Rebekah - The Beauty of a Humble Servant

by Rebekah
from Virtuous Daughters, April 2015~Volume 15, Number 1

“Tying or binding up—captivating.” This is the meaning of the name, Rebekah, a girl found in the Bible. Rebekah was not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. “...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7b

Right now we are going to take a peek into Rebekah’s heart as a young woman...

Rebekah is a wonderful example of a woman who is faithful, serves with diligence, and one who waited patiently—in all purity—for her husband. We find the beginning
of her story in Genesis 24. It all began with Abraham’s instructions to his servant to travel to his homeland to find a bride for his son, Isaac. Out of the obedience of his heart, Abraham’s servant (assumed by most to be Eleazer) ventures to Mesopotamia in search for Isaac’s future wife. As soon as Eleazer reaches the city, he prays to the Lord, the God of his master, Abraham, asking him to give him success in finding the right woman for Isaac.

He wants to be sure to bring home the one appointed by the Lord. So he asks the Lord to give him this sign: that to whomever he asks a drink of water, the girl will respond, “Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.” And here’s where we see Rebekah come onto the picture. While the servant was still praying, Rebekah comes out with her pitcher on her shoulder to draw water from the well. She was faithfully serving her family by simply doing the task to which she was assigned: drawing water. Little did she know that her obedience that day would lead to something far greater than she could have imagined.

The servant then asks Rebekah the “testing” question: “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher,” to which she replies, “Drink, my lord.” Her simple response shows full respect in that 1) she obliges, and 2) she addresses the man properly. “Then she quickly emptied her pitcher down to her hand and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ‘I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.’ She then quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels”--Genesis 24:18b-20 Rebekah was looking for ways to serve, not knowing what this man had just prayed, much less what he held for her future! Furthermore, drawing water was no small task, especially for woman. But because she was willing, she was able to complete the job efficiently.

In a few verses previous, we read that Rebekah was “beautiful.” But not only in her physical appearance, she was also very beautiful in her inward being, in light of the fact that she was a virgin. She was obeying the commands, “...keep yourself pure...” 1 Timothy 5:22 and “...glorify God in your body”--1 Corinthians 6:20

Next, Eleazer gives Rebekah jewelry and asks her about her family. Moreover, he asks her if there is room in her family’s house for him to stay. So she tells him where she is from and assures him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge”--Genesis 24:15 In this reply she displays willingness, sacrifice, and hospitality. She is also obeying the part of God’s Word where it says, “To whom much is given, from him much will be required...”--Luke 12:48 Rebekah was obviously blessed with a large home and food enough to go around. Therefore she was in turn blessing
others with what God had blessed her.

After their short conversation, Rebekah runs ahead and tells her family all that had happened. A little while later, the servant is invited into their home and he tells them the whole story, everything from his oath to Abraham, to his prayer to the Lord that had been clearly and quickly answered. After he spoke these words, Rebekah’s family knew that the Lord had orchestrated this whole situation. Nevertheless, her family wanted her to stay with them at least another ten days. But Eleazer wanted to return to his master, so they addressed Rebekah personally, asking, “Will you go with this man?” And just like Ruth, Rebekah knew she was supposed to go. She was ready to meet her groom that the Lord had so sovereignly placed in her path. So she said, “I will go.” Again, willingness!

And thus she trusted God, and went to Canaan, in spite of the fact that she had never
met this man that she was soon to be married to, nor did she know what he would be like or look like. But with her family’s blessing, she was sent on her way. After many miles of traveling, Rebekah catches the eye of her husband-to-be right after Isaac also notices her from afar. It is a captivating picture of love at first sight. After coming closer, the servant tells Isaac the things that had happened, and I am sure he too, had no doubt in his mind that God had appointed this woman for whom he had so long waited. “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” Isaac and Rebekah become man and wife. He loved her. This is such a beautiful portrayal of marriage as designed by God. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh”--Genesis 2:24

So what else can we glean from Rebekah’s example of godly character? Well for one, I would say to stay faithful to what God has called you to, whether small or big, and He will reward you. Also, keep diligently seeking Him! Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

In her service, Rebekah was also an example of humility. For “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”--James 4:6 And in her story, we see that the Lord indeed gave her grace, in addition to her humility. Rebekah also obeyed the command “stay faithful in the small,” by simply drawing water for her family. We find the corresponding verse in Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” And also, “...Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful in few things, I will make you ruler over many things...”--Matthew 25:21 Since Rebekah was “faithful in what is least” (by drawing water), the Lord made her “ruler over many things” by granting her the responsibility of becoming a wife and (later) a mom.

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”--Psalm 27:14 As any young woman, I am sure Rebekah had a strong desire in her heart to someday get married. Nevertheless, she waited on the Lord (Genesis 24:16) and the Lord did strengthen her heart, by providing the path of His sovereign plan. “...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”--1 Samuel 16:7b

Another thing we should remember about Rebekah is that she was in the right place at the right time. Do not expect to receive blessings from the Lord if you know He has called you somewhere and you are not there! Look at David for example--he was supposed to be out on the battlefield with his troops when he fell into sin with Bathsheba. He was not in the right place at the right time. Rather, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time! But if we look at Esther, we see a whole different story. For if she had not become queen “for such a time as this,” think about all the lives that would have been lost! So, the next time you’re about to go somewhere or not go somewhere, get involved with something or not get involved with something, think and pray about what the Lord would have you do. The decision, that you think may not mean a whole lot to you at the time, could determine your destiny!

All that to say, the Lord truly rewarded and blessed Rebekah for her servant’s heart,
patience, and purity, in giving her a godly husband who loved God and loved her! “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”—Psalm 37:4-5 My closing words to you would be: when you feel as though your service to the Lord is useless--persevere; if you think your faithfulness to your family and others is worthless (whatever that may look like for you--it can be anything
from doing the dishes to serving in the nursery at your church)--don’t give up, stay faithful! Commit your way (plans) to the Lord; trust Him with whatever you’ve been waiting patiently on Him for or faithfully praying to Him for, and He will bring it to pass (make it happen)!