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.
Genesis 24:15-20 (NLT)
TRUSTING GOD’S PROVIDENCE
Notable pastor Charles H. Spurgeon said, “God’s providence is always on time! You and I make appointments and miss them by half an hour. But God has never missed an appointment yet. God is never early, though we often wish he were. But he is never late, no, not by one tick of the clock.” God’s providence is His divine hand in our lives. He lovingly guides and transacts all that happens to accomplish His purposes and fulfill His kingdom, and we see it throughout this story of Isaac and Rebekah.
Genesis 24:15 tells us that before the servant finished praying, Rebekah was coming to the well. The servant prayed that the daughters (plural) of the men would be coming to draw water, but God sends Rebekah alone. Then just as the servant prays, she gives him a drink of water and offers to water his camels—his ten camels! That may seem like an insignificant detail, but a search on Google says, “A camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in less than 15 minutes.” That is a lot of extra work—quite the interruption to what would have been a routine chore for Rebekah. The servant silently watches, not interfering or trying to manipulate the situation, but waits patiently for God’s confirmation.
We also see this contemplative patience in Isaac at the end of our passage. The impact of his mother’s death was great and held more weight than just his personal grief. No doubt he understood the covenant God made with his father, Abraham—that his offspring would number the stars. Yet he is not married, and his father is very old. Instead of pursuing his own plan to keep the covenant, we find Isaac walking and meditating in the fields when he sees the servant returning. Once the servant tells him the story and who Rebekah is, he immediately takes her as his wife. Verse 68 wraps up the passage, saying, “Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death.”
Notably, no one involved in this story is forced to take part in it. Abraham asks the servant to go find a wife for Isaac. The servant asks Rebekah for a drink. Laban invites the servant to their home, and they ask Rebekah if she will go with him. When we trust in the providence of God and His work on our behalf, we can respond to His guidance with certainty. What can you do today to deepen your trust in who God is and confidently obey His direction?
Bridget Turner serves as the Director of Women’s Groups at NorthStar Church. She and her husband, Steve, live in Powder Springs and have two young adult children, Hannah and Joshua. She enjoys watching football, traveling and reading.
