As we continue to work our way through Jesus’ Bible, let’s see what can be learned from Abraham’s famous servant Eliezer. Please grab your Bible and read Genesis 24:10-14. However, the entire narrative of Eliezer’s assignment to find a wife for Isaac is a very good teaching about how God provides for us – but I want to focus on those first four verses.

The beginning of this passage tells us that when Eliezer set off on his trip he did not go empty handed. He took ten camels loaded with all the good things from his master’s house. We can imagine fine fabrics and perhaps delicacies of choice food from the land of Canaan, or perhaps he also brought jewelry and other valuable items. He was, after all, heading into a foreign land to convince a young woman to come back with him to marry his master’s son. He not only had to convince the woman, but also her family. Eliezer had to show that his master was a very important man and therefore the woman would have some guarantees that she would be well cared for.

So, what can we learn from Eliezer? In the Apostolic Scriptures, we often find the metaphor that the believers in Jesus (that is, the Church, if you prefer) are referred to as the bride of the Messiah and upon his return in the future there will be a marriage feast (Matthew 25:1-13 and Revelation 19:6-9). This means that our mission is very similar to Eliezer’s mission – to go out into the sphere of influence where God placed us and find ‘brides’ for the Son of our Master. We do this by offering the many fine things that we take with us from our Master’s house to the people we meet.

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, tells us exactly what we have to offer a potential bride for the Son of our Master. We take along with us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). In our interactions with the people at our workplace or our school, at the grocery store or the gym, we share our gifts.

Eliezer did not begin his process by talking to Rebekah; he began by giving her gifts and by giving gifts to her family. Then he talked with them about Rebekah returning to marry Isaac. The same is for us. We don’t begin with a new acquaintance by telling them the Gospel message. The best place to start might be to give them our gifts. Treat them with respect and kindness. Volunteer to help when they need help. Be a role model of correct behavior when confronted with life’s difficulties. We offer to pray for them or with them as the situation for such intervention arises. At some point in the relationship, the time will be just right to propose that this person would make a wonderful bride for the Son of our Master.

I am suggesting here that a detailed study of how Eliezer conducted himself on his mission to find a bride for Isaac can help us as we venture into the world and find people who need to be in a relationship with God through Jesus, his son. The gifts that we have to offer are quite compelling to a person without real peace in their lives.

Frank Fenton is a lifelong student of the Word of God. He attends the Church of the Messiah in Xenia where he shares teaching duties for the weekly Bible study class, as well as contributing to the congregational teaching.