Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 43
Genesis 24
37
PG 38
PG 38
OBSERVATION POINT
Being a woman of hospitality, Rebekah offered the
visitor water. But her offer to water the stranger’s
camels was exceptionally generous. Having traveled across the desert on a long journey, the camels
were obviously thirsty, and each one could easily consume 28 to 30 gallons of water. Together, the camels
probably drank almost 300 gallons of water, which
Rebekah drew out of the deep well with her jug.
ed as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that
you have shown unfailing love to my master.”
15
Before he had finished praying, he saw
a young woman named Rebekah coming out
with her water jug on her shoulder. She was
the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of
Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah.
16
Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough
to be married, but she was still a virgin. She
went down to the spring, filled her jug, and
came up again. 17 Running over to her, the
servant said, “Please give me a little drink of
water from your jug.”
18
“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a
drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from
her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When
she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw
water for your camels, too, until they have had
enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her
jug into the watering trough and ran back to
the well to draw water for all his camels.
21
The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him
success in his mission. 22 Then at last, when
the camels had finished drinking, he took out
a gold ring for her nose and two large gold
bracelets* for her wrists.
23
“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And
please tell me, would your father have any
room to put us up for the night?”
24
“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My g
rand
parents are Na
hor and
Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed
for the camels, and we have room for guests.”
26
The man bowed low and worshiped the
Lord. 27 “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
SKIP TO 24:61
relatives.”
28
The young woman ran home to tell her
EXPLORATION POINT
Everyone involved needed faith in the Lord and trust
in each other. Abraham’s servant had to honestly
believe in his master’s god to truly honor Abraham’s
directives. Rebekah and her family had to trust Abraham’s servant for Rebekah to leave her family, travel
to a foreign land, and marry a stranger. It would take
a tremendous amount of faith for anyone to follow a
story-telling stranger to the home of a distant relative you had never met.
family everything that had happened. 29 Now
Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who
ran out to meet the man at the spring. 30 He
had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on
his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell
what the man had said. So he rushed out to
the spring, where the man was still standing
beside his camels. 31 Laban said to him, “Come
and stay with us, you who are blessed by the
Lord! Why are you standing here outside the
town when I have a room all ready for you and
a place prepared for the camels?”
32
So the man went home with Laban, and
Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw
for their bedding, fed them, and provided
water for the man and the camel drivers to
wash their feet. 33 Then food was served. But
Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat
until I have told you why I have come.”
“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”
34
“I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained.
35
“And the Lord has greatly blessed my master;
he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has
given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of
cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many
male and female servants and camels and
donkeys.
36
“When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very
old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and
my master has given him everything he owns.
37
And my master made me take an oath. He
said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of
these local Canaanite women. 38 Go instead to
my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a
wife there for my son.’
39
“But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t
find a young woman who is willing to go back
with me?’ 40 He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose
presence I have lived, will send his angel with
24:22 Hebrew a gold nose-ring weighing a beka [0.2 ounces or
6 grams] and two gold bracelets weighing 10 [shekels] [4 ounces or
114 grams].
