Serving with Gladness
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, I behold Your majesty and I praise You. You are Creator, Sustainer and Lord of all. I feel Your hand on my shoulder.
Read GENESIS 24:1–28
Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”
6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“God is not greater if you reverence him, but you are greater if you serve him” (Augustine, 354–430).
Think Further
Today we meet Abraham’s unnamed servant. He cuts a striking profile. If, as some think, he is Eliezer of 15:2,3, his fidelity to Abraham is all the more attractive for he is serving the best interests of the heir who has replaced him. His implicit faith in the promise God made to Abraham and his persistent prayers have challenged many believers through the centuries.
In commissioning his servant, Abraham shares with him the Lord’s covenant promise that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. However, Isaac should not marry a Canaanite wife. Probably the local tribal culture would not permit a daughter given in marriage to convert to the husband’s religion. Aramean culture, from which Abraham himself came, apparently was more tolerant. Moreover, having Aramean relatives would be an additional advantage in finding a family willing to consent to a daughter leaving home to embrace the faith of Abraham and Isaac. The request for a special sign (14) doesn’t suggest that we should make similar requests to God. The servant asks for the sign, not because his faith is weak but because he believes the Lord had sent his angel ahead of him (7).
The narrative stresses the key role prayer plays in the mission. The meeting with Rebekah is bookended by the servant’s prayers. He prays before (12–14) and after (26,27) their initial encounter. In tomorrow’s reading he stresses the positive answer to his prayer (42–44). This incident is the earliest example in the Bible of asking God for specific guidance. The same Lord who guided Abraham’s servant offers to guide us also (Psa. 32:8). Then as now he promises to lead us in making decisions, both small and great. As we seek guidance, let us follow the servant’s example by grounding our prayers on the promises of God!
Apply
Many people fervently pray, “O God, guide me”; then they grab the steering wheel. What is your response to this statement?
Closing prayer
Holy Lord, You give me the day and You will show me the way. Whatever challenges I must face, You promise me Your grace and strength. I place my trust in You.
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