The Well
By Ty Robinson
Sunday Sermon 4/25/2021
We are going to spend our few allotted moments this morning in GENESIS 24 where we find the story of a bride for Isaac. This chapter of 67 verses is referenced often here at Living Waters Tabernacle, for it is a chapter that has much typical teaching about the Bride of Christ. This Old Testament Bible story has four main charcters, and several cast in a supporting role (if you will). Hopefully you too treasure this chapter, and if so you already know there is no way we could cover all the details in one Sunday morning sermon of what is contained in these 67 verses.
As a quick refresher, in this chapter Abraham represents God the Father, and Isaac represents Jesus Christ to Son of God. The third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit is pictured in this chapter as the eldest servant of Abraham, called Eliezer of Damascus in GENESIS 15:2, who was sent on a far journey to take a wife from a far country out of Abraham’s kinfolk, and bring her unto Isaac. GENESIS 24:7 explains this as Abraham says unto Eliezer: The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. The last of the main characters in the story is the bride to be wife for Isaac, and her name is Rebekah. Realize that all four of these characters were Old Testament worthies of faith, and had no idea of their typical roles, nor that we would be even remembering them four thousand years later. The things we read about in GENESIS 24 really happened, and they happened for our learning (study 1 CORINTHIANS 10:11). They were just living in real time the script that had been written for them before the foundation of the earth.
Here’s another thought to ponder. How many Abraham’s are found mentioned in scripture? How many Isaac’s? How many Eliezer of Damascus the eldest servant of Abraham were there? How many Rebekah’s are found mentioned in the Bible? The answer to all of these questions is one! Isaac had one wife, and her name was Rebekah. Jesus Christ will have one wife to rule and reign with Him, and her name will be the Bride of Christ! And she will have the characteristics found mentioned of Rebekah in GENESIS 24.
Let’s read GENESIS 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. Eliezer took ten of Abraham’s camels with him on this journey, and these camels are referenced eighteen times in GENESIS 24. The camels were an ugly, unpleasant, but necessary piece of equipment in the taking of a wife for Isaac. The camels were the main necessary tool that made Abraham’s servants journey prosperous. The camels were the means of bringing many gifts to Rebekah, and in the end the camels were the means of bringing Rebekah to Isaac. Without the camels Rebekah will never be a bride to Isaac! We will mention some more about the camels later. Now quickly note this next statement of GENESIS 24:10 ...all the goods of his master were in his hand. What an awesome statement if you think what this means spiritually speaking; everything that the Bride of Christ needs to get ready to be the Bride is given of God the Father unto the Holy Ghost to prepare her for that day when she shall marry Jesus! Stated another way, how did the Bride of Christ make herself ready? By following the leading of the Holy Ghost in her life; ...for all the goods of his master were in his hand,... and carried on the backs of His camels for the express purpose of enriching her life! What this means to us is that if we have received the power of the Holy Ghost as promised by Jesus in ACTS 1:8, and have yielded to, and followed the guidance of the Holy Ghost all the way in our life, then we too can be in that eternal company known as the Bride of Christ! JOHN 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
GENESIS 24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. Note here that Eliezer had charge of these ten camels, and they, though thirsty, obeyed his command, and kneeled down. Where Abraham’s servant made the camels kneel down is the subject of this mornings study. The setting is without the city, by a well, without the camp if you will. Going without the camp is whole other thought that we don’t have time to go into detail this morning, but had Rebekah not gone without the camp, she never would have been bride to Isaac. Eliezer was by a well of water, and this particular well is called “the well” eight times in GENESIS 24. Later in this chapter we will mention another well.
“The well” (today’s subject) is an underlying focal point in this story of a bride for Isaac. Without Rebekah going to “the well” she never gets to be Isaac’s wife. This well, which is called “the well” eight times here in GENESIS 24, doesn’t have a name like some other famous wells of scripture. However “the well” here in this story of a bride for Isaac really does have a name. Many of you already know this well’s name. “The well” in our story is figurative of The Word of God! According to REVELATION 19:13 The Word of God is Jesus!! Jesus is “the well!”
