A Silhouette of Camels (Genesis 24)

In our last study in Genesis 24, we ended with Isaac seeing a silhouette of camels in the distance. And those camels meant one thing! His wife had arrived!
Before getting to this point we have had a long chapter of divinely ordered events. Abraham sends out Eliezer, the head servant of the house, to find a wife for Isaac among his kindred in his homeland. Eliezer sets off on his 450 mile journey and we see a beautiful display of quiet diligence...a servant who does not get entangled in civilian pursuits but is insistent on sticking to his orders...a servant who is all about pleasing his master and trusting God. Upon arrival he prays to God for a sign, and before He is done praying, BEHOLD! Rebekah enters the picture. This was a beautiful reminder to us that God knows our deepest needs before we voice them. And as the story continues, a three-part theme forms that is good for us to consider. Eliezer (1) pays attention to the details, (2) worships God in the midst of the details, and (3) then shares the details with others so that they can worship God in a like manner.
As good servants of God, we can learn from this. The heart of the worshipper is to glorify God in all things. Worship is a response to God revealing Himself to us. If we do not pay attention to the details, there is no fuel for our worship. There is nothing to proclaim. One of the simplest forms of worship is recounting... saying "Wow! God did _______". But if we do not pay attention to the details, we have nothing with which to fill in the blank. And we have nothing to share with others so that they might worship God in a like manner. Psalm 9:1 "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Whole-heartedness in worship is directly linked to recounting His deeds! These deeds are the very treasure that we are to pass on to our children. It is paying attention to these details and sharing them that there is any true heritage to be cherished.

Through the end of the chapter we continue to see Eliezer use sober-minded judgment as he shares and interacts. Upon arriving back home, he sticks to the original theme as he tells Isaac "all the things that he had done." We have a 67 verse chapter that reiterates and repeats the same details again and again. Let us not look them over quickly, missing what God has done. At the end of this chapter, God has brought two people together who have never met. Two people that have lived hundreds of miles apart. Two people who would be GOD'S HERITAGE FOR HIS PEOPLE! And they meet and LOVE each other. Real LOVE after only a few moments of knowing each other! How can this be?
This week we will begin to look at the last 2 verses of chapter 24 and consider how true, lasting, enduring love could possibly exist in such a short amount of time. We will also consider what this marriage has to do with the church.