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Watering The Camels
.
Ten
camels will drink somewhere between 140 and 250 gallons by the time they are
through and the scripture does read “until they have finished drinking.” It
likely took her hours to perform all this work. Hospitality was a huge part of
Abraham’s family, and Rebekah was the embodiment of that hospitality - Rebekah
volunteered for a momentous task for a complete stranger, but soon she will be
richly rewarded for it
Justin Honse
“Then
the servant ran to meet her, and said, ‘Please let me drink a little water from
your jar.’ She said, ‘Drink, my lord’; and she quickly lowered her jar to
her hand, and gave him a drink. Now when she had finished giving him a drink,
she said, ‘I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.’” - Genesis 24:17-19
This
passage contains an oft-overlooked theme which is central not only to this
story, but a theme that is critical to our lives as believers in God.
In
response to the request, Rebekah offers a drink to Abraham’s servant.
She then offers to get water
for the camels to drink.
It is at this point that most
of us who are reading forget: camels are known for drinking vast quantities of
water, and further, there are ten camels (verse 10).
In short, Rebekah volunteered
for a momentous task for a complete stranger.
The watering of the camels was
a gesture that went far beyond the social expectation.
Ten
camels will drink somewhere between 140 and 250 gallons by the time they are
through and the scripture does read “until they have finished drinking”
so this is not just a first sip.
Also, the text tells us that
Rebekah ‘descended’ to get the water, so there may have even been steps
to climb down to the spring.
If the spring or well had been
easily accessible, they could simply lead the camels to the water, but instead
a trough was used.
It likely took her hours to
perform all this work.
In
short, Rebekah volunteered for a momentous task for a complete stranger, but
soon she will be richly rewarded for it.
The watering of the camels in
and of itself is a sign to the servant for certain, however even more so,
the practice of such excellent hospitality is what undoubtedly shows
Abraham’s servant that Rebekah has the characteristics of Abraham’s family.
Consider how Abraham
served the three traveling strangers in Genesis 18, and how Abraham likely
raised Lot to do the same (Genesis 19).
Hospitality was a huge part of
Abraham’s family, and Rebekah was the embodiment of that hospitality.
Justin Honse. I am just a man who believes in God, and Jesus, and
wants to share my thoughts on the bible. I was an atheist until I actually read
the New Testament for myself, and had a conversion experience in my own bedroom
prior to attending church. Though I am not Jewish or a follower of Judaism,
certainly I use a lot of Jewish source material for my studies on the early
books of the bible. I find them quite enlightening, as I am not a fan of
throwing out the baby with the bathwater, and do not simply disregard a
teaching because it is ‘Jewish’ or has its roots in Jewish tradition. If
Christians are honest with themselves, they will see the entire basis of their
faith is contained in the Old Testament.
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