CHARACTER COUNTS - II

Genesis 24:28-67
Bob Bonner
July 24, 2005

After two years of tinkering with his golf swing and being questioned as to his commitment to the game of golf and his ability to live up to people’s expectation, last week Tiger Woods has, at the very least, silenced his critics for the time being. Of golf’s three most recent major events, Tiger posted a win at the Masters, took a second in the U. S. Open (almost winning it) and then destroyed the competition at the British open, revealing that Tiger has not lost his focus. He has not lost sight of his goal. He has not been distracted by a new and beautiful bride. He is still determined on being the greatest golfer in history. During these past two years he has tenaciously worked on some adjustments to his swing, risking losing a few tournaments in the present only to be better in the future. At first, it didn’t seem to pay off. But look at him now. No golfer in history has won ten majors before he turned 30.

Having a focus and being committed to it is a character trait to be admired. This morning, we are going to see that having a focus and being committed to it is to be a key characteristic of the man or woman of God.

There are three great events in Isaac’s life. His birth, his being offered to God as a sacrifice by his father Abraham, and this third event, that of securing a bride. In this event as spelled out by Genesis 24, there are four characters who figure significantly in God’s providential designs: the faithful Abraham, the prayerful servant, the virtuous Rebekah and the not so virtuous kin. What we see from beginning to end in this chapter is that God’s providential plan is worked out through His godly people in spite of the ungodly people surrounding them.

In verses 1-9, Abraham commissions his servant to leave Canaan, the promised land, and to head back to Mesopotamia to find his son Isaac a wife. In verses 10-27, he reaches the homeland of Abraham’s relative and meets Rebekah at the well. He praises God for providentially providing for this meeting. He is invited back to Rebekah’s family’s home and that’s where we pick up the story today, at verse 28.

This next scene takes place in Bethuel’s household. Bethuel is the son of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. Bethuel is not only the father of Rebekah, but he is also the father of Rebekah’s brother, Laban. Pay attention to what you learn of Laban in this chapter, because we will meet him again, when Isaac’s son, Jacob comes to town, a few chapters later, looking for a wife from Laban’s household.

Verses 28 - 31, “Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?”

Apparently Laban was the senior active male in the household, hence it was his place to go and formally welcome visitors into the home. But in doing so, we see a stark contrast between Rebekah’s true hospitality and servanthood and her brother’s lack of graciousness. When Rebekah saw a need in Abraham’s servant, she served him and showed hospitality. But when Laban sees her gold nose ring and bracelets, he is blinded by his greed, runs to meet this stranger but sees very little need to serve or be hospitable. As we will see in the future, the driving force in Laban’s life was greed.

A side note that I think is important here: In the next few verses of the NASB, and in particular verse 32, it mentions that Laban is the one who unmuzzels and unloads the camels and feeds them and gets water for the washing of the visitors’ feet. But in the original Hebrew, Laban’s name is not even mentioned, but rather the personal pronoun, “he” which in context refers to Abraham’s servant not Laban. It’s Abraham’s servant who takes care of his own animals and he looks after his own servants, making sure they get what they need to clean up after a long trip. Verses 32 - 33, “So the man [meaning Abraham’s servant] entered the house. Then he [“he” not Laban but Abraham’s servant] unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. But when food was set before him [that is, before Abraham’s servant] to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.”

The point being that Laban’s hospitality only went so far as to show the servant where to place the animals and to provide some food for the guest to eat. His focus wasn’t on being a servant, but on “show me the money!” If it had been up to Rebekah, Abraham’s servant would not have had to lift a finger. Laban’s family had many servants, but they were not asked to make their honored guests welcomed. All Laban could think about was getting this man to the table, feeding him so as to make the guest feel obligated to return a favor to Laban, and then getting down to the business of trading his sister for wealth. But as we will see, Abraham’s servant sees right through Laban and won’t fall for being manipulated. Look with me at verses 32,33 to see how this wise servant handles this situation.

