“Drink my lord…I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking,” Rebekah, daughter of Laban

Abraham was an old man, far too old to go tromping around to find his precious son Isaac a wife, and he didn’t want Isaac to choose a woman from the hood (especially the Canaanites). So he sent Eliezer, his most trusted servant to do the job. He took with him ten camels loaded with gifts. In our day, we would expect perhaps some top quality Apple products, but they didn’t have those back then.

Eliezer sat next to a well and prayed that the Lord would guide him and send the perfect wife for Isaac. He even had a test in mind.

When Rebekah showed up, she was true to her name, which has been connected to “a hitching place” or one who ensnares–possibly by her looks (Rockyer 135). This is supposed to be a compliment, or at least I think so. The bible describes Rebekah as “beautiful, a virgin” and when she came to the well (some translations say “spring”) with her jar, a servant hurried up to her and asked for a drink from her jar.

“Drink my lord,” she kindly said. Then she drew water for the camels as well. It was then that Eliezer felt confirmation that this was God’s chosen wife for his precious Isaac.

What touches me most about this story is that Rebekah wasn’t out to impress anyone. The man who approached her was clearly a servant, and even though her gender was not recognized as equal, it’s clear that Rebekah was no pauper. She had nothing to gain by pausing in the heat of the day to help this man. And she took the extra step by watering all those nasty camels. Underneath that lovely ensnaring exterior beat the heart of a servant.

Lord, please give me a servant’s heart. Let me not be too selfish to see someone in need and walk away. Open my eyes to the need around me and give me courage and a servant’s heart to help.