How Isaac Met Rebekah
Genesis 24
Abraham knew his son, Isaac, needed a good bride, one who served and worshiped his God. But the women he knew were Canaanites. God and Noah cursed them, and they were notorious for their evil and wicked behavior. He spent many nights wondering what to do. He couldn’t let his son marry someone like that. This wouldn’t please the Lord. Day in and day out, he prayed for God’s wisdom and direction. Then, he remembered Milcah, his brother’s wife, and how God had blessed them with eight children. A few days later, he decided to send his chief servant on a long journey back to his homeland to find a wife for his son.
I did a simple search online to find the distance between Beersheba and Mesopotamia. Today it’s a 13-hour car ride[1]. That’s if you can get through the various country boundaries we have today [2]. Let’s get back to the story.
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There was a look of concern on his servant’s face when Abraham told him about the plan. Yet Abraham continued to speak. “I know this is a dangerous and unusual request, but we have got to find Isaac a good wife. You have to go back to my country, where I was born, to find a wife for my son. I need you to promise you won’t bring back a Canaanite wife for him. The God of Heaven who promised to give our family this land. He will send His angel before you. He will help you. And you will find a wife for my son there. If she doesn’t want to come back with you, I release you from this oath, but don’t take my son back there. It’s too dangerous.”
After making a promise before God and Abraham, the servant went to prepare for his long journey. It took ten camels to carry all that Abraham wanted him to take. They couldn’t take any chances; a good wife was well worth the expense. There was no telling what a father would ask for his daughter.
Many days later, the servant came into Mesopotamia, the city of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. The sun was about to go down; he and his camels were thirsty. They were so happy to see a well, but had nothing to draw the water with. They needed someone to help them. In desperation, the servant prayed.
“O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 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” (Genesis 24:12-14, 18-19 NKJV).
Before he could finish praying, a woman came out to draw water. The servant ran to meet her. “Please let down your pitcher that I may drink”
“Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,” said the young, beautiful lady
The servant couldn’t believe what he heard. He knew this had to be a sign from God, but he waited for the woman to finish watering his camels. She still had to be from Abraham’s family.
She dumped gallon after gallon of water into the trough. He knew it was going to take a while. The camels were thirsty.
When she finished watering the camels, he gave her a nose ring and two bracelets. Both were pure gold. “Who is your father, and do you have a place for us to stay?”
“My name is Rebekah, and my father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor. We have straw to feed your camels and a place for you to stay. “
“Praise the God of my servant Abraham, who led me to your house.” The servant couldn’t contain the joy of this unbelievable miracle that the Lord had done for him.
Rebekah ran to tell her family the good news about this mysterious new guest. Laban, her brother, after seeing the gold jewelry, ran out to speak to the man at the well.
“Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels” (Genesis 24:31 ). Laban smiled, as they walked into the house.
The servant told the family his intentions to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. Then they had a meal fit for a king. When the man prepared to leave the next day, the family was reluctant to give their daughter away. They wanted her to stay with them for a few days and give her a proper goodbye. Yet when they asked Rebekah, she was willing and ready to go with him.
Rebekah and the servant traveled many miles, and when Isaac met Rebekah, it was love at first sight. He took her into his mother’s tent, and she became his wife, and she was a great comfort after his mother’s death.
The Moral Of The Story
Abraham went the extra mile to find a good wife for Isaac. He had his servant travel many miles to find the right one. It was important to the Lord, and it was important to him. Second Corinthians 6:14 stresses the importance of not being “unequally yoked” when considering marriage. A believer in God and Christ should marry someone with similar values.
King David and King Solomon didn’t make wise choices in these matters, and they had to learn this lesson the hard way. David almost lost his kingdom (2 Samuel chps. 11-12). Also, Solomon, one of the wisest men on earth, lost his close relationship with God (1 Kings 11:1-13).
The remarkable, kind, and hard-working character of Rebecca surprised me. She was willing to serve Abraham’s servant, a stranger. That kindness and self-sacrifice propelled her into God's perfect plan for her. If she had not lived out a life of service to God, her family, and those around her. She wouldn’t have been the answer to the servant’s prayer. He prayed a very specific prayer, and God’s answer was remarkable.
How would you feel if you were Abraham’s servant and God answered your prayer in such a miraculous way? Would that make you want to pray more? I am not sure the servant had a deep and personal relationship with God as Abraham did. He did pray to the God of Abraham.
Yet, his answered prayer must have touched his heart and encouraged his faith in God’s love for him. I would go out on a limb and say that he and God started talking a lot more. God wants to be involved in deep and personal ways with His children. We miss out on alot of the miraculous because we try to do things our way and don’t seek his will. But God keeps reaching out, hoping that we all will see the light and come to him.
Well, here are a couple of interesting footnotes about some sources I used in making this post.
Footnotes
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=How+far+is+beersheba+to+mesopotamia It is a 13-hour car ride today. The camels would have been much slower. The next link in footnote two records a group of men retracing Abraham's steps. They encountered many problems navigating the political boundaries between the two countries. Americans are looked upon with suspicion. Some wouldn’t let them come through without weeks of prior authorization procedures.
[2]
[3] https://www.gotquestions.org/Beer-Lahai-Roi.html This informative article states:
Beer Lahai Roi literally means “the well of him that lives and sees me” or “the well of the vision of life.” Regardless of the exact translation, Hagar named the location thus because the Living God saw her situation and intervened to give her hope and comfort.
Genesis 24:62 describes Isaac living in Beer Lahai Roi. Isaac had a similar encounter with the God who saw him on Mount Moriah. Finding Hagar’s well, learning about what God did for his brother, and getting a wonderful wife made life at Beer Lahai Roi a special place.
Have a great day, and thanks for coming on this journey through Abraham’s life. One more chapter to go.
Your Friend the Christian Writer