The next few verses explain the importance of “the well,” and how it factors into Rebekah becoming the bride of Isaac. Abraham’s servant while waiting at “the well” prayed: GENESIS 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. Abraham’s servant was requesting an extraordinary event to happen “this day” in verse 12. In verse 13 we find Abraham’s servant standing by “the well.” The Holy Ghost always stands by “the well” of the word of God. In reality Eliezer later in this chapter will be the guide to Rebekah that leads her to Isaac. As this applies to us, in reality the Holy Ghost is the agency of the trinity that will guide us into all truth, and glorifies our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and shows us things to come. It will take the leading and guiding of the Holy Ghost to be in the Bride of Christ! Eliezer was there at “the well” of water with His caravan of camels patiently waiting to be properly received. He wasn’t going to barge into Rebekah’s life.
Also in verse 13 Eliezer mentions the word “daughters” in his request to God, and then in verse 14 he nails down his request to just one daughter that he is looking for. The word “daughters” here is number 01323 (bath) in the Hebrew Strong’s Concordance, and is significant here in that it (01323) is used eight times in this 24th chapter. Study this chapter closely and you will also find that Rebekah is referred to as “wife” to Isaac eight times in this chapter, and recall one of the meanings for the number eight is BRIDE! Again Rebekah in this chapter is typical of the Bride of Christ. One of the meanings of this Hebrew word for daughters is “the apple of the eye.” Eliezer was asking God to narrow down the choice for bride to Isaac to the apple of His eye!
All the requests of Eliezer’s prayer were answered down to the last detail in verses 15 through 19. And it came to pass while he was praying that Rebekah came down to “the well” with her pitcher, her empty vessel, to receive more living water to quench her thirst. To quench our thirsty soul we too need to come to “the well” of the Word of God, for as JEREMIAH 17:13 tells us the LORD is the fountain of living waters! Rebekah had been down to “the well” hundreds of times in her life, but this time when she came up from “the well” Eliezer, who was looking for a wife for Isaac, met her! Of course Rebekah didn’t yet know that, but in type this was the day she received the Holy Ghost. It takes the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives to reveal the deeper truths of the Word of God to us, and to reveal God’s plan for us, the bridal message, which is found in Paul’s gospel.
There was a series of tests Eliezer requested both of Abraham, and of God to prove the correct damsel was chosen to be the bride for Isaac. The word “damsel” is found five times in GENESIS 24 showing us GRACE. Jesus was full of grace, and truth, and His joint-heir wife will be too. Eliezer had asked Abraham in verse 5: “what if the woman will not be willing to follow me?” And Abraham’s answer boiled down to this; if she wouldn’t be willing to follow, then Eliezer would be free from this oath. The lesson for us is if we can’t follow our guide, the Holy Ghost, then how could we ever know all truth, and how could we ever be found in that small rib portion company known as the Bride of Christ? So Eliezer asked the Lord God of his master Abraham in verse 14 ...let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. Rebekah passed this test with flying colors.
GENESIS 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. Notice that Rebekah acknowledged Abraham’s servant as “my lord.” Here we see Rebekah willingly serving. In type she was really serving the Lord. In reality she was serving a stranger. She saw the need of others, and putting aside her own needs, she took the time to help. She had no alternative motive(s) in mind, but rather she showed that she had compassion towards others, even towards a complete stranger.
A statement made concerning the bride is made in THE SONG OF SOLOMON 4:15 that says: (thou art) ....A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Jesus said in JOHN 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) I am going to read a quote from Alice Mooneyhan: “The Holy Spirit becomes within as this abundant supply of living waters. In order to please Christ perfectly, we are always seeking the good of others.” Rebekah in GENESIS 24 pictures the Bride of Christ, who displays this quality.
