Monday, October 31, 2016

Genesis 24:10-28 comments: the bride-to-be responds to a request


10 ¶  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. 11  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 12  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13  Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 15  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17  And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18  And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19  And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20  And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21  And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22  And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 23  And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? 24  And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. 25  She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. 26  And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. 27  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren. 28  And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

Much can be said about the significance of the Eliezer, a type of the Holy Ghost, bringing ten camels. There are many sermons to be had out of this passage exhorting people to believe on Christ. For one example of prophetic interpretation, the phrase And God said is repeated ten times in the first chapter of Genesis. Perhaps, in symbolic, typology these ten camels, brought by a type of the Holy Ghost to a type of God’s church represent God’s word in Abraham, a type of God the Father, sending the Holy Ghost to gather His church for Christ, who in type is Isaac, already sacrificed in type and resurrected in type, based on how the church responds to the words of God. What is happening here is then telling us in shadow what has happened in the spiritual world since before creation.

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

The part played by the bride-to-be for Isaac, the church for Christ, is laid out by the servant of Abraham, or the Holy Ghost, as one who when approached by the Holy Ghost, responds. The Holy Ghost makes the truth of the gospel brought by the Holy Ghost on ten camels, in a manner of speaking, representing what God has said, apparent and the bride-to-be responds. The bride for Isaac waters the camels as the church glorifies the gospel of Christ by its response to that gospel, confirming that the church is indeed chosen, but chosen by her response. Below, Paul expresses his wish to present the church as pure to Christ as His bride.

2Corinthians 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

And this marriage will be complete at the end of human history.

Revelation 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Verse 16 defines a virgin; a virgin, neither had any man known her. This will be important in talking about the miracle of Mary carrying Jesus in the gospels. Verse 22 gives us an important point about understanding the Bible. Bracelets, which go around wrists, are said to be for hands, which clearly includes the wrist. So, an earring is said to go on one’s face in the next passage.