Rebekah's portrait begins before we even meet her. Abraham as he grew in age desired to secure the right wife for his son Isaac. In doing so he went to his oldest servant with his wishes.

Genesis 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac." 5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" 6 But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

Why would Abraham search for a bride for his son this way? Because he had come to realize that God's promise to make his family a great nation was at stake. Eliezer began his journey to find a bride for Isaac. As he traveled the five hundred miles he pondered and prayed on the instructions his master had given him.

WHAT HE MUST FIND IN THIS WOMAN FOR HIS MASTERS SON

1. She must not be a Canaanite. Abraham made this clear to his servant. He did not want a daughter of a Canaanite. These people were pegans and Godless. He wanted a wife for his son that would not lead him or their future children away from the one true God. 2. She had to be from Abraham's own family. 3. She had to be willing to follow Eliezer the five hundred miles back to the land of Isaac and Abraham. A woman willing to do this, was a woman of faith willing to forsake everything for the future God had ordained.

PONDER THIS: Rebekah was obviously a woman of great faith to be able to leave her homeland her family to follow this total stranger and become a bride for a man she had never met. This shows us that Rebekah was drawn by the Spirit to her bridegroom, so she did not hesitate to go. Is there something the Spirit of God is calling you to? Do you have hesitation? Pray and seek God for the correct decision to make. Keeping in mind that God is not going to call you into something that is not in His word. Meanwhile in the land of Nahor there resides a young beautiful woman named Rebekah. Very few single women are spoken of in the Bible. However in this chapter of Genesis we meet a beautiful woman of faith and service. Let's look at what the scriptures tell us about Rebekah.

She was a virgin, no man had known her.	Gen 24:16
Rebekah was a woman who stayed busy serving her family and others. It does not appear that she mourned or moped over not having a husband.	Gen 24:19 Gen 24:46
Her door was open to those who needed care and comfort, she was an awesome woman of hospitality.	Gen 24:19
Rebekah portrayed an enormous amount of energy. This portrays her as having great happiness, not only did she serve the minimum but went above the call of service and ministered the maximum.	Gen 24:16 Gen 24:19 Gen 24:46

As Eliezer came into the city of Nahor he prayed for a specific sign from God

Genesis 24:12 Then he said, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

Providence so ordered it that she did that which exactly answered to his sign, and was wonderfully the counterpart of his proposal: she not only gave him drink, but, which was more than could have been expected, she offered her services to give his camels drink, which was the very sign he proposed.

Genesis 24: 15 And it happened, before he had 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. 16 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. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher." 18 So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Seeing that God had directly answered his prayer he then paid his respects to Rebekah, in gratitude for her civility

Genesis 24: 22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,

He paid her with such ornaments and attire as a maid, especially a bride, cannot forget which yet, we should think, did not suit the pitcher of water; but the ear-rings and bracelets she sometimes wore did not make her think herself above the labors of a virtuous woman

Proverbs 31:13b And willingly works with her hands.

Eliezer then made conversation with Rebekah and praised the Lord:

Genesis 24:23 and said, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?" 24 So she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor." 25 Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge." 26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. 26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, "Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren."

As the scripture continues we see how the servant of Abraham goes to Rebekah's home and explains to her family his mission and requests that she return with him to become the bride of Isaac. He bestows wonderful gifts and blessings upon them.

Genesis 24:42 "And this day I came to the well and said, 'O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, 43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink," 44 and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,"--let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.' 45 "But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' 46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. 47 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.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. 49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left." 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken." 52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. 53 Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

When an agreement of marriage had been made, it was customary for the bride groom (or his representative) to give the family of the bride gifts as a dowry, to demonstrate his financial ability to provide for the bride.

Genesis 24:54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master." 55 But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go." 56 And he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master." 57 So they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her personally." 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go." 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: "Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them." 61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

PONDER THIS: One of the most remarkable things about Rebekah is her total willingness to leave all to be with a bride groom she has never seen; her words I will go are worthy words of faith. Love, romance, and affection played no role in Rebekah's decision. Her desire to please and follow God's plan was of the utmost importance to her. What is standing in your way of what God has called you to Dear Sister? .

Genesis 24: 62 Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. 64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

This is the first mention of Isaac since he was left on top of Mount Moriah (22:19) - We see nothing of Isaac from the time of his "resurrection" to the time he is united with his bride.The covering with a veil signified chastity, modesty, and submission. This is how Rebekah wants to meet her bridegroom. The way that Isaac and Rebekah came to each other is also instructive; neither were "dating" or any such thing; they were serving God and seeking Him (Isaac did meditate in the field), and God brought them together. In all this, we see the coming together of Isaac and Rebekah as a remarkable picture of the coming together of Jesus and the church. How so you may ask? Let us look at the common threads:

Both Rebekah and the Church	Both Isaac and Jesus
Were chosen for marriage before they knew it.	Were promised before their coming.
Necessary for the accomplishment of God's eternal purpose.	Appeared at the appointed time.
Destined to share in the glory of the son.	Were conceived and born miraculously.
Learn of the son through his representative.	Offered up in sacrifice by the father.
Must leave all with joy to be with the son.	Prepared a place for their bride.
Are loved and cared for by the son.	Given a special name before birth.

Dearest Sister in Christ let us look at the obedience and commitment of Rebekah and apply it to our lives. As the Bride of Christ let us be like Rebekah. As she traveled those roads to be with her groom she would never have dreamed of telling Eliezer the best way to get to her bride groom; but many of us will reject the Holy Spirit's guidance in our lives! Let us learn from Rebekah and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to our Groom who so lovingly awaits us.