Genesis 24:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD

NIV: Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

NASB: Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord.

CSB: Then the man knelt low, worshiped the Lord,

NLT: The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord.

KJV: And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

NKJV: Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.

Abraham's unnamed servant demonstrates more faith and faithfulness to the Lord than many other men and women in Scripture who had direct contact with God. Not only does the servant pray for God to give success to his mission, he recognizes that God has done exactly as he asked. Before moving on, he stops right in the middle of this conversation with Rebekah and worships the Lord.

Most of us realize how uncharacteristic this is even among the people of God. We may be humble enough to ask for help, for success in our efforts, to overcome an obstacle. We are much less likely to be quick to give God credit when He grants our request and to stop long enough to worship Him in response to His kindness to us.

Genesis 24:10–27 follows Abraham's servant from Canaan to Mesopotamia on his mission to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's people. Arriving at the town of Nahor, the servant prays that God will reveal the right woman by allowing her to be the one to offer to water his ten camels without being asked. A young woman named Rebekah immediate does exactly that. When the servant learns this young woman is also the granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, he quickly worships God for bringing him to the right woman in so little time.

Abraham asks his most trusted servant to travel to his former homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. Swearing to do so, the servant arrives at the city of Nahor and asks the Lord to show him which young women is appointed for Isaac. Finding Rebekah, the very granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, the servant reveals the reason for his journey to her family. Her father Bethuel and brother Laban agree to allow Rebekah to travel to Canaan and marry Isaac, which she does.

Genesis 24 takes place a few years after Sarah has died. Abraham becomes urgent to find Isaac a wife, not among the women of Canaan, but from his own people back in Mesopotamia. His trusted servant, sent to accomplish this mission with the help of the Lord, eventually returns with Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's own brother. Isaac is married to her at the age of 40. Abraham's death is recorded in the following chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/4/2024 4:10:45 PM