Genesis 24:65
and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "It is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
and asked the servant,

Rebekah turned to Abraham’s servant as the trusted guide who had brought her from Mesopotamia to the land promised to Abraham. Having witnessed God’s direction in the journey and in Rebekah’s willingness to come, the servant now leads her to the final meeting with Isaac.

Rut 2:5-7 And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters…
2Ki 5:25-26 When Gehazi went in and stood before his master,……

“Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

Isaac had gone out into the field to meditate as evening approached (Genesis 24:63), and his coming to meet the caravan reveals his expectation of the servant’s return. Rebekah’s question marks the moment when God’s providence brings together the son of promise and the woman chosen to become his wife.

Gen 37:15-17 A man found him wandering in the field and asked,…
1Sa 17:48 As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David…

“It is my master,” the servant answered.

The servant had faithfully carried out Abraham’s charge, seeking neither his own advancement nor another outcome than the Lord’s leading. Isaac, Abraham’s heir and the appointed bearer of the covenant line, now receives the bride whom God had provided.

Jhn 13:16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater…
Mat 10:24-25 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant…

So she took her veil and covered herself.

Rebekah’s veiling expressed modesty and honor as she approached Isaac. Her action marked the solemn transition into her new household and anticipated the marriage through which the covenant family would continue.

Gen 38:14-15 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face…
1Co 11:5-6 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Rebekah
A young woman from Mesopotamia, chosen by God to be Isaac's wife. Her actions in this verse demonstrate modesty and respect.

2. Isaac
The son of Abraham, who is in the field meditating when Rebekah arrives. He represents the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.

3. The Servant
Likely Eliezer of Damascus, Abraham's trusted servant, who was sent to find a wife for Isaac. He plays a crucial role in ensuring God's plan is fulfilled.

4. The Field
The setting where Isaac and Rebekah first meet, symbolizing a place of divine encounter and fulfillment of God's promises.

5. The Veil
A symbol of modesty and cultural practice, indicating Rebekah's readiness to enter into the covenant of marriage.
Teaching Points
Modesty and Respect
Rebekah's act of covering herself with a veil is a demonstration of modesty and respect, which are timeless virtues for believers.

Divine Guidance
The meeting of Isaac and Rebekah is orchestrated by God, reminding us of His sovereignty and the importance of seeking His guidance in our relationships.

Cultural Sensitivity
Understanding and respecting cultural practices, as Rebekah did, can be important in our witness and relationships with others.

Preparation for Marriage
Rebekah's actions show readiness and willingness to enter into a covenant relationship, highlighting the importance of preparation and commitment in marriage.

Faith in Action
The entire journey of Rebekah and the servant is a testament to faith in action, encouraging believers to trust and obey God's leading.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Rebekah's action of covering herself with a veil reflect her character and values? How can we apply similar principles of modesty and respect in our lives today?

2. In what ways does the meeting of Isaac and Rebekah demonstrate God's providence? Can you think of a time when you saw God's hand guiding your relationships?

3. How does the cultural practice of veiling relate to the biblical teachings on modesty found in the New Testament? How can we apply these teachings in a modern context?

4. What can we learn from the servant's role in this account about being faithful and obedient to God's calling in our lives?

5. How does the account of Isaac and Rebekah's meeting encourage us to trust in God's timing and plan for our lives, especially in the area of relationships and marriage?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 2:24
The union of Isaac and Rebekah reflects the biblical principle of leaving and cleaving, as established in the creation account.

Proverbs 31:10-31
Rebekah's actions can be seen as embodying the virtues of a godly woman, as described in the Proverbs 31 passage.

1 Peter 3:3-4
Rebekah's modesty in covering herself aligns with New Testament teachings on the inner beauty and modesty of women.
The Unfolding of the Divine PurposeR.A. Redford Genesis 24
People
Abraham, Aram, Bethuel, Canaanites, Isaac, Laban, Milcah, Nahor, Rebekah, Sarah
Places
Beer-lahai-roi, Hebron, Mesopotamia, Nahor, Negeb
Topics
Covered, Covereth, Covering, Face, Field, Fields, Herself, Master, Meet, Servant, Taketh, Vail, Veil, Walketh, Walking, Yonder
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 24:65

     5146   covering
     5150   face
     5195   veil
     5742   wedding

Library
Guidance in the Way
'I being in the way, the Lord led me.'--GENESIS xxiv. 27. So said Abraham's anonymous servant when telling how he had found Rebekah at the well, and known her to be the destined bride of his master's servant. There is no more beautiful page, even amongst the many lovely ones in these ancient stories, than this domestic idyll of the mission of the faithful servant from far Canaan across the desert. The homely test by which he would determine that the maiden should be pointed out to him, the glimpse
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

No Compromise
The faithful servant of Abraham, before he started, communed with his master; and this is a lesson to us, who go on our Lord's errands. Let us, before we engage in actual service, see the Master's face, talk with him, and tell to him any difficulties which occur to our minds. Before we get to work, let us know what we are at, and on what footing we stand. Let us hear from our Lord's own mouth what he expects us to do, and how far he will help us in the doing of it. I charge you, my fellow-servants,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888

If, Therefore, Even they who are United in Marriage Only for the Purpose Of...
22. If, therefore, even they who are united in marriage only for the purpose of begetting, for which purpose marriage was instituted, are not compared with the Fathers, seeking their very sons in a way far other than do these; forasmuch as Abraham, being bidden to slay his son, fearless and devoted, spared not his only son, whom from out of great despair he had received [1997] save that he laid down his hand, when He forbade him, at Whose command he had lifted it up; it remains that we consider,
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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