When Abraham’s servant arrived in the town of Nahor, a young woman named Rebecca offered to give him a drink of water. When he had finished drinking, Rebekah said, “I’ll water your camels too.” We are told that she ‘quickly’ emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well. It all sounds fairly unremarkable, until you read between the lines: one gallon of water weighs eight pounds.
A thirsty camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water for a stranger. She does all that could be reasonably expected of her – and then some. This was a pivotal moment in her life and because of her act of service; Rebekah became the wife of Isaac and went on to the adventure of a lifetime, becoming part of sacred history. Rebekah did not know all that was at