Here we see another characteristic of a godly person. He keeps on task. He puts his master’s mission before his own need or comfort. His control of the situation allows this wise servant not to be placed in a position of being obligated in any way to his hosts. Hence, if they say yes now, he can firmly make the demands necessary to close the deal. Then he can eat! This faithful servant refuses to be deterred. Basically, he tells his hosts, “We can eat anytime. And maybe you won’t want to eat after I tell you why I am here. So, let’s get business completed before pleasure.”

Let’s not miss a very important characteristic of a godly man or woman being modeled here by Abraham’s servant. When the Lord gives the godly an assignment, that assignment becomes the priority of their lives. If you claim to be a Christian, has God given you an assignment? If so, what is it? There are many commands in Scripture, but there is only one commission from Jesus Christ that shows the purpose for why we as Christians are here on earth. What is it?

In Matthew 28:19,20, we are called to make disciples for Jesus Christ by leading others to Christ. In Acts 1:8, Jesus once more calls us to be His witnesses to the unsaved world. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we have been called to be “ambassadors for Christ,” reconciling those who don’t know Christ, to God. That is our sole purpose for God having us live life here on earth.

Are we, like Abraham’s servant, keeping on task? Is your focus of life on being an ambassador of Christ? Or is it on your next vacation or summer pleasures? It’s true, that the chief end of man is to enjoy God and to glorify Him forever. But as an American, my tendency is to stress the “enjoy” part of my commission, and to forget that the way that I glorify God is through obedience to His calling on my life. Our vocations and taking care of the normal responsibilities of life are important, like for Abraham’s servant to take care of his camels was important and making sure that as guests they were hygienically clean before sitting down to a table. But Abraham’s servant never lost sight of his master’s commission.

Have you? If Jesus were to take note of your life this past week, what evidence would He have seen that the lost -- whether poor or rich, educated or not, enemy or friend -- the lost of Grants Pass were the priority for your life? How many times did you consciously and by name pray for opportunities to share Jesus with others? How many times during this past week did you specifically tell God, “I’m available to share Jesus with anyone you bring across my path.”

Are you deliberately asking God to show you ways to love and reach out to those in your arena of influence who don’t know Jesus? How many of you have made time in your schedule to be a part of reaching out to children this August in our VBS outreach? Specifically men, how many of you have even asked Richard if he could use a few male role models in kids’ lives? How many of you have been willing to serve for just four hours on the I-5 coffee ministry? If those opportunities don’t fit you, then show me which ones do. I would warn you that one day we will all face Jesus and He will ask us individually, “What did you do with the time, talents and treasures I placed at your disposal to further the kingdom of God?” If we have done nothing, there will be no punishment; but there also will be no eternal reward!

If someone asked you “How can I know Jesus?” are you prepared to explain it to them in five minutes or less? If so, great. If not, why not? Every Fall or Winter we offer a discipleship class that prepares you in how to lead others to Christ and to help them get started in their walk with Christ. If you don’t know how to introduce someone to Christ, it is not because there are not opportunities galore around you to learn, or that people are not willing to equip you to do so. Bottom line: Do you really have a heart for the Master’s business? Does your claim to be a follower of Christ...does your walk match your talk?

Realizing that his guest was focused on fulfilling his master’s assignment and wouldn’t be distracted until it was complete, Laban says, “Speak on.” So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. “Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has. “My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ “I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ “He said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ “So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. “Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. “And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.”

Notice how masterfully and wisely this servant has spoken to Laban and Rebekah’s family. He has presented his case so well that he has given them no wiggle room. There is only one conclusion they can reach: “God has sent this man here to take Rebekah back to Abraham. If we refuse him, we are refusing the God of Abraham who is obviously a very powerful God. Hence, we have only two choices: obey God and be blessed, or refuse to give over Rebekah and the unspoken consequence for that would be to suffer loss of some sort.”

Having stated his case, Abraham’s servant lays the hammer down in verse 49, “So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. “Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord.” There he goes again, worshiping God and giving Him the credit for his success.

