[Today: Genesis 24] Abraham Secures a Bride for Isaac. In chapter 24 of Genesis, Abraham sends his steward Eliezar back to Ur of the Chaldees to find a daughter of his own bloodline to marry his only son. Eliezer receives the instructions and sets out to fulfill this important task.
[Gen 24:1-67 KJV] 1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.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: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:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.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.
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. 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. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 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. 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. 25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. 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. 28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
In v. 1, we witness that Abraham’s life moves into a new season after the death of Sarah. He is described as old and stricken in years, but the next chapter informs us that even so he marries a woman named Keturah and has eight sons by her after years of inability to produce viable seed. He is old and “well stricken in years” but notice the commentary of heaven:
“… the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things…”
This is not some inaccessible testimony. This is your testimony. There is no blessing, favor, or divine intervention in Abraham’s life that was not on the basis of God’s covenant. This is the same covenant extended to you and me through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Remember, Gal. 3:29:
[Gal 3:29 KJV] 29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
It is not possible for Abraham to have one outcome and you to have another IF you belong to Christ. Consider the following scriptures:
[Gal 3:29 KJV] 29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
[Gal 3:7 KJV] 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
[Gal 4:28, 31 KJV] 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. … 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
[Rom 4:16 KJV] 16 Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
There is not enough emphasis in Christianity on the connection between Abraham’s experience of God’s covenant and our covenant with God in Christ Jesus. God is no respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of the covenant, the covenant of God with Abraham and Christ himself.
In v. 2-4: Abraham chooses his eldest servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son. John the Baptist later compared himself to Eliezer calling himself the “friend of the Bridegroom” in John 3:29. From that perspective, Eliezer and John the Baptist are metaphors for prophetic ministry and role models for spiritual leaders. We are servants of the Father espousing the bride to His son. Eliezer, at one point, stood to take Abraham’s place and see his own son inherit all that Abraham had. Now he is being called upon to in effect disenfranchises himself and see that the rightful heir, Isaac – a type of Jesus receives the bride and consequently the inheritance.
Notice that Eliezer was the eldest servant. This is a representation of the story of the prodigal in Luke 15:11-32. In the story of the prodigal, the eldest son competes with the prodigal and complains to the father of not being recognized. This story is the anti-thesis of this parable showing what the true attitude of we who consider ourselves mature initiated believers. We are tasked with bringing about the BRIDAL SEASON in God that is prophesied in Eph. 5:
[Eph 5:27, 31-32 KJV] 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. … 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eliezer was to take Isaac, a bride from among his kindred. Isaac is a type of Christ. The bride, therefore, is to be brought from among those who can show forth the DNA of God in their life. This is the bridal company, and this is who we are coming to be in relationship corporately to God’s purposes in the earth. We are in a time looking forward when the company of believers on the earth is going to comprise a bride. The bridal identity will then be the primary manifestation of the corporate identity of Christ in the earth more than any other (body, building, army).
If Eliezer is unable to fulfill his task, Abraham is willing to release him from his oath. Always remember that we have the right to choose. This is not an arranged marriage. Rom. 12:1-3 tells us the will of God in the new covenant is a choice, not a sovereign requirement that we don’t have the opportunity to choose.
[Rom 12:1-2 KJV] 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The BRIDE OF CHRIST is a participatory experience that only those who crave the company of the Bridegroom will enter into.
In v. 9, the instructions of Abraham to Eliezar are sealed by an ancient rite of swearing and covenant. Here is the oath of the friend of the bridegroom. This is the oath of the prophet as well. Eliezer was Abraham’s first choice for the inheritance, but God said no. John the Baptist said, “He must increase – and I must decrease…” (John 3:30) For Eliezer to fulfill his oath seals the loss of him ever being the inheritor. This is to be the heart of every five-fold minister. To work themselves out of a job – to point to Christ within and away from us. There is no hope of glory beyond who Christ is IN US (Col. 1:26,27). Christ in the infrastructure of the church or in a particular leader is not our hope. Christ in YOU is your hope. God’s purpose is not to raise up an ego-centric church dependent upon great leaders. He is not raising up great leaders to minister to a needy people – He is raising up a great people to minister to a needy world.
In v. 7, we saw that God sent Abraham’s angel with Eliezer to give him favor with Abraham’s relatives. The angel of the Lord went with Eliezer. The covenant of Abraham is a covenant constituting a guarantee of angelic assistance in your behalf. Notice the nature of angelic involvement (v. 10-15). Eliezer was expecting unique and identifiable conditions to confirm to him the will of God. You have authority to expect God to step into your situation and give you unimpeachable confirmation of the purpose and will of God for your life in any given situation. God requires that you hear and obey – He requires of Himself that you that He speaks to you beyond any reasonable doubt.
In v. 15-24, we read that Rebekah’s mother Bethuel was wife to Abraham’s brother Nahor, but she was also the daughter of Abraham’s other brother Haran. Eliezer is a type of John the Baptist and a type of the ministry of the prophetic. He gives Rebekah earrings and bracelets. These represent the prophet helping us to HEAR God and to know our entitlements in both NATURAL (right bracelet) and SPIRITUAL (left bracelet) aspects of our life.
In v. 25-34 Eliezer comes to negotiate with Rebekah’s family and does so plainly indicating he is there in behalf of Abraham and just, so the prophet stands in place of Jesus to give the TESTIMONY of Jesus according to Rev. 19:10. We are not our own we are bought with a price (2 Cor. 6:10). It isn’t about US it is about HIM that should be the focus of our service, from a perspective of God-consciousness, not Self-centeredness. When you know God’s provision, you will lose selfishness because it is redundant. God loves and cares for you – seek first the kingdom.
In v. 35-50, we see the overwhelming response of Abraham’s kinsmen (Rebekah’s family) the Eliezar’s visit and proposal that they given Rebecca to Isaac to wife. Abraham’s kin cannot but conclude that God is in the thing that is before them. They were willing to make the chaos decision because of the confirmation of God’s intervention which should also be our attitude as well. The favor of God decides some things. Supernatural intervention decides some things. In Acts 15 the gentile question was settled not by doctrinal discussion but by supernatural revelation, angelic visitation, and miracles.
At last Isaac and Rebeka lay eyes on each other (v. 51-63) When Rebekah sees Isaac, she comes out from under the influence of Eliezer, and we don’t hear from him again. Eliezer is a type of the prophet and all the five-fold ministers. We are not married to the church; we are friends of the bridegroom. Leaders today that see themselves as married to the church are encroaching upon the prerogatives of the Bridegroom, and they must relinquish their hold and allow and advocate the people to embrace Christ in them even if it is at the expense of Christianity as a religious institution.
