THE WELL AND THE CAMELS
This chapter has been used for profit over the years, especially as to the servant. I know that the servant is typical of the Holy Spirit, but I would like to speak about other things here that are typical of the Holy Spirit – the well and the camels. Rebecca was not the product of the servant; Rebecca was the product of the well, because the servant found her. The servant is typical of the Spirit personally, as presented in John 14, 15 and 16, especially chapter 16, as sent out with a purpose; whereas the well suggests the Spirit more as resource to be drawn upon. The well was available, but Rebecca had to commit herself to draw from the well. It was her action, her initiative, and that is so important as far as I can see. The servant found Rebecca at the well, where he expected to find such a person. It says that he came to the city “at the time of the evening, when the women came out to draw water”. He expected and he found Rebecca there, because of drawing from the well, to take advantage and get the benefit of the resource that was there in the well. So for us, the Holy Spirit is always available, but it is a matter of applying ourselves and drawing from Him. It is more this side, as far as I can see: he servant is more the Spirit personally; the well is more like living by the Spirit and walking by the Spirit (Gal 5: 25), and sowing to the Spirit, Gal 6: 8. It is what we do, it is what Rebecca did, what she committed herself to, and no doubt was consistent in. She lived through the well, she came every evening to draw water; water was needed for refreshment and for drinking, and also for cleansing, for washing. That was her application, and it formed a constitution, a spiritual constitution. And that I believe is how we form a spiritual constitution by drawing from the Holy Spirit as available to us as a constant unfailing resource to be drawn upon and to live and walk by: doing things by the Spirit – Paul speaks about that: “if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body”, Rom 8: 13. It is making use of the power of the Spirit to be formed in a certain character as Rebecca was. And she became available to the servant, as the Spirit personally, to be taken to Isaac. I wanted to emphasise the importance of the well, as underlying Rebecca’s character. She was “was very fair in countenance; a virgin”, and so on, but that is because she lived daily drawing from the Spirit as resource. So we become available to the Spirit, and available to Isaac, that is to the Lord Jesus Christ for His pleasure.
Now that is one side of the matter; the other side is the camels. This is the power to move: “And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master” (v 10), enough camels to bring the servant and his men to Rebecca, and enough camels to take the servant and his men, and Rebecca and her maids back. The same power that brought the servant to the well is the same power that carried Rebecca to Isaac. It says where we read that “Isaac had gone out to meditate in the fields toward the beginning of evening”—to meditate, there is a vacancy in the heart of Isaac which Rebecca was going to fill. Rebecca’s name means ‘captivating’ and we see in the verses we have read that through the servant’s leading, she is captivated by Isaac; and Isaac is captivated by Rebecca. What Isaac saw was the camels coming, in other words, the power to carry Rebecca and her maidens to this place. “Isaac had gone out to meditate in the fields toward the beginning of evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were coming”. We need the Spirit as carrying power. It says, “in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man”, Eph 3: 16. Rebecca represents the “inner man” but “strengthened with power”: how important the power of the Spirit is to be carried all the way to Isaac. Now of course, Rebecca is typical of the assembly, but she also represents the personnel. So that we are those who come to the well, to be strengthened by the Spirit; and then this power to transport. Attention has recently been drawn to 1 Chronicles 15: 22, where the footnote says that the music speaks of transport; it is this power to be carried, and for that we depend on the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord help us in these things, for His Name’s sake.
EDINBURGH
____________________