Genesis 24: Rebekah is found! Learning to Walk by the Spirit (by Jewel)

 

My husband Kent and I felt spiritually led to each write uniquely about Genesis 24: the search for a true bride for Isaac. I'm publishing mine now for the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart today. Read the entire chapter of Genesis 24 to have the whole story in your mind before you proceed, since I will only be referring to certain verses as the Spirit leads me to expand further.

I've always loved this story. It actually spoke to my heart years ago, before I even knew about how to follow the Spirit or how to hear the Shepherd's voice, trusting it enough to follow it. I love the fact that when we don't know what to do in life, we can go to the Lord in deep, humble prayer. We need His help in walking through the dark valleys of indecision and the fogginess of the uncertain, unknown future.

As we make big life-altering decisions, we can rest knowing that the Lord will use the crook of His shepherd’s staff to catch us from falling into a ditch and to give us gentle nudges to guide us back onto the best path of His will for our lives. He will whisper perfect advice and specific steps of direction within our heart and mind, helping us within our spirit to hear His promptings which are sometimes so quiet that we don't even hear anything at all but just seem to instinctively know in the exact moment, what He wants us to say or do, to notice, or to seek and find, around us.

Genesis 24

V 7) He will send His angel (the Holy Spirit) ahead of you, and He will see to it that you find a wife there for my son.

Isaiah 30:21

(NLT) Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

(Good News Translation) If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear His voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it."

Hebrew:

will hear

תִּשְׁמַ֣עְנָה (tiš·ma‘·nāh) means to hear intelligently (hear with your mind).

this command

דָבָ֔ר (ḏā·ḇār) means a word, a matter, thing, a cause. (The word of the Lord for you to heed.)

is the way.

הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ (had·de·reḵ) means a road, a course of life, mode of action. (Guided by the Holy Spirit to walk into a life-altering moment)

Walk in it.”

לְכ֣וּ (lə·ḵū) means to go, come, walk. (Action must be taken, a leap of faith over fear)

In this example, Abraham’s servant, Eliezer of Damascus, went out to another country with a long caravan of ten camels loaded with expensive possessions, acting on faith to go out and see what the Lord would provide. Abraham sent him out with specific instructions as to what family this woman must come from. Also, telling the servant that if she was not willing to come back with him, the servant would not be held accountable.

The first step that Eliezer did correctly was to listen and obey his master Abraham's voice. He packed up and left for the distant land, and did not argue. Then, when he was in a place far away from his master’s watchful eye, he had to rely solely on praying to God, asking Him humbly to please help him to perform this specific task for his master so he might have success in finding the correct person to marry Isaac. Eliezer did not know anyone that lived there. Therefore he was now in complete dependence upon the Lord God’s guidance, seeking His compassion upon Abraham and Isaac, to continue their family line of promise. He was walking blindly in a foreign land, much how we feel in this day and age.

I sense that the Lord told Eliezer’s heart to look for the woman who would offer him water, and also provide water for his camels, and that is why the servant prayed that request to God. I believe we don't give God enough credit for how much He truly spiritually leads us ahead of time in our minds as to what to say to Him in prayer, in our daily life.

Genesis 24: cont’d

Vs 15 and 45) “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. 

In verse 17, it mentions the servant got up and ran towards Rebekah to ask her for a drink. There would have been other women at the well getting water for their animals and families. The fact that he got up and ran towards her makes me feel that the Holy Spirit must have prompted him to move quickly, drawing him towards Rebekah, out of the other women there. She then responded by offering water for his 10 camels too, and ran quickly to do so, without him even asking her to water them. That would be a lot of work! 

It shows her sincerity and hospitality to love and serve him. I think she was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do this and to know that something special was happening to her personally that day, even though she yet did not understand what it would be. This would have reassured Eliezer that the Holy Spirit of God Almighty was moving in response to his earlier prayers, about to provide the answer of guidance he was seeking from God. Yet, he still did not know what family she came from. 

V 21) The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. 

Verses 23 to 27 show the confirmation of Abraham's servant, Eliezer, finding out what family she actually belonged to. He rejoiced before God, thanking Him with a grateful heart, for having mercy upon him, upon Isaac, and upon Abraham, with giving him success in fulfilling his mission for his master, so the line of Christ would continue to be built by the Lord, and not swayed by the independent, wayward decisions of man.

V 26-27) The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 

“Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

V 48) “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. 

I love how the story continues with Rebekah running home to tell her family her exciting story (her testimony), and the servant also retelling the whole story about God's help and guidance to find Rebekah (his testimony). 

V 50-51) Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. 

Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

Rebekah is then called by God to leave her family but they want to hold on to her and keep her back with them for “at least 10 more days”. Yet, she follows the Spirit of God, trusting this stranger who found her, to return with him to an unknown land, similar to how we have to trust the Holy Spirit overall, in spite of the oppositional voices around us. 

This reminds me of how Abraham was called out from his family and his homeland. We are also called out by Christ to live in a different way, to do unusual tasks, walking by the unforeseen promptings of the Holy Spirit, in a way which is often misunderstood by those around us. Christ said we would be as foreigners in a strange land, a peculiar people, set apart for holy living, not conforming to the world around us.

