As discussed in Part 4, this was a kind of “spiritual skit” that played out the scene that would transpire on Golgotha centuries later when Christ out of obedience to the Father (and Himself, the willing Lamb of GOD slain from before the foundation of the Earth; REV 13:8b) would offer up His own life as the propitiatory atonement (the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins; JOHN 10:15,17-18).
Then the Holy Spirit very precisely inspired Moses as he penned this verse:
GENESIS 22:19
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Take note that Abraham and the young men are mentioned here, but not Isaac. Obviously it’s a foregone conclusion that Isaac went home and didn’t wander about the mountain top – but it’s interesting that the Holy Spirit didn’t expressly mention Isaac leaving with his father. Why is that?
We’ll get into that and how the entire triune GOD is portrayed in GENESIS 24 as well as the church!
Sarah was dead and buried in GENESIS 23 (her tomb and that of Abraham are still in existence today and can be visited by tourists, and I have done so!) and Abraham himself was “advanced in age” and realized that his son Isaac was in need of a wife. So, he commissioned who would be his most loyal, trustworthy servant with the solemn task of finding him a wife. It’s interesting he’s not named, but I believe this is the same servant that’s mentioned in GENESIS 15:2, Eliezer.
In Hebrew his name means “the GOD of help” or one might say, “the Helper”? As in “the Comforter” JOHN 14:16, translated in other versions as “Counselor… Advocate…Helper”.
And just as the Holy Spirit never points to Himself, this servant is unnamed, essentially “invisible” in this account. And he is on a mission to find a wife for Isaac by his father (these being types of Christ Jesus and the Father; MATT 22:2-3).
Take note, that ever since the end of GENESIS 22, Isaac is not mentioned, not since he was offered up as a sacrifice…
Here is what Abraham said to Eliezer:
GENESIS 24:2-9
2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had [this is the clue that this is Eliezer, because his high rank (“heir of my house”) in the household is mentioned in GEN 15], "Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 "and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 "but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac." 5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" 6 But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7 "The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 "And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
Abraham made his servant swear that he wouldn’t bring a Canaanite woman to Isaac but find one from among his own family in order to keep his lineage intact. This wasn’t considered incest at this time in human history because the gene pool was still relatively pure with minimal mutations, thus allowing such a union between cousins. It’s not until the writings of Moses such things were forbidden. Logically it may be assumed that by that time intermarrying among kin wasn’t allowed.
Abraham was adamant about Isaac not returning to the land from which they came – thus we see the parallel to the kingdom of GOD being separate from this fallen world (2 COR 6:17; HEB 11:13; 1 PET 2:11). The idea of not returning to the old life is intimated here (GEN 19:26; HEB 11:15; 2 PET 2:22).
Then we notice how the servant asked about the prospective bride – “what if she is unwilling to come with me?” Abraham’s answer:
“…if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath”.
The Holy Spirit is gentle, not forceful when it comes to His leading the wayward soul to Christ. Nowhere in Scripture does it state that GOD overrides or compels the unwilling individual. He will influence and convict them of their sin, He will reveal the Person of Christ, He will bestow wisdom to the one who considers the Gospel, but He will never violate the will of the individual.
Note that in vs. 7 it states: “…He will send His angel before you…” That’s another way of saying that the Holy Spirit would lead this servant of Abraham.
So, just as Eliezer, the servant of Abraham was sent forth to find a bride for his son, so too the Spirit of GOD proceeds throughout this world, seeking to draw souls to salvation, and once they believe in Christ by faith, they become members of the Bride of Christ!
He journeyed back to the region of Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, taking with him other servants along with ten camels to seek out the relatives of Abraham, and hopefully find a bride. But how would he know the one that would be the best choice?
Eliezer did something similar to what Gideon did with his sheep’s fleece (JUDGES 6:37-40); he sought for a sign from the LORD that would identify the damsel of choice:
GENESIS 24:12-14
12 Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 "Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 "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."
That’s quite a sign when one considers that the average Arabian camel can drink anywhere from 20 to 40 gallons of water! Multiplying that by ten – 200 to 400 gallons of water… that’s a lot of work! Water is heavy! And yet that’s exactly what Rebekah offered to do for Eliezer’s camels (vss. 15-21)!
GENESIS 24:15
And it happened, before he had finished speaking…
Eliezer didn’t even get the prayer completed when Rebekah showed up and the process of answered prayer began! It’s very much like the verse from ISAIAH:
ISAIAH 65:24
It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Eliezer petitioned the LORD that He would lead the right woman to quench not his thirst alone, but all ten of his camels. What if she only attended to eight of them, or five, and then growing fatigued, she gave up? She didn’t. She finished the job and that was when the servant of Abraham realized that this is probably the one!
He then gives her the golden nose ring and the bracelets as tokens of a marriage proposal. The riches of Christ offered to a repentant soul who turns to Him for salvation comes in the form of grace, atonement for sin, the indwelling Holy Spirit, spiritual regeneration, adoption into the family of GOD, acceptance into the Kingdom of GOD as a citizen, and so much more!
Eliezer follows Rebekah to her home where he meets her family, including her brother Laban (This is the same man who was Uncle to Jacob (GEN 28:5; 29:13). This story ends with Rebekah being asked if she is willing to go with Eliezer to meet the son of his master, whom she has never met, but understands that he is kin from a far off land, whose family is wealthy, and whose father cares enough about his son to disallow him from marrying anyone other than of his own tribe.
