Genesis | Chapter 24

Genesis 24:1-27

“A bride for the only begotten Son”

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 1-13 A servants search for the bride

III. Vs. 14-27 Seven characteristics of the bride

I. Intro.

God enjoys a “good love story”, there is Adam and Eve, Joseph and Mary just to name of two. Jesus’ first miracle was performed at a wedding and He has been performing miracles every time He has been invited to a wedding since. Out of the 50 chapters in Genesis, chapters where we read about creation and mankind’s fall, the largest chapter (67 verses) is here and dedicated to finding of a bride for Abraham’s son Isaac. At the time of this chapter Abraham is 140 years old and Sarah has been dead three years. This chapter also serves as a bridge from Abraham to Isaac his son who will occupy our attention from chapter 24-26. In looking at Isaac’s life he has three major events which parallel Jesus’ life:

  1. His birth = Jesus’ incarnation
  2. His offering as a sacrifice = Jesus’ death and resurrection
  3. His marriage = Jesus’ wedding with His bride

These 67 verses can be examined from three different perspectives each have value merit:

  • Prophetic: Isaac is the child of promise to which one day Jesus would be born, so the mirage of Isaac is important as it shows God’s redemptive plan moving through generations as well as the care in which God takes in selecting a bride for the lineage of the Messiah.
  • Picturesque: The marriage of Isaac is a typology of what God the Father does in getting a bride (the Church) for His Son. In fact in revelation 21:9 we are even called the bride of Christ. In Romans 7:4 Paul reminds the Church that we have “be married to another; to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”
  • Practical: The marriage of Isaac is important as it reveals to us how important marriage is to God. God is keenly interested in us becoming and finding the right person to be united together. Great marriages don’t just happen they are made. They are not the consequences of marrying the right person they are the result of working hard to become the right person.

II. Vs. 1-14 A servants search for the bride

Vs. 1-3a The words “well advanced in age” suggests that the aging process in Abraham

Was becoming more visible. It is also interesting to note the commentary put in here “and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.” God had promised Abraham many things and had fulfilled all but one, “the becoming a great nation”. Yes, he had been blessed with a son of promise but Isaac had not yet married even though he is around 40 years of age. Based upon God’s past faithfulness Abraham is confident of the Lords ability to keep this promise.

The oldest servant in Abraham’s house based upon 15:2 would have been Eliezer who had served Abraham some 60 years. In chapter 22 Eliezer’s name means “comforter” and he is an obvious parallel to the Holy Spirit. We can easily think of the typology of the Father desiring a bride for His only begotten Son who though having died has been raised to life. The work of the comforter is an interesting one as it is He who selects the bride following the word of the Father and magnifies the Son in her sight. It is Eliezer who makes sure that the bride has the right characteristics to be brought to the Son. It is Eliezer who showers her with gifts in preparation to be wed.

The placing of the servant’s hand on the thigh of Abraham was a symbolic gesture that reveals how important to Abraham that Isaac’s bride is not from the world. Heaven is not where “good people” go after they die, it is where redeemed sinners go to be married to their groom! God places two important things on marriage:

  1. First we see God places importance upon the bride in becoming the right person for marriage.
  2. Secondly He places importance upon marrying the right person, that is to say not marrying a nonbeliever.

Vs. 3b-6 Abraham does not want Isaac to take for himself a Canaanite women to be his wife. Here then is the point, “Whose family do you belong too?” If we are from the family of God then we ought not to be looking to be married to a Canaanite but rather one from the family of God. There have been far too many believers who have practiced missionary dating and marriages with the idea that they will be able to transform the person of Canaan. Abraham did not want a bride form those, “among whom I dwell”. In other words Abraham was IN the world but not OF the world and he did not want his son to be married to someone OF the world.

Look at verse 4, notice that even though Isaac is forty years old he is not to leave the land of promise. We who have been called out of the world must not return to it. Eliezer asks a natural question, “What if I can’t find a woman who will go with me, can I take Isaac to the woman?” We learn two things based upon their conversation as it relates to finding a spouse:

  1. It is most importance that we choose a spouse who is in total spiritual agreement with our self.
  2. Second, make sure that this spouse has the same heart towards a relationship with God. This is seen in her having to separate from her family and world, thus leaving her old life behind.

