is a type of God the Father and here we have God’s servant, a type of the Holy Spirit, being sent to find a bride for his son. Often times you will see stories in which a prominent person in the story has his name unmentioned as it is here to serve as a sign that this person is a type of someone.
Abrahams servant is actually named earlier in Genesis 15:2 as Eliezer of Damascus. If Abraham is a type of God the Father, then who is his son? The Messiah is the only answer to such a question.
Who does Rebekah represent? She is a Gentile bride just as Ruth was that came to trust in the God of Abraham while she lived back in Nahor. If this offends you then ask yourself, who is a Jew?
A Jew is a descendant of Abraham, period! Since she is not a daughter of Abraham she is not a Jew, even though she is related and she and her father believed in the one God that Abraham had told them all about after he had left Ur.
Notice also that Abraham did not want a bride for his son that worshiped other gods. Since two become one in a marriage God does not want us unequally yoked together with an unbeliever.
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
[Gen 28:2]
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
The Son had to stay in the land among his own people because Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He came unto his own and his own received him not.
The Body of Christ however is not a person but rather a group of believers that are called out of this world as Rebekah was from Nahor, the city founded by Abraham and his father after leaving Ur of the Chaldees. This is also a picture of the believer having the free will to choose to believe. Calvinist need to spend more time here.
7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
[Exod 23:20, Isa 63:9]
This servant had to take a wife from afar because if it would have been a Canaanite wife then the Canaanites would also be entitled to the land along with Abraham. God had promised to take away the land of the Canaanites back in Noah’s day when Ham, Canaan’s father had saw Noah’s nakedness.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
“bring not my son thither again” – Abraham wanted to be sure his son remained in Canaan and did NOT go back to Mesopotamia
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
The Holy Spirit is the Servant of God. He is a person and not an impersonal force. He is one with God the Father and the Son. His leading was not irresistible!
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
“Mesopotamia” = the land between the rivers – in modern Iraq
“city of Nahor” = city of Haran
This servant had access to all the power and wealth that the Father had and used it in perfect harmony with Father Abraham, just as the Holy Spirit does today.
11 And 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.
[Exod 2:16, 1st Sam 9:11]
Notice it is at the evening when the servant meets Rebekah. The Nation of Israel has had the whole light of the day to recognize the Messiah with the light of the scriptures as her guide but she was willfully blind and she killed many of the prophets that God had sent unto her to tell of his coming.
Today many are still ignorant of the words of the prophets concerning the Messiah. Their leaders are blind leaders of the blind.
12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And 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 shewed kindness unto my master.
[Prov 19:14]
For a young lady to offer to draw water for ten camels would have been very unusual as camel’s drink an incredible amount and such offer would have required much labour.
Notice in this story that the Son didn’t pick whosoever he willed, but he was busy working for the Father, while the servant went and offered the son to Rebekah to accept by faith.
15 And 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.
[Gen 22:23]
this is a silent prayer from the heart (see vs. 45) – prayers do not need to be verbal and audible for God to hear them
16 And 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.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
[John 4:7]
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
[1st Peter 3:8]
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
The Holy Spirit (represented by the unnamed servant) is in a hurry here to find a bride for his Masters Son.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And 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;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
Rebekah is Nahor’s granddaughter – Abraham and Nahor are brothers; this would make Isaac and Rebekah “first cousins once removed” as well as husband and wife (ie. Isaac married his uncle’s granddaughter).
