Sent and Spirit-Led

June 15, 2025
Pastor Jack

Eliezer and Rebekah at the Well (Dalziels' Bible Gallery)

Genesis 24:1-28

Now Abraham was old, advanced in age, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in everything. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I am dwelling, but that you will go to my land and to my family, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.” And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land—must I then return your son to the land from whence you came?” Abraham said to him, “You must take care that you do not return my son there. Yahweh, the God of heaven who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘to your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be released from this oath of mine—only you must not return my son there.” Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and he swore to him concerning this matter. And the servant took ten camels from his master’s camels, and he went with all kinds of his master’s good things in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel outside the city at the well of water, at the time of evening, toward the time the women went out to draw water.And he said, “O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show loyal love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are going out to draw water. And let it be that the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please, offer your jar that I may drink’ and who says, ‘Drink—and I will also water your camels,’ she is the one you have chosen for your servant, for Isaac. By her I will know that you have shown loyal love to my master.” And it happened that before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah—who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham—came out, and her jar was on her shoulder. Now the girl was very pleasing in appearance. She was a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her. And he said, “Please, let me drink a little of the water from your jar.” And she said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly lowered her jar in her hand and gave him a drink. When she finished giving him a drink she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they finish drinking.” And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water. And she drew water for all his camels. And the man was gazing at her silently to know if Yahweh had made his journey successful or not. And it happened that as the camels finished drinking the man took a gold ring of a half shekel in weight and two bracelets for her arms, ten shekels in weight, and said, “Please tell me, whose daughter are you? Is there a place at the house of your father for us to spend the night?” And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” Then she said to him, “We have both straw and fodder in abundance, as well as a place to spend the night.” And the man knelt down and worshiped Yahweh. And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his loyal love and his faithfulness from my master. I was on the way and Yahweh led me to the house of my master’s brother.” Then the girl ran and reported these things to the household of her mother.

Genesis 24:1-28 God sends us on mission—and forms Christlike character in those who respond to Him.

Outline with Discussion Prompts:

Can you recall a time when you clearly sensed God’s guidance in a decision, big or small?

Section 1: Genesis 24:1–9 Sent with a Purpose

1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and 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 will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must 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.

Key Points:

  • Abraham’s deep concern for his son’s future.
  • The importance of not blending Isaac’s line with the Canaanites.
  • Trust that “the Lord…will send His angel before you” (v. 7).

Key Truth: Abraham sends his servant with a solemn charge to find a bride for Isaac—a mission rooted in faith and covenant.

Tie-in to the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV): 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

  • Abraham → a sending father (like God the Father)
  • The servant → goes on behalf of another (like the Church)
  • The servant is entrusted with a clear mission, not acting on his own authority

Discussion Prompts:

  • How does Abraham’s instruction reflect trust in God’s promises?
  • What parallels do you see between the servant’s task and our calling in the Great Commission?
  • How does Abraham’s statement in v. 7 reflect his faith in God’s promises?
  • What helps you stay faithful in your own personal “mission fields”?

Section 2: Genesis 23:10–14 Spirit-Dependent and Prayerful

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

Key Points:

  • The servant doesn’t assume success; he prays specifically for guidance.
  • His prayer reflects dependence on God’s kindness.
  • His request includes a sign—but with a heart open to God’s will.

Key Truth:

The servant doesn’t assume success—he prays specifically for God’s kindness and guidance. His mission is Spirit-dependent.

Tie-in to Discipleship:

Acts 1:8 (ESV): 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

  • We are also dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead us in mission.
  • His prayer is both humble and bold—a great model for us in everyday obedience.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Do you see yourself as someone God sends? How do you discern where or to whom?
  • What stands out to you about the servant’s prayer? Is it bold? Humble? Too specific?
  • What do you learn about how to pray from this passage?
  • Have you experienced God answering a prayer clearly or quickly, like this?

Section 3: Genesis 23:15–28 The Response of Character and Fruit

15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD 27 and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

Key Points:

  • Rebekah appears before the servant finishes praying.
  • Her character (kindness, hospitality, hard work) is immediately evident.
  • The servant worships and gives thanks.

Key Truth:

Rebekah, without knowledge of what’s at stake, shows kindness, generosity, and faithfulness—evidence of character consistent with the Fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV): 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Tie-in to Discipleship:

  • When we respond to God’s call, the Spirit produces fruit in us.
  • Rebekah goes beyond what is asked—just like believers are called to go beyond duty, living in love.

Discussion Prompts:

  • How does God’s response encourage us in prayer?
  • How do Rebekah’s actions model godly character?
  • Which Fruit of the Spirit stand out most in this passage?
  • In your own life, where is God growing fruit in “ordinary” circumstances?

Wrap it Up

The servant was sent with a purpose. Rebekah responded with the character of one prepared by God. As believers, we are both the sent ones and the ones who respond.

  • Where is God sending you right now?
  • What Fruit of the Spirit do you hope to bear more of in this season?
  • How can we encourage one another to be faithful both in going and growing?
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