Word of Encouragement (02/22/2022)
And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels'-- let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” (Gen. 24:12-14).
This is the prayer of “[Abraham’s] servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had” (24:2), whom Abraham sent to acquire a wife for his son, Isaac, from his home country and kindred (24:4). Many believed him to be Eliezer, of him Abraham said before neither Ishmael nor Isaac was born, “the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus” (Gen. 15:2). When Eliezer got to Nahor, he offered this petition to God for the success of his mission.
Notice how he addresses God: “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.” Some cynical people may read these words and hear an unbeliever say, “Oh, YHWH, I don’t personally believe in You, but You are the God of my master Abraham. So, please grant me success today because I’m doing this for Abraham and Abraham is Your servant!” But that kind of cynicism is uncalled for. Eliezer seems to be an honorable man, trustworthy enough for Abraham to send him on this important mission. He was circumcised along with Abraham and all the men in Abraham’s household. That may not say much because Ishmael was circumcised, too, but he didn’t display any genuine faith in the LORD. But, unlike Ishmael (and Hagar), Eliezer prays. Not only that, we have the words of his prayer recorded in the Bible, which God honors by answering them right away.
Why did Eliezer address the LORD only as the God of Abraham and not as his own? It may be a sign of his humility rather than his unbelief. Even though he was the head of all the servants in Abraham’s household, he was mindful of his status as a servant. Quite possibly, he did not dare call his master’s God as his own. But he was a faithful servant; just as he was committed to serving his master, he was committed to serving his master’s God. Maybe he said what Ruth said: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried...” (Ruth 1:16-17).
Eliezer’s approach to God through his master Abraham is a good picture of our approach to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, isn’t it? We dare not approach God on our own; it is only through the merit of Christ and the power of His name that we can call upon God. So, we should address Him only as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). And yet, Jesus gave us the right to become children of God (John 1:12). He commanded us to pray, “Our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9)! In fact, He said to His disciples (through Mary Magdalene), “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17)! What a marvelous privilege we have in Jesus Christ!
May the Lord fill our hearts with a deep sense of awe and gratitude for this privilege. And may the Lord urge us and enable us to use this privilege diligently through our faithful prayer, not only as individuals but also as a church family!