After a long journey, the servant Eliezer arrived at the village where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. He had the camels kneel outside of the village by the well. It was evening, and Eliezer started praying. This is what he said (in song and dance form):
“O Lord, God of my master, Abraham
See me standing by the water, here I am,
all the virgins from the village drawing near
If I ask the one for water I will hear (her say)
Let me also draw some water for your camels, too!
And that’s how I’ll know that she’s the special one from You
I will sing and shout and dance a little jig in time
When I see that holy sign!”
This prayer is a very specific prayer, isn’t it? Complete with tests and confirmations and signs. Sets a high standard, based on evident character (not just empty signs, but the sort of thing a person with wifely qualities would do). How did Eliezer come to ask for such specific signs? I believe he had a long trip, with plenty of time to think about it. He was on God’s wavelength, and the things he prayed for felt right to him. I think it would be fair to say that God had prompted in Eliezer the very things that he had just prayed. And that’s the second part of understanding how prayer works: First, we are doing God’s will, and second, we ask the very thing God tells us to ask.
I’m saying that maybe the key to answered prayer is to ask God what He wants us to ask in the first place. Maybe that’s what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. It’s what comes from abiding in Christ; we don’t have to guess and wonder what He wants if we are hearing His voice. It’s our way of being able to ask things that are according to His will.
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15
Sure enough, while he's still praying this very specific prayer, Rebekah comes out of the village with a water jug on her shoulder. She's Nahor's granddaughter, which meant she is Isaac's second cousin. But that's okay. Because she was right pretty. And she was a virgin.
The servant puts down his banjo and runs over to her and asks, “Excuse me, could you get me a drink?” Rebekah passes Eliezer's little test with flying colors. Notice the details: She politely, enthusiastically and quickly lowers her jug and lets him drink. Then she voluntarily hastens to run and water his camels, and keeps going until they have had their fill (which is a long time, for a camel, if you think about it).
The servant watches her in silence, to discern if this is The One he had prayed for. Let's see: She's right pretty, she's a virgin, AND she did the signs, plus one. That's four-for-four. In addition, Eliezer discerns that her character is exceptional: polite to a stranger, enthusiastic, quick, voluntary and thorough. A true five-tool player, if you're looking for a wife and not a center fielder.
One final test: is she from the line of Nahor and Milcah? Of course, he asks her, and she says she is, and Eliezer is convinced that God has quickly and miraculously led him to this exceptional young woman, Rebekah.
Eliezer falls down and worships God for being so clear and helping him fulfill his mission. Notice the posture introduced here, of falling down and worshiping. Because we are focused on the matter of worship, this is the place to note that the Hebrew language is very concrete. Greek and English tend to be more abstract, but in Hebrew, when they are describing an attitude they often word it as a posture. Fall down. Qadad, to bend down in deference, either the head or the whole back or body.
And worship. This Hebrew word for worship, hishtachavah (from shachah) means to lie prostrate. Remember the posture of the lesser king in a peace covenant? He would lie face down, from head to foot and a sign of humble contrition and reverent fear. Eliezer the old man falls down and lies prostrate before God in a sincere act of respect. We don't do this sort of thing very often in our culture. Our highest act of respect to a person is to stand. But in many cultures, you show someone respect by making yourself lower than he or she is.
Back to the story. She invites Eliezer to the house, where he meets Rebekah's daddy Bethuel and her brother Laban. (Keep Laban in mind for a later story). Well, they get the camels settled and fix a meal. But Eliezer says he won't eat until he's had a chance to do his song and dance about how God led him there. He starts at the beginning with Abraham's sending him on the mission, and then he goes into his act, recounting his prayer:
“O Lord, God of my master, Abraham
See me standing by the water, here I am,
all the virgins from the village drawing near
If I ask the one for water I will hear (her say)
Let me also draw some water for your camels, too!
And that’s how I’ll know that she’s the special one from You
I will sing and shout and dance a little jig in time
When I see that holy sign!”
Eliezer tells the rest of the story. Says he won't eat until he knows what their answer is.
Well, their answer is, "Amazing! God is clearly behind this thing! Here's Rebekah; take her and go!"
Eliezer falls down—again—to worship God, for being so clear and helping him fulfill his mission. You would, too, if you'd seen all those signs fulfilled. And Eliezer unloads the camels and gives all those gifts he had brought to the family, and puts golden bracelets on Rebekah's arms and a gold ring up Rebekah's nose. Or maybe it connected to her nose in some other way. The point is, he unloaded the camels on them all.
The servant leaves with her the next morning. When they get back to the fields outside of Abraham's tent complex, Isaac meets Rebekah for the first time. And, of course, they fall in love immediately, and they get married straightway, and Isaac loves her for a lifetime.
And they all live happily ever after.
It's a love story that happens every once in a Bible, and this is it.