City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, ‘The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is 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 earth before the Lord. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, ‘Send me away to my master.’ Her brother and her mother said, ‘Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.’ But he said to them, ‘Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.’” Genesis 24:50-56 ESV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverbs 9:10 ESV

Megan’s Musings

This is the first and last time Bethuel, Rebekah’s father, is a participant, but it appears Laban, her brother has taken on the role of patriarch. They acknowledged the Lord’s hand in the matchmaking process, and Rebekah’s father and brother gave their permission and blessing.  The servant’s first response was praise to God (how many times do we forget to thank God when He has provided for us? (Luke 17:11-19)). He added to Rebekah’s trousseau with jewelry and clothing, and gave a generous bride price to her mother and brother. Knowing he was successful in his mission, the servant ate and rested. 

The journey from Haran to Canaan is 400 miles. By camels, who can walk 20 miles in one day, it would have taken at least 20 days. The servant wanted to go immediately, why? Why not let Rebekah stay with her family for ten days since it’s highly unlikely she’ll ever see them again? I can think of three reasons the servant was adamant on leaving ASAP:

1. He was concerned Abraham might die before seeing his final wish fulfilled. Abraham was very old (140 years) when he made his request, had recently buried his wife Sarah, and likely was ready to be at peace in Heaven. 
2. He was worried Rebekah’s family might change their mind during that time or even try to think of ways to get more money. The Bible doesn’t say much about the mother’s character, but the servant probably noticed Laban had an eye for gold (Genesis 24:30-31) (his eyes would have had dollar signs and the ca-ching sound from cartoons) and saw him for the dishonest trickster he was (Genesis 29:16-30, 31:6-7, 38-42). He sensed Laban was trying to drag out the time, maybe trick the servant into staying and they would have both the bride price AND the bride. Rebekah had a fantastic work ethic (Genesis 24:17-20) and he probably wanted more free labor from her, or he would use her to drag more money out of the deal.
3. He wanted to fulfill God’s Will without delay. We all know from childhood if Mom tells us to clean our room, but three hours later, it isn’t done, it’s called disobedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience.

Whatever the reason, maybe all three, the servant was very wise. He thought ahead of time beyond the here and now, observed his surroundings and other people’s reactions, and desired to obey God despite the opposition of others. 

Application 

Reverence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Read the Book of Proverbs, written by King Solomon, the second wisest man who ever lived, for guidelines on how to live wisely. The wisest man who ever lived was Jesus Christ: 

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…”

1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV

Prayer

            Dear Jesus, help me to be wise in everything I do. In Your Name I pray, amen.