GENESIS 24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. Recall Abraham’s servant had ten camels, which were subject unto him. In my research I learned that one camel can drink as much as 53 gallons of water a day, so potentially these ten camels were capable of drinking 530 gallons of water!! Imagine ten ugly camels fighting for position to get a drink out of a watering trough, thus we can see why Rebekah ran to the well to draw water, and she did so repeatedly until all the camels had done drinking. She was a racecourse runner. Little did she realize as she was watering these camels that one day they would all be hers, in fact she had already accepted them as hers. Also at this time she had no idea as she watered these camels that they would be the ones that carried her unto her future husband Isaac. Nor did she realize as she watered these camels that without them she would not be a bride to Isaac, in fact at this time she had no idea who Isaac was. Rebekah didn’t know that the camels figure the many trials along the full overcomers pathway, or that the camels speak of all the providences of the will God that come to us, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, and that generally speaking the camels emphasize the unpleasant providences of God, but we know that camels are figurative of the daily events and situations that come to our lives to bring us to the point of being a full overcomer, that is if we are interested in obtaining God’s best. If we suffer with Him, we will reign with Him 2 TIMOTHY 2:12 tells us, so we note that Rebekah acknowledges the camels, and in watering them she was accepting them into her life, even though she didn’t know at this present time that this was what she was doing.
The proposal began at “the well” as is noted in GENESIS 24:22 & 23 -- And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? How valuable were these golden ornaments? Let me answer like this, how valuable is exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think? The value of what Rebekah received at “the well” is of course priceless. Likewise the exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think value we receive from “the well” of the Word of God is priceless. Also priceless is the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus (EPHESIANS 2:7), and the riches of His glory, and His endless enrichments in all things in Christ Jesus.
Reading the rest of the story here in GENESIS 24 we find that Abraham’s servant, and the men that were with him, were indeed given lodging that night in the house of Bethuel, whose name means: “point ye out God,” “man of God,” or “dweller in God,” and Bethuel was Rebekah’s father. Abraham’s servant explained the purpose of his journey, then we read in GENESIS 24:49 Abraham’s servant saying: And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken. Jumping ahead to verse 56 we find Eliezer once again speaking: And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
For Rebekah this whole adventure of her lifetime began when she went to “the well.” GENESIS 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. The word “took” here means: to take a wife. Let this speak to us like this: The Holy Ghost was sent from God the Father as Jesus said in JOHN 14:16, and He was sent to be a guide unto us, to bring us into all truth, and as the Apostle Paul taught us, to make us ready to be a joint-heir wife unto Jesus Christ! Rebekah followed Eliezer unto the way of another well. GENESIS 24:62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi;... . Lahairoi means: “unto the Living One seeing me.” The reality is the Living One has been seeing His Bride from before the foundation of the world according to EPHESIANS 1:4.
Now we have to finish this story of a bride for Isaac. GENESIS 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. Isaac knew the mission of Eliezer, and Eliezer had revealed unto Rebekah on this long journey all he could of who Isaac was. GENESIS 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. In verse 65 Eliezer answered “It is my master,” but wasn’t Abraham Eliezer’s master? We get our simplest answer in GENESIS 25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. We find this phrase “my master” nineteen times in this 24th chapter of GENESIS; thirty-three times total in scripture. Nineteen is the number of FAITH, and thirty-three is the number of PROMISE. Rebekah stepped out in FAITH and followed the leading of Eliezer with the PROMISE that she would become bride to Isaac. Eliezer was Isaac’s servant, and he was now Rebekah’s servant, but he had been her servant ever since she called him “my lord” at “the well!!!”
You too came to “the well” this morning, and took a drink of the living water from the Word of God. Truly “the well” is indeed deep, and holds an endless supply of the water of life. We find in one drink from “the well” in PHILIPPIANS 4:19 that ...my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. There is a rib portion few from the body of Christ, who, like Rebekah, come to “the well,” and hear the proposal to be wife to Jesus. Will you go? Will you ride the camel He sent for you, and follow the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit as He brings you to finish your course with joy? Will you be His wife who hath made herself ready? Take in all you can from “the well,” it will be refreshing to your soul! The Word of God is “the well;” the Word of God is Jesus!! Jesus is “the well!”
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