V 55-58) “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”

But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”

“Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 

So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her. And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”

The grand finale of course being that she saw Isaac her husband from a distance, veiled herself, waited as Jacob approached her, accepted his offer of marriage, entered with him into his tent, and they became one in holy marital union. She arrived in his presence as pure as a virgin, much how we are cleansed by the Holy Spirit right now to someday come into the Lord's presence, to become one with Him and enter eternal union as Husband and wife.

Genesis 24 cont’d:

V 64-67) When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 

“Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.

And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. (NOTE: After being born again in the Lord, we live partially veiled, able to commune with Him and His Holy Spirit, until we are reunited in eternity with Him. At that time, the Lord will lift our final veil on our wedding day with Him, and we shall see Him face to face.)

Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.

Now comes the interesting part. The Holy Spirit led me to look up 1st Peter, chapter 1. Below you will see verses that I feel the Lord is nudging my heart as to how they relate to Rebekah’s story. Like puzzle pieces, let’s place the OT and NT meanings together and see the full picture. 

Scripture verses 1-20 below are all taken from 1 Peter 1:

*Rebekah was from a foreign land:

V 1a) I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners… 

* Rebekah was chosen by God and kept in a pure and holy virgin state by Him for her future role to become Isaac’s wife:

V 2) God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.

*Rebekah was moved by the Spirit, and obeyed His voice thus leading to her faith in God’s existence being similar to Abraham’s faith which would be accounted unto her as righteousness (since this is long before faith in the Messiah Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice would be necessary, accepting Jesus as the way, the gate, to eternal life). I feel she prayed to God to deliver her and waited with hope for the day when He would take action in her life to set her free from living in a wayward family.

V 3) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,...

*Rebekah returned to Isaac where true love, marriage, and an inheritance were waiting for her. The servant brought her a foretaste of her future, giving her a golden ring for her nose and 2 large gold bracelets for her wrists, as well as silver and fine clothing. (Plus, 10 camels heavy-laden with all kinds of expensive gifts for her and her family.)

V 4) …and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 

*Rebekah was protected by God during her upbringing, to stay pure, kindhearted, compassionate, hospitable, and not be conformed to mirror the evils of the society around her. The trials she went through in life prepared her for this opportunity of blessing, and gave her a heart of submission unto the Lord God, to desire to leave in search of a better future.

V 5-7) And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

*Rebekah trusted God and loved Him. She also trusted God’s plan for her life, loving her husband Isaac reciprocally, basking in his great, deep love for her. She would be loved, safe, protected, and provided for, in Isaac’s, and in the Lord’s, care.

V 8-9) You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 

The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.

*Rebekah was being watched from heaven as the angels witnessed the Lord at work in her life, choosing the descendants of Christ. The message of the Spirit was prompting the servant but also prompting Rebekah to “Come, listen, follow My voice, trust Me, I know what’s best”. 

V 12) They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

*Rebekah was saved from an idol worshiping family, saved from being forced to someday marry an unbeliever, and from the empty life that comes from living in a selfish, dishonest way, independent of God. Her brother, Laban, gives us a glimpse into how her other family members operated in life. In Genesis 31, you’ll see how Laban tricks Rebekah’s future son Jacob to marry his eldest daughter Leah when Laban knew how much Jacob truly loved Rachel, and had no feelings towards Leah. (Laban was a dishonest trickster.) 

Laban also forced him to work 7 years before he could marry Rachel but was tricked on his long-awaited wedding day to  marry Leah instead. Laban set up this dishonest marital union and forced Jacob to promise him another 7 years labour to be able to receive Rachel as Jacob’s second wife. (Laban was manipulative.) 

In the end, Jacob had to sneak away from Laban for fear of his own safety, and that of his family’s. Laban would not let his daughters leave him (Laban was controlling.). Laban and his sons, and servants, were all jealous of how the Lord prospered Jacob. 

Laban pursued Jacob and his daughters for 7 days. God warned Laban in a dream to not say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. Then Laban told Jacob about the Lord’s warning but seemed to only be concerned that his household idols were stolen. 

Lots of glimpses into the worldliness and dysfunctionality of the home God had ransomed Rebekah from, saving her very life from the chaos of the devil’s hand at work in her family’s life.

V 18-20) For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 

It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 

God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days He has been revealed for your sake.

The story makes me so eternally grateful for how the Lord works ahead of time in our life, to rescue us, and pull us out of things we do not even understand are wrong or dangerous, until we can look back on them in hindsight. He has a plan for you as well, and I pray that you will feel in this message, the truth that you can also hear from the Lord. It requires faith and humility, truly seeking and asking Him to be compassionate upon you, and to have mercy upon your life. Do not give up! Keep seeking Him because He will be found by you! He promises us it’s true!

Isaiah 55: 6-8, 11 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.  ….

So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Jeremiah 29: 10b-14

V 10b) I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

James 4:8a

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…

Blessings in Christ,

Jewel

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