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ELIEZER: PROFILE OF A TRUE SERVANT
Have you ever approached a responsibility with this kind of single-mindedness
and careful planning, while ultimately depending on God?
Accepted the challenge
I want you to swear by the LORD,
the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,...So the servant
put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him
concerning this matter.
(Genesis 24:3,9)
Examined alternatives
The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me
to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"
(Genesis 24:5)
Promised to follow instructions
So the servant put his hand under the
thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
(Genesis 24:9)
Made a plan
Then he prayed, "O LORD,
God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl,
'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and
I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your
servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."
(Genesis 24:12-14)
Submitted the plan to God
Then he prayed, "O LORD,
God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl,
'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and
I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your
servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.
(Genesis 24:12-14)
Prayed for guidance
Then he prayed, "O LORD,
God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl,
'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and
I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your
servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.
(Genesis 24:12-14)
Devised a strategy with room for God to operate
Then he prayed, "O LORD,
God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master
Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl,
'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and
I'll water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your
servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.
(Genesis 24:12-14)
Waited
Without saying a word, the man watched her
closely to learn whether or not the LORD
had made his journey successful.
(Genesis 24:21)
Watched closely
Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn
whether or not the LORD
had made his journey successful.
(Genesis 24:21)
Accepted the answer thankfully
Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,
(Genesis 24:26)
Explained the situation to concerned parties
So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 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.
My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son
in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 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, but go to my father's family and to my
own clan, and get a wife for my son.' "Then I asked my master, 'What if the
woman will not come back with me?' "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. 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.'
"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. 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," 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.' "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.' "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. "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, 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.
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."
(Genesis 24:34-49)
Refused unnecessary delay
But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now
that the LORD
has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."
(Genesis 24:56)
Followed through with entire plan
Then the servant told Isaac all he had
done.
(Genesis 24:66)
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The Life Application Study Bible - Zondervan
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