Genesis 24:11 says, And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. Abraham's servant went to where the women would most likely be found while doing a daily task. He was looking for a good woman to be Isaac's wife. Today, there are many places that a man can meet a woman, but it is best to meet them in their everyday environment. If that is at a bar getting drunk, then this might not speak highly of her. Verse two states, And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. The servant prayed to the God of Abraham, and asked for God to show mercy on Abraham. I am not sure what this means about the servant's overall relationship to God, but he had to believe that God had the ability to answer his prayer. When we are looking for a spouse today as followers of Christ, then the place to start is with prayer for God's guidance. Verse thirteen declares, Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: Then verse fourteen adds, And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. The servant really didn't need to tell God where he was, anymore than we do today. God knows where every person is, both physically and spiritually. The servant proposed a way to determine how to know who the right woman was. He would ask for water, and she would offer to water his camels as well. We today likely cannot use this as a method for finding a wife, but we must trust that God will let us know when we meet the right person if we are prayfully seeking her. Verse fifteen states, And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. Even before the servant was through speaking, Rebekah, Abraham's niece, came to draw water. Though we sometimes have to wait for God to answer our prayers we should not be surprised if He answers immediately. Verse sixteen declares, And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. This tells us a little about Rebekah's appearance and character. Though we might be drawn to a person based on their looks, we should be drawn to them even more by their character. Verse seventeen says, And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. The servant ran to meet her and asked her for a drink of water. I am not sure if other women were around or not, but the servant wasted no time in approaching Rebekah. If we are praying for an answer from God, we must be willing to act in seeing that prayer answered. We cannot propose anything to God if we aren't willing to carry out our part of the proposal. Verse eighteen states, And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. Then verse nineteen adds, And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. Rebekah gave the servant a drink, then offered to water his camels. This was what the servant had proposed to God as a way to select a wife for Isaac. When God answers our prayers, we must acknowledge it and act on it. Verse twenty concludes, And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. Rebekah didn't waste any time in watering the camels, nor did she just do as little as possible. She made sure all the camels were watered. I believe that when God answers our prayers that He does so completely, and often even beyond our expectations.
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