And the man came into the house; and he ungirded the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him.
The long journey is over, and the traveller steps from the well into the house, where he unloads his camels and washes the dust of the road from his feet. It is a small domestic scene, yet commentators read it as part of one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament: a servant sent to find a bride for his master's son.
The verse is a list of ordinary kindnesses: the camels unloaded, fodder given, water brought. One writer keeps the detail exactly at that level and reads it as the end of a hard road.
Rebekah ran to bring to her household the news that the visitor had come, and then brought her brother Laban, also running, to the well (v. 29). He gives the servant a hearty invitation, calling him "blessed of the Lord," and telling him he has prepared everything for him and his camels (v. 31). Then the needs of the camels were fully met, and the servant and the other men with him were given water to wash their feet, and so were refreshed after a long journey.
Water for the feet was part of welcoming a guest. It met two needs at once.
Washing the feet was one of the duties of hospitality. The Lord rebukes the neglect of it in His host in Luke 7. See 1 Timothy 5:10. It gave two benefits to the guest, I may say — it cleansed the traveller after the soiling of the journey, and refreshed him after the tiredness of it.
Right through this chapter the man is called only "the servant." One writer finds meaning in that silence.
The next section pictures the mission of the Spirit. He is to find a bride for the risen Christ, the Father's heir, among the family of faith (Abraham's kindred). The story runs to such a length that it shows how much God's heart is occupied with it. First comes the mission of Him who comes in servant-character. Here is a striking lesson for those through whom the Spirit of God acts: we are never told the servant's name. He is content to speak only of his master.
Another writer brings the same picture into our own day.
In these days there is One who has come from heaven's far-off land on a similar errand — the Holy Spirit. He has come down to us. Angels have been passed by. The gospel message of peace has come to man, fallen man. From the family of Adam the Holy Spirit is gathering out those who will form the Bride. He is leading this Bride across the pathless desert of the world to the Son, to whom the Father has given "all things."
The servant accepts the welcome, but he stops short at the meal. One commentator notes how unusual that was.
The remarkable behaviour of Abraham's servant is what we have to notice for our own building up. He came into the house, unloaded the camels, had straw and fodder given, with water to wash his own feet and the feet of those with him. But when food was set before him, he refused to eat until he had told his story. This is not at all the usual way, especially in the East, and after such a long journey. His errand absorbs him completely. He would not let his own ease, or the customs of men, come first or clear the way for what he had at heart. He was there for his master's sake. Word and oath bound him, and so did honour and love for his master's son.
That single-mindedness is where the picture turns into teaching about the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives Himself to His search for the Bride and His care of her, and to nothing else. He does this in a way altogether worthy of the Father and the Son… The Saviour's food was to do the will of Him who sent Him and to finish His work. The blessed Spirit of God is no less careful to speak, not from Himself, but all that He hears. He is the One who glorifies the Son here and now.
Beyond the picture, the man's conduct sets a pattern for service.
We may look at Abraham's servant as a type and as an example… As an example, he shows the marks that should always distinguish a servant of God. First, his master commissions him; he does not run before he is sent. Then he is equipped for the service he is called to: all his master's goods were in his hand. Next, he is guided only by his master's instructions; his own thoughts have no place or influence. Further, he is in complete dependence; he looks to the Lord to act for him. He acknowledges the Lord's guidance and help at every step. He is also completely devoted to carrying out his master's will. He will not eat until he has told his errand, and he will not stay on after the Lord has prospered his way. Finally, he glorifies his master and Isaac.
- Sent. The nameless servant comes in servant-character on his master's errand, content to speak only of his master.
- Welcomed. In the house he unloads the camels, feeds them straw and fodder, and washes his feet after the road.
- Refreshed. Water for the feet was ordinary hospitality. It cleaned off the journey and revived the tired traveller.
- Focused. Food was set before him, but the errand came first. He would not put his own ease before his master's business.
- Copied. Commissioned, equipped, guided, dependent, devoted — and at the end he glorifies his master. That is the pattern for anyone God sends.
And there was set [meat] before him to eat; but he said, I will not eat until I have made known my business. And he said, Speak on.
Abraham's servant has reached the house of Rebekah's family. After a long desert journey his hosts put a meal in front of him, but he will not touch it until he has told his errand — what business could matter more than food?
