PEN ART - A WINTER LOVE STORY

It is traditional to tell the story of Eshter during the time of Purim.  Have you ever pondered this beautiful love story?  Here it is for everyone to read only a few weeks before we come to the celebration of Purim.  It would be good to re-read it on that day and firmly plant it's happenings inside your mind's eye; for many say the message is very prophetic.  Read it for yourself and decide:

THE STORY OF ESTHER AND THE KING

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Once upon a time in the great land of Persia there lived a king named Achashveyrosh.   Please don't worry if you are unable to pronounce his name the Jewish way, just say Xerxes instead, which is the Persian translation.  Xerxes is a lot easier to roll off the tongue.  There were actually three generations of kings named Xerxes, and Achashveyrosh was one of these three.

Of course every king has a beautiful queen, and Xerxes had Vashti.

In the third year of his reign Xerxes threw quite a lavish party. It lasted for 180 days.  The food was abundant and the wine flowed freely.  The crowd that the king invited to come grew in progression.  First he invited all the people of his court, then he invited all the dignitaries of the area, then he opened wide the doors of the palace to all the people of the capitol city of Shushan.

Xerxes wanted the beautiful Vashti to appear before him at the feast so that he could show off her excellent beauty.  For some reason, and there are many different theories about her reasons, Vashti refused to come before the king.  This blatant, public refusal made the king very angry.  His subjects and chief advisors did not make matters any easier for the king.  The advisor, named Haman, insisted that the Queen's refusal to the King meant disaster to every household in the kingdom.  She was setting a very wrong example for the other wives.  If the King could not even control the actions of the Queen, how on earth could any of his subjects keep order in their own homes?  One has to wonder about the motives of Haman even this early in the story.  Was he jealous of the queen's power over the king?  Did he fear being found out by her?  No matter; what was done was done.  Haman kept insisting that this was a terrible problem, and he suggested that the King set a good example for the kingdom and do away with Vashti.  Giving in to the peer pressure of his subjects, the King ordered that Vashti be banished from the kingdom.  Some even believe that she was put to death.

When the party was over and the King was sober,  he deeply regretted his hasty decision.  Now he was a very lonely King with no one beautiful to gaze upon.  As a matter of fact, he had to look at the ugly faces of his royal staff day in and day out.  He missed the beautiful Vashti.  The greedy ambitious Haman probably noticed this and wondered if he had made a grave mistake.  Perhaps the king would turn on him because of this lonely state which the King was in.  As he watched the king mope around the palace a plan was formed to change the situation before it had time to get out of Haman's control.  The king was quickly advised and convinced that he should search the kingdom high and low for the most beautiful girl in the land and make her his new queen.  Scouts who were experts on beauty were sent out to the far corners of the city to gather all the most beautiful young maidens and bring them to be prepared to meet the king. 

The king had an employee named Mordecai.  Mordecai was a Jew, but the King had not really paid any attention to this fact.   Mordecai had stayed in Babylon instead of returning to Jerusalem as part of the remnant of the Jewish people who had taken advantage of the decree from King Cyrus which released them from captivity.   Mordecai had stayed in Babylon and he had been blessed in the land of Persia.  He was prosperous in the employment of the King, and he had used his prosperity to raise up his beautiful niece.  Many historians have wondered whether he was also secretly using his prosperity in the land to secretly fund the return of more exiles to the homeland.   

Mordecai had adopted his uncle's daughter.  She was named Hadassah.  This Jewish name

meant "myrtle."  It was the Jewish tradition in those days for the myrtle flower to be worn on the head of a bride at a wedding feast.  The Jewish women loved the myrtle flower, and Hadassah's mother and father had given her this lovely name probably hoping that it would bring her favor with God. 

While living with Mordecai in the land of Persia, she was called Esther. Esther was the Persian translation of Hadassah.  Most Persian names were perversions of Jewish names and picked to honor pagan gods.  However, the Persian name despite its perversions did mean "a star."  It was said that Esther was as beautiful as the morning star and legend has it that Mordecai often quoted Psalm 22 to her, which was instructed by David to be used as The Chief Musician played a song called The Hind of The Morning, which is just another way of describing The Glory of God and the hope that it brings.  

Esther was raised up to put her hope and trust in God and to wait for the Messiah that David gave prophecy to in this Psalm written one thousand years before the Messiah was born.  I like to believe that the words of David and the Messianic psalm were often sung from the lips of this beautiful young maiden as she went about the chores of her daily life in the House of Mordecai. 

