CHARACTER COUNTS - I

Genesis 24:1-27
Bob Bonner
July 17, 2005

Whether it is baseball, basketball or football, typically following their respective world championships, the professional sports world holds their drafts for up and coming stars. What has interested me in the past few years, is that management is no longer just looking at a potential draft pick’s athletic abilities. For instance: fast wide receivers who can make clean cuts and who have good hands are priority players. However, if a team simply chooses an athlete based on his physical skills, management has discovered that the team could still be a loser in its draft pick. Why? Because if that highly skilled athlete does not possess character, like being teachable or a team player but instead is a prima dona who thinks he knows everything, that athlete, no matter how good he is, will become a disruption, distraction and liability to his team. In the end, what many professional sports franchises have finally awakened to is the truth that “Character Counts.”

This truth that “Character Counts” couldn’t be more true than in the arena of service to God and in the arena of looking for a viable marriage partner. In my early years, I was impressed by several of my fellow students in seminary who were extremely gifted. They had great administrative abilities, charisma, teaching abilities and natural leadership skills that I thought guaranteed them success in the kingdom work of God. But as the past 30 years have proven out, most of those we thought were going to make a significant contribution for Christ in our world, those who would become a household name, have fallen by the wayside, due to major character flaws and having been disqualified from ministry.

Likewise, Becky and I have witnessed many a handsome couple get married, those beautiful people over whom people ooooh and aaaah at their weddings, only to discover that their marriages ended up on the rocks. Why? Because either one or both the man and woman lacked spiritual depth or a genuine intimate walk with Jesus. In short, when “Character Counts” they proved to be in short supply of it.

This morning and next week, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture that illustrates for us some of the qualities of a godly man and godly woman, those qualities God looks for in order to shower down His favor upon us. The man in our passage is one of Abraham’s servants, the woman is a distant relative of Abraham who will shortly become his daughter-in-law, Rebekah.

If you want to know the secret to enjoying God’s favor in your life, if you want to be used of God and know His intimate presence in your life, then you are going to want to pay close attention to the character traits modeled in this chapter and ask God to make them a reality in your life.

As we come to Genesis 24, it helps us better understand Abraham, our hero of the past 12 chapters, and what he is experiencing at this time of his life, if we keep in mind the historical setting and time-line of these events. Following Abraham’s attempt at sacrificing his son Isaac, there has been a definite shift in the subject matter of Genesis. From Genesis 12 through Genesis 22:19, the subject matter has been solely about the life of Abraham. However, beginning with Genesis 25:19, the subject matter shifts to the next patriarch of the Hebrew peoples, Isaac, the son of Abraham. The chapters in between Genesis 22:19 and Genesis 25:19 act as a transition between the outgoing patriarch, Abraham and the incoming patriarch, Isaac. In this transitionary section, we have the death of Sarah, Abraham’s seeking a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s death and the final days of Ishmael. With all of those key players dealt with, then, beginning with Genesis 25:19, our attention is focused upon Isaac. Hence, historically, our passage for this morning, Genesis 24, is moving us toward the end of this historical transitional period in the book of Genesis.

Last time, in Genesis 23 we looked at the death and burial of Abraham’s wife, Sarah. It might interest you to know that two years prior to Sarah’s death, Abraham’s father, Terah died. That means that Terah was alive at the birth of Isaac and probably heard about the first 20-30 years of Isaac’s life before Terah died.

Hence, for Abraham, the past five years had to be very hard years on Abraham. For during those years he lost not only his father but his wife. In addition, he was watching his son grow into a man. All of these events accentuated the reality that Abraham was coming to the end of the road in his life. At the beginning of Genesis 24, Sarah has been gone for three years. However, there have been other important events taking place during this very same time period that play a significant part of what we are about to study this morning.

Please look with me at Gen. 22:20. The following verses tell us what was happening elsewhere to Abraham’s extended family during those same years following Isaac’s being set up for sacrifice and before Sarah dies. Beginning with verse 20, read these things about Abraham’s extended family who are still living back in Mesopotamia, around Haran. “Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

In Genesis 22, the writer is giving us a preview to our chapter for this morning. These verses probably took place around 15 years before Genesis 24. That means that when we come to Genesis 24, Rebekah was of marriageable age, which could have been anywhere from her early teens to her early 20's. Due to Rebekah being called a “virgin” in verse 16, a term which here does not denote her being chaste so much as it points to her being of adolescent age, she was probably still in her teenage years.

One last note about the backdrop to our passage. Keep in mind that Abraham is getting older and has been mourning the loss of his child bride, Sarah for going on three years. As we will learn next week, Isaac has been living away from home, south in the Negev, also mourning his mother. With Genesis 24, it is as though Abraham wakes up from his years of grief to realize that he is not the only one grieving Sarah’s loss, but so is Isaac. Furthermore, Abraham realizes that it’s about time for Isaac to get married, to have a wife of his own, a woman who will cause his focus of grieving to be turned into a focus on rejoicing. Because Abraham knew the truth of Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing,...”

