Abraham's servant returned to Paddan-aram charged with the duty of finding a suitable bride for Isaac. He faithfully and resolutely fulfilled his task relying on God's faithfulness to prosper his journey and God's providence to guide him. God directed him to Rebekah.
The length of this story and the amount of detail included suggests that this incident played an important part in the fulfillment of the Author's purpose. The details show how God provided a wife and seed-bearer for Isaac and thus remained faithful to His promises to Abraham. God's working providentially through the natural course of events to accomplish His purposes clarifies His ways with humankind.
"The key idea in the passage is in the word hesed, loyal love' or loyalty to the covenant'--from both God's perspective and man's."603
"This . . . narrative is the most pleasant and charming of all the patriarchal stories."604
The structure of the four sections (1-9, 10-28, 29-61, 62-67) is again palistrophic (chiastic). The first and fourth sections take place in Abraham's household in Canaan, and the second and third record events in Rebekah's household in Aram.
The thigh may be a euphemism for the genitals (v. 2).605The ancients considered it to be the source of posterity and the seat of power (cf. 47:29).
"By putting his hand under Abraham's thigh, the servant was touching his genitals and thus giving the oath a special solemnity. In the ancient Orient, solemn oaths could be taken holding some sacred object in one's hand, as it is still customary to take an oath on the Bible before giving evidence in court. Since the OT particularly associates God with life (see the symbolism of the sacrificial law) and Abraham had been circumcised as a mark of the covenant, placing his hand under Abraham's thigh made an intimate association with some fundamental religious ideas. An oath by the seat of procreation is particularly apt in this instance, when it concerns the finding of a wife for Isaac."606
"That act would be significantly symbolic in this instance, for success of the mission would make possible propagation of posterity and fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant."607
"Isaac was not regarded as a merely pious candidate for matrimony, but as the heir of the promise, who must therefore be kept from any alliance with the race whose possessions were to come to his descendants, and which was ripening for the judgment to be executed by those descendants."608
Camels were relatively rare in this era, so the fact that Abraham owned 10 of them reflects his great wealth (v. 10; cf. Job 1:3).609
"Another striking feature of this story is that after introducing the new characters of Laban and his household, the writer allows the servant again to retell the narrative (vv. 34-39). But as with most repetitions in biblical narrative, the retelling is not a mere repeating. It is rather a reassertion of the central points of the first narrative. . . . As we overhear the servant recount more details, we see that the miracle of God's provision was even more grand than that suggested in the narrative itself."610
It was customary in Hurrian society to consult the bride before completing the marriage plans (vv. 58-60). Also the brother took the lead in giving his sister in marriage. Note that Laban, Rebekah's brother, was the principle negotiator who represented the family rather than Bethuel, her father (cf. v. 50), or her mother (vv. 53, 55). Another view is that Bethuel was simply too old or was under his wife's thumb, as Rebekah later "organized"Isaac.611The description of the family farewell also reflects Laban's leadership (vv. 59-60).612
Beer-lahai-roi, where Isaac lived and meditated (v. 62), was a place where God had previously answered prayer (cf. 16:14). This suggests that he may have been praying for God's will to be done in the choice of his wife.
"The final remarks (v. 67) again show that God's guidance in the mundane areas of life is good for those who put their trust in him. When Isaac took Rebekah as his wife, he loved her and was comforted with her after the death of his mother. In other words, Rebekah had taken the place of Sarah in the line of the descendants of Abraham."613
The significance of this long story in the larger context of special revelation is fourfold at least.
1. Primarily it demonstrates God's faithfulness to His promise to provide descendants for Abraham and, therefore, His trustworthiness. Along with this is the assurance that even though Abraham was about to die God would fulfill His promises in the future.
2. It reveals that God guides people who are seeking His will so they discover it.
3. It illustrates God's selecting a bride for His Son out of the world through the agency of His Spirit, which the New Testament teaches.
4. It provides a good model, in the servant, of one who responded properly to the work of God. Abraham's servant prayed before he acted, praised when God answered his prayers, and lived believing that God controls all the affairs of life.
"There are two themes, one more central, one more auxiliary, which are highlighted by the example story [in Genesis 24]: the faithful, prudent and selfless steward acting on behalf of his master as messenger, and the good wife as a gift from the LORD, the theme underlying much of the steward's action."614
