Font Size
In Abraham’s old age (v.1) it is imperative that a wife be found for Isaac if the promise is to be perpetuated. As before, God intervenes providentially (though hidden) to ensure success. The emphasis is not so much placed upon the leading of God per se as it is upon the willingness of those who put themselves at his disposal and discover his guidance in retrospect. The aged patriarch displays a profound faith in the covenant God (v.7). The promise cannot be invalidated or modified by generations yet unborn.
The actors in this drama are engagingly colorful: Abraham, characterizing the defiant faith of a seasoned man of God; the old servant exhibiting devotion to his master and determined to execute his vow with prudence and faith; the lovely Rebekah, impulsive and adventurous; and Laban, already showing aspects of the conniving intrigue that will later mark his encounters with Jacob. The story, not without humor, is eloquently told in such a way that God is nowhere visible but everywhere perceived. Issuing from his solemn vow with Abraham, the old servant asks for God’s guidance (vv.12-14) and is immediately (v.15) rewarded handsomely. Rebekah is more than a man could possibly hope for, combining as she does beauty, purity, gracious hospitality, and good family credentials. It is scarcely conceivable that he could have doubted for a moment that this was the girl for whom he had prayed (v.21).
Laban is portrayed as a religious man whose language betrays knowledge of Abraham’s God (vv.31, 50). Familiar as we are with Laban from the Jacob narrative, it is certain in showing deference to Abraham’s servant that Laban noticed the ring, the bracelets, and the camels. Perhaps he is motivated by more than piety both in welcoming the stranger into his home (vv.31-33) and in supporting Rebekah in her resolve to accompany him (vv.50-51). As the deal is struck, God is acknowledged as having been at work in the sequence of events (vv.27, 48, 56). Lovely is the resolve of Rebekah (v.58). She is asked to leave the familiarity and security of home to traverse difficult and potentially dangerous terrain to love a man whom she has never set eyes upon (cf. 1Pe 1:8). Rebekah’s simple, laconic response (v.58) embodies the life of faith and results in blessing (v.60), undeserved love (v.67), and the perpetuity of the promise. God has faithfully brought matters committed to him to a happy end.