Now the servant quickly seals the deal. Verse 53, “The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.” This is probably what the family had been waiting for all along. Ever since they saw the gold nose ring and bracelets, and the ten camels and the servants, this family knew they had hit the proverbial jackpot. All they wanted was the gold, and more if they could get it. Hence, the next challenge arises for Abraham’s servant which requires some quick thinking and a firm commitment to fulfilling his task. He knows that the job is not done until Rebekah is given to Isaac.

Verses 54 - 55, “Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” The actual Hebrew here is “days and ten.” The meaning is ambiguous. However, the Jewish Targums and most Hebrew scholars interpret this as being “a year or ten months.” In light of Laban’s future treachery and deceit, tricking Jacob into marrying Rachel’s sister Leah and making him stay in Haran to serve him for 14 years, my guess is that the best interpretation of this is not “10 days or so” but as the Targums have it, “a year or ten months.” For the longer they could convince Abraham’s servant to stay, the better chance they had of getting more wealth out of him.

Once again, this servant of Abraham, focused on his mission says, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” He saw right through their greedy intentions. Hence, his words have the flavor of, “Look fellas. I know what you are up to. Quit messing around with me, because you really are not playing games with me, but rather with the powerful God of my master, Yahweh. If you want to act against Him, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

But even then, Laban and the family tried one more ploy. Even though they had already consented to allowing Rebekah to marry Isaac, they unethically questioned Rebekah as to her desire to leave. They turned to her to see if she would help out her family’s cause. Maybe she could help delay this marriage just a little longer. Verses 57 - 58, “And they said, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” Well, that did it! Negotiations were closed.

Notice the straightforward manner in which she made this decision. Seemingly, against her family’s wishes, she submitted to the Lord’s direction to leave her family and to travel several hundred miles to marry a man that she had never seen. She truly is an answer to her future father-in-law’s prayers. She is a woman of faith, just like his recently deceased wife, Sarah. By decisively leaving her immediate family to marry Isaac in a foreign land, she declares her faith in Abraham’s God.

Rebekah’s faith stands in stark contrast to her family’s treachery and greed. Verse 59, “Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men.

You might be curious to know why they sent her nurse along with Rebekah. First, “her nurse” refers to “her wet nurse.” According to the culture of the times, after suckling the child, the wet nurse had the responsibility to rear the child and to serve as her guardian. In a very real sense, she had become Rebekah’s nurturer or surrogate mother. This esteemed member of the family now accompanies Rebekah to her new home. Verses 60 - 61, “They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.” Then Rebekah arose with her maids, [note: Rebekah’s family had some social status in order to have given their daughter several maids] and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.”

Rebekah and her servants have a long journey home, 500 miles, hard miles. No doubt much of their trip was occupied with discussion about Isaac. She probably wanted to learn as much as she could about Isaac, Abraham and God’s promises to the family. It was probably the discussion as well as the knowledge she gained about her future husband and home, and the anticipation of finally meeting him that made the trip not so long and the desert not so hot.

I remember the trip I had to make to ask Becky’s Dad for her hand in marriage. Because I had spent much time with their family, I was pretty sure this was only going to be a formality, but I needed to get an answer so that I could move on with my future plans. Therefore, the anticipation of hearing their “yes” and moving on with our lives made the trip through an unexpected snow blizzard no problem at all. What was supposed to be a three hour drive turned into a six hour drive, but I didn’t care. As long as I was going in the right direction, the hard drive seemed easy. The same was probably true for Rebekah. By the time she arrived at Isaac’s home, her heart had to be filled with great anticipation and hope of a wonderful life in the future.

This next scene, in verses 62-67 takes place in the Negev, the southernmost part of the promised land. As Rebekah and Abraham’s servants are making this 500 mile trek back home, keep in mind Isaac has no idea what’s coming. Furthermore, the past three years he has been mourning the loss of his mother. As you will see, he has been living out of his mother’s tent.