There are three principals found in this chapter that show how best to prepare for marriage be that to our spouse or as the bride of Christ.

Three Principals to Prepare for Marriage

  1. Vs. 1 Maturity in the Lord: Remember here that Isaac is around 40 years old his mother Sarah has been dead three years and his father Abraham is around 140. Yet it is not Isaac who goes out to find his bride it is his father Abraham who leads the way. Abraham who had learned to trust God instead of himself. The best way a person can prepare for marriage is growing in their personal relationship with God.
  2. Vs. 2a Led by the Spirit: Abraham seeks out his “oldest servant” for the task of going to find a bride. According to chapter 15:2 that would have been Eliezer “comforter “who had served Abraham 60 years. In John 14:16-17 Jesus prays to the Father that He would give them another “Comforter”, that He may be with them forever, even the Spirit of truth. Here we see that he had complete authority over Abraham’s entire house. If you want a glorious marriage it will be very important to allow the “Comforter” (Holy Spirit) to have complete control over your entire house. In verses 2b-3 we see the importance of the being mature and being led by the Spirit in the oath that Abraham had Eliezer make to not choose a woman form among the Canaanites. Isaac’s choice for a bride ought to be from a woman that loved God and not from one that loved the world.
  3. Vs. 4-9 Trust and obeys the Lord: In verse four Abraham tells Eliezer to go and get a wife for Isaac. And Eliezer naturally asks the question, “What if I find a woman but she won’t go with me can I take Isaac?” Behind this question is: “If the woman won’t come to Isaac can Isaac go to the woman?” Abraham’s answer is very definite NO. This tells us that preparing for marriage involves simple trust in God. Eliezer wanted to see if he could bend the rules a little, to which Abraham replies, “No way!” Learning to trust and obey God no matter what is absolutely essential in marriage.

We too ought to seek to grow in these three things in marriage or the preparation for it:

  • Maturity
  • Led by the Spirit
  • Trust and obeying the Lord

Vs. 10-20 From verse 9 on to the end of this chapter the word “master” appears 22 times, which is a picture of the Holy Spirit who according to Jesus’ words in John 16:13-14 “will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” It is always the work of the Holy Spirit to bring the bride to the Son by glorifying the Father and the Son.

Eliezer packs 10 camels with his master’s goods and travels a long journey to find a bride. Eliezer, took with him gifts to give the bride as a deposit guaranteeing the brides inheritance. Sound familiar? It is what we are told in Eph. 1:14 “the Holy Spirit of promise, is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Vs. 11-13 Eliezer arrives outside the city gate with 10 thirsty camels and no plan to determine how to spot the right qualities in a bride for Isaac. So he prays and God gives five qualities to look for to see if she is a woman that is mature in the Lord, led by the Spirit and will trust and obey God. These five qualities are all found in verse 14 with the corresponding answers found in verse 15-20: “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.” Eliezer asked for signs that would be remarkable but not impossible for a woman to fulfill.

III. Vs. 14-27 Seven characteristics of the bride

God has prepared this before Eliezer is done asking! Rebekah comes upon the scene and she is the 2nd generation from Abraham’s brother, will Isaac’s 2nd cousin. She has her pitcher upon her shoulder.

