Genesis 24

CHAPTER 24THEME: A bride for IsaacWe have come in chapter 24 to a major break in this second division of Genesis. The first division (chapters Gen_24:1-11) deals with four great events. The second and final division, (chapters Gen_24:12-50, deals with four outstanding individuals. Specifically, in Genesis 12-23 we have Abraham, the man of faith. Now in chapters 24-26 we have Isaac, the beloved son. There are three great events in the life of Isaac, and we have already seen two of them.

The first was his birth, and the second was his being offered by Abraham. The third is the obtaining of his bride. They say there are three great events in a man’s lifehis birth, his marriage, and his deathand that he has no choice except with the second one, marriage. Sometimes a man doesn’t seem to have much choice in that connection either, but, nevertheless, these are the three great events in a man’s life. We come now to the story of how Isaac secured his bride. Abraham sends his trusted servant back to the land of Haran in Mesopotamia to get a bride for Isaacand we will see the success of the servant in securing Rebekah. This is a very wonderful love story. It reveals that God is interested in the man whom you marry, young lady, and He is interested in the young lady whom you marry, young man. There are two institutions that God has given to the human family: one is marriage, and the other is human government (God permits man to rule himself today). These are two universal and very important institutions. When these are broken, a society will fall apart. The home is the backbone of any societyGod knew thatand He established marriage, intending that it give strength and stability to society. The same thing is true relative to human governmenta government must have the power to take human life in order to protect human lifethat is the purpose of it. Because human life is sacred, God gave such laws. The point here is that God is interested in your love story, and it is wonderful when you bring God into it. The first miracle that our Lord performed was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. I do not know how many weddings He went to, but He went to that one. The twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis is one of the richest sections of the Word of God because it tells a love story that goes way back to the very beginning. A very dramatic account is given here of the way that a bride was secured for Isaac, and again, a fantastic spiritual picture is also presented to us. There are two things that I want you to notice as we go through this chapter. One is the leading of the Lord in all the details of the lives of those involved. It is a remarkable statement that is made, time and time again, of how God led. Even in this early day, there were those in that social climate who were looking to God and following His leading.

Some would have us believe that this took place in the Stone Age, when man was a caveman and pretty much uncivilized. Don’t believe a word of it! Here is a record that shows that man did not start out as that kind of man at alland we find here the leading of God. If God could lead in the lives of these folk, He can lead in your life and my life. The second thing to notice in this chapter is the straightforward manner in which Rebekah made her decision to go with the servant and become the bride of Isaac. This is a tremendous thing which we will notice as we go through.

Genesis 24:1

Abraham is old, well stricken in age, and the Lord has blessed him in all things. Abraham now wants to get a bride for his son Isaac, but he does not want to get a bride among the Canaanites where the people are given to idolatry and paganism, and so he will send his servant to his people, back in the land of Haran, to get a bride for Isaac.

Genesis 24:2

This is the way men took an oath in that day. They did not raise their right hands and put their left hands on a Bible. They didn’t have a Bible to begin with, and frankly, I do not think it is necessary for anyone to put his hand on a Bible to swear that he is telling the truth. If he intends to lie, he will lie even if his hand is resting on a Bible. The method in that day was for a man to put his hand under the thigh of the man to whom he was going to make an oath. I think this servant was Eliezer. He was the head servant in the home of Abraham, and he had a sonremember that Abraham had called God’s attention to that earlier (see Gen_15:2-3).

Genesis 24:3

My Christian friend, if you have a boy or girl in your home who is marriageable, you ought to pray that he will not marry one of the “Canaanites.” They are still in the land, and there is always a danger of our young people marrying one of them. If they do, as someone has put it, they are going to have the devil for their father-in-law, and they are always going to have trouble with him.

Genesis 24:4

In other words the servant says to Abraham, “Suppose I cannot find a girl who will come with me. Shall I come back and get Isaac to take him to that land?” And Abraham says, “Never take Isaac back! This is the place where God wants us. Do not return him to that land under any circumstances.” This is very important for us to see.