Verse 62, “Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev.” I’m not sure what the significance is of mentioning this place, but I’m sure that it has a purpose for being included here. Beer-lahai-roi means “the well of the living one who sees me.” If you remember, this is the spot where Hagar first met Yahweh and learned the lesson that God is personal, He sees all that we are going through and meets our needs even when we think we have been forgotten. This was the lesson about Yahweh that she brought back to Abraham’s family and was a story that I imagine was retold many times. Maybe Isaac was there, crying out to God because of being so lonely and missing his beloved mother, and as he prayed, he was hoping that the all-seeing God would see his need and meet it. Verse 63 - 67, “Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. The idea here, is that simultaneously, providentially, Isaac and Rebekah happen to look up at the same time and spot one another. “She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her veil and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

What a touching scene. Here, this grieving son, realizes that this woman, whose face is covered in the fashion of one who has been promised as a bride, is the answer to his prayers. Yahweh, whose name is “El Roi” the one who sees and attends to our needs, has seen Isaac’s need for a wife and has provided one for Isaac at the perfect time. With great joy, Isaac invites her into the most precious space of his heart, by symbolically inviting her to join him in his mother’s tent. And after 500 miles of anticipation, Rebekah gladly responds.

It’s important to note that Rebekah actually replaced Sarah by her entering the tent of Sarah. She would not only bring days and years of comfort to Isaac, but she would also be the new matriarch of the clan. Furthermore, the fact that Abraham does not appear on the scene at this point and that in verse 65, Isaac is now called the servant’s master, shows us how important this section is in the transition of the patriarchy from Abraham to Isaac.

Let’s review the importance of our study by summarizing it with three important applications for our lives today. The first only need be a reminder since we have already touched on it earlier. And that is: before we indulge ourselves in the pleasures of this world, we must be about discharging our primary duty as ambassadors of Christ. We are to be encouraging each other to continue to pray for and reach out to those who have not met Christ. We are to be encouraging and equipping each other to be better servants of Jesus Christ. As far as it concerns godly character traits, this would be that character trait known as faithfulness. We are to be faithful to our calling. We are not to be like Laban, whose selfish greed caused him to ignore God and to ignore the needs of others. But a servant of God remains faithful to his or her calling, and looks to fulfill the commission of Jesus who has saved him, as well as looks to meet the needs of others before enjoying the pleasures of this world.

A second point to be underscored concerns God’s promises. When God promised Abraham that he would have many descendants, God meant it. Even though Abraham would not live to see thousands of his descendants form the nation of Israel, he rested assured that the Lord would complete the good work He had begun through Abraham and Sarah. Likewise, we as Christians can rest assured that the Lord will complete the good work He has begun in us. (Phil. 1:6) Whether that work involves conforming you and me into the image of His beloved Jesus Christ, or the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, or the fulfillment of all of His promises for us as they concern heaven, the Lord will “get’er done!” The godly character trait modeled here is that of hope.

This final lesson comes from standing back and looking at the bigger picture of Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage. This morning, we have only looked at the promising beginning for these two, their engagement and wedding. At this point, everything seems to be the “marriage made in heaven,” for it was. However, just because their marriage had been made in heaven, this was no guarantee that it would not fail or have its problems. By the time their twin boys, Esau and Jacob, reach marriageable age, their own marriage had become dysfunctional. The reasons why we may look at later. But for now, what this tells me is that a good marriage not only requires a good beginning but also continued attention and ongoing Godly character development. The godly character trait that ensures such a marriage is tenaciousness. That willingness and determinedness to hang in there and keep working on that relationship, realizing that neither you nor your partner are yet perfect.

Heavenly Father, you have called us to be salt and light in this world: By the way we live our lives and by the way we speak of you to others. As we consider Abraham’s servant, may his godly character traits of faithfulness, hope and tenaciousness be realized in our lives, for Jesus’ sake. May they characterize our individual ambassadorships for Jesus. While other Christians flounder and lose sight of their calling, may you find us ready, in season and out of season, to faithfully share Christ with others. Amen.

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