  1. Unselfish: Vs. 14, 17-19 Camels drank up to 20 gallons each, which meant that this was well over an hour’s worth of work. No small act of kindness! We are called to be the bride of Christ and will live a life of service towards others an unselfish life, one dedicated to serving the Groom by way of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Courteous: Vs. 18 tells us that when Eliezer saw her and made his request she responded with the words, “drink my lord”. There was a softness and a brokenness in the way she replies to Eliezer. It is one thing to do the act and another to do it with a right heart. Rebekah demonstrated that she had not only wanted to serve she did so with a right heart.
  3. Ready to serve: Vs. 15, 19, 22 tells us that her pitcher was on her shoulder and she did just as Eliezer had hoped as she offered to serve him in watering the camels as well. She was willing to start the task but even more important she would finish it. A good many Christians will have a right heart to start the task but the greater question is will they complete it when there are five more smelly camels to go?
  4. Cheerful: Vs. 18, 20 If Rebekah gave water she would have to draw water which in saying she would do so reveals two things concerning her cheerfulness:
    1. Word: She was not the type to say, “Get it yourself or how much are you going to pay me?” Her service reveals that she was cheerful in that she was willing to share herself with others.
    2. Deed: Second, she reveals a cheerful heart in that she waited until all had finished drinking. In other words her cheerfulness was not lip service it was in her heart as she did noting ½ way.
  5. Good shape: Do the math up to 20 gallons of water per camel 10 camels is 200 gallons which means that she was drawing and carrying a lot of water. Just assume for a moment that she carried the water in a 5-gallon container that would mean that she carried 40 pounds 4 times per camel or 40 times which would add up 1,600 pounds. What this speaks to me is that a heart of a bride desires always to be in good shape for the groom. This is a great picture of staying in good physical shape but it speaks to me as the bride of Christ that we ought to make it our aim to stay in great spiritual shape with the Lord. Our “service” with a right heart keeps us in great shape!
  6. Very beautiful: Vs. 16a She was attractive both on the outside but most importantly on the inside. When you saw her she caught your eye but when you met her you found that her beauty was not just skin deep. This makes me think of the fact that we will be presented as the bride of Christ without a spot or a blemish. Saint’s God has never made anything ugly that includes you and me.
  7. Virgin: Vs. 16b She had lived a life separated to God and thus she was pure in her life. A set apart heart is always seen in a set apart life style. By the way guys this verse is for us as well. If we are ready to be with the Groom then we will demonstrate as much by keeping ourselves pure in Him.

Vs. 22-27 Look at what Eliezer has to say after he has found the women who has prepared herself for marriage. “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham. The LORD has been so kind and faithful to Abraham, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.” He recognized that the work of guiding and preparing the heart for marriage was all the Lord’s work. He shows this by placing a ring upon her nose that weighed ¼ ounce and bracelets all fit for the bride. All this spoke to her that her groom was very wealthy something that she had no idea to start with. Eliezer asks two more questions which she must answer to be the right person:

  1. “Whose daughter are you?” Now obviously these question are designed to find out her origin and belief. Here is what I see in this, “Do you love the Lord?” Whose daughter are you? Are you in love with the world or with the Lord? Such a great question is it not? You cannot be the bride if you are not His child.
  2. “Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” This question has to do with whether Rebekah has room for Eliezer to stay with her. Remember that Eliezer name means “comforter” and he is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. So then the Holy Spirit is asking if there is room for Him in her heart. Not buying it? Well then ask yourself who is the “Us” that he speaks of? I believe that he is speaking of himself and Isaac.

There is only one thing left for them to do, worship the Lord for His faithfulness in finding a bride for the Son of promise. May we too be prepared for the groom!

Genesis 24:28-67

“Leaving an old life for new laughter”

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 28-49 An offer she could not refuse

III. Vs. 50-67 Leaving the world to be untied with the son

I. Intro.

We began our study through the 24th chapter of Genesis by observing the many different ways in which this chapter can speak to our hearts:

  • Prophetically: As it shows God’s redemptive plan moving through generations as well as the care in which God takes in selecting a bride for the lineage of the Messiah.
  • Picturesque: Of what God the Father does in getting a bride (the Church) for His Son.
  • Practical: The marriage of Isaac is important as it reveals to us just how important marriage is to God.

One author put it this way “Rebekah is the perfect typology of the Church consider this: She was thought of before she knew it and chosen before she knew she was to be married to the groom. Her future husband had a miraculous birth and was the only Son. He passed through sacrifice and was raised from the dead all before she knew him. The father sent a helper to seek out a bride for his son and he wooded her not for himself but for the son bring gifts as a pledge of future inheritance. She obeyed the call to be wed to a son she had never seen separating herself from the world and traveling with the helper to the son that had loved her before she loved him.” How great is our God?

