Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Genesis 24:15 - 24:28

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Genesis 24:15 - 24:28


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The Meeting with Rebekah

v. 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.
All the emphasis is here laid upon the speed with which the Lord heard the prayer of Eliezer. He had not yet finished his prayer when Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, the grandniece of Abraham, appeared.

v. 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.
Rebekah did not let beauty spoil her, nor did the fact that she was a rich man's daughter cause her to despise manual labor. She personally descended the steps to the well, filled her pitcher with water, and then returned to the head of the path.

v. 17. And the servant ran to meet her and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

v. 18. And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

v. 19. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also until they have done drinking.

v. 20. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher in to the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
This willingness to serve, which did not even balk at the prospect of drawing water for ten camels at the end of a day's journey, came in literal fulfillment of Eliezer's prayer. Rebekah's every act gave evidence of a hospitable kindness which considered the ready serving of a stranger a privilege. This miraculous arrangement of the circumstances was due to the dispensation of God. Many believers have since had the same experience, namely, that the living God hears prayers, often before they themselves have finished imploring Him for help.

v. 21. And the man wondering at her,
watching her carefully and almost taken aback at the exactness with which his prayer was fulfilled before his eyes, held his peace to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. In silence the servant deliberated over the happening, asking himself whether this young woman belonged to the family of his master, whether she was still single, whether she would be willing to go with him, in short, whether the Lord had caused his way to prosper, had given success to his journey.

v. 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.
As a token of his gratitude for her willingness to serve Eliezer the latter took from his presents which he had brought a golden nose-ring, such as the woman of the Orient wears suspended from the middle wall of her nose, and two bracelets of gold, worn upon the wrist, each of five shekels weight (a shekel being about ten drams avoirdupois).

v. 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?
The presents which Rebekah received at the hand of Eliezer were intended also to make her all the more willing to answer his questions as to her family and as to the possibility of obtaining lodging in her father's house.

v. 24. And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
Thus was Eliezer's first question answered and the fulfillment of his prayer emphasized.

v. 25. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
The second question was thus answered with becoming reservation, for she, as the daughter of the house, could not issue a direct invitation. She merely stated, therefore, that she knew chopped straw and other food to be present at home in sufficient quantities.

v. 26. And the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.

v. 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.
The obvious guidance and dispensation of the Lord in this matter, in everything pertaining to his journey, so deeply affected Eliezer that he, even in the presence of Rebekah, broke forth in a prayer of thanksgiving which revealed, to some extent, whence he came. The Lord had not withheld His free grace, His faithfulness, mercy, and truth from Abraham. He had only started out on his way, but it was the Lord that had guided him to his destination and to the object of his journey in such a miraculous manner.

v. 28. And the damsel ran and told them of her mother's house these things.
Full of astonishment at the prayer of thanksgiving which she heard from the lips of the stranger, Rebekah ran home, naturally seeking for her mother in the women's part of the house. Throughout the Chapter, Rebekah is an example of a God fearing, pious virgin, whose womanly virtues stand out prominently; just as Eliezer presents the picture of a pious, faithful servant.