Esther's mother and father had been assassinated by cruel men who were Agagites, the hateful descendants of King Agag.  These men hated the Jews.  They were a cold, hateful and murderous people who considered it an honor to kill anyone of Jewish descent.  Haman, from Xerxes court, was also an Agagite.  Esther's father's name was Abihail.  He was a Benjamite.  The Benjamites were hated more than any other tribe by the Agagites.  It was this tragic hatred that brought Esther to be an orphan and eventually find her home with Mordecai. God is continually working for good in all things, even tragedy.

Mordecai loved Esther as if she were born to him.   He was careful to raise her well.  Mordecai was known in the gates and among the Jews left in Persia for his excellent knowledge of the scriptures.  Esther had been taught the scriptures from the day she came to live with Mordecai.  She was raised to honor and keep the commandments of God.  These things were reflected in her demeanor, in her dress, in her diet, in her daily habits in every way.  She was devoted to prayer and seeking God's will in all that she did.  In Mordecai's house they lived as devout Jews, but Mordecai did not flaunt his Jewishness in the court of the Persian King where he did his work.  He simply used his prosperity to the glory of God and went humbly about his days. 

One day Esther's quiet life in the house of Mordecai was disrupted by the King's beauty experts scouting the land for the most beautiful virgins for the King.  They had seen Esther in the streets, and they had noticed her great beauty.  They had followed her home, and Mordecai was quickly informed that she had a great destiny to fulfill at the palace.  She seemed to have no choice in the matter.  As they took the trembling Esther away Mordecai only had time to whisper one word of caution to her; "do not reveal your true identity to these people, do not tell them of your Jewish heritage."  He was probably thinking of her safety, knowing the evil Agagites, such as Haman, who worked in the court of the King.  Mordecai had learned to protect himself from these men, but Esther was innocent of such hatred.  He quickly advised her, and she was gone.  The house of Mordecai must have felt very lonely that night.

 

Before Esther could imagine what was happening to her she was whisked off to live among the other concubines of the King.  She was to spend months preparing to meet her day of destiny.  There was a whole staff of servants who were masters of beauty preparations for the women of the King's court.  Esther was given a choice of what she would like to adorn herself with when her time came to go to the King.  She very wisely passed on the gaudy bangles and babbles the other girls were grabbing.  She asked her advisor what would please the King.  He was amazed, as this was such a wise question which no other maiden had ever even thought to ask.  He immediately recognized the fact that Esther was special, different, one who could handle the life of royalty.  He chose a simple necklace for her.  It turned out to be the one that her parents had given her at birth which made a reflection of The Star of David when held to the light, one that had been taken from her when her parents were murdered.  Esther was amazed at this, but she said nothing.  By some miracle her very own necklace had made its way to the treasury of the King and by chance or destiny; this will forever remain a mystery; it had made its way back to the possession of Esther.  

She did not reveal this secret to anyone, but she took the necklace and cherished it and wore it close to her heart everyday after.  She returned to days and days and days of beauty preparations.  The King's advisers  tried to get her to eat the King's rich food, but she refused, preferring to maintain her simple kosher diet of fruit and vegetables and to abstain from forbidden foods.  She was able to hide in the chambers of the palace for a long time, then one night she was called to the King's chambers. 

Legend has it that the King compared everyone to the portrait of Vashti hanging across from his couch. When each new maiden arrived he would have them stand in front of it.  He compared their beauty to Vasti's and no one could ever equal or surpass it.  No one that is, until Esther.  

When Esther stood before the King he did not even notice Vashti's portrait, for Esther's beauty was far more beautiful and she took his breath away.  The portrait of Vashti was removed and never returned after the King laid eyes on Esther.  He fell instantly in love with her and soon asked her to be his queen.

So the little Jewish girl became the Queen of Persia, all the while remembering Mordecai's advice and never revealing her nationality.  Esther retired to a quiet life in the court of the Queen, going into the King's chambers whenever he chose to summon her.  Mordecai visited her whenever he could. 

One day Mordecai was sitting in the King's gates when he overheard an evil plot of the king's chamberlains to assassinate the king.  He quickly went to Esther and told her of this plot in order to save the life of the king.  Because Esther was quick to take Mordecai's vigilant message to the King, the plot was foiled.  Mordecai's service and loyalty were duly recorded in the king's royal diary, called The Chronicles of The King. 
   