II. Vs. 28-49 An offer she could not refuse

Vs. 28-29 I love this, as Rebekah wastes no time in running home to tell them the exciting news. In verse 27 Eliezer the servant of Abraham says something interesting concerning being guided by the Lord, “being on the way, the LORD led me”. Do you see that? A lot of times we want to be led by the Lord but we try to do so without moving. Eliezer had no idea what and how God was going to accomplish finding a bride for Isaac but he knew that he had to be moving for the Lord to lead. It is always easier to steer a moving vehicle then it is a parked car! So let’s all get going so the Lord can lead us!

Here is the first time we are introduced to this character Laban, Rebekah’s brother. We shall see only a hint of his character here but in chapter 31:30 we will see that he worships idols.

Vs. 30 What impressed Laban was the nose ring and bracelets on his sister thus his motive for hospitality had dollar signs. There are a lot of folks like Laban who are attracted not to the wealth in Christ but rather the wealth of the world as seen in possible business contacts that lie in the Church. So they join a Church (usually the largest in town) in order to fleece the flock of God.

Notice the words of Rebekah, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well.” The Helper pursues us with the Father and the Son’s love but He will only come into dwell with those that invite Him in. Eliezer did not come and break down the door, neither will the Lord kick down the door of our hearts. Jesus said in Rev. 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Vs. 31 Laban uses the right terminology in saying, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD!” The word Lord here is Yahweh the covenant name for God but with Laban if Eliezer had been Chinese he would have said, “Come in, O blessed of Buddha!” Just because someone uses Christian jargon and words does not mean that they follow God. Laban is a type of person in the world who will pay homage to the God of Christians and even claim they are part of the body of Christ. They do so not because they want the God we proclaim, no they want the blessings we have because of our relationship with Him.

Vs. 32-33 What a contrast Eliezer (helper or comforter) is to Laban. Eliezer comes into their home and only wants to speak of another. The servant has come to take the things of his master and make them known to others? He will not eat or rest until he has done so! He has a singular focus to get a bride for his master and nothing will interfere with his calling not even personal needs and comforts. Not only is that the work of the Holy Spirit according to John 16:13-15 it is also the primary work of all God’s servants. We are not here to correct the moral decay of the world, to straighten out the social evils but rather we are to speak to the world the Person and purpose of the Son. Paul told the Corinthians this in the 15th chapter saying, “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved”.

Vs. 34-49 Here we see Eliezer retell the story, to Rebekah and her household. As we read his retelling of this event notice the three things that he speaks of:

  1. 34-35 He speaks of Abraham and his many blessings. Essentially he declares that Abraham is, great, wealthy and powerful. We too ought to speak of the Father and His many blessings. Eliezer does not speak of himself but of another the father and of his house. He shares who the father is how wealthy and powerful he is. This is the first words from Eliezer and the bride will never want to leave their perceived wealth until they are convinced of the riches in Christ!
  2. 36-37 Second Eliezer proclaims the uniqueness of the son of promise Isaac. At his birth he was miraculously born and is the sole heir of promise. He also speaks of Isaac’s separation from the world in as much as the bride has to be separate from the world.
  3. 38-49 Finally, Eliezer speaks of his mission the gathering of a bride for his master’s son. The servant has taken his master cause and made it his own and the Lord guided him right to where he needed to be thus the mission was a complete success.

Eliezer speaks the gospel to Rebekah and her household! I’m afraid that we Christians have forgotten what we are to speak of to the world perhaps this passage of scripture will help us get back on track.

III. Vs. 50-67 Leaving the world to be untied with the son

Vs. 50-51 Laban seems to be in agreement here saying, “This seems to be of the Lord as far as I’m concerned go ahead and take Rebekah.” What is interesting to me is that the work and word of the Lord is undeniable even to those of the world. People do not fail to believe because of the lack of evidence in the message no they refuse to believe because there IS evidence in the message.