When we are saved, we come to the realization of surrendering to the Lordship of Christ Who has inherited all things from the Father (JOHN 3:35), and as His bride, we become joint-heirs in the wealth of His possessions (ROM 8:17; and as Creator, He owns all things), that the Father cares enough for humanity that He sent His Son (JOHN 3:16; 5:23,30) and subsequently the Son sent the Holy Spirit (JOHN 15:26; 16:7) , that, while we have never met the LORD Jesus face to Face, we are promised all things through Him (ROM 8:32).
Christ is related to us (kin) in His humanity; the genealogy in LUKE reaches all the way back to Adam (LUKE 3:23-38). He is also related to Israel because He too is a son of Abraham (MATT 1:1-17). As well as these, He is also related to GOD the Father (JOHN 1:14,18; 1 JOHN 4:9).
Just as Rebekah agreed to go with Eliezer to this far off land and be wed to Isaac, likewise we have chosen to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit that points to Christ, and in that far away Kingdom consummate the marriage of the Lamb at the Feast and to rule and reign with Him as His bride!
It was then that further gifts were delivered into Rebekah’s hands:
GENESIS 24:53-54
53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master."
Her brother Laban doesn’t want to send her off immediately, but petitions to have her tarry for a time; probably to prepare for a going-away party of sorts. Eliezer however responds with a sense of urgency.
This speaks of the urgency of the Gospel (2 COR 6:2) with the admonition not to tarry in this wicked world, not be a friend to it (in the sense of unity and affection for its sinfulness; JAMES 4:4). Just as Rebekah was separated from her family and country, the repentant soul as well as the spiritually reborn Christian are admonished to be separated from the world (2 COR 6:17).
GENESIS 24:61
Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Now then – remember when we saw Isaac last? He was with his father on Mt. Moriah after a journey of three days to get there (and recall how in Abraham’s mind, when his son was actually slain: as soon as the commandment was given. In his mind the sacrifice was as good as done! HEB 11:19). We haven’t seen Isaac since then, but here at the end of this chapter, we see him as Eliezer (typified as the Holy Spirit) brings Rebekah (typified as the bride of Christ, the church) is led to meet her bridegroom Isaac (typified as Christ) face to face.
By acknowledging these analogies, we can see how Rebekah following Eliezer is an example of the repentant soul following the Holy Spirit that leads them to Christ.
GENESIS 24:62-67
62 Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahairoi, for he dwelt in the South. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. 64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Where do we see Isaac? At Lahairoi – which in Hebrew means “the well of the living one” or it could legitimately be translated as “well of living water”. Who do we know that claims to have “living water”?
JOHN 4:10
Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
JOHN 7:37-38
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
And where specifically is Isaac standing – “…in the field…” and when? “…in the evening…”
JOHN 4:35
"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
JOHN 9:4
"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
Where did Isaac bring Rebekah?
“…Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife…” And it states that Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
The LORD Jesus is of the line of Abraham, of the line of David (MATT 1:1), whose “mother” is Israel by physical birth. Yet because Israel as a nation rejected their Messiah, they remain spiritually dead (EZEK 37:8-13), but there is coming a day when the LORD will put His Spirit in His people and they shall live (spiritually speaking; EZEK 37:14; 36:26; JOHN 3:3,5).
And yet while Israel awaits that spiritual life received only through Christ (JOHN 1:12-13), we, the Gentile bride of Christ enjoy a living, vibrant relationship with our bridegroom!
Are you beginning to see a pattern emerging in the Scriptures we’ve examined thus far? There is nothing incidental in the Scriptures – GOD don’t waste no ink! If it’s written in the holy oracles of GOD, it’s to a purpose! And that is, to point to the LORD Jesus Christ! The entirety of this magnificent, marvelous, mysterious and mighty book of Holy Truth is all about JESUS!
Think of the Bible as a giant wagon wheel consisting of 66 spokes that all lead to the hub of the wheel. Those spokes are the books of Holy Writ, and their foundation is the Person of Christ! What would happen if you removed the hub? The wheel would collapse without that supporting foundation.
Each and every book of the Bible points to Christ Who is the foundation – in fact, the Cornerstone of Scripture (ISA 28:13-16)!
PSALM 40:7-8
7 Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of Me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within My heart."
JOHN 5:38-40
38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
As we travel the length and breadth of Scripture, there will be many passages that will not be forthcoming in our understanding of them – but where such is the case, we have only to do one thing: put the Person of Christ in the middle of it all and see what happens.
On another note: In your own personal study, any time you come up against something that truly baffles you (perhaps something that seems to be a contradiction), rather than resort to your pastor, or a set of commentaries or any online helps – simply pray about it; and if you keep a journal, write out the verse(s) and explain to yourself what you find perplexing, then date it.
Continue to pray that the LORD reveal the answer to you (this might not happen in the next minute!) and sometime, somewhere you’ll stumble onto a verse, or overhear a conversation, or in some way be given the understanding. It will come in stark clarity, and with such force, you’ll wonder why it was you were so confused. Go back to your journal and write down the date and the answer.
As you progress in your studies, you’ll compile a lengthy list of such incidences that will prove invaluable to you as a testimony of how the LORD Himself is your teacher! I have the late Dr. Chuck Missler to thank for this tip!
We’ll continue examining this Perfect Plan of GOD’s Gospel some more as we journey through the book of GENESIS and beyond!
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