Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 24:15-21”
Categories: Genesis“Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, 'Please let me drink a little water from your jar.' She said, 'Drink, my lord'; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, 'I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.' So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.'”
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“Before he had finished speaking...” (verse 15) Even as the prayer was rolling off the servant's tongue, the Lord had not only heard, but was in the process of answering in the affirmative. “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.” (Psalm 34:15) And even though the Lord does not always answer our prayers in such an immediate fashion, or in the exact manner that we would prefer, He does always hear and He does always answer in ways that are in our best interests and according to His perfect will. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31) “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:21-22)
“Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder.” (verse 15) The granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother, was precisely at that time, coming to the well to fetch some water. “Her full genealogy is given because, as related in 22:20-24, Nahor also had children from a concubine. The child of a chief wife enjoyed higher social prestige. The relationship to Abraham is given in order to emphasize the providential nature of what occurred.” (Nahum Sarna) Rebekah, “Who, in all respects, answered the characters he wished for in the woman that was to be his master’s wife; handsome and healthful, humble and industrious, courteous and obliging to a stranger. And Providence so ordered it, that she did that which exactly answered his sign.” (Benson Commentary)
“The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up.” (verse 16) The girl was very beautiful to look upon, which is always gratifying to the eyes and heart of the man blessed enough to win the hand of such a looker. But more important than physical beauty to the Lord and to the success the long-term covenant of marriage that normally outlasts the duration of the outward attractiveness, she was full of virtue and moral excellence and inner loveliness. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30) Rebekah was not just another pretty face in the crowd. She possessed a vibrant spirit, and an inner strength that emanated from her beautiful soul that continues to shine through the telling and retelling of this story and lives on in eternity with her Creator.
“Then the servant ran to meet her...” (verse 17) “He did not stop her as she went to the well, but stayed till she had been there and filled her pitcher, and then he made all the haste he could to meet her, in order to have the sign and token answered he had requested, which could not be done until she returned.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible) “She quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink.” (verse 18) “She quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.” (verse 20) The beautiful Rebekah not only replied favorably and with the desired responses, she hospitably served this strange with great eagerness and enthusiasm.
“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:10-12) “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40)
“Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence...” (verse 21) He gazed in wonderment at this bubbling, busy, big-hearted beauty, the very first girl he had the pleasure to encounter, even before finishing his prayer. “The servant, we may well believe, was astonished at the exactness and quickness with which his prayer was being answered, but this is not the point to which the rest of the verse refers; rather, it sets him before us as keenly observing all she said and did, and carefully coming to the conclusion that the comely and generous maiden was the destined bride of the son of his lord.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers) He was wondering “whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.” And from all indications, that which seemed too good to be true was in actuality, true. But such is often the way with the Lord and His faithful servants. Do not be overly surprised when God answers your prayers affirmatively and gives you the desires of your heart, for nothing shall be impossible for Him. But do be filled with adoration and thanksgiving for the benevolence He regularly bestows upon His beloved.
Please read Genesis 24:22-27 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