Soon the selection of a new queen, and the heroic deeds of Mordecai were forgotten by the kingdom.  The talk of the kingdom was all about Haman.  The wicked man had been very successful and he had gained much power in the kingdom.  The king had appointed him to be Prime Minister of Persia.  Haman decided, since he had been given such a rise in power, that everyone should bow to him.  Most did bow, but Mordecai, knowing Haman's wicked heart, refused to bow to him.  This made Haman very angry and he quickly went to the King, knowing that Mordecai was a Jew, and asked the King to authorize a royal decree to annihilate the Jews from the land.  Haman cast lots to determine the day this was to happen.  It was decreed to be Adar 13 of the coming year.  On this day all Jews were to be executed and wiped off the map of every province and every nation of the earth. 

Mordecai, hearing the evil intentions of Haman sent a message to Queen Esther.  He told her the plot of Haman and asked her to go to the King on behalf of the Jews. The time had come for Esther to reveal her identity.

Esther had not been called to the side of the King for at least a month.  She was terrified to receive the news of this horrid plot from Mordecai.  There was a strictly enforced rule that no one could see the king uninvited, not even the Queen.  Being a woman of faith and prayer, Esther fasted and prayed for three days.  She asked the servants who waited on her to fast and pray with her.  Then she bravely gathered her courage and set out to see the King. 

In an amazing act, totally unexpected by the court, the King not only spared Esther's life, but offered her up to half the kingdom to express her wishes to him.  

All she asked initially was that the King and Haman join her for dinner.  Of course they did, and the King once again inquired of his Bride to know her wishes.  Her only reply was to tell him that she was planning another banquet and she wished for him to attend and to bring Haman along with him.  Deeply curious by now, and intrigued by this little string of events, the King once again agreed.

Haman was feeling so important!  Being invited to a private banquet of the King and Queen twice in one week!  Who else had ever been given such an honor?  He swelled with pride.  He bragged in the streets of his great position in the kingdom.  He went home and told his family how powerful he was and how rich and famous they were in the land. 

After the second banquet, in which Esther requested just one more audience to reveal her request to the King, Haman could not contain himself.  He was invited once again!  His head was as big as a house, and he could barely hold his three cornered hat on his head because of his swelling pride.  He hurried home to do some more bragging, but on the way he met Mordecai in the street.

Of course, Mordecai did not bow to him and Haman's anger outweighed his pride.  In his rage he decided to build a gallows with which to hang Mordecai.  He planned to speak to the King about this the very next morning.  He wanted to get Mordecai out of his way for good so he could go on and enjoy the rest of his day while he banqueted with the King and Esther again.

Pride always comes before a fall, and Haman was no exception to the rule.  

That night the King could not sleep.  Since he would be awake anyway, he ordered the Book of Chronicles that documented his reign to be brought in and read to him until he found himself sleepy.  It just so happened that the reader turned to the page that documented the day that Mordecai exposed a plot to assassinate the King.  This reminded the king that the good man, Mordecai,  had not been rewarded for his good deed.  The King determined to set the record straight.  No good deed to the King should ever go unrewarded. 

As Haman arrived the next morning anxious to get on with the murder of Mordecai, the King asked him a question.  "What should be done for the man the King delights to honor?"  Haman's pride went into overtime and he mistakenly thought the king was referring to him.  

Haman loved to be honored publicly, so he quickly answered that such a man should be brought a royal robe that the King himself had worn, and a horse that the King himself had ridden, and a royal crest should be placed upon this man's head, then one of the King's most trusted nobles should robe the man and lead him on the horse through the city streets proclaiming before him that "this is what is done for the man the King delights to honor!"

The King loved this idea!  

Imagine the horror of Haman as the King commanded him to get the robe and the horse and do just as he had described for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King's gate!
 
 Haman was between a rock and hard place.  He had to obey the king's commandment.  So he got Mordecai ready and lead him around the city proclaiming, "This is what is done for the man the King delights to honor."  It was a bad day for Haman, but things got progressively worse as the evening came.

It was time for the banquet with the King and Esther.  At a crucial point in the banquet Esther did share her request with the King.  First she declared that she was Jewish.  Next she begged the king to spare her people.  One of the attendants of the King told him of the gallows that Haman had built to have Mordecai hanged upon.  All of this made the King furious with Haman.  He ordered that Haman be hanged on his own gallows.

