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Rebekah
Contributed by Samuel M on Feb 9, 2024 (message contributor)
Summary: Eliezer was looking for a responsible woman (who performed their daily household duties) near the well outside the town, rather than a beautiful woman inside the city.
He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. Genesis 24:11
Eliezer did not go into the town to find the women, but rather was near the well outside the town, where women come to draw water as part of their daily household responsibilities. Eliezer was looking for a responsible woman (who performed their daily household duties) near the well outside the town, rather than a beautiful woman inside the city. So he waited at the well where responsible women used to come to draw water. Rebekah was there performing her daily domestic duties of drawing water. Eliezer prayed a very difficult prayer request to God: when he asked for water to drink, the girl should give water to him to drink and willingly give water to the ten camels without being asked for it. It is very rare to find such a woman in this generation.
After Rebekah had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Genesis 24:19-20
If we calculate how much water is required, one camel drinks at least 100 litres, while ten camels require 1000 litres. If Rebekah's jar holds 20 litres, each trip to draw water from well will bring 20 litres of water. She had to make 1000/20 trips : 50 trips to water the ten camels. She had to make around 50 trips to the well to draw water for all the ten camels.
This kind of helping others demonstrates her caring personality, upbringing, hard work, accepting responsibilities, willingness to sacrifice, and going out of her way to help others. We don't know how many others she had helped before Eliezer. She was a quick and well-trained home worker who ran to the well 50 times to draw water. She was active and running always – running to the well and running to telling her parents about Eliezer. She was not slack or lazy, but she was swift and completed the 50 trips quickly. She ran to draw water to help a stranger, which is not part of her daily household tasks. For an unknown stranger, she was doing so much quick and hard work; imagine how much she could have done for her family. Imagine how faithfully she performs her household responsibilities and how much her family relies on her.
Going out of her way to help others created a way for her need to be met. Rebekah understood and sensed Eliezer's need before he even asked for it. Despite knowing how difficult it would be to draw water for ten camels, she was prepared to help. Without any gain, she goes out of her way to help Eliezer. Maybe if Eliezer had waited all evening, he would still have found only Rebekah. Rebekah was quick, responsible, helpful, and also very beautiful.
Only a responsible, hardworking woman who lived a life of sacrifice would make 50 trips to draw water for the camels. Eliezer was looking for a responsible, quick, and hardworking woman for Isaac, and God gave them in Rebekah. Eliezer was looking for a responsible woman mainly, rather than a beautiful woman. After finding a responsible women, Eliezer was surprised to discover that the woman was both responsible and beautiful. Responsibility nature is a woman's beauty rather than her physical appearance. God supplied Isaac with a woman who was both inwardly and externally beautiful. Isaac was comforted by Rebekah after his mother’s death.