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
[provender – animal feed]
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
[Exod 18:10, Ruth 4:14, 1st Sam 25:32, 2nd Sam 18:28, Luke 1:68]
God can’t lead us unless we are “in the way” – the Christian who prays for God’s leadership and guidance while never going to church, never witnessing to others and not being busy about the Lord’s service can expect his prayer to go unanswered. Beyond the obvious historical narrative, there is a beautiful picture or type of Christ and the church in this passage; “types” are not a hard and fast part of Bible interpretation, but are merely parallels that can be seen between the OT and NT. Rebekah is a type of the church: she is a Gentile (as is most of the church); she married the promised seed Isaac (as Christ is the promised seed – Gal. 3:4-17); she is “called out” of her own country to where her husband is (as is the church (II Tim. 1:9; Acts 15:14); she has the faith to believe that she is marrying the right man without seeing him first as the church is doing now with Christ (I Peter 1:8-9); she is a pure virgin as will be the church (II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:26:27); she gets a seal or promise of her engagement as does the believer in the church today (Eph. 1:13-14); she accepts an offer made by another (compare with John 16:14) and goes of her own free will (24:58). If you will study the passage carefully, you will also see parallels between Abraham’s steward and the Holy Spirit as well as parallels between Isaac and Jesus Christ.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.
[Gen 29:12]
Rebekah received of Abraham through his servant great riches, we also become joint heirs with Christ and of all he possesses once we become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
[Gen 29:5]
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
[Gen 26:29, Judges 17:2, Ruth 3:10]
Do you have room for God’s servant to come and take up a dwelling place in your life? You must accept God’s Son as your redeemer before the Holy Spirit of God will take up residence within you.
32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.
[Gen 18:4, Gen 43:24, Luke 7:38, John 13:5]
33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The Holy Spirit has a job to do today in drawing out a body for his Masters Son. He does not draw attention to himself but speaks only of the Son.
34 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.
35 And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
[Gen 13:2, Psa 112:3, Prov 10:22]
36 And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
[Gen 25:5]
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house:
41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.
[Psa 32:8, Psa 48:14, Psa 107:7, Isa 48:17]
What is going on in these verses is that the Holy Spirit is testifying of the greatness of his Master just as this servant is testifying of his Master Abraham who is a type of God the Father.
49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53 And 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.
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Rebekah has the opportunity to say no as in verse fifty-eight, just as salvation is made available to all, there must be a willingness to accept the offer. Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
[Gen 35:8]
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
[Gen 22:17]
This blessing has truly come to pass and will find its ultimate fulfillment in the Millennial Kingdom.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
[Gen 16:14, Gen 25:11]
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
[Dan 6:10, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Acts 10:9]
Once again it is in the evening that the Groom meets his bride as the Gentiles which make up Christ’s body come into these blessings long after the Jews have had the truth during the day.
It is interesting to note that God had Isaac at the well of Lahai-roi when his bride approached. This is the well where Hagar heard from God about Ishmael.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
[1st Cor 11:6]
Notice how Rebekah met her future husband, it was in humility, off of her camel immediately, and covering her face. This is how we are to come to our Master in humility.
Notice that the Servant referred to the Son as his Master as well. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin and to point people to the Saviour. The servant first drew Rebekah to the Master and then he identified him to her before introducing her to the Master.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
[Gen 18:9, Titus 2:5]
This is a picture of how the Gentiles would one day be blessed as Children of Abraham by faith. Abraham is the Father of all of them that believe.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.
Verse 1-9 – The effect of good example, good teaching, and the worship of God in a family, will generally appear in the piety, faithfulness, prudence, and affection of the servants. To live in such families, or to have such servants, both are blessings from God which should be highly valued, and thankfully acknowledged. But no concern in life is of greater importance to ourselves, to others, or to the church of God, than marriage. It therefore ought always to be undertaken with much care and prudence, especially with reference to the will of God, and with prayer for his direction and blessing. Where good parents are not consulted and regarded, the blessing of God cannot be expected. Parents, in disposing of their children, should carefully consult the welfare of their souls, and their furtherance in the way to heaven. Observe the charge Abraham gave to a good servant, one whose conduct, faithfulness, and affection, to him and his family, he had long known. Observe also, that Abraham remembers that God had wonderfully brought him out of the land of his birth, by the call of his grace; and therefore doubts not but He will prosper his care, not to bring his son thither again. God will cause that to end in our comfort, in which we sincerely aim at his glory.