Genesis 24:7

Abraham is really a man of faith. He demonstrates it again and again, and here he is magnificent. He says to this servant, “You can count on God to lead you. God has promised me this.” Abraham is not taking a leap in the darkfaith is not a leap in the dark. It must rest upon the Word of God. Many people say, “I believe God, and it will come to pass.” That’s fine.

It is wonderful for you to believe God, but do you have something in writing from Him? Abraham always asked for it in writing, and he had it in writing from God. God had made a contract with him. Abraham is really saying, “God has promised me that through my seed Isaac He is going to bring a blessing to the world. You can be sure of one thing: God has a bride back there for Isaac.” You see, Abraham rests upon what God has said. We need to not be foolish today.

Faith is not foolishness. It is resting upon something. It is always reasonable. It is never a leap in the dark. It is not betting your life that this or that will come to pass. It is not a gamble; it is a sure thing.

Faith is the real sure thing. Abraham is sure.

Genesis 24:8

Abraham says, “Don’t ever take my son back there, but if the woman won’t come, then you are discharged.” What does that mean? I think it means simply that Abraham would have told you, “God has another way of working this out. I don’t know what it will be, but I am very sure that God does not want my son to marry a godless girl.” My friend, that is what faith is. Faith is acting upon the Word of God. Faith rests upon something. God wants us to believe His Word and not just believe. It is pious nonsense to think that you can force God to do something, that God has to do it because you believe it. I have made it through a number of years now with cancer in my body, and no one wants to be healed more than I do.

Don’t tell me that I don’t believe in faith healingI do. However, I have been told that I can force God, that God will heal me if I demand it. I do not know what His will is, but whatever His will is, that is what I want done. God wants us to bring our needs to Him, but He has to be the One to determine how He will answer our prayers. Abraham has something to rest upon. He is not demanding anything of God.

He says, “If this doesn’t work out, then God has another way to work it out.”

Genesis 24:9

Now watch the servant as he goes out to get a bride for Isaac.

Genesis 24:10

The servant who is going to Mesopotamia to get a bride for Isaac takes ten camels along, and that means somebody had to ride them. He took along quite a retinue of servants. “For all the goods of his master were in his hand.” In other words, he had charge of all the chattels and all the possessions of Abraham.

Genesis 24:11

It may seem strange to you that the women came out to draw water, but they were the ones who did the watering of the camels in that day. Very frankly, women did lots more work in those days than they do todayI mean by that, hard physical labor. The women were the ones who watered and took care of the stock. The men were supposed to be out trading and doing other workthey were not always loafing, by any means. But it is interesting to note that it was the custom of that day for women to go out to draw water. This servant was waiting because it was not the proper thing for him, as a stranger, to water his camels before the others who lived in that community. This servant is depending upon God. Abraham had put all of this in the hands of the Lord, and now the servant does also:

Genesis 24:12

The servant’s prayer is something like this: “The daughters of the men of the city will be coming out. I do not know which one to choose, and it is just left up to me to pick one of them. I pray that the one that I pick might be the one that You pick.” In other words, he calls upon the Lord to lead him in making the right choice. Who do you think he is going to pick? Well, he is a man, and he is going to pick the best looking woman who comes out. And you can be sure of one thingRebekah was a good looking woman. The Puritans had the idea that beauty was of the devil. The devil is beautifulhe’s an angel of light, by the waybut he does not have it all. After all, God is the Creator, and you have never seen a sunset or looked at a beautiful flower that He did not make. He makes women beautiful, and there is nothing wrong with that. I am sure this man is going to pick the best looking one who comes outhe’d be a pretty poor servant if he didn’t.

