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From Eternity Past
a maiden from the family of Nahor in Mesopotamia. If a damsel could
not be found who would leave her kindred, then the messenger would
be released from his oath. The patriarch encouraged him with the
assurance that God would crown his mission with success. “The Lord
God of heaven,” he said, “which took me from my father’s house, and
from the land of my kindred, ... He shall send his angel before thee.”
The messenger set out without delay. Taking ten camels for his
own company and the bridal party that might return with him and
also gifts for the intended wife and friends, he made the long journey
beyond Damascus to the plains that border on the great river of the
East.
Arrived at Haran, “the city of Nahor,” he halted outside the walls
near the well to which the women came at evening for water. It was
a time of anxious thought with him. Important results, not only to
his master’s household but to future generations, might follow from
the choice he made. Remembering that God would send His angel
with him, he prayed for positive guidance. In the family of his master
he was accustomed to constant kindness and hospitality, and he now
asked that an act of courtesy might indicate the maiden whom God
had chosen.
Hardly was the prayer uttered before the answer was given. Among
the women at the well, the courteous manners of one attracted his
attention. As she came from the well, the stranger went to meet her,
asking for some water from the pitcher upon her shoulder. The request
received a kind answer with an offer to draw water for the camels also.
Thus the desired sign was given. The maiden “was very fair to
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look upon,” and her ready courtesy gave evidence of a kind heart and
an active, energetic nature. Thus far the divine hand had been with
him. The messenger asked her parentage, and on learning that she
was the daughter of Bethuel, Abraham’s nephew, “he bowed down his
head, and worshiped the Lord.”
The man revealed his connection with Abraham. Returning home,
the maiden told what had happened, and Laban, her brother, at once
hastened to bring the stranger to share their hospitality.
Eliezer would not partake of food until he had told his errand, his
prayer at the well, with all the circumstances attending it. Then he
said, “Now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me:
and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.” The