Esther's people were saved.  

The King could not reverse his decree, but he allowed the Jews to defend themselves.  

The King replaced Haman with Mordecai as Prime Minister, and Esther lived happily ever after in the kingdom surrounded by those that she loved.

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 64 - WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU WATER A STRANGER'S CAMELS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

We have seen such a beautiful picture of the early beginnings of God’s family in our study of Abraham and Isaac.  It is through their stories that we really begin to see a clearer and closer picture of the true love a Father can have for His Son.

The relationship that we see between Abraham and Isaac is clearly the relationship that The True Church should desire to share with God The Father.  When we hold a mirror up to Abraham and Isaac we see a shadow of their relationship that is to be our example of how to live out our own lives, knowing the ways of The One True God that their relationship reflects.  We see in them a beautiful, full colored type of that holy relationship between God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.    

In the section of their story where we studied the Akadah, we learned further how Abraham was a type and shadow of God and Isaac was a type and shadow of Yeshua, The Messiah.   In watching Abraham allow Isaac to be a living sacrifice to God we felt along with them some of the anguish that our Father in Heaven must have felt as He gave His only Son on the altar of the cross so that we might have eternal life.  God was willing to do that for us, just as Abraham was willing to give his son for all of mankind.  Abraham truly pondered whether Isaac could be the One promised to take away the sins of the world, but God decided to give His Own Son, Yeshua instead, and God spared the broken heart of Abraham and allowed His own heart to be broken instead.  As good as Isaac was, he was not the prefect sacrifice.  No One could do this but Jesus, Our Messiah.  Through the picture of God leading Abraham through this test, we see what all good fathers do for their sons; they would much rather feel the pain themselves than to see pain inflicted onto their sons.  Abraham was willing to offer up all he loved to God, as God eventually offered to Abraham.  

  God the Father loved this son from earth named Abraham too.  God loved all of Abraham's descendants so much that He was willing to sacrifice the best part of Himself in order to save them.  He also knew because this Son was perfect that He would obtain resurrection and live again.   Just like Isaac, Yeshua displayed that same awesome love of God for the children of the earth; a willingness to suffer pain for redemption out of love, a type of love where One is willing to lay down their life and put themselves aside for the sake of another.

  

Jesus was willing to lay His life down for us, just as Isaac was willing to be bound and slain on an altar.  They both acted out of the purest highest form of love that can exist.   It is the love that brings God and mankind together.  They both, along with their Fathers, understood the noble cause of great love and the necessity of sacrifice and redemption.  Abraham and Isaac acted on what they understood, what God had shown them in their limited humanity; that One would come and become the promised sacrifice to restore mankind to God and repair the rift between the great love of God for His creation.  All their lives they had longed to see this.  All that was done was done with wisdom and understanding and mostly with great love.   This fact of a need to repair the breach between God and man by offering sacrifice and redemption had been passed down through time from Adam and Eve, who learned it directly from God.  This Promised One who would come to be the perfect sacrifice would be the first step to bringing all of creation back to the abundant life man had enjoyed in the Garden of Eden with God.  It all had to happen to restore things, since evil had brought so much sin and death to the world, but God decided to play the sacrificial role instead of allowing men to keep trying to offer imperfect sacrifices that would never be enough to conquer the sins of mankind.  God allowed men grace and took the task unto Himself in love.  

If you ever learn anything at all about God, know that the thing that matters the most to Him is love.  Love is the answer to everything, and love is what He has given to us in all the highest forms that exist.  It was even condensed down to one final commandment; love God and love mankind.  

 

In these great stories of Abraham and Isaac, Father and Son, we are constantly reminded of the fact that there is nothing more wonderful than the love of a Father for a Son; except maybe that of the love of a Man for his Wife.  This is an even higher love.  It is a different kind of love.  It is a love that God wants us to understand.
  

As we follow the searching paths of Eliezer, that wise and faithful servant of Abraham, on his journey to find a wife for Isaac; we will see another great love story unfold.  This story shows the love of a Groom for His Bride.  It is beautiful in every aspect, and Eliezer is clearly a type of God's Holy Spirit doing the work of bringing about God's will, of making love happen in impossible circumstances and unexpected places.  

We do not want to go fast through these stories, but to take our time.  Every detail given is a shinning jewel to behold as a part of a beautiful story-necklace that shadows the love of Yeshua for His Bride; the true church.  

