THE GOD OF MY MASTER (ADONAI)

This is the story of how Abraham sent his trusted servant Eleazer of Damascus to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24). Eleazer held a position of honor and great responsibility. In Hebrew, Eliezer means God of Help, or Helper. Abraham is an old man. God kept his promise and blessed him “in all things”. Abraham was concerned about two things: Isaac should not leave the Promised Land and Isaac should not marry a Canaanite woman. Isaac, the son of promise, never once left the Promised Land. His wife was to come to him, as Isaac stayed in the land of Canaan. This principle was so important that if the woman would not come with the servant, it was better for Isaac to not have a wife. Abraham knew that God promised the Land to him and to Isaac, not to Ishmael.

Eliezer took ten of his master’s camels and departed. He led an impressive caravan. They carried great wealth with them; “all his master’s goods were in his hand”. The journey was long. The most common route was about 1000 miles. It takes about 3 weeks to walk that distance. They went to the city of Nahor, also called Ur. After he arrived there, Eleazer’s first concern was to water the camels. This shows his kind heart. He asked God to show him the woman chosen to be Isaac’s wife through an offer to provide water for him and his ten camels. Considering that a camel may drink up to 20 gallons, watering ten camels meant at least an hour of hard work. Eliezer cared nothing about the woman’s appearance. He wanted a woman of character, a woman whom God had chosen. God answered his prayer even before he prayed it. A beautiful woman came. She was Rebekah, the great-granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. She offered to give him water and to water the camels. Eliezer allowed her to finish the difficult work. He wanted to see if she had a servant’s heart, not only a servant’s talk. He was satisfied. Rebekah was kind, humble, hardworking and beautiful! He gave her jewelry and praised God for finding her! Rebeka’s brother Laban invited Eliezer into their house. Eliezer said: “I will not eat until I have told you about my errand”. Abraham’s servant was focused on his mission. Like every true servant of Christ, he put his master’s business before his own ease or comfort, even before the question of necessary food. The phrase, ‘my master’, is the refrain of this chapter; the word ‘master’ occurs 22 times. It is translated as Adonai! Eliezer was totally faithful. He did not rebel against Abraham or Isaac. He was not his own, but the bondservant of another. This is also our position before Adonai. After a 1000-mile journey, he stayed only one night and then returned immediately. Rebekah’s words: “I will go!” showed great faith. She left everything she knew, going to a distant land, to marry a bridegroom she had never seen. The servant took Rebekah, her nurse Deborah and departed: It isn’t difficult to imagine conversations Rebekah and Eliezer had on the journey. She wanted to know all she could about Isaac, whom she loved without even seeing. She took a veil and covered herself. That is chastity, modesty, and submission. This is how we must live before we see Jesus!

Abraham stands for God the Father. Isaac stands for Jesus, God the Son. Eliezer stands for God the Holy Spirit. Rebekah stands for the Church, the Bride of Christ! A father desired a bride for his son. A son was accounted as dead and raised from the dead. A nameless servant was sent forth to find a bride for the son. The servant’s name was Eliezer, meaning Helper. The lovely bride was divinely met, chosen, called, and then lavished with gifts. She was entrusted to the care of the servant until she met her bridegroom. Deborah was Rebekah’s nurse. She served Rebekah until she died. She breastfed her when her mother was unable. She is the quiet hero in the story. She is a picture of a faithful follower of Jesus. She served Rebekah until she died and was buried in the Promised Land (Gen 24:59; 35:8). Rebekah became the wife of Isaac. Isaac loved his Bride the way Jesus loves His Church.

LESSONS:

*The power of seeking God’s guidance. When we seek God’s will earnestly, He is faithful to lead us on the right path.

*The power of Prayer. God hears and answers our prayers in His perfect timing. Faithful obedience leads to great blessings

*The power of Providence. God orchestrates events for our good and His glory.

*The power of Kindness, humility and hospitality. Rebekah’s kindness in offering water to the servant and his camels is crucial in the story.

*The power of Patience and Worship. Eliezer waits patiently for God’s direction and timing. He “bowed down and worshiped the LORD”.

*The power of Family. Abraham’s desire for Isaac to marry within his family shows the importance of shared values and beliefs.

*God is the perfect Matchmaker! Isaac was about 40 years and Rebeka was about 16 when they got married. That was normal at that time!

*God is faithful. He fulfills His promise to Abraham by providing a suitable wife for Isaac, ensuring the continuation of His covenant.

*God’s plans and beautiful and perfect. We must trust God for His plans in our lives! Worship the Lord!

Abraham was living by faith. When he sent Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac, that was risky faith. These are some obstacles: he was an old man, maybe 140 years. He could have died before Eliezer came back. Because of his age, he could not go himself on a journey of 1000 miles. He sent Eliezer to a country he had never seen. Abraham has not gone to his native country for about 75 years. He knew that his brother Nahor was living there, and he had 8 sons (Gen 22:20-23). Eliezer himself was not a young man. If the woman refused to come, then the whole mission will be a failure. Abraham trusted Eliezer with the success of the mission. Initially, Eliezer was praying to “the God of my master, Abraham”. Later he prayed and worshipped God by himself. Abraham taught him faith in the only living God. Lesson: a pastor, a leader must learn to trust others. The pastor is not a babysitter. The church is not a nursery. By trusting others to do God’s work, their faith will grow. Abraham was looking for a heavenly city “whose maker and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). That is why he was not tempted to go back to his native country. He accepted God’s will to live in the Promised Land. He was content to live in God’s plan for him. He was not worried. Lesson: to live by faith, we must live with eternity in view. We must appreciate God’s plan and His eternal purposes for us. We must be found obedient and faithful. One day, faith shall be no more, and we shall see Jesus Face to face!

Finally, what convinced Rebekah to follow Eliezer to go and marry Isaac? Were the gifts he gave to her and to her family? I don’t think so. Maybe Eliezer told her that Isaac would inherit the great wealth of his father and the good looks of his mother. But what convinced her was the whole story, how this man prayed to Jehovah Adonai and found exactly what he was looking for. He found her, Rebekah! She was the special one, chosen by these people’s God. In Ur, they served idols. But the idols did nothing for Rebekah. They did not know love or romance. But the God of this man Eliezer loved indeed. Like with Ruth, it was the Love of Jehovah that touched Rebekah’s heart to convince her to leave her family and go to find her destiny. She had faith in God! Jesus is the only Romantic Loving God in the universe! Worship the Lord!