If someone from our family wanted to get married, we would want him to marry someone from our own country.  And so when Isaac was old enough to get married, Abraham wanted him to have the right kind of wife, and not one from people of a foreign country who did not worship our God.

Abraham had journeyed a long way from his home country to the Canaan, where he was living when Isaac was born.  This was the land that God had promised to Abraham, and is now called Israel.  But, the people living there at that time were strangers to Abraham, and he knew God wanted Isaac to marry someone from his own family.

What could Abraham do?  He spoke to his faithful chief servant, Eliezer and asked him to go back to the land from which they had come and find Abraham's family.  From that family he was to select a daughter and bring her back to be Isaac's wife.  Eliezer thought this would be very difficult and that the woman he would choose would not want to come back with him.

But Abraham was certain that this was the way God would get Isaac a wife.  So he told Eliezer that if the girl he selected did not want to come with him, he would not be blamed.  Eliezer then agreed to do the best he could.  Abraham told him that God would send one of his angels to lead him in his search to find a good wife for Isaac.

Eliezer got ready for the long journey back to Abraham's home country, and took presents and ten camels with him.  The journey was very long and so he had to take servants, food and water, and tents to sleep in at night.  Do you think that Isaac wished he could go along too, and choose his own wife?  But Isaac had to wait at home for until Eliezer returned and brought his wife to him.

Abraham and Isaac must have waved goodbye to Eliezer and watched him disappear into the distance.  And now it was a long wait!   Eliezer travelled on and finally reached Nahor, a city in Mesopotamia and stopped by a well of water.  It was nearly evening so he knew that before long someone come to get water from the well.

Eliezer knew that God wanted him to find the right woman to be Isaac's wife.  So he prayed to God that when a young lady came to draw water, he would say to a girl, "Please let down your jar that I may have a drink," and if she answered, "Drink, and I'll water your camels too", that she would be the one God had chosen for Isaac.

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder.  She was the very beautiful daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.  The girl went down to the spring and filled her water jar.  Eliezer hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

"Drink, my lord," she said, and after she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."  So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.  When the camels had finished drinking, he asked, "Whose daughter are you?  And please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

Rebekah answered, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.  We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."  Eliezer bowed down and worshipped the Lord, saying, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has shown His kindness and faithfulness to my master.  As for me, the Lord has led me to the house of my master's relatives.  Eliezer then gave her a gold earring and two gold bracelets.

Nahor was a brother of Abraham, so Eliezer he knew that he was among Abraham's relatives.  Now he was certain that Rebekah was the young lady who was to become Isaac's wife.  The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.  When Laban, Rebekah's brother heard of Eliezer's visit, he ran out to the well and invited him to come into their home.  Then Eliezer bowed down and worshipped the Lord saying:

"Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham,
who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.
As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."
(Genesis 24:27)

So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded.  Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.  Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say."

Then he told them about Abraham's son, Isaac, and what a fine young man he was and that he was to have all of Abraham's many possessions.  He explained that Abraham wanted Isaac to have a wife from among his own people, and that he had come all the way to Nahor to find Abraham's family, and to select a wife for Isaac and take her back to him.  He told how he had met Rebekah at the well, and that she had given a drink of water to himself and all his camels.

He said he knew from how God had answered his prayer, that Rebekah was the one whom God had chosen to be Isaac's wife.  When he had finished telling this wonderful story, Rebekah's father and Laban, her brother, said that they were sure God wanted it just that way. They said to him, "Here is Rebekah, take her, and let her be Isaac's wife as the Lord has said."  Since Abraham was a very rich man, Eliezer gave beautiful jewels and fine clothing to Rebekah, and presents to her brother and mother.

Early in the morning Eliezer wanted to start back home, but it was all too sudden for the family, so that they wanted Rebekah to remain with them for at least ten days.  Eliezer disagreed, so the family asked Rebekah to decide if she wanted to go right away, or if she would rather wait awhile.  And Rebekah said, "I will go today!"

So they sent Rebekah away with her nurse, and Eliezer and his servants travelled back on the long return trip to the land God promised to Abraham.  When they were nearly home, Isaac went out into the field one evening to think about God.  As he was thinking, he looked up and saw camels coming in the distance.  Rebekah saw Isaac and got down from her camel.  She asked Eliezer who was the man in the field, and he explained that it was Isaac, the man she had come to marry.

Rebekah covered her face with a veil and went to meet her future husband.  Isaac brought her into the the tent of Sarah, his mother and married Rebekah.  And so she became his wife and Isaac loved her very much.

Eliezer was Abraham's chief servant and would have inherited Abraham's wealth if his master had remained childless (Genesis 15:2-3).  Yet, as this chief servant went about his mission of finding a bride for Isaac, we see that he had obtained something far more important than Abraham's wealth.  He had caught Abraham's faith!

He prayed and experienced God's answer to his prayer in finding Rebekah so miraculously.  He recognised God's leading and praise God for His kindness and faithfulness to Abraham.  Best of all, like Abraham, Eliezer found a similar deep and selfless trust in God.

You can also catch Abrahams' faith by letting God guide you every day.   You can do this by talking to Jesus, and asking Him to come and live in your hearts and be your Best Friend.  When you say your prayers, ask Jesus to guide you, because Jesus promised to be with you all the time, every day!

And then as you grow up, God will use you in a special way, just as God blessed Eliezer in finding such a good wife for Isaac.  Like him you will find that the truest test of your faith, is how you are able to influence those who know you best by the quality of your Christ-like life.

God bless!