With that as a backdrop, let’s begin reading about the two key players in our chapter, the servant of Abraham and Isaac’s bride-to-be, and see what we can pick up that characterizes the godly man and woman whom God chooses to favor.

In 24:1-9, we find Abraham commissioning his servant. It reads, “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Telling the reader that Abraham “was old and advanced in age” gives us the intended impression of time pressures and limitations felt by Abraham in settling his affairs before death. It’s time for his son to get married and to be prepared to take over as the patriarch of the family. In order to enable this transition, Abraham commissions his oldest and most trusted servant to find a bride for his son Isaac.

Abraham’s stated prohibition that his son should not marry a Canaanite sets a clear godly precedent for all believers to come. Of all of the descendants of Noah, there was only one family line that was even remotely following after Yahweh, and that was the Semites, from whence Abraham’s family came. As a result, Abraham orders his servant to make sure that Isaac’s wife comes from the family line of believers, not the Canaanites.

Furthermore, Abraham didn’t just want this woman to come from a family of believers, but he wanted this woman to prove her faith by leaving her family and home and returning with the servant to the promised land. He wanted her to be like his own wife, Sarah, who believed in the Lord such that she willingly followed Abraham. Abraham wanted the same kind of wife for his son Isaac. His bride was to be a worshiper of Yahweh, to be a believer.

Likewise, today, the Apostle Paul teaches believers, in 1 Corinthians 6, that we are not to become unequally yoked or to deliberately marry a non-Christian. The best spouse one could ever hope to have is one who does not claim only a nominal relationship with the Lord—someone who merely follows his or her parents to church or says he or she believes in God and has a lukewarm relationship with Christ. Rather, the best spouse is one who has a living and active faith.

Verse 5, “The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”

At this point, I picture Abraham just about jumping out of his clothes, shouting, “Don’t you dare do that!” We read in verse 6, “Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there! “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. “But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”

Bottom line, Abraham is a man of faith and he knew that God would provide the right woman, a woman of faith for his son, without Isaac having to move away from the promised land. And he wanted his servant to know that he could also count on God to lead him on this venture.

Allow me to touch on a delicate, but significant subject. When facing death and making a request that we might call one’s last will and testament, the heads of the Hebrew households had a unique custom. Believing that the male genitalia to be the source of life, Abraham commands his servant to place his hand “under his thigh” which is a euphemism for genitalia; and while in that position, Abraham makes his servant take an oath before God to fulfill his master’s wishes. Now, the reason behind this peculiar practice has to do with the certainty of the posterity of God’s promises to make a nation out of Abraham’s descendants. Hence, Abraham makes his servant promise while holding on to “the source of life” to make sure he does not invalidate God’s promise of making a nation out of Abraham’s descendants.

Verse 10, “Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.”

Whether in business, the medical profession, sports or counseling, timing can be the difference between success and failure. In fishing, early in the morning and just before sunset typically is the best time to catch fish, because that’s when fish usually feed. Abraham’s servant knew that it was the daily duty of the young daughters of that era to draw water for their families daily ration. It was hardly an enjoyable activity. It was hard work to draw water from a deep well and to return it home. He also knew that evening was the time these young women went to the well to retrieve water. Hence, this servant picked the well as his “fishin’ hole” from which he might find a “keeper” for his master’s son Isaac.

Hence, this servant was no fool. But not wanting to rest solely on his own wisdom, this servant’s next move is the most important move on his journey thus far. We read, “He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.” “Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”

This is another first in the book of Genesis. This is the first specific prayer seeking guidance from the Lord recorded in Scripture, and it comes from an unnamed servant. No wonder this servant was such a trusted servant of Abraham. This servant had developed his own love relationship with the living God, the God of Abraham and Isaac. Once arriving at his destination, he prays not so much for himself, but for his master Abraham, that God would lead Abraham’s servant to the right woman. He seeks the Lord’s direction as to whom it is that he might bring home to Isaac as a wife.

Note the wisdom of this servant, illustrated through the tests he employs to determine if the woman he meets is the right one. The first test he employs reveals whether or not she has a servant’s heart. Will she give him a drink? Sometimes it takes a servant to recognize a servant.

If you are thinking about getting married, is the person to whom you are attracted quick to give to others, quick to go the second mile in serving others, quick to offer assistance, quick to volunteer in the face of a need? Or does the person seem to live only for himself or herself, to withdraw from the needs of others, or seek to satisfy only self? If this person has more of a selfish spirit than a servant’s heart, you may want to rethink whether or not this person is a quality marriage prospect.

The second test is equally important; will the woman be willing to water his 10 camels? To water 10 camels is no small feat. A camel can hold up to 30 gallons of water and has been known to drink 25 gallons of water when it is thirsty. If you multiply ten camels by 25 gallons, you realize that she was offering to draw 250 gallons of water from the bottom of a well, fill her water jars and the carry them over and pour them in a trough for the camels to drink. That is no small chore!!! It’s like half a day’s work, that the unsuspecting female, that evening was going to be asked to do. So, is she really a servant, one who is willing to serve when it is inconvenient? Not only does this test reveal whether she possesses a servant’s heart, but it is also going to show whether she is in shape...strong and healthy! A godly woman is a woman who keeps herself in shape and doesn’t allow herself to go soft.

