‘You are a garden fountain, a well of fresh water streaming down from Lebanon’s mountains. ‘ Song of Songs 4:15(NLT)
‘Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Swear by the Lord , the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.” The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?” “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. For the Lord , the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.” So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water. “O Lord , God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?” “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.” The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord . “Praise the Lord , the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.” The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. ‘ Genesis 24:1-28(NLT)
Over the next few days, we’ll continue our study by looking at two patriarchs of our faith: Isaac and Jacob. They were both Jewish and married to Jewish women, which means they would have undergone the Jewish marital customs we learned about earlier.
Both Isaac and Jacob found their future wives at a water well. Moses, another patriarch of the faith, also met his wife at a well, and later in this study, we’ll learn that Jesus met the Samaritan woman at a well, too.
When studying the Bible, you’ll find that when something happens more than once, it’s not a coincidence. Let’s take a look at wells today and see why this meeting place is significant.
In biblical times, wells were usually located outside of town and required a one- to two-mile walk to get to them. They often served as boundary lines to mark that a village was close by.
Women of the village would take two or more trips to the well each day to gather water for their family’s daily needs, such as drinking, washing, agriculture, and cooking. Wells were a crucial life source for a community in that day.
A functioning well was not only a necessary and life-giving source for a community; it was also a social hub, kind of like Starbucks is to us today. (I need coffee like I need water. Just saying.) Travelers would come from near and far to drink water and refresh their animals.
The well, being just far enough outside of town, was an acceptable place for young men and women to meet, visit, and flirt outside of the watchful eye of their elders (just keeping it real). You could often find a shepherd hanging out around midday or evening time resting and watering his flock before heading back on the road.
Water in the Bible symbolizes life. In the book of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “living water.” The Holy Spirit brings eternal, supernatural life. On the other hand, an empty well in the Bible is referred to as a “pit”: a symbol of death with no life-giving source or water dwelling inside. Pits were empty, dark, dry, and deadly.
In today’s reading, King Solomon speaks of his bride as a well flowing with streaming water. Being “like a well” was considered a great compliment in this culture. It implied that you were refreshing and life-giving, and that all who come in contact with you were filled with life.
When we, the bride of Christ, have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us, we’re like the well in this verse. It’s truly a beautiful picture.
Today, we’ll start reading the story of Isaac and Rebekah, which we’ll cover over the next couple of days. It’s a lot of reading, but trust me—it’s very romantic!
from Will You Marry Me?