A Mission Before a Meal
Introduction: The Business of Heaven
We are continuing our study in Genesis, and we come now to the second act of a great drama. The first act was at the well, where a faithful servant prayed a remarkably specific prayer, and God answered it with breathtaking precision before the man had even finished praying in his heart. The covenantal bride for the covenantal son has been identified. But finding the girl is one thing; securing the consent of her family is quite another. The action now moves from the well to the house, from a private prayer to a public proposal.
We need to disabuse ourselves of any modern, sentimental notions about what is happening here. This is not a rom-com. This is a high stakes diplomatic mission. This is a covenantal negotiation. The entire future of redemptive history, the line through which the Messiah will come, hinges on the outcome of this meeting. The servant of Abraham is not here to facilitate a romance; he is here to execute an oath. He is an ambassador with a non-negotiable mandate from his master, and his master's master, the Lord God Almighty.
In this passage, we will meet Rebekah's brother, Laban, a man whose piety is matched only by his sharp eye for profit. And we will see in Abraham's servant a model of faithfulness, a man so dedicated to his mission that he will not allow his own physical needs to take precedence over his master's business. He is a man who understands priority. This story is about more than just finding a wife for Isaac. It is a master class in providence, faithfulness, and kingdom focus. It teaches us how God works through His faithful servants, and it provides a stark contrast between those who serve God and those who serve God and Mammon.
The Text
Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. Now it happened, when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he came out to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. And he said, “Come in, blessed of Yahweh! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?” So the man came into the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have spoken my words.” And he said, “Speak!” So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. And Yahweh has greatly blessed my master, so he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has. And my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ Then I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ And he said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and will make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives. Now if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
“So I came today to the spring and said, ‘O Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; she is the woman whom Yahweh has decided upon for my master’s son.’
“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah was coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ Then she hurried and lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels to drink’; so I drank, and she also gave water to the camels to drink. Then I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. And I bowed low and worshiped Yahweh; and I blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the true way to take the daughter of my master’s relative for his son. So now if you are going to show lovingkindness and truth with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right or to the left.”
(Genesis 24:28-49 LSB)
An Opportunist's Welcome (vv. 28-32)
The scene opens with Rebekah running. She is full of excitement, the bearer of astonishing news. She goes and tells her mother's household, and word quickly gets to her brother, Laban. And Laban runs too.
"Now it happened, when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister... he came out to the man..." (Genesis 24:30)
The Holy Spirit is very careful to tell us exactly what motivated Laban to run. It was the sight of the gold and the story that came with it. This is our first introduction to Laban, and it is a defining one. He is a man who can spot an opportunity. He sees the expensive jewelry, does some quick mental arithmetic, and realizes that this stranger at the well represents a significant financial windfall. This is a character trait we will see fully developed later when he deals with his nephew Jacob. Laban is an operator.
And so he runs out and lays the piety on thick. "Come in, blessed of Yahweh!" (v. 31). He uses the covenant name of God. He sounds for all the world like a godly man extending gracious hospitality. But his words are a sanctimonious covering for a covetous heart. This is a perennial warning for the church. The devil knows how to quote Scripture, and his servants know how to speak the language of Zion. We must be a people who are not impressed by pious talk, but who look at the fruit. Laban's welcome is effusive, but it is motivated by the gleam of gold. He bustles about, preparing the house and feeding the camels, playing the part of the perfect host. But it is all a prelude to a negotiation he believes will be very profitable.
A Servant's Priority (v. 33)
The customs of hospitality are observed. The camels are unloaded and fed, and water is provided for the men to wash the dust of their journey from their feet. A meal is set before Abraham's servant. He is weary, he is hungry, but his response is stunning.
"Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, 'I will not eat until I have spoken my words.' And he said, 'Speak!'" (Genesis 24:33)
Here is the heart of a faithful man. His personal needs, his comfort, his hunger, are all secondary to the mission his master gave him. He is operating under the authority of a sacred oath, and he will not rest or refresh himself until that business is discharged. This is a living embodiment of what our Lord would later say: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34). This servant's priorities are straight. The mission comes before the meal.