Verse 10-28 – Abraham’s servant devoutly acknowledged God. We have leave to be particular in recommending our affairs to the care of Divine providence. He proposes a sign, not that he intended to proceed no further, if not gratified in it; but it is a prayer that God would provide a good wife for his young master; and that was a good prayer. She should be simple, industrious, humble, cheerful, serviceable, and hospitable. Whatever may be the fashion, common sense, as well as piety, tells us, these are the proper qualifications for a wife and mother; for one who is to be a companion to her husband, the manager of domestic concerns, and trusted to form the minds of children. When the steward came to seek a wife for his master, he did not go to places of amusement and sinful pleasure, and pray that he might meet one there, but to the well of water, expecting to find one there employed aright. He prayed that God would please to make his way in this matter plain and clear before him. Our times are in God’s hand; not only events themselves, but the times of them. We must take heed of being over-bold in urging what God should do, lest the event should weaken our faith, rather than strengthen it. But God owned him by making his way clear. Rebekah, in all respects, answered the characters he sought for in the woman that was to be his master’s wife. When she came to the well, she went down and filled her pitcher, and came up to go home with it. She did not stand to gaze upon the strange man his camels, but minded her business, and would not have been diverted from it but by an opportunity of doing good. She did not curiously or confidently enter into discourse with him, but answered him modestly. Being satisfied that the Lord had heard his prayer, he gave the damsel some ornaments worn in eastern countries; asking at the same time respecting her kindred. On learning that she was of his master’s relations, he bowed down his head and worshipped, blessing God. His words were addressed to the Lord, but being spoken in the hearing of Rebekah, she could perceive who he was, and whence he came.
Verse 29-53 – The making up of the marriage between Isaac and Rebekah is told very particularly. We are to notice God’s providence in the common events of human life, and in them to exercise prudence and other graces. Laban went to ask Abraham’s servant in, but not till he saw the ear-ring, and bracelet upon his sister’s hands. We know Laban’s character, by his conduct afterwards, and may think that he would not have been so free to entertain him, if he had not hoped to be well rewarded for it. The servant was intent upon his business. Though he was come off a journey, and come to a good house, he would not eat till he had told his errand. The doing our work, and the fulfilling our trusts, either for God or man, should be preferred by us before our food: it was our Saviour’s meat and drink, John 4:34. He tells them the charge his master had given him, with the reason of it. He relates what had happened at the well, to further the proposal, plainly showing the finger of God in it. Those events which to us seem the effect of choice, contrivance, or chance, are “appointed out” of God. This hinders not, but rather encourages the use of all proper means. They freely and cheerfully close with the proposal; and any matter is likely to be comfortable, when it proceeds from the Lord. Abraham’s servant thankfully acknowledges the good success he had met with. He was a humble man, and humble men are not ashamed to own their situation in life, whatever it may be. All our temporal concerns are sweet if intermixed with godliness.
Verse 54-67 – Abraham’s servant, as one that chose his work before his pleasure, was for hastening home. Lingering and loitering no way become a wise and good man who is faithful to his duty. As children ought not to marry without their parents’ consent, so parents ought not to marry them without their own. Rebekah consented, not only to go, but to go at once. The goodness of Rebekah’s character shows there was nothing wrong in her answer, though it be not agreeable to modern customs among us. We may hope that she had such an idea of the religion and godliness in the family she was to go to, as made her willing to forget her own people and her father’s house. Her friends dismiss her with suitable attendants, and with hearty good wishes. They blessed Rebekah. When our relations are entering into a new condition, we ought by prayer to commend them to the blessing and grace of God. Isaac was well employed when he met Rebekah. He went out to take the advantage of a silent evening, and a solitary place, for meditation and prayer; those divine exercises by which we converse with God and our own hearts. Holy souls love retirement; it will do us good to be often alone, if rightly employed; and we are never less alone than when alone. Observe what an affectionate son Isaac was: it was about three years since his mother died, and yet he was not, till now, comforted. See also what an affectionate husband he was to his wife. Dutiful sons promise fair to be affectionate husbands; he that fills up his first station in life with honour, is likely to do the same in those that follow.
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