This is no small point of manners. It cuts against everything a tired traveller would normally do. (Older translations read "until I have told my errand" where the ESV has "until I have said what I have to say.")
But when they set food before him, he refused to eat until he had told his story. This is not at all the usual way, above all in the East, and after so long a journey. His errand took all his attention. He would not let his own comfort, or the customs of men, come first or pave the way for what he had at heart. He was there for his master's sake.
Commentators name this servant Eliezer. They read his journey as a picture of something larger — a servant sent from a father's house to bring home a bride for the son.
In Eliezer we have a ready and faithful messenger, and a prayerful one too. Is it any wonder that his mission from Hebron to the far city of Nahor went so well? In these days One has come from heaven's far-off land on a similar errand — the Holy Spirit. He has come down to us. Angels have been passed by. The gospel message of peace has come to man, fallen man. From the family of Adam the Holy Spirit is gathering out those who will form the Bride, and He is leading her across the desert of this world, where there is no path, to the Son, to whom the Father has given "all things."
Laban tells him to speak. Notice what the servant leaves out.
Eliezer has the true marks of an evangelist. He always keeps the father's object in view. He did not come to improve Mesopotamia; he came to bring away the bride, and to speak not of himself but of Isaac. He does everything in prayer and thanksgiving, and he seeks God's guidance. He approaches with courtesy and thoughtfulness, but also with much directness and energy — he will not eat or drink till he has told his errand.
The content of the speech that follows gives a plain test anyone can apply today.
He gives a very short introduction and then comes to the heart of the matter: Abraham's son, the heir of all things — "and to him he has given all that he has" (v. 36). Are you looking for evidence of the Spirit's working? Then the thing to look for is hearts becoming occupied with Christ. Do you want to draw believers away from worldliness, and to stir up devotion and a heavenly mind? Again, occupation with Christ is the answer.
The servant does not hesitate, and he does not weigh what his hosts might prefer. One writer contrasts him with a far more common kind of man.
Laban said, "Speak on." What firmness of character in the servant! Look at a man who is not decided. He consults this one and that one when it is a question of how he should act. And since he has some desire to do his own will, he would sooner ask advice from those who have less faith than himself. Paul took no advice from flesh and blood. He saw that it was Christ who called him, and he went forward.
This one refusal belongs to a longer list. Another writer draws out the qualities that mark the servant through the whole chapter.
Abraham's servant may be looked at as a type and as an example. As an example, he shows the qualities that should always mark a servant of God. First, his master commissions him; he does not run before he is sent. Then his master equips him for the service he is called to. Next, his master's instructions alone guide him; his own thoughts have no place or influence. Further, he depends on the Lord completely and looks to Him to act for him. He acknowledges the Lord's guidance at every step. He is fully devoted to doing his master's will: he will not eat until he has told his errand, and he will not stay on once the Lord has given him success (vv. 33, 56). Finally, he glorifies his master and Isaac.
- Sent — the servant does not act on his own. His master commissions him, equips him, and tells him what to do.
- Absorbed — his errand comes before his hunger, his comfort, and the ordinary customs of a host.
- Decided — he does not ask advice of those with less faith. The unsure man asks everyone; the man who knows his errand goes forward.
- Self-effacing — he speaks not of himself but of the master, and of the son who has all that the father has.
- Fruitful — the test of the same work today is simple: hearts occupied with Christ, and a bride on her way home to Him.
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
A weary traveller arrives after a long desert journey, and his hosts set food in front of him. He will not eat until he says why he came, and his first words name no one but his master.
He had just crossed a desert, and a meal was waiting. He left it untouched.
First, we notice that the servant refuses to eat. After such a long journey, this was surprising. But he only lets them wash his feet and unload and care for the camels (v. 32)... The servant knew what his mission was. His priorities were right, and he let nothing turn him aside. Perhaps we sometimes have only a weak sense of how tirelessly the Holy Spirit works to draw out our love for Christ.
He puts himself out of view. The name he gives instead belongs to a household with a father and a son in it.
To this end the servant stayed in the background. He confesses, "I am Abraham's servant." In verse 37 he calls Abraham "my master," and in verse 65 he says of Isaac, "It is my master." So both the father and the son were master to him, and his mission was to praise both. In verse 35 he speaks of the greatness and wealth of Abraham. In verse 36 he speaks of the son, and says the father had given him "all that he has." This at once reminds us of John 3:35, "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand."
