“Genesis 24:42-51”

Monday, January 06, 2020

“'So I came today to the spring, and said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, 'Please let me drink a little water from your jar'; and she will say to me, 'You drink, and I will draw for your camels also'; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.” Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, “Please let me drink.” She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, “Drink, and I will water your camels also”; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. Then I asked her, and said, “Whose daughter are you?” And she said, “The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him”; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.' Then Laban and Bethuel replied, 'The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.'”

---End of Scripture verses---

As the servant recounts the details of the Lord's providential intercession, we will notice that what he relates is not an exact, word-for-word repetition of the statements recorded in verses 10-27. This is ever the way with human recitation of previous words and events. If you were to ask me to repeat with exactness something I had previously done and said, invariably their would be at least slight variation in the retelling. If Abraham's servant had retold the story with faultless precision we would rightly suspect scribal duplication and not a genuine reiteration from the original speaker. The same is true with disparities of details in stories that the writers of the Gospel accounts shared in common, and also in other reiterated events in the Bible. Slight variations promote confidence and not suspicion that the report is accurate and authentic.

“Before I had finished speaking in my heart...” (verse 45) This is a detail that could be easily overlooked but we would do ourselves no favors in discounting it. First of all, it demonstrates clearly that a prayer need not be audibly vocalized for our all-knowing, all-seeing and all-hearing God to discern it, understand it and respond to it. The Lord God Almighty knows and hears the thoughts of our hearts as fully and clearly as He does our loudest and most ardent verbal cries and supplications. Secondly, it was wise for Abraham's servant to convey that his prayer was silent and not uttered so that no one would suspect that Rebekah had heard his words and merely responded accordingly. The events that had transpired were not the contrivances of a man or the aspirations of a woman but the will of Almighty God!

“I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.” (verse 47) Well here it is, the always enchanting and captivating nose ring (please note intended sarcasm). While I do not find it particularly appealing or attractive to see a stone glistening from the flare a young woman's nostril, nose jewelry was obviously held in high esteem in certain cultures and even appears to have the divine seal of approval in Holy Scripture. “The word occurs again in Ezekiel 16:12, where it is rendered jewel, and again is placed 'on the nose'... It was hung not from the central cartilage of the nose, but from the left nostril, the flesh of which was pierced for the purpose; and such rings are still the usual betrothal present in Arabia, and are commonly worn both there and in Persia, made not only of gold and of silver but of coral, mother-of-pearl, and even cheaper materials.” Unfortunately for me, my mind's eye is always drawn to the image of a swine's snout when I see one (Proverbs 11:22)!

“I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way...” (verse 48) Friends, if we make it our heart's primary ambition to love and obey the Lord and please Him in all respects, He will always guide us in the right way! He will never lead us into temptation but will always deliver us from evil if our desire is to do what is right and avoid all forms of wickedness. The Lord God will never lead us astray but always guide us on the blessed path that leads to heaven, and we will never look back in regret for having chosen to give our lives to the One who Created us and loves us most and only wants what is the very best for us! “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23) Thank you Lord!!!

“So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” (verse 49) “The servant directs himself to more than one, to the whole family, especially to Laban and Bethuel; if you will do my master a kindness, and grant him the favour he requests, that a damsel of this family may be given for a wife to his son; and, if you are hearty and sincere in granting this, tell me at once... If you do not choose to gratify my master, and are not hearty in this matter, let me know: that I may turn to the right hand or to the left; look out elsewhere among the daughters of some of the other sons of Nahor; for he had seven more which Milcah bare to him besides Bethuel, as well as four others by a concubine, Genesis 22:20.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

“Then Laban and Bethuel replied, 'The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.'” (verse 50) “It is not only strange that Laban takes precedence over his father, but also that the father plays no further role in the proceedings. In verse 53 he is not listed among the recipients of gifts, and in verse 55 it is Laban and his mother who carry on the negotiations. The conclusion that Laban occupies a special position in the family is inescapable and is confirmed by 25:20, where in addition to being described as the 'daughter of Bethuel,' Rebekah is also listed as being 'the sister of Laban.' Radak suggests that the father was too enfeebled and incompetent to act, other than to indicate his assent to his son's statement of agreement in principle.” (Nahum Sarna)

Both Laban and Bethuel concede that neither of them, nor anyone else in the family, has a right to choose either way because “the matter comes from the Lord.” It was obvious even to the loathsome Laban that the Highest Power had already settled this matter once and for all, and that he could not speak either “bad or good,” yea or nae, one way or another. Of course, that did not mean it would be beneath him to try and make a profit from the Lord's definitive decision! But alas, poor Laban would have to wait to more fully exploit a member of Abraham's family at a later date!

Please read Genesis 24:52-61 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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