Genesis 24: Rebekah and the Camels

Recap of our Discussion on Aug 16, 2009
Genesis 24
Isaac and Rebecca

1. What do you think are Abraham’s main concerns when he gives instruction to his servant? (24:1-9)
- That Isaac get a wife.
- That Isaac get a wife from a particular area
- that Isaac NOT go back there.
Several asides:
1a. It was a long trip, according to the map.
1b. Define “relatives” – isn’t Isaac marrying his cousin?
- Later under Mosaic law, it was forbidden to marry your cousin, sister, etc. But it wasn’t forbidden at the time of this story. The legend is very old, and the writers put into it things that were disapproved of later.
1c. Why not send Isaac WITH the servant?
- maybe Isaac’s personality was not a selling point.
- maybe it was too dangerous
1d. “Under my thigh” (v 2 and 9) – I don’t start conversations like that!

2. Why did Abraham and the other patriarchs prefer not to have their sons marry the local Canaanite women?
- They are idol worshippers. The patriarchs don’t want their sons marrying them.
- (But probably the daughters could marry idol –worshippers)

3. When the servant arrives at his destination, he offers the first prayer for guidance recorded in the Bible. What does he specifically ask of God (24:10-14)?
- he asks for success
- he asks for a particular response from the girl
- he asks for a kindness to himself (and a kindness to the animals?)
- he is asking for a miracle, because the girl wouldn’t know that this particular action is the sign
- Even before you have asked, God knows the desire of your heart.
- God might have put that idea(to ask for that sign) in the servant’s head

3a. What do people look for when they ask God for a sign?
- check about roadblocks. If there is an obstacle, then it probably means I am not supposed to continue on that path.
- I want to be sure – is it idolatrous to ask for certainty?

4. Describe Rebekah in your own words.
- she is good-looking.
- pure and innocent.
- she has her eye on the Main Chance; she is looking out for herself.
- I disagree. She’s hospitable.
- typical for her time, she dutifully served others
- she is strong (could lift water for 10 camels = 25 gallons per camel)
- hospitable
- humane
- anxious to leave home.
- an aside: nobody in her family asked about the character/personality of Isaac.

5. Why is the servant so astonished when the first girl to arrive at the well met all his requirements so exactly? To what does he attribute this fortuitous happening?
- he attributes this to God answering his prayer.

6. What clues do you get from this passage about Isaac’s personality and character?
- He was obedient to his father, who wouldn’t let him go get his own bride.
- He was sorely damaged by his past experience (near sacrifice on Mt Moriah)
- He was a genial dolt. He was a Momma’s boy.
- So what if he was a dolt - he loved Rebekah – this is a redeeming aspect to his personality.

An aside: one Bible’s footnotes suggest that the story is also an allegory, with the characters representing ideas/ people from the New Testament. For instance, the servant is a “type” of the Holy Spirit; Rebekah represents the Church; Isaac – the bridegroom of the church.
We disagreed on whether this was an appropriate interpretation.

7. Are the camels important? Why or why not?
- They are the center of the miracle, which revealed the nature of Rebekah as a suitable wife for Isaac.
- They are the transportation to make a long trip – indispensable.
- A sign of wealth
- Camels can travel a long distance without water.
- Maybe they really used donkeys instead, since archaeologists say camels are anachronistic in this story.
- The archaeologists can’t say that there weren’t camels; they can only say there is no evidence that there were camels at that time in history.
- Don’t get stuck on the details and end up missing the main point of the story, which is...

8. If you had to pick a theological theme for this passage, what would you say the theme is?
- ask for specifics when praying
- God’s involvement with us is amazing.
- The progeny is the important thing here- Abraham can’t have descendants if his son doesn’t have a wife.