This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 24: 1-66
“Isaac, you are a grown man now, and I am a VERY old man. I would love to see you get married and start a family before I go on to heaven. I know your mother wanted to see you married, but she has gone on to heaven before me. I will call my servant and we will get to work on finding you a wife.”
Abraham was very old, around 137 years old, and I imagine he spent most of his days inside his tent lying down or sitting on soft furs. His wife Sarah had already died, even though she was 10 years younger than him. Now, he called for his most trusted servant, who had helped him for many, many years. We don’t know for sure what his name was, but it might have been his servant Eliezer who was born as a servant to Abraham many years before. “I want you to make a promise. You must swear that you will find a wife for Isaac, my son. I am too old to do it, and I trust that you will do a good job. She can’t be just any wife. God promised to bless the world through my son, and his wife must be a good one. Don’t pick a wife from this land. None of these people around us know the true God. They worship false gods. Go and find my family. My brother Nahor stayed in Ur when I left. He has had many children, and grandchildren. Nahor didn’t follow the true God when I left, but maybe he has told his children about God since then. You must find a wife from this family.”
Abraham’s servant began to think about the request. “What if I go and find a wife that is good for Isaac, but she won’t come all this way back with me. It is a long, long trip! She might not want to leave her family and go so far away from her home. Do I take Isaac back there to live with her?”
Abraham was very quick to answer. “Absolutely not! God has promised this land to my descendants! You must never take Isaac there! Promise! I know God will guide you to the right woman for my son. If she refuses to come back, you have done your best, and you are free from the promise.”
The servant promised that he would do all that Abraham had asked. He began to prepare for the long, hard trip. He got together a few of the other servants and said “we must go on a long trip. Get 10 of our master Abraham’s best camels ready and get some of the jewelry and gold that is his, and we will go look for a wife for Isaac.” The servants got everything ready and began the long trip. I wonder how the head servant must have been felling on the journey. He didn’t know exactly where to find Abraham’s family. It had been over 60 years since Abraham had left his brother in Ur. Ur was a very big city with many people back then, and it was probably even bigger by now! What if Nahor had moved to a different city? How would he ever track them down. It could take years of searching! But God was guiding the servants all along. After what must have been weeks of traveling, the servant was just outside the city that he thought Nahor and his family were living in. It was evening time, and I am sure that the servant was tired. Tired of walking, tired of the smell of camels, tired of dust covering his clothes, just tired! He made the camels lay down by the well of water to rest, and he began to pray to God in a quiet voice, just as he had seen his master do for years and years. “Oh God of my master Abraham, help me be successful today in finding a wife for Isaac. Show kindness to Abraham by helping me. Here is the well of water for the city, and soon the young ladies of the city will come out to fill their pitchers with the water. I will say to a young lady “please give me something to drink from your pitcher.” God, let the young lady that says “here, take a drink from my pitcher, and I will even get some water for your camels to drink” be the wife for Isaac. By this, I will know that you have been kind to Abraham once again.”
Before the servant could even finish his prayer, a young woman had arrived at the well to draw water for her family. She had her large pitcher on her shoulder, and as she was putting it on the ground near the well to fill it, the servant noticed how beautiful she was. She was very beautiful! She had filled her pitcher and was putting back on her shoulder by the time the tired servant ran over to talk to her. “Please, young lady. I am thirsty. Can I have a small drink from your pitcher?”
The young lady replied “here! Drink, sir!” and gave him a drink. She must have noticed how tired and dusty the servant was, because when he had finished drinking, she said “wait here, and I will get some water for your camels, also!” She then poured all the water in her pitcher into the animal trough that was near the well, so the camels could easily drink. She kept filling her pitcher and emptying it into the trough until the camels had more than enough to drink. This would have taken a very long time, as camels can drink a LOT of water at a time! As he stood watching her, the servant was shocked and was wondering to himself “Is this really happening? Is this who God want’s Isaac to marry?” He got some jewelry out of a camel pack for the young lady, and asked “whose daughter, are you? Do you and your family have room for us to stay the night, and do you have straw for our camels to eat?” He showed her the jewelry to show her that they could pay for their rooms and food.
The young lady replied “I am Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, who is the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah. We have plenty of room for you and your servants, and we have plenty of straw for your camels.”
Abraham’s servant was stunned! I often wonder if he really expected God to answer his prayer when he prayed before. Sometimes, we are the same. We ask God for something, but we doubt that he can or will answer us with a yes. But God had answered him before he even finished praying! Here was the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother!
The servant bowed his head right there and began worshipping the Lord. He said out loud “Blessed be the God of my master Abraham! He hasn’t withheld mercy and truth from Abraham. He has given it freely! God led me all the way here, to the house of my master’s brother!”
When Rebekah heard that he was the servant of Abraham, her great-uncle, she ran home as fast as she could. “You won’t believe this! Great-uncle Abraham’s servant is at the city well!!! He says Abraham’s God led him here to us!” Rebekah’s brother Laban, who was now the head of the house, ran out to meet him. “Come to the house with me! I have prepared the rooms for you, and the straw for the camels!” When they got there, they washed the servants tired, dirty feet, and fed the camels. Laban told the head servant to eat the food that was prepared for them, but he said “first, I must tell why I am here!” The servant told his story, and that he was there to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. He told them how God had led him to Rebekah and asked if Rebekah would go back to the land God promised Abraham with him. Laban and his mother both agreed. Since the God of Abraham had made it clear that He had led the servant to Rebekah, they could not say no. Rebekah was to be Isaac’s wife. Abraham’s servant brought out jewelry, gold, and gems to give as a present to Rebekah. He also gave many valuable things to Laban and their mother as a gift. The next morning, Rebekah and her maids left with Abraham’s most trusted servant to travel back to Canaan, where Abraham and Isaac were waiting. God had a special purpose for Rebekah. He made it very clear that He was the one who chose Isaac’s wife. God is so good to guide us and help us. Have you ever asked God to guide you? At times, we ask for God’s guidance, and it seems God doesn’t answer us. Really, God HAS answered us, but we didn’t like the answer. God says “no” sometimes. He guides us away from where we want to go, because He knows best and is protecting us from what we cannot see or understand. God says “yes” sometimes, as he said yes to Abraham’s servant, even before he finished praying for help! God says “wait” sometimes, as He made Abraham wait for years before giving him a son. When God say’s “wait”, it is usually because we are not ready, and God must prepare us for the “yes” answer.
But God has shown us through Abraham’s life that He is worth trusting! God can and will guide us, be we must be willing to follow. Are you willing to follow? Ask God to help you follow Him as He guides you. Let’s pray and thank God for His love and guidance.