Genesis 24:28-50
The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words. Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. It happened, when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” that he came to the man. Behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. He said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”
The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels. He gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.”
He said, “Speak on.”
He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him. My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, but you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son of my relatives, and of my father’s house. Then will you be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.’ I came this day to the spring, and said, ‘Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go— behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” and she will tell me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Yahweh has appointed for my master’s son.’ Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ She hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands. I bowed my head, and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”
Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from Yahweh. We can’t speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as Yahweh has spoken.”
Abraham’s unnamed servant appears to be a living example of the Holy Spirit. Like the Holy Spirit, the servant has no name, but does the work of both the father and the son. Notice that the father has commanded that the servant go get a wife for the son based on a promise not based on the natural way that things are done. Christians are called the bride of Christ and God is The Father. The Holy Spirit has been sent into the world to call out a bride for Jesus. He is unnamed and He doesn’t serve Himself but the Father and the Son. He speaks to us and provides us riches that come from The Father just like this servant gave Rebekah gold jewelry. He speaks of a Father who is very rich and who has promised to give us a home and do great things through us.
Christianity is a very positive thing, but it has mostly to do with the future. Although the Holy Spirit has given us a few rich things such as joy and peace and power as we live day-to-day, most of what the Father has for us is yet to come in the future.
God uses “living examples.” We shouldn’t think that just because this can be taken figuratively, that it didn’t happen physically. If the Bible says that it happened then we should take God at His word. There are many living examples in the Bible so it is consistent to interpret an event as both symbolic and physical.