Isaac and Rebekah: A Love Story

Novation Church

Genesis 24

• A loving father

“Abraham lived to be a very old man. The Lord blessed him and everything he did. Abraham’s oldest servant was in charge of everything he owned. Abraham called that servant to him and said, “Put your hand under my leg. Now I want you to make a promise to me. Promise to me before the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry a girl from Canaan. We live among these people, but don’t let him marry a Canaanite girl. Go back to my country, to my own people, to find a wife for my son Isaac. Bring her here to him.” The servant said to him, “Maybe this woman will not want to come back with me to this land. If that happens, should I take your son with me to your homeland?” Abraham said to him, “No, don’t take my son to that place. The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family, but he promised that this new land would belong to my family. May he send his angel before you so that you can choose a wife for my son. If the girl refuses to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not take my son back to that place.” So the servant put his hand under his master’s leg and made the promise.” Genesis 24:1-9 ERV

• An obedient servant

“The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor’s city. In the evening, when the women come out to get water, he went to the water well outside the city. He made the camels kneel down at the well. The servant said, “Lord, you are the God of my master Abraham. Please show your kindness to my master by helping me find a wife for his son Isaac. Here I am, standing by this well of water, and the young women from the city are coming out to get water. I will say to one of them, ‘Please put your jar down so that I can drink.’ Let her answer show whether she is the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. If she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels,’ I will know that she is the right one. It will be proof that you have shown kindness to my master.” Genesis 24:10-14 ERV

• An honorable bride

“Before the servant finished praying, a young woman named Rebekah came to the well. She was the daughter of Bethuel. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham’s brother.) Rebekah came to the well with her water jar on her shoulder. She was very pretty. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the well and filled her jar. Then the servant ran to her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” Rebekah quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink. She said, “Drink this, sir.” As soon as she finished giving him something to drink, Rebekah said, “I will also pour some water for your camels.” So Rebekah quickly poured all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels. Then she ran to the well to get more water, and she gave water to all the camels. The servant quietly watched her. He wanted to be sure that the Lord had given him an answer and had made his trip successful. After the camels finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ring that weighed 1/4 ounce. He also gave her two gold arm bracelets that weighed 2 ounces each. The servant asked, “Who is your father? And is there a place in your father’s house for me and my men to sleep?” Rebekah answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.”Then she said, “Yes, we have straw and other food for your camels and a place for you to sleep.” The servant bowed and worshiped the Lord. He said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord has been kind and loyal to him by leading me to his own people.” Genesis 24:15-26 ERV

• A devoted son

“The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. Then Isaac brought the girl into his mother’s tent. Rebekah became his wife that day. Isaac loved her very much. So he was comforted after his mother’s death.” Genesis 24:66-67 NASB

• A faithful God

“The servant bowed and worshiped the Lord. He said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord has been kind and loyal to him by leading me to his own people.” Genesis 24:26-27 NASB

• A woman and a well

John 4:1-29