52-53 Eliezer worships God for his success in finding a bride for Isaac and Laban’s acceptance of the offer. She is given a deposit as a guarantee of a future inheritance because she is the chosen bride of the son of promise. Her family is blessed because of its association with her even though they are not going with her. When an agreement of marriage had been made it was customary for the bridegroom (or their representative) to give the family a dowry of gifts to demonstrate the groom’s financial ability to provide for the bride. Often times we see this in our families as well, as those who are not believers are blessed by God’s riches because of their relationship to us. His blessings and riches of His grace are not intended to indicate that they have a relationship but rather that His goodness is leading them into repentance! If Laban would have just said those words and Rebekah would have left with Eliezer we would have no reason to doubt his sincerity. But with the words, “He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother” we have a truer picture as to why there was the acceptance by Laban to allow Rebekah to become Isaac’s bride.

Vs. 54-55 Notice that this is not solely a call of separation from the world but rather a call of separation to the groom. The picture is that we are never called to give something up that we do not receive so much more than our former life ever gave us. Amazingly we see Rebekah totally willing to leave all to be with a groom she had never met and only just heard about. This makes her words of verse 58 “I will go” words of faith!

We also see the words of Laban as words that the enemy and the god of this world will tell Christians, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.” We are reminded of the words of Jesus to a person that wanted to follow Him in Luke 9:61-62 “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. But Jesus said to him, No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” If the world can’t keep the person from becoming a believer it will attempt to delay their departure. The enemy will do everything possible to keep a person from being separate from the old life as it loves a compromised Christians so it can say, “See, there is nothing to this Christianity they are all just hypocrites!” One author put it this way, “Procrastination is not only the thief of time, it’s the thief of eternities reward!”

Vs. 56 Eliezer’s response to this is seen in his words of “Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” In other words delaying will only make the departure harder and since God was clearly in this (even Laban agreed with this) then why wait?

Vs. 57-60 Rebekah is called in to make a decision on her own. Can you imagine the pressure upon her to make a decision to delay her departure? All she ever known, her mother, family and friends, to leave with a servant that she barely knew for a man she had never met. But still there is no hesitation, no conditions only the words, “I will go!” This is the same words the Holy Spirit uses today to every person He invites to become Christ’s bride and we too must not hesitate or make conditions. The only response the world can say is bless her and send her on her way. You want to witness to those in the world? Well here is the clearest way to do so respond to the invitation to be separate from the old life by saying; “I will go!”

Vs. 61-63 We are not told much of their trip together but we know that camels only travel 3 miles an hour and they went across the desert. It is my opinion that Rebekah would have wanted to know all she could about her groom and would have passed the time by asking all sorts of questions, which the servant would have gladly told her. The other thing I wonder is if during this long, hot, boring trip if she would have had any doubt creep into her heart. You know what I mean the kind of warfare that says, “What have I gone and done leaving all I have ever know, my family and friends to marry a man I have only heard of from a servant I just met!” It would not surprise me to find out that this was the case. Then I remembered that she was given those gold bracelets to put on her wrist, which as they bounced around on those camels would jingle reminding her of the inheritance that awaited her. So with every step closer she was thinking of what it would be like to be joined with him.

Vs. 64-67 I enjoy the romance and beauty of this passage. This is the first time Isaac has been mentioned since he was left on top of Mount Moriah (Calvary). So to with us as we await to meet our Groom whom we have not seen and only heard of since His resurrection. Look now as we see Isaac prepared to take his bride as he comes from the well of oath and went out to the field to pray in the evening and lifted up His eyes to see the caravan coming. Rebekah prepares to meet her groom by dismounting and covering her face, both are signs of humility and submission. Eliezer, tells Isaac of all that the Lord had done on his behalf to find a bride for him. Finally we are told that Isaac takes Rebekah into his mother’s tent to become his wife and he loved her. We too will one day be brought into our Father’s house to be one with our Lord and we will be comforted as we lift our eyes and see Him who will proclaim to us His love towards us.