Genesis 24:15

I told you Rebekah was good lookingI knew it was coming, of course. She was good lookingthe Word of God says it, my friend, and there is nothing wrong with that. I resent it today that Hollywood, the theater, and the devil get beauty. I think that the Lord ought to have some of it. He made it to begin with, and there is nothing wrong with His using a lovely and beautiful person. I pray always that God will call fine looking men and women into His service today. “And the damsel was very fair to look upon.” She was not just an ordinary girl. She would have won a beauty contest. She was “a virgin, neither had any man known her.”

Genesis 24:17

The important thing to note is that Rebekah is a very polite and courteous girl also. She is beautiful, not dumb, and very polite.

Genesis 24:20

Remember that there were ten camels, and I do not know how long it had been since they had last filled their tanks. It was just like filling the radiator of a car to fill up those camels.

Genesis 24:21

The servant just stands there in amazement. He is wondering whether this is it, whether God is leading or nothe believes He is.

Genesis 24:22

Nahor is a brother of Abraham.

Genesis 24:25

The servant sees the hand of God in this. It is wonderful to have God leading and guiding, is it not?

Genesis 24:27

This is a great statement here: “I being in the way, the LORD led me….” The Lord leads those who are in the waythat is, those who are in His way, who are wanting to be led, who will be led of Him, and who will do what He wants done. God can lead a willing heart anytime.

Genesis 24:28

Right here, let me warn you to keep your eye on Uncle Laban. He will bear watching at this point and from here on. He was greatly impressed by material things. Notice what happens:

Genesis 24:30

The servant just waited out there at the well to see whether anyone would come out to lead him into the home of Rebekah, whether he really had a welcome or not. Believe me, when old Laban saw those rings, he knew it was a very wealthy guest. Uncle Laban is not one to miss a deal. (If you doubt that, ask Jacob later on. Jacob found out that Uncle Laban was a real trader; in fact, he was a better trader than Jacob was.) So Laban went out to welcome the servant.

Genesis 24:31

Even old Laban recognized the fact that there was the living God, the Creator, the one God.

Genesis 24:32

Again, we have this footwashing ceremony. Note that there are quite a few men who have come with this servant. The servant is entertained royally in this homeUncle Laban sees to that.

Genesis 24:33

We have here a marvelous picture of the relationship of Christ and the church. One of the figures of speech that is used in the New Testament is that the church is someday to become the bride of Christ. This is the way the church is being won today, through the Holy Spirit whom the Father and the Son have sent into the world. The Spirit of God, like the servant of Abraham, has come to talk about Another, to take the things of Christ and show them unto us. As this servant has gone to get a bride for Isaac, so the Spirit of God is in the world to call out a bride for Christ. Notice the marvelous dramatic effect that we have here. This is an exciting story and a wonderful record of that day. Abraham’s servant says, “Before I can eat, I want to tell you my mission.” This is also characteristic of the Holy Spirit who has come into the world to tell about Another. That is primary business as far as God is concerned. I know that there are other businesses that are very important: the business of our government, the great business of the news media, and the great corporations, the automobile and the airplane companies. All this is important, great business. But God is not continuing to deal with this world because of General Motors or the government in Washington, D.C. (whether Republican or Democrat). The stock market on Wall Street is of no great concern in heaven.

The thing that is primary as far as God is concerned is to get the gospel out to the peoples of the world. The Spirit of God is here to put this first. The servant of Abraham will not eat before he has spoken, and so they tell him to speak on.

Genesis 24:34

Notice that his name is not given. Likewise, the Lord Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will not speak of Himself, but He will take the things of Mine and show them unto you (see Joh_16:13-15). By the way, what is the name of the Holy Spirit? He has no name. He does not come to speak of Himself; He has come to speak of Another, of Christ. Similarly, this servant is not named but is simply called a servant of Abraham.

Genesis 24:35

The servant tells about the father’s house. And that is something that the Spirit of God would have us know about. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgmentthose are the three things that He talks about to the lost world. He would have us know that the judgment is upon a sinful earth and upon mankind. Men are lost today because they are sinners. I hear it said that men are lost because they reject Christ.