The preparation of the Bride of Christ begins with knowing and understanding this story of Rebekah and Isaac.  The story comes to us appropriately, during a time and season when we are counting the Omer and numbering the days that lead us up to Pentecost.  In these days and in this story God is showing us a picture of the working of The Holy Spirit in our own daily lives by showing us the lives of Isaac and Rebekah.  

It all starts with a servant going into a far country to seek a wife for the Son of his Master.  Is that not how God brings us all to Him?  He sends His servant, The Holy Spirit to draw us unto Him.  

The story takes place in a beautiful time of life for Isaac and Rebekah.  They were old enough to be wise adults, but young enough to enjoy the enticements of true love.  If you belong to God, you too have experienced such a time in your life and may even still be going through that time.  It is a period of courtship.  I am speaking of the time in a Christian’s walk with God that leads to the receiving of The Holy Spirit; the time when they become committed and officially “engaged” to Yeshua.  It is such a love story.  It is a love story very comparable to the story of Rebekah and Isaac.  So let us look deeply into their stories and let God begin to show us ourselves and exactly what He desires from us. 

The Bride for the Promised Son had to come from Abraham’s true family.  God seeks out those who are truly of His family too.  Isaac’s bride could not be one who would rebel against his ways and customs of worship; but one who could be taught by God to forsake the pagan customs of her birth and come into the ways of God that had been shown to Abraham by God, then taught to Isaac by Abraham and Sarah. 

Abraham stressed this one most important point over and over to Eliezer before he left to find Isaac a bride.  God's people cannot be birthed in paganism.  The descendant's of Abraham and Isaac were to be God's people. The perfect bride for the promised son could not and can not have a pagan heart.  She must be able to conform to and keep the ways of God and not the traditions of man and the world.  She must be willing to leave behind the traditions that she once knew in order to follow the traditions of God.  She must be able to set herself apart from those who follow the crowd and are so easily swayed in the wrong directions.  She must learn to follow God and God only.  Her traditions must be God's traditions and her ways must be God's ways.  

Abraham explained to Eliezer again and again that Isaac should never be allowed to leave the promised land where God had promised to bless him; and his bride should not be a pagan idol worshiper, but she should desire to stay close to her husband's side and believe in His God and follow His ways.  She should come from Abraham’s true family tree and be a teachable woman who would be true to the inspirations and ways that Isaac had learned from God.  

Perhaps Abraham was afraid he might die before Eliezer returned; because he was very, very careful to emphasize these things, not once, but many times. 

Eliezer, like all faithful servants, was very determined to stay true to his Master’s wishes.  As soon as possible he quickly prepared to do the task that Abraham had given him.  He had trained many other skillful servants to work with him and under him.  He had trained them well enough to be able to leave them in charge of his tasks whenever he needed to go away on business for the family.  This freed Eliezer to go without worry, to take care of his master’s business whenever it involved long periods of travel.  Oh that our own modern homes and lives today might be in the same order!  We have much to learn from the character traits of Eliezer.  

Some things just could not be trusted to outsiders, and Eliezer was always the one Abraham called upon in these times.  Eliezer was always ready and prepared for whatever Abraham needed whenever he needed it.  He loaded down ten of Abraham’s camels with all sorts of amazing gifts for the future bride of Isaac.  He then set out for Aram Naharaim or as some call it Paddan Aram, the town where Nahor, Abraham's brother lived.

 

When Eliezer arrived in the designated area he went to the town well and had his camels to kneel down.  Those camels must have been very, very tired and very, very thirsty.  They had come a long way to bring so many special gifts to a special bride.  We could tell many stories about the gifts that Abraham's camels carried to Issac's bride; they were indeed very special and abundant, but we must continue with the story at hand.  

It was just before the sunset, the time when the women left their houses to draw water from the town well for the next day, just before the twilight of evening and the changing of one day into another.

Abraham had previously advised Eliezer that an Angel of The LORD would go before him and prepare the way to find Rebekah.  That was all Eliezer knew, it was all he had to go on; otherwise his task seemed humanly impossible. So, as he sat with his camels all loaded down with many fine gifts beside the well; he prayed for that help to come.
 

“God of my master Abraham, make me successful today.  Show kindness to Abraham.  See I am standing beside this spring where the daughters of the town of Nahor are coming to draw water.  May it be that when I say to a young woman, “please let down your jar so that I may have a drink” and she says “Drink and I’ll water your camels too” that she will be the one You have chosen for your servant Isaac.”