Genesis 24 never tells us this man's name. Commentators read that silence as fitting.
The one whose activities form the main part of the story is "the eldest servant" of Abraham's house. Fittingly, his name is not given. Is he not a picture of the Holy Spirit, who came not to speak of Himself, but to take the things of Christ and show them to us?
What he said next moved from the father's wealth to the son who now holds all of it.
Abraham's servant carried with him a very distinct testimony... He reveals the father and the son. Such was his testimony. He speaks of the vast resources of the father. The father gives all of them to the son, because he is "the only-begotten" — the one and only son — and the object of the father's love. With this testimony he seeks to get a bride for the son.
The news he brought was about someone, not something. And it touched one listener personally.
His first care, you see, is to unfold the news about this only son. He presents a distinct PERSON, enriched with all that the father's love could give. And the father had purposes for him. Those purposes deeply concerned one of the people who were hearing for the first time of this would-be bridegroom, Isaac.
Jesus' own words about the Spirit match this servant's method.
These words of Jesus agree closely with the testimony of Abraham's servant, and the agreement is instructive. He sought to attract the heart of Rebekah by telling of Isaac. In the same way, as we know, the Holy Spirit seeks to draw poor sinners by telling of Jesus. He draws them away from a world of sin and folly into the blessed and holy unity of the body of Christ. "He will take what is mine and declare it to you." The Spirit of God will never lead anyone to look at Himself or His work; but only and always at Christ. So the more truly spiritual anyone is, the more fully Christ will occupy him.
He is also an example to copy, marked out step by step through the chapter.
We can look at Abraham's servant as a picture and as an example... First, his master commissions him; he does not run before he is sent. Then his master equips him for the service he is called to: all the goods of his master were in his hand (v. 10). Next, he is guided only by his master's instructions; his own thoughts have no place or influence... He is fully devoted to carrying out his master's will. He will not eat until he has told his errand, and he will not stay once the Lord has prospered his way (vv. 33, 56). Finally, he glorifies his master and Isaac (vv. 34-36).
- Sent, not self-appointed. He does not run before he is sent, and he carries his master's goods, not his own.
- Nameless on purpose. He never gives his name. He speaks only of his master, like the Spirit who does not speak of Himself.
- Speaks of the Son. His whole message reveals the father's wealth and the son to whom the father has given all that he has.
- Draws by telling. He wins Rebekah's heart by describing Isaac; the Spirit draws hearts by telling of Jesus.
- Finishes the errand. The meal waits, and so does rest. He tells his message first, then leaves once the Lord has prospered his way.
And Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and he has given him sheep and cattle, and silver and gold, and bondmen and bondwomen, and camels and asses.
The servant will not eat until he has said what he came to say. His first words are not about himself but about his master's wealth. Why does a man sent to find a wife begin by listing another man's property, and why does he trace all of it back to the LORD?
He introduces himself only as someone else's servant. One writer follows the order of his report: the master's greatness first, then the son.
The servant stayed in the background. He confesses, "I am Abraham's servant." In verse 37 he calls Abraham "my master." In verse 65 he says of Isaac, "It is my master." So both the father and the son were master to him, and his mission was to praise both. In verse 35 he speaks of the greatness and wealth of Abraham. In verse 36 he speaks of the son. Of the son he testifies that the father had given him "all that he has." This reminds us of John 3:35, "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand."
The chapter never gives the man's own name. Commentators find a lesson in that silence.
Here is a striking lesson for those through whom the Spirit of God acts: the story never tells us the servant's name. He is content to speak only of his master.
The servant traces the wealth to the LORD, not to his master's skill. One writer links that "greatly" to Abraham's life of obedience and faith.
He set out on a pathway of obedience and faith. He failed more than once. But on the whole his pathway stood out as one of faith in the God who had called him, and of alertness to obey His word. On that pathway God blessed Abraham "in all things"; he was "greatly" blessed (Genesis 24:1-35). God honoured his home with visits and spoke to him. He knew God as his Shield and his very great Reward. God Himself even called him "a friend of God" (James 2:23).
The list of possessions is not boasting. It opens a marriage proposal, and its subject is a father and his only son.
Abraham's servant carried with him a very clear testimony… He reveals the father and the son. Such was his testimony. He speaks of the vast resources of the father. The father has given all of them to the son, because the son is his "only-begotten" and the object of his love. With this testimony he seeks to win a bride for the son.