They are not lost because they reject Christ; they are lost because they are sinners. Whether they have heard about Him or not, they are lost sinners. That is the condition of man today. The Holy Spirit has come to let us know that there is a Savior who has borne our judgment and who has been made over to us righteousness and that we can have a standing in heaven. The Holy Spirit has come to speak of Another. “And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly.” And, my friend, our Heavenly Father is rich today in cattle and in goods. The cattle on a thousand hills are His. How great our Father is!

Genesis 24:36

In an infinitely greater way, the Lord Jesus is the Inheritor, and we are joint heirs with Him today. The servant of Abraham has come to tell this family that he is after a bride for his master’s son who is going to inherit all things.

Genesis 24:37

The Holy Spirit is calling out sinners, but they are sinners who are “…born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1Pe_1:23). These are the ones He is calling outyes, sinnersbut they have been made children of God. “…If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature …” (2Co_5:17). God is not taking “Canaanites”; His children must be transformed.

Genesis 24:38

Laban is the spokesman for this family. Listen to him:

Genesis 24:50

They say, “As far as we are concerned, this is of the Lord. You go ahead and take Rebekah.”

Genesis 24:52

This is the way the Spirit gives to the children of God. We have the earnest, the guarantee, of the Spirit when we come to Christ. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, we have access, we have joy, we have a hope, and we have the Holy Spirit (see Rom_5:1-5). These are the wonderful things that have been made over to the believer today.

Genesis 24:54

The very next morning this servant says, “I want to be on my way.” I’ll tell you, this is big business for him! And the brother says, “What’s your hurry? Give us at least ten days to tell her good-bye. After all, we had better talk this over with her.”

Genesis 24:56

We have come to this very important part that I think is quite wonderful. Don’t miss this.

Genesis 24:58

Let’s take another look at this picture. It is an oriental scene, couched way back yonder in the beginning of time, at the dawn of humanity, in a way. Although I am confident that man had been on this earth thousands of years at this time, as far as we are concerned, this was approximately four thousand years ago. This family is entertaining a guest, a stranger, and they are entertaining him royally. They have fed his camels and taken care of the servants. They have set meat before him, a real feast, but he wanted to state his business. And so he tells his strange business. He has come to get a bride for his master’s son, Isaac. I can see this servant as he brings out the gifts to give to this familygold and silver trinkets. Abraham, you must remember, was a very rich man. Then the servant begins to tell about the master. As he speaks, I see that family circle around the fire, and in the background, standing just beyond the others, I see a very beautiful girl with deep brown eyes.

She is listening intently. She hears the servant tell about Abraham and about how Isaac was born. The servant tells about Isaac’s miraculous birth and about his life. Then he tells about the day that his father took him yonder to the top of Mount Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice and how God spared him and would not take his life but gave him back to the father alive. And finally he tells how the father has sent him, a servant, to get a bride for Isaac. They do not want to get a bride for him from among the Canaanites.

They must get one who is of like mind, one who has the same capacity for the living God, one who is born again of the Word of God. He is looking for a bride. Rebekah has been listening all this time, and now they turn to her. No one has paid much attention to her up to this point, but now all eyes turn to her, and they say, “Rebekah, what about it? Will you go with this man?” She does not hedge or fudge or beat around the bush or hesitate. She says, “I will go.“Have you ever noticed that the men whom the Lord Jesus called as His disciples made the same instant decision? They left their nets and followed Him. Oh, I know that they went back a couple of times, but there came a day when they broke loose from those nets, and they never went back to them.

They followed Him; they went with Him. The Holy Spirit is still calling today. He is the One who has taken the servant’s place. You see, the Father and the Spirit sent the Son into the world to die for the world. And when the Son went back to heaven, He said He would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. The Spirit has now come into the world, and He is calling out a bride.

He is saying, “Will you go? Here is the One who died for you. He will save you. You have to be redeemed first. You have to come as a sinner to Him, take your rightful position, and accept Him as Savior. When you do, you will be born again; you will become a child of God and be put into the church that is going to be presented to Him someday as a bride.” The question is: Will you go?

Will you accept the invitation? Will you trust Christ as your Savior? This is not something about which you can beat around the bushyou either do it or you don’t. I never shall forget the time that I was speaking in a certain place in Texas. I presented Christ, and then I asked, “Will you accept Him?” I really wasn’t through preaching, but I never shall forget a young man who sat there, and I could tell he was interested. He got up right there and then and walked down. It had a tremendous effect upon the audience. He was not wishywashy; there wasn’t anything uncertain about him. My, I love a clean-cut decision like that! That is the way He wants you, my friend. That is the way He will accept you, and it is the only way He will accept you. This does not end the story. They start out now, and they are going back to the Promised Land.

Genesis 24:59

This prophecy has already been fulfilled. We are not talking here about unfulfilled, but fulfilled, prophecy.

Genesis 24:61

They had a long trip back. We are not told anything about this trip, but I know that it is not easy riding a camel. I rode one from the little village outside of Cairo down to the pyramidsand that’s as far as I want to ride on a camel! They call them “the ships of the desert.” Well, it was as rough as any trip I have ever had on a boat. It was rough! They are not easy to ride, but imagine riding on those camels across the desert.

I can see them after a hard day on that hot desert. At evening they stop at an oasis, the campfire is built, and they have their evening meal. As they are sitting there before going to bed to get their sleep, I hear Rebekah say to this servant, “Tell me about Isaac again.” The servant says, “What do you want me to tell you?” She says, “Tell me about the way he was born. Tell me about the way his father offered him on the altar.” It was like our song, “Tell me the old, old story of Jesus and His love!” And the servant says, “I told you that last night.” Rebekah says, “I know, but tell it again. Tell it again.” And so the servant tells it again. It never grows old.

That night Rebekah has that sweet sleep, dreaming of the time when she will meet this one. The next day they start out on the journey again, and the desert isn’t quite as hot, and the camel isn’t quite as rough. But it is a long ways, and so they continue until they finally come in sight of the land of promise. They enter it and come down to Lahai-roi.

Genesis 24:62

This is way down in the pleasant country of Hebron and Beer-sheba.

Genesis 24:63

In this human episode, we are given a view of the coming of Christ for His bride. Many people are saying, “Won’t it be wonderful when the Lord comes and we will be caught up with Him?” There is another view, and that is of those who will be with Him when He comes. Most of the church has already gone through the doorway of death, and they will be coming with Him when He comes. Their bodies will be raised and their spirits and bodies joined together. Those who are alive are to be caught up with the dead to meet the Lord in the air. Those who have gone before in death are going to see Him when He arises from the right hand of the Father and starts out to call His church to meet Him in the air. This is the picture, and what a glorious picture it is!

Genesis 24:64

We as the bride of Christ will have to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, but He has been made over to us righteousness. He was delivered for our offenses, and He was raised for our justification in order that we might have a righteousness which will enable us to stand before God. Rebekah, seeing a man walking toward them, asks who he is. Throughout the long journey she has come to know about him, but now she is to see him face to face. This is similar to our position even now. As Peter expressed it, “Whom having not seen, ye love …” (1Pe_1:8). I wonder: When He does come, are we going to know Him? In a song there are these words: “I shall know Him, I shall know Him by the prints of the nails in His hands.” I think this is the way that we are going to know Him when He comes. What a glorious, wonderful, beautiful picture we have before us!

Genesis 24:66

The Holy Spirit has sealed us and will deliver us to Christ at the day of redemption. Believe me, it was certain that this servant of Abraham’s was going to get the bride to Isaac. Now this is the union of Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:67

“And he loved her"Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. “And Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” This reveals to us that Christ gains a great deal in our salvation. He wants us; He longs for us. Oh, that you and I might be faithful to Him, my beloved!