The beginning of a beautiful love story starts with a journey made in faith and a prayer. Abraham sends his senior servant to search for a wife for his son Isaac. On this one choice hinges the fulfillment of the promise God has made to Abraham: to make of his family a nation as numerous as the stars in the sky with descendants that will bless all the nations on earth. To move the promise forward, a match must be made!
So the servant travels some 450 miles, a two-week journey in each direction to the place where Abraham’s relatives live in order to seek a wife for Isaac. As he comes close to the town, he sees a well and has his camels kneel nearby. Then he prays the prayer above. He asks for God’s blessing on this most important task, hoping for a sign that he has found the right young woman.
Before he has finished praying, Rebekah appears with her water jar. We see so many of her excellent qualities in this story. Not only does Rebekah attend to her own household’s water needs, she also offers the servant a drink as well as offering to water his camels. Our Quest Study Bible notes say that this generous gesture of kindness could have meant drawing 450 gallons of water from the well! So immediately we know that Rebekah is kind, hospitable, and hardworking. From the servant’s observations, we know that she is beautiful and available for marriage. We see later in the story that Rebekah is also brave and willing to step out in faith as she travels to meet and marry her new husband. Her character helps God’s promise to Abraham and his family to move forward.
God shows His faithfulness by bringing together the right people at the right time to make His promises to us come true.