Commentators read this servant — one writer calls him Eliezer — as a picture of the Holy Spirit, sent to gather a bride for Christ. The parallel lies in what he chose to talk about.
He does not work for Himself. As the Father sent His Son to be glorified by Him, so He sent His Holy Spirit to glorify His Son… The Spirit delights to own and proclaim the rights of the Son, just as Eliezer delighted in retelling the riches and honours of Abraham's son. He draws souls to God's Son. He tells them of His redemption work, of His infinite love, and of the riches they gain when they receive Him.
Rebekah heard about Isaac, not about herself. One writer draws from that both how the Spirit works and what marks a spiritual person.
He sought to attract the heart of Rebekah by telling her of Isaac. In the same way, as we know, the Holy Spirit seeks to draw poor sinners away from a world of sin and folly by telling them of Jesus… "He will take what is mine and declare it to you." The Spirit of God will never lead anyone to look at Himself or His work, but only and always at Christ. So the more spiritual anyone is, the more completely Christ will occupy him.
- Servant — He opens with "I am Abraham's servant." The chapter never gives his name. He speaks only of his master.
- Source — He credits the flocks, silver and gold to the LORD, not to Abraham's skill. God blessed Abraham "in all things" on a path of obedience and faith.
- Substance — The report reveals a father and a son. The father holds vast resources, and he has given all of them to the son he loves.
- Spirit — The errand still runs. The Spirit does not work for Himself. He proclaims the rights of the Son and tells of His love and of the riches those who receive Him gain.
- Sight — Rebekah heard about Isaac; she did not study herself. The Spirit never points anyone inward, only and always to Christ.
And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had grown old; and unto him has he given all that he has.
Abraham's servant has refused to eat until he delivers his message. This verse is the heart of it: Sarah bore a son late in life, and everything Abraham owns now belongs to him. The servant is not just passing on family news. He is presenting a person to Rebekah.
The servant's words "when she was old" are not a small detail. They are the whole point of Isaac. One writer explains both the birth and what Sarah and Isaac picture:
Isaac is this child of promise. He was born to Sarah when she was 90 and Abraham 100. Their bodies were "as good as dead" (Rom. 4:19), and any natural hope of childbearing was long gone. But it was God who intervened in sovereign grace to fulfil His own word. Sarah is the free woman, closely joined to Abraham. Abraham pictures God the Father, and Sarah pictures the believing few in Israel who stood on grace. Christ came from them (pictured in Isaac) when all natural hope of blessing was gone. Isaac then is a beautiful picture of Christ, the promised Seed (Gal. 3:16). He came to earth, not because man kept the law successfully or anything like that, but because of God's unbreakable promise, fulfilled by grace alone.
Abraham fathered other children, so why does everything go to this one? The answer lies in two words — child and son:
Child speaks of the birth-tie between parent and child. Nothing can be closer than that. Son speaks of the position enjoyed before others: "no longer a slave, but a son" (Gal. 4:7)... Abraham had several children by his wife Keturah, as well as Isaac by Sarah. All of them could call him father; all were his children; but Isaac alone had the privilege and position of his son. He gave all that he had to Isaac (Gen. 25:5), who was known by all as his son. The inheritance was his, and his alone (Gen. 24:36). To be Abraham's offspring was one thing; to be his son was quite another.
Isaac received everything his father had. Another writer measures that gift against what the Father has given His Son:
The Father shows His confidence in His Son by giving all things into His hand. This also expresses that "The Father loves the Son" (John 3:35). Jesus was the true Isaac, the son who received all his father's possessions (Gen. 24:36). But the picture falls far short of the reality, for the Father had given the whole universe into the hands of the Son. He is the "appointed Heir of all things."
The order matters. The same pattern appears in Christ, who first gave up what was His:
He surrenders His possessions. He does not take His place of exaltation and power until He has completed obedience in death. Only then does the Father give all things into His hands — though it was already His by right before. (Genesis 24:36, 25:5; John 13:3; Phil. 2:10.) Only after the offering on the altar does the true Isaac take His bride and His inheritance in resurrection power.