And that was exactly how Eliezer knew Rebekah.  It was no sooner than he had finished praying and looked up that he saw a very beautiful young virgin coming toward the well with a jar on her shoulder in order to draw water.  He did not yet know, but she was the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milkah, who was the wife of Nahor; Abraham’s brother! 

Eliezer hurried to her side and asked “Please give me a drink from your jar.”

She gave him a drink, and to Eliezer’s delight she said “I’ll draw water for your camels too until they have had enough to drink.”  

She quietly filled her jar from the well, over and over, and emptied it into the trough for Abraham’s camels to drink.  Now just one camel alone can drink up to 20 gallons of water.  For ten camels to drink, Rebekah would have had to work at least an hour and probably longer.   As she did this Eliezer tried to observe everything about her to be sure that God had brought her to him for Isaac.  

Eliezer cared very little about this girl’s strikingly beautiful appearance; he was trying to discern her character.  Eliezer watched for beauty on the inside as well as beauty on the outside.  The character and beauty on the inside was definitely much more important and took high precedence over any outward appearance.  

It seems that Eliezer might have told his men not to help Rebekah so that he could see a true picture of her character.  There is no specific mention of the men during this time in the scriptures, but one can just visualize them sitting idly by, watching the beautiful Rebekah at work.

Watching her work hard to water his camels, Eliezer realized that Rebekah had a servant’s heart.  This was a very good trait in Eliezer’s opinion, and a very good qualification for the wife of Isaac.  She not only SAID she would water the camels; she moved quickly and went about the work, not waiting for Eliezer to protest her help, or for him to offer for his men to do the work. Rebekah went straight to the task, very willing to do all the work herself.  Rebekah did not even look up or question that  Eliezer's men did not leand a hand.   She did this random act of kindness straight from her heart, willingly, humbly, and as a free gift; even to a stranger.  

Eliezer knew that the gift of hospitality was very important to Abraham and Isaac.  It was the way that opened the door for them to show God's kindness, love and mercy to others.   They had practiced this godly trait throughout the land of Canaan, and Rebekah seemed to have the same natural instinct for making people feel welcomed and blessed.  

Eliezer must have watched her smile and greet the other villagers who came and went as she went about her work. He might have imagined by their attitude toward her that perhaps at one time or another she had done the same for some of these families too.    Eliezer must have seen that she put his comfort above her own, even though she did not even know him.

 

When Rebekah had finished watering his camels; Eliezer took out some very expensive jewelry and held it in his hands as he asked her; “Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”  

“Us” meant all of Eliezer's ten camels, Eliezer and the servants that tended to the camel on the journey.  After all,  there had to be one man to lead each camel, and at least one extra man to help Eliezer with loading and unloading and guiding them through the land.  There must have been at least eleven or more men who came with Eliezer to help bring the gifts of Isaac to his future bride.  

Does anything about that particular number sound familiar?  I think Yeshua also had eleven men who helped bring the gifts of God to His people!  Locating and obtaining the right bride for a noble son would involve using many loyal, well-trained and dedicated servants, all of them workmen who would follow closely and work specifically with the faithful and honored head servant of the Master.

Rebekah explained who her father and grandfather were, and she said they had plenty of room for Eliezer, his camels, and his servants to spend the night at their house.  

I have to pause here and ask a question of the reader.  What about your own house?  Do you have room for The Holy Spirit, the servant of God Most High, to come stay in your house?  Perhaps you own no house, perhaps you own nothing but  your own body; but is the body not a Tabernacle for The Holy Spirit of God to dwell in?  Is there room in the house of your soul to receive all the ways that God’s gifts come to you through this faithful servant of God called The Holy Spirit?  

Will you be a gracious receiver as Rebekah was?  When you look in the eyes of a stranger in your own hometown do you ask yourself if they are not a gift from God that may have come to bless your home?  Do you invite them to rest and be refreshed?  Are you open to hospitality like Rebekah was with Eliezer?

I think we all could take a lesson from Rebekah, I know I could.  This beautiful woman with the sincere servant's heart and the gift of hospitality was becoming more and more intriguing to Eliezer.

