Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Genesis 24:15-20
And it happened, before he has finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher." So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she has finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
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5 comments:
Good morning ladies- what a great section!!!
Love the new way that this was brought to light to me this morning! Rebekah always had inner beauty, as well as outer, the inner beauty was what the servant was looking for! Do I spend time trying to perfect my inner beauty? patience, kindness & joy?
Also in this section, she too initiative in a good way (later in a not so good way). She not only got water for the servant who asked for it, which would have been common for the day, she went above and beyond and got water for the camels too! We can learn from her that taking initiative is a good thing when it is controlled by God's wisdom, but can be detrimental when we take things into our own hands. I pray today that I would focus on my inner beauty ..and take initiative in the areas that you direct me to God!
Have a great day ladies!!!
Being a mom and a wife is tiring, as we all know. Somedays, especially the last several with the gloomy weather, I feel like I don't have the energy for anything! It is easy for me to settle in with a book, magazine, or even the internet (Pinterest anyone?) and waste time. As I looked into these verses this morning, I read about how much of a commitment this really was for Rebekah to offer to water all the camels. My study says that it is possible that Rebekah would have had to have made 100 trips to the well (8-10 jars per camel) which would have been several hours of exhausting work. Yet she freely offered to do it and followed through.
As Trevor and I prayed this morning, he prayed that we would be 'interruptible' in order to be used for whatever God might have planned for us today. It is normal for us to plan out our day noting the things that we would like to or 'need' to accomplish, and at times get a little put off by the interruptions that happen so frequently. Rebekah is a good example for me - I am sure her day was more than a bit interrupted, but she went the extra mile not only with her intentions, but she followed through.
Lord help us to not be so busy with our days plans that we miss the needs around us, especially in our own homes with the ones we love the most. Open our eyes and help us to be women who are willing to go the extra mile, even when it costs us a great deal.
Good morning!
I found it interesting to look at this passage of Scripture in light of this study and to look at the woman of Rebekah.
My study Bible's notes had a couple of interesting facts: 1) Hospitality required giving water to a thirsty stranger, but not to his animals; 2) 1 camel can drink up to 25 gallons of water, and Abraham's servant had 10 camels with him! and 3) The servant's journey was between 450 to 520 miles (I found both numbers for the distance and didn't have enough time to figure out which one was correct) and would have taken about 21 days to travel meaning these camels were thirsty!
Ok, now back to Rebekah...
Rebekah was a woman of beauty and purity with a heart and attitude to serve others - her family and strangers alike. Rebekah selflessly served this stranger and his animals above and beyond what was proper and expected, and she did it without hesitation and quickly. She brought the water from the well to the trough, back and forth, quickly, to quench the thirst of a stranger and 10 very thirsty camels! What a service!
I found myself asking the question as to whether I selflessly and tirelessly serve my family and others and look out for the needs of them all in the same manner as Rebekah did here. Do I always do it with a happy and cheerful heart? Am I always looking as to how I can serve others? Am I offering and then regretting and/or complaining while I do it sometimes? Also, I was challenged to examine if my service (especially service to my family) is always to the Lord and for His glory and to show His power and strength in my life and not for myself...for praise to me...for something in return? If I'm honest with myself, shamefully the answer to those questions sometimes can be yes! Yuck! Am I really like that??? Am I the only one? (*please say no*)
I don't know if these verses were to correlate with Proverbs 31:14 or not, but I guess you could take away from the passage that a woman should be hard working and willing, dedicated, cheerful, and always looking to provide and serve her family's needs and others.
As a side note, I also read a little before and after these particular verses and saw a wonderful picture of a servant. Abraham's servant being obedient to his master, selflessly serving his master, and seeking God's direction. Then, as a result of his faith, he saw the power of God and of his prayer.
****
I wrote the majority of this comment this morning, but never got around to re-reading it until now. BUT, may I just say that I am so thankful that I started my day off with the Lord and in the Word because today was just one of those days that I needed God to walk with me through all of the Tasmanian devilish things the kids were up to today yet keep my composure and not lose it myself. He kept leading me back to Rebekah's willing, selfless, and exhausting service she did on behalf of a stranger! Thank You, Lord, for walking with me today and everyday!
Have a great evening, ladies!
Kim
No, I did not copy the verses in my
journal I do however love this portion of scripture. Several thoughts struck me.
Rebekah, a woman of beauty and character. At least at this time of the story. Her character is a good example for us. When I think of beauty it reminds me of a thought that came to me one morning during my WW days. That would be (weight watchers). As I was obsessing with my outward appearance I thought I really should be more concerned with my inner self. I Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adornment be merely outward.......(4) rather let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (Really this scripture just came to my mind). This is the type of woman that was chosen for Isaac.
PATIENCE, KINDNESS and JOY, these are beauty treatments that would make me become (in time) a lovely woman. These characteristics I desire!
The second thought was in choosing a wife for Isaac there was no compromise. It was important to Abraham that Isaac would be equally yoked with the woman who would be his wife. After all the seed of Israel would come through Isaac. My prayer would be that my grandsons and my granddaughters would have a list of character traits and not compromise when choosing a wife or saying yes to a
proposal.
The final thought was how Rebekah went the extra mile. She did this for a stranger and sometimes I think it is easier or we are more willing to do for strangers then for those closest to us. Lord, I pray I will go the extra mile for my husband especially. Please work within me to make me a woman of inner beauty.
I realize this was long and I hope I wasn't way off!
NO KIM, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!
BE ENCOURAGED......LOVE, jILL
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