Notice who is speaking. The servant spends his words on a son Rebekah has never met. Commentators see here a picture of the Holy Spirit's work:
Abraham's servant, seeking to secure a bride for Isaac, sets out all the dignity and wealth the father had given him. He tells of the love that rested on him. In short, he tells her everything likely to move her heart and draw it away from present things. He showed Rebekah someone far away... That was his testimony. And that is the testimony of the Holy Spirit too. He speaks of Christ, the glory of Christ, the beauty of Christ, the fullness of Christ, the grace of Christ, "the unsearchable riches of Christ."
Everything belongs to the son, so his bride gets no separate share of her own. She gains everything by gaining him:
Eve had no separate dowry which she brought to Adam, but in Adam she inherited all that was his. Rebekah brought no dowry to Isaac, but in Isaac she inherited all that Isaac had. Oh, the riches of God's grace, that you and I, dear fellow-believer, are to be together with Christ... as His companion, His bride, in His exalted position as Head over all, and centre of God's purposes and of this whole vast plan of blessing.
- Promise — Isaac arrives when childbearing was over. He comes from God's word alone, not from human strength.
- Son — others were Abraham's children. Only Isaac held the position of son, and the inheritance was his alone.
- All — "to him he has given all that he has" shadows a greater gift: the Father loves the Son and gives all things into His hand.
- Altar — the offering comes first. The true Isaac receives the inheritance and the bride in resurrection.
- Told — the servant says nothing of himself and everything of the son. The bride won by that report inherits all that is his.
And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling;
The servant has reached the house of Rebekah's family, and before he will eat he repeats his master's sworn charge word for word. Commentators find in it both a plain rule about marriage and a picture of how God seeks a bride for His Son.
Rebekah plays no part in the arrangement that is about to change her life.
It is beautiful to observe that the call and exaltation of Rebekah rested on the oath between Abraham and his servant. She knew nothing of this, though she was, in the purpose of God, so entirely the subject of it all. It is exactly the same with the Church of God as a whole and with each part of it... The call, the justification, and the glory of the Church all rest on the eternal purpose of God. They rest on His word and oath, confirmed by the death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son.
Abraham lived in the land of these people, yet he would not let his son marry one of them. The reason for the ban also marks the limits of what this chapter pictures.
The bride for Isaac must be suited for Isaac and so must not be taken from the daughters of the Canaanites (v. 3). They lay under judgment and so were completely unsuited to Isaac. This would show that the dealings with Rebekah are not exactly a picture of the grace of God bringing salvation to sinners. They picture instead the love of Christ appealing to saints. If the point were to show the grace of God that reaches the vilest sinners, then the servant's errand would surely have taken him to the daughters of the Canaanites — as in the Gospel story, where God takes up a Syrophoenician woman, a daughter of Canaan, to show His grace.
The rule has a positive side. The bride had to come from the bridegroom's own family, and the next generation shows the same pattern.
Rebekah, the bride of Isaac, and Leah, the bride of Jacob, both belonged to the same country and the same family as their husbands. In each case the charge was very definite: a daughter of Canaan must not be taken as wife (Gen. 24:3; Gen. 28:1). So too the bride of the Lamb must belong to His country and His family. She is not only heavenly in destiny, but heavenly in origin — the Jerusalem above is our mother (Gal. 4:26). And we are not of the world, even as He is not of the world. Hebrews 2:11 shows that we belong to His family.
The striking thing about his speech is what is missing from it.
There is a striking lesson here for everyone the Spirit of God works through: we are never told the servant's name. He is content to speak only of his master.
He speaks instead of a father's riches and of the only son who owns them all.
He reveals the father and the son. Such was his testimony. He speaks of the vast resources of the father, and of the son who has received all of it because he is "the only-begotten," and the object of the father's love. With this testimony he seeks to win a bride for the son.
Later generations crossed the line Abraham drew, and Scripture records the result.
Here we have Judah repeating the sin of Esau, whose marriages were a grief to his parents (Gen. 26:35). Judah had no regard for the ancient landmark set up by Abraham, who said, "you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites" (Gen. 24:3)... Today, for the Christian, the principle is clear. The instruction in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 is, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers."
The errand came from the father and rested on an oath. Its outcome was never in doubt.
He is the oldest servant; he ruled over all Abraham had; he was with him from the beginning... He testified of the Father and the Son — how rich the father is, and that Isaac is the heir of all the riches. And so the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, but of the Father and of the Son, and He makes known the eternal purposes of the Father. As the servant's mission did not fail, so the mission of the Holy Spirit in the present age cannot fail.