When Rebekah indicated that her father and grandfather were relatives of Abraham, Eliezer immediately bowed down to the ground and gave praise to God for leading him directly to the house of Abraham’s brother.  Rebekah was standing right beside him as he offered this prayer of thanks, and she was delighted to find that this stranger she had met was the servant of a member of her own family!  She quickly realized this could not be a coincidence.  She could not wait to tell her family this good news; for they would be pleased to know more of the life of Uncle Abraham who lived so far away!  Long distance communications were very hard in those days.  They had not heard from The House of Abraham in a long, long time.  Rebekah filled her jar one last time and went quickly to tell her family this good news.

Eliezer waited beside the spring while Rebekah ran to tell her family about the important visitors that were coming to stay with them.  She told them he was a servant of Abraham, and she showed them the expensive jewelry he had given to her.  She must have explained to them how he had bowed down to God and thanked God for leading him to the house of his master Abraham’s family.  

   

The jewels Eliezer gave to Rebekah were made of silver and gold; a nose ring and some bracelets that dangled daintily from Rebekah's arm.

Rebekah had an older brother named Laban.  As soon as he heard this news and saw the expensive jewelry that Rebekah was now wearing, Laban, went out to the well to greet Eliezer with a warm welcome.  “Come you who are blessed of the LORD.  Why are you standing here?  I have prepared the house for you and your camels. “

Have you ever had the exciting experience of telling your own brother about a new guest that comes from your Father's people, who lives in a distance land? Or let me put it this way:  Have you ever had the pleasure of telling someone that you loved about God's Holy Spirit?  How awesome is that?  Rebekah got to do that in a similar way when she told Laban about Eliezer.  Isn’t it fun, to relate the interesting circumstances around how you found each other at the well, and to introduce the guest to your brother and watch each of them slowly understand the importance of the visit?  

Isn’t it fun to know that the presence of this faithful servant who often arrives unexpectedly as you go about your daily tasks could totally change everything about your life in an instant?  Or eventually even the life of your brother too?  

So it was in the case of Rebekah.  It was an exciting unanticipated surprise in the middle of a mundane day of daily chores.  God had brought hope, joy and anticipation into the everyday.

Laban led Eliezer to the house of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.  Eliezer's camels were housed in a clean, well cared for barn, and they were well fed by the servants of Nahor, who helped Eliezer's men unload and guard the treasures he brought from Abraham.  

The servants of Nahor must have been amazed at the richness of the things that were loaded on Eliezer’s camels backs.  Laban must have used his most trusted servants to help with this task, in order to prevent theft of the gifts which were exceedingly wonderful and exquisite.  

The servants of Laban and Nahor must have wondered where Eleizer was taking these valuable gifts, and why he had them loaded on the backs of his camels on such a long journey.

 

Eliezer was taken inside to the family's best quarters and made to be very comfortable.  He and the men with him received fresh clean water to wash their feet.  They were given time to rest and be refreshed from their journey.  

Eliezer was invited to a lavish dinner that evening.

It surely seemed that all things were going well with Eliezer's quest of finding a bride for his master's son.  Eliezer could clearly see God's will and help in every direction he turned, and he was feeling like this was the right place to be.    

Eliezer, still being a good and very cautious servant, decided to still be carefully cautious and to throw in a few more little tests to determine and confirm his good feelings about Rebekah.  He prayed about these things as he rested before dinner and he waited for further conversations with her family. 

The extra precautions were not unusual traits for this good servant of Abraham.  Eliezer was always very careful in how he proceeded to go about his master's business.  He used great wisdom and sought out God's help each time, in every large or small task.  It would have been totally foolish for him to have blurted out the facts about his mission when he first met Rebekah at the well.  She might have thought he was crazy, and she might not have led him to her family.  The way Eliezer had shown her respect, and given her nice gifts, and waited patiently on her to confirm his signs were less obvious, more respectful and much easier for Rebekah to understand and relate to.  

When Rebekah saw Eliezer bow down and worship God for leading him to the home of his master’s relatives, she must have realized that she too had seen a sign from God.  Eliezer had earned her trust, and she perceived him to be an honest and sincere noble man.  

Now he would continue the process of confirmations that evening when he joined the family for dinner by being totally honest about exactly who he was and exactly why he was there.  It was time for him to reveal the rest of the story.

Eliezer would see what type of reaction Rebekah’s family gave to the whole purpose surrounding his journey, and then if all went well; he would proceed to make the arrangements for Rebekah with great caution, all the time following God’s lead as he went on through the process of securing a bride for Isaac.