29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, "Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels." 32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told about my errand." And he said, "Speak on." ~ Genesis 24:29-33
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 24 where Abraham had sent his main servant to his old stomping grounds to find a wife for his son, Isaac. After arriving, the servant discovered that the Lord specifically answered the prayers that he had prayed regarding this situation. In this narrative, God the Father is pictured for us through Abraham and God the Son is pictured for us through the son, Isaac, and the Holy Spirit is pictured for us through Abraham's unnamed servant, and the believer in Christ is pictured for us through Isaac's eventual bride, Rebekah.
When we examine this chapter as a whole we discover the words, "take," "walk," and "run" which dominate this chapter. The verb "take" is employed 14 times, while the verb "walk" is used 17, and the word "run" is used 4 times.
By way of a reminder, the name "Rebekah" denotes the tying up of cattle for their own protection, the establishment of their home, and to keep them from wandering off. Within Rebekah's name lies the idea that God brings people together with a greater purpose than the obvious. God is always working in and through our lives in ways that we might influence the course of eternity for all involved. In this narrative, God orchestrated the selection of Rebekah for Isaac, the son of the promise. The events in this passage were far more than mere chance.
In v.29-31 of today's passage we read, "29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, 'Thus the man spoke to me,' that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, 'Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.'"
After Rebekah had offered Abraham's servant water and then she watered his camels, she returned to her home but the servant didn’t follow her. Instead he stayed at the well. It was at that point that Rebekah's brother Laban did as Rebekah had done, he came running out to Abraham's servant at the well.
This encounter between Abraham's servant and Rebekah's brother Laban marked a crucial point in this narrative, revealing Laban's role in the unfolding story and shedding light on his character. When Laban saw the ring and bracelets on his sister speaks volumes about their significance to him. These weren't just material possessions; they were tokens of honor and appreciation from the Abraham's servant. Laban's recognition of these gifts, as well as his sister's testimony, piqued his curiosity and prompted him to approach the servant.
This encounter between Abraham's servant and Rebekah's brother Laban marked a crucial point in this narrative, revealing Laban's role in the unfolding story and shedding light on his character. When Laban saw the ring and bracelets on his sister speaks volumes about their significance to him. These weren't just material possessions; they were tokens of honor and appreciation from the Abraham's servant. Laban's recognition of these gifts, as well as his sister's testimony, piqued his curiosity and prompted him to approach the servant.
Laban's name means "white" and it also means "brick." Perhaps a description of what happens to a brick when is comes in contact with fire, it turns whiter. Man was made from the dust of the ground, and in the New Testament believers are equated with jars of clay, vessels waiting to be filled with God’s Spirit. At the building of the Tower of Babel, the term for "make brick" shares the same root word as the name Laban. Laban is a brick and unless he softens back to clay he will never know the Lord personally, and he will never know eternal life.
And so, Laban ran out to Abraham's servant who was at the well. Laban saw the gifts given to Rebekah by the servant at the well. He rushed to where the gifts were, on the camels. The motivation of Laban was his personal benefit rather than a desire for God. This part of the story reveals the natural hardness of the human heart that leads us to live apart from God and for the things of this world. The remainder of the narrative with bear this out.
As Laban arrived at the scene and found the servant standing by the camels at the well, a significant moment of connection occurred. Even though Laban was motivated by the possibility of gifts given to him by Abraham's servant, this encounter was orchestrated by God, weaving the threads of their lives together in a tapestry of divine purpose.
In v.32-33 of today's passage we read, "32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, 'I will not eat until I have told about my errand.' And he said, 'Speak on.'"
When they got to the house, the first thing Laban did was to unload the camels and feed them. Only then does it note that he cared for the travelers. This was the case due to the fact that where the camels were was where the gifts were.
Abraham's servant was on a mission having entered into a binding oath with Abraham. Before he ate a bite of food, he had to nail down the fact that his mission was a success.
Abraham's servant was on a mission having entered into a binding oath with Abraham. Before he ate a bite of food, he had to nail down the fact that his mission was a success.
In a beautiful parallel from John 4:31-34, we see this account in the life of the Lord Jesus as He sat by the well in Samaria. There, we read, "31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat.' 32 But He said to them, 'I have food to eat of which you do not know.' 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, 'Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.'"
Like Abraham’s servant, the Lord Jesus was far more interested in accomplishing His task than He was about eating a meal. He knew that there was nothing in this world more important than the fulfillment of the will of God both in and through His yielded life. Once the servant of Abraham knew that his prayer had been answered, the first thing he did, even before he explained who he was to Rebekah, was to bow down and worship God and to thank Him for answering his prayer. This gives us a good model for how we should respond when God answers our prayers. It also gives us direction in this life. On a given day, every day, God has appointments for us all. And these appointments are the most important moments in our lives because it is in these moments that we get to share the gospel with the lost. And hopefully through these encounters they will trust in the Lord Jesus and they will enter into a personal relationship with God.