- Oath first. Rebekah's future rested on an agreement made before she knew anything about it. The calling and glory of the Church rest the same way — on God's own word and oath.
- Origin matters. The Canaanites lay under judgment, so no daughter of theirs could suit Isaac. The bride had to share the bridegroom's country and family.
- Errand, not opinion. We are never told the servant's name. He quotes his master, and he speaks of a father's riches and the son who owns them all.
- Landmark ignored. Abraham's rule stood as a boundary marker. Esau and Judah crossed it, and the warning still stands: do not be unequally yoked.
- Commission secured. A mission given by the father and sealed by oath reached its goal — and the work it pictures cannot fail either.
but thou shalt by all means go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.
Abraham's servant has reached Nahor's city, found Rebekah at the well, and come to her family's home. He will not eat until he has told his errand. Verse 38 is its heart: he repeats his master's charge word for word. Everything hangs on where the bride must come from, and whose son she is for.
The servant never gives his own name. He says only that he belongs to Abraham, then repeats what Abraham told him to do. One writer sees a much larger errand behind this one — and a lesson in the silence:
Here we have a picture of the mission of the Spirit: to find a bride for the risen Christ, the Father's heir, among the family of faith — Abraham's kindred. First comes the mission of the One who comes in the character of a servant. It is a striking lesson for those through whom the Spirit of God acts: the servant's name is not made known to us. He is content to speak only of his master.
The charge has two halves. The bride must not come from the people around Abraham. She must come from his own relatives. One writer explains why that mattered:
Then the servant is told that the bride for Isaac is not to be from the daughters of the Canaanites. Abraham says she is to be of "my kindred." The Canaanites were under the curse and appointed to judgment. There can be no link between Christ in the glory and a world under judgment. Isaac's bride was not to be a stranger but one who already belonged to Abraham's family. So the Church is formed not of unbelievers, nor of a mixture of believers and unbelievers, but wholly of the family of faith.
So who counts as Abraham's kindred? One writer points to a work only God can do:
A second point to notice in this verse is the suitability of the wife-to-be. A wife from the daughters of the Canaanites would not have been acceptable. Abraham states that she would have to be from "his kindred." … Only those in whom God has done a divine work, producing faith in Christ, can be part of the church. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:21). Through God's grace we have been made morally suitable, of "His kindred."
Notice also what comes first:
The servant goes out to find a bride suitable for Isaac; he does not find an unsuitable one and make her suitable. Rebekah is a figure of the bride of Christ. She is a fitting companion for Him as the result of the work of divine generation, which makes her kindred to Him.
Before he asks anything of Rebekah's family, the servant talks about his master's son. Only then does he come to verse 38:
His first care, you see, is to unfold the news about this only son. He sets out clearly a PERSON enriched with all that the father's love could give. And the father had purposes for this son that deeply concerned one of those who, for the first time, heard of this would-be bridegroom, Isaac.
The report does more than inform:
What, we may ask, must have been the effect on Rebekah of hearing this witness to Isaac? Did it simply increase her knowledge of Isaac? That was doubtless one result, but it surely did more, much more, for it awakened love to Isaac.
One writer follows the picture into the present day:
And whom does the servant foreshadow? He is the oldest servant; he ruled over all Abraham had; he was with him from the beginning. … The servant is the type of the Holy Spirit. He was sent out after Christ was glorified, and with the day of Pentecost He began His blessed mission on earth. … He testified of the Father and of the Son — how rich the father is, and that Isaac is the heir of all the riches. And so the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself but of the Father and of the Son, and makes known the eternal purposes of the Father. The servant's mission did not fail, and in the same way the mission of the Holy Spirit in the present age cannot fail.
- Errand first. The servant will not eat until he has spoken. The message is not his own. His name stays hidden so his master's can be heard.
- Kindred, not Canaan. No bride from a people under judgment. She comes from the father's own household. So the church is the family of faith, not a mixture.
- Fitness before union. He looks for a bride already suited to Isaac. He does not make an unsuitable one fit. Kinship is God's work, and it comes first.
- A person, not a proposal. He tells them about a son who has everything his father can give. Hearing it does not just inform Rebekah; it awakens love.
- A mission that holds. Commentators see the servant as a picture of the Spirit, sent after Christ was glorified. He speaks of the Father and the Son, and His mission cannot fail.