There is power in your serve. This is a very powerful concept taken from the story of Rebecca in the Bible. (Genesis 24)
Today I will begin a series on the message that is available on CD at http://mfcbookstore.bigcartel.com/product/saved-to-serve-by-pastor-rena-perozich-cd-single
The story of Eliezer’s challenge is a familiar one. Abraham sent Eliezer off with a task, “Find a suitable wife for my son Isaac.” How, though, could Eliezer be secure in the knowledge that the woman he chose would indeed measure up to the standards of the saintly Isaac?
To ensure that he would find the young woman, Eliezer came up with a plan. Hence was born the famous “camel test”: After his long travels, Eliezer would ask a young maiden for a sip of water, and if she offered to provide water for his camels as well, she would be the one!
When Eliezer and his men arrived at the well, they had with them many camels, so they’d be able to escort the future bride and all her possessions and servants back to Isaac. Surrounded by a group of able-bodied men, Eliezer did not appear as a helpless, weary chap begging for a drink. And Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, the ruler of Aram Naharaim, was a young woman of nobility, not a poor servant girl accustomed to lugging water from wells. But this is precisely where Eliezer was able to get a glimpse of the righteous Rebecca. From the moment he requested to take a sip from her jug, her generosity and greatness radiated in the most discreet and unassuming manner.
First, that boundless chesed came forth. Rebecca immediately gave him a drink, then offered and drew water for all his camels. She saw an opportunity to do something kind, and swiftly went to work. She didn’t question or consider whether she was really needed; instead, she energetically continued filling multiple troughs with water, until the job of satisfying a whole herd of thirsty camels was completed . . . while Eliezer and his men watched her work unassisted. She had one motivation: to give to someone else with kindness. That intense desire to reach out to others and to jump at the prospect of being of service matched the profile of Abraham’s family.
Eliezer had watched her fill a jug of water and place it on her shoulder. He ran over and asked to sip from it. Rebecca told him to drink, but hurriedly removed the jug from her shoulder to her hand and let him drink. The commentaries note that this quick move of lowering her jug was to secure a sense of modesty. Instead of a man sipping from a jug resting on her shoulder close to her face, she created a distance, so he would be drinking at an arm’s length away from her.
When he finished drinking, the jug was not yet empty, and she offered to give the camels water as well. With haste, she emptied the remainder of the jug into a trough. With haste, she emptied the remainder of the jug into a trough, and rushed to draw more water. This motion demonstrated her sensitivity. Had she simply spilled out the remainder of the water, she might have offended him, as if indicating by her action that he had contaminated it. On the other hand, it would be unsanitary for her or her family to use water from which a stranger had drunk. She wisely avoided either pitfall by quickly emptying the water into the trough, thus fulfilling her initial offer of providing the camels water as well.
When examining the details of what transpired during this “camel test,” then, Rebecca’s natural devotion, modesty, sensitivity, responsibility and work ethic are readily apparent.
However, at first glance, Eliezer’s conduct seems surprising. After seeing that Rebecca passed his test, why did he stand by and just watch Rebecca laboriously and singlehandedly provide water for all his camels?
Indeed, Eliezer considered this part of the test. There are those who make generous offers but do an inadequate job, quit, or don’t follow through completely. There are others who may do their job, but though they make no demands, they expect some form of compensation or gratitude.
How about you? Would you pass the Camel Test? Would you finish the task? Would you have be modest? These are questions we need to ask ourselves and then apply them to the generation in which we live and go a step further and model them for those who are watching us...
Tomorrow part 2 of there is Power in Your Serve.
Today I will begin a series on the message that is available on CD at http://mfcbookstore.bigcartel.com/product/saved-to-serve-by-pastor-rena-perozich-cd-single
The story of Eliezer’s challenge is a familiar one. Abraham sent Eliezer off with a task, “Find a suitable wife for my son Isaac.” How, though, could Eliezer be secure in the knowledge that the woman he chose would indeed measure up to the standards of the saintly Isaac?
To ensure that he would find the young woman, Eliezer came up with a plan. Hence was born the famous “camel test”: After his long travels, Eliezer would ask a young maiden for a sip of water, and if she offered to provide water for his camels as well, she would be the one!
When Eliezer and his men arrived at the well, they had with them many camels, so they’d be able to escort the future bride and all her possessions and servants back to Isaac. Surrounded by a group of able-bodied men, Eliezer did not appear as a helpless, weary chap begging for a drink. And Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, the ruler of Aram Naharaim, was a young woman of nobility, not a poor servant girl accustomed to lugging water from wells. But this is precisely where Eliezer was able to get a glimpse of the righteous Rebecca. From the moment he requested to take a sip from her jug, her generosity and greatness radiated in the most discreet and unassuming manner.
First, that boundless chesed came forth. Rebecca immediately gave him a drink, then offered and drew water for all his camels. She saw an opportunity to do something kind, and swiftly went to work. She didn’t question or consider whether she was really needed; instead, she energetically continued filling multiple troughs with water, until the job of satisfying a whole herd of thirsty camels was completed . . . while Eliezer and his men watched her work unassisted. She had one motivation: to give to someone else with kindness. That intense desire to reach out to others and to jump at the prospect of being of service matched the profile of Abraham’s family.
Eliezer had watched her fill a jug of water and place it on her shoulder. He ran over and asked to sip from it. Rebecca told him to drink, but hurriedly removed the jug from her shoulder to her hand and let him drink. The commentaries note that this quick move of lowering her jug was to secure a sense of modesty. Instead of a man sipping from a jug resting on her shoulder close to her face, she created a distance, so he would be drinking at an arm’s length away from her.
When he finished drinking, the jug was not yet empty, and she offered to give the camels water as well. With haste, she emptied the remainder of the jug into a trough. With haste, she emptied the remainder of the jug into a trough, and rushed to draw more water. This motion demonstrated her sensitivity. Had she simply spilled out the remainder of the water, she might have offended him, as if indicating by her action that he had contaminated it. On the other hand, it would be unsanitary for her or her family to use water from which a stranger had drunk. She wisely avoided either pitfall by quickly emptying the water into the trough, thus fulfilling her initial offer of providing the camels water as well.
When examining the details of what transpired during this “camel test,” then, Rebecca’s natural devotion, modesty, sensitivity, responsibility and work ethic are readily apparent.
However, at first glance, Eliezer’s conduct seems surprising. After seeing that Rebecca passed his test, why did he stand by and just watch Rebecca laboriously and singlehandedly provide water for all his camels?
Indeed, Eliezer considered this part of the test. There are those who make generous offers but do an inadequate job, quit, or don’t follow through completely. There are others who may do their job, but though they make no demands, they expect some form of compensation or gratitude.
How about you? Would you pass the Camel Test? Would you finish the task? Would you have be modest? These are questions we need to ask ourselves and then apply them to the generation in which we live and go a step further and model them for those who are watching us...
Tomorrow part 2 of there is Power in Your Serve.
RSS Feed