Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.” Laban said, “Speak on.” He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Yahweh has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him. 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 relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my relatives, and of my father’s house. Then you will be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.’ I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go— behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” then she tells me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Yahweh has appointed for my master’s son.’ Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ She hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands. I bowed my head, and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.””
(Genesis 24:33-49)

The servant was unwilling to eat himself before he got out what he came to do. He was eager to finish his task. He was mission oriented, not need oriented. I’m sure he was hungry and wanted rest, but he wanted the mission completed more. Like Him, we should be Kingdom oriented more than we are world oriented.

He established who he was with the family and laid out the whole story to them of what happened. He gave God the glory for all of it. He did not hide God’s hand in the events that had happened. He hid none of the details. He made sure they knew they had a choice in it and no one would be angry. He applied no pressure and he promised no perfect life. He simply told things as they were.

The servant was looking for an answer right away. Not a lot of time had passed, but he had laid out the whole situation in full. Everything needed for a decision was right there. Since he trusted that God was in control and guiding things, the servant was eager for the next step. If she wasn’t the right girl, he wanted to know so he could get on with the search. If she was the right girl, he wanted to know so he could get on with his mission. He was leaving it all in God’s hands, but he was looking for resolution now because all the factors needed for resolution were present.

The sage Rashbam writes: ‘עד אם דברתי דברי. Having noted that G’d had indicated that He approved of the way he had been handling his assignment, Eliezer concluded that he must not eat and drink until he had concluded his mission. ברך את אדוני, this is why the Torah wrote at the beginning of the chapter that “The Lord had blessed Avraham in everything.” ויגדל, all leading political figures in the country were anxious to become related to him through marriage. ויתן לו את כל אשר לו, his brother will not share in the inheritance with Yitzchok. ישלח מלאכו, I know they will give you their daughter. ‘ואומר: ה’ אלקי אדוני אברהם וגו, Eliezer’s very detailed speech was designed to impress his listeners with how G’d had been the principal factor in everything which had transpired at the well. בדרך אמת, on a Divine mission to perform a deed of loving kindness for my master Avraham as well as for his son. על ימין או על שמאל , to other relatives of his family.’

The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘35–49. The servant emphasizes divine intervention in order to convince his hosts that his mission is in accordance with divine will—so that they will entrust Rebekah to him. The servant is also aware of the human weaknesses of his hosts; he therefore expands his description of Abraham’s wealth (v. 35) and stresses that Isaac is his master’s sole heir (v. 36). He also reverses the order in which he asked the name of the girl and presented her with ornaments so they would not say, “How could you give her [the jewelry] when you did not yet know who she was?” (Rashi). 50–51. After the servant’s speech, it is wholly fitting that those present admit that the matter is in accordance with divine will, and that they therefore agree to place Rebekah in the servant’s care.’

The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 34. Your feelings are perfectly correct. I am not the master only the servant. V. 35.—48. It is interesting to note the account of the story as recounted by Eliezer, and compare it with the preceding report of what actually happened. The reason for all the little differences can at once be seen to be based, either on considerations of politeness, to which we have already referred above, or to make it more plausible to his hearers whom Eliezer seems to have perfectly understood. The הקרה נא and all his worry about the success of the enterprise, which might have seemed to his hearers to be somewhat far-fetched and exaggerated, and have made them mistrustful, he left out. With a certain class of people it is dangerous to appear too full of feelings, they call it “romantic”, “exaggerated”, and are apt to have doubts of the solid practicability of the project into which they are invited to enter. So Eliezer satisfied himself with just sharply stressing the striking evident dispensation of Divine Providence in this matter, against which even a Laban, from his point of view, would be loath to offer opposition. V. 49. חסד :חסד ואמת that you will give him your daughter for his son; אמת that you agree to his condition that, neither now, nor in the future, Isaac is to come to you to the homeland of his father.’