Verse 15, “Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.”

Rebekah was not only a beautiful and virtuous girl, and a model of servanthood and in good, healthy physical shape, but these verses add two more great character traits. First, she was industrious, rather than lazy. She was the very first girl to show up that evening at the well. Furthermore, verse 20 points to her quickly emptying her water jugs and running about her business. She could have been the poster girl for Les Schwab’s employee of the year. She was not about wasting time. She “got’er done!” In addition, we also learn that she was compassionate, not only toward people, but toward animals as well.

Now, let me just stop to remind you of an old adage that I’m sure the writer of Genesis had in mind here. He began with telling us that Rebekah was a beautiful girl. But this wise old servant knew that beauty never lasts long. I mean, just look at me. I didn’t always look this way. Which just goes to show you that that which lasts the longest is that inner beauty, these godly character traits such as being virtuous, having a servant’s heart, being hardworking and compassionate. While no man really wants to marry a woman that looks like she got zapped by an ugly stick, character and inner beauty is what counts the most over the long haul.

Verse 21, “Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.”

I mean, wow! What a woman! Added to the other godly characteristics we have seen so far, this gal is also hospitable. She doesn’t just have a compassionate servant’s heart, but she is willing to open up her home to meet this traveler’s need.

Now, let’s be real. For those of you who are thinking about marriage, let’s get practical. There is no physically or emotionally perfect man or woman. We all have what we might consider to be our physical or emotional “warts.” Rebekah could have had a physical defect that Isaac might consider unsightly. But that didn’t keep this couple apart. The point: don’t settle for the first person that comes along, necessarily; but also, don’t be so picky, when it comes to a mate, that you never get married in the first place. When you find a keeper, reel’er in!!! And that’s just what this wise servant was about to do. He was reeling her in.

Verse 26, “Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

Once again we see that this servant was a genuine worshiper of the Lord. This entire meeting of Rebekah at the well was book-ended with prayer. Here he publicly gives thanks to God, he gives credit for where credit is due. Right there out in front of everybody, he is so grateful to God for answering his specific prayers, that he openly worships the Lord in a humbled position.

Secondly, there’s an obvious principle worthy of understanding and applying to our lives: The one who diligently seeks the Lord’s face in prayer, finds His favor. This servant of God sought God’s help from the very beginning and God answered his prayer. This principle is hammered out all over Scripture. In Matthew 6:33 we read, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness , and all these things will be added to you.” In James 5:16 we are told, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Another key point that is stressed from the beginning of this chapter all the way through to the end of this chapter is that God’s hand of providence is seen in the particulars of our lives. God is always working on our behalf, more often than not, behind the scenes. He is interested in every little detail of our lives. I challenge you to test God in this. I challenge you to write down your prayer requests and keep track of how God answers. Nothing will convince you more of God’s love and His providential hand in your daily lives than this little exercise. Whether it be the request of parking place in the shade, or for grace from the phone company when you accidentally paid your bill late, God goes before those who wait on Him.

It’s just as Abraham’s servant stated in verse 27, “the Lord has guided me...” When you seek the Lord and follow His biblical principles, you can be confident that the Lord will lead you in every endeavor you face.

One other principle which Abraham models for us is that it is up to us, it is this generation’s responsibility to make sure that God’s program and blessing continues to the next generation. Although I cannot force my children to become believers, nor can I guarantee that they will continue their walk with Christ into the future, I can at least cultivate the soil of their lives when they are young, model it before them as they grow older, and if given permission, hold them accountable to it when they become adults.

But mark this down: the next generation will not know Christ in a vacuum. We must deliberately introduce Jesus to our friends and model what it means to submit our lives to His lordship.

Finally, let’s review those character qualities of a godly man and woman, illustrated for us from this passage. First, to you men: Abraham’s servant revealed that he was a man who sought after and depended upon the Lord. In addition, this servant demonstrates the importance of faithfully serving those in authority over us. Trust and confidence in God’s promises. Finally, this servant was a man who put his complete trust and confidence in God’s promises.

If someone had followed you around this past week, if they had listened to your conversations, if they had examined your check register, if they had inspected your work, how would they have graded you on these three godly characteristics, men? On a scale of 1-10, what grade would you have given yourself? Is there anything that you can do differently that would improve your score? Think about this, and when you get home, if you see a need for a change, make a note of it, date it, and begin seeking God’s help in this area of your life.

This next list is for you women: Rebekah thus far has demonstrated the character qualities of being:

• WOMAN OF FAITH
• VIRTUOUS AS IT CONCERNS HER SEXUAL MORALITY
• INDUSTRIOUS WORKER
• SERVANTS HEART
• HOSPITABLE
• COMPASSIONATE TO PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
• STAYS HEALTHY AND IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION.

Ladies, if someone had followed you around this past week, if they had listened to your conversations, if they had examined your check register, if they had inspected your work, how would they have graded you on these godly characteristics? On a scale of 1-10, what grade would you have given yourself? Is there anything that you can do differently that would improve your score?

back to top