This is a sharp rebuke to our modern, soft, therapeutic Christianity. We are so often consumed with our own needs, our own comforts, our own feelings. We will serve God when it is convenient, after we have eaten and are well-rested. But this man shows us a higher loyalty. He is driven by his commission. He understands that he is not his own; he is a servant. And so are we. We have been bought with a price. We are on a mission, the Great Commission, and it ought to create in us a sense of holy urgency that pushes our personal comfort to the background.
The Ambassador's Speech (vv. 34-48)
Given the floor, the servant does not engage in small talk. He launches into a masterful, step-by-step account of his mission. He is laying out his credentials and making his case, not on the basis of emotion, but on the basis of God's undeniable, providential action.
"So he said, 'I am Abraham’s servant.'" (Genesis 24:34)
He begins by establishing his identity. He is not a freelancer; he represents a great man. He then establishes his master's identity. Abraham is not just wealthy; he is a man "Yahweh has greatly blessed" (v. 35). His greatness is a result of divine favor. This immediately elevates the proposal from a mere business transaction to a matter of spiritual significance. To join with Abraham's family is to join with a family that has the blessing of God upon it.
He then lays out the terms of his mission, grounding it in the oath he swore to Abraham (vv. 37-41). This was not his idea. He is under a sacred obligation to avoid the Canaanites and find a wife from among their own people. This is about covenantal purity. He even includes his own moment of doubt, "Suppose the woman does not follow me," and Abraham's response of faith, "Yahweh... will send His angel with you." He is demonstrating that this mission is underwritten by a divine promise.
The servant then recounts the events at the well, repeating the story we have already heard (vv. 42-48). This is not tedious repetition. This is formal, public testimony. He is laying out the evidence. He shows how he prayed for a specific sign, a test of character, and how God answered immediately, "Before I had finished speaking in my heart," with a young woman who not only met the conditions but exceeded them with her haste and generosity. He establishes her identity as being from the exact family he was sent to find. His conclusion to this testimony is not self-congratulation, but worship: "I bowed low and worshiped Yahweh... who had guided me in the true way" (v. 48). He presents the entire affair as an undeniable act of God. He is essentially saying, "God has done this. The evidence is overwhelming. Now, what are you going to do about it?"
The Call to Respond (v. 49)
Having presented his case, he now presses for a decision. He has laid out the facts, and now a response is required.
"So now if you are going to show lovingkindness and truth with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right or to the left." (Genesis 24:49)
The language he uses is crucial. He asks them to deal with his master in "lovingkindness and truth," the Hebrew words are hesed and emet. These are covenant words. Hesed is steadfast love, covenant loyalty. Emet is faithfulness, truth, reliability. He is asking them to enter into a covenant relationship, to act with integrity in response to God's clear guidance. He is not just asking for a girl; he is asking them to align themselves with what God is doing in the world through Abraham.
And notice his posture. "If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right or to the left." He is not begging. He is not desperate. His confidence is not in his ability to persuade Laban. His confidence is in the God who promised to make his journey a success. If this door closes, he trusts that God will open another. His job is to be faithful to the mission. The results are up to God. This is the calm confidence of a man who knows he is on the Lord's errand. His security is in his Master's promise, not in man's approval.
Our Mission, Our Master
This entire chapter is a beautiful illustration of the gospel. The Father desires a bride for His Son. He sends His servant, the Holy Spirit, into the world, which is a far country. The Spirit does not come empty-handed; He comes bearing the unsearchable riches of Christ. He comes to a people who are unworthy, drawing water at the well of their own futile works.
The Spirit convicts us and reveals our true identity as those chosen in Christ. He adorns us with the gifts of salvation, the ring and bracelets of righteousness and faith. And He gives us His testimony, telling us of the greatness of the Son, the sole heir of all things, and the Father's plan to give Him a people for His own possession.
And like the servant, the Spirit presses for a decision. He calls on us to respond in hesed and emet, in covenant faithfulness and truth, to what God has so clearly done in Jesus Christ. He calls us to leave our father's house, this fallen world, and to set out on a journey to meet the bridegroom.
We must learn from Abraham's servant. We must be a people whose first priority is the business of our Master. We must be people who can say, "I will not rest, I will not be distracted by the comforts of this world, until I have spoken my words, until I have delivered the message I was sent to deliver." Our mission is to bear witness to the overwhelming evidence of God's work in Christ. And having delivered that testimony, we call for a decision, trusting that the results are in the hands of the one who sent us.