So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
35 The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.
36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.
37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,
38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’
39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
40 “He replied, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.
41 Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you–you will be released from my oath.’
42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come.
43 See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”
44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also.
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ “She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ “Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms,
48 and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.
51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.” Genesis 24:34-51 NIV
When Rebekah went down that day to the spring to draw water for her family, she had no idea that her destiny depended upon the choices that she would make that day. There was no neon sign that said, “This is a test – if you pass it you will be very blessed!” There was no angel, or audible voice or special sign that alerted her that this was a special day! God had chosen her – she had to choose Him. Abraham’s servant was on a mission to find a wife for Isaac. He prayed that God would help him and he asked the Lord to point her out to him by her reaction to a request that he had decided to ask of her. He was going to ask for water for himself and she was going to give him water and offer to water his camels as well.
This was not a small thing that he prayed that she would do. The wells or springs were dug down deep with many stairs. She had to go down and back up about fifty steps or more for only three gallons of water – that is how big that her water-jar would have been. Three gallons of water weighs twenty-four pounds and her jar would have been a few more pounds than that. One trip down to the spring would have been an effort, but multiple trips were a major work out. It takes about twenty-five gallons to fill up a camel and ten camels would drink two hundred and fifty gallons of water. This means that Rebekah had to make 83.3 trips to the spring (in reality about 84 trips) – so she had to go up and down 4200 steps and back up 4200 steps until the job was done.
Rebekah had no idea that her humility, hospitality and generosity that day would open the door to the blessing of God in her life and a place in history. She did not know that because of her actions and choices that day, she would marry into a “royal” family – a family in covenant with Almighty God and blessed with favor, prosperity and peace – and would become the great-great-etc-grandmother of the Messiah – the One who would bruise the devil’s head and change the world!
Many people do not enter into all the blessings that God has for them because they are lazy, selfish and self-centered. They will only do the minimum that is absolutely required of them. They find no joy in working hard, being a blessing and doing whatever they can to help others. They are waiting on God to pull something wonderful out of His hat for them, but they won’t press into Him and love His Word and be a doer of His Word.
They are led and motivated by bribes – if you do this, I will do that. Unfortunately for them, God does not bribe us – He gives you opportunities to show what is in your heart and rewards you accordingly. God is not going to beg you to do the right thing, nor will He transgress His Word and bless disobedience and unwillingness and ungratefulness. We are the ones who must get our act together. You may never know which camel holds the key to your blessing – you must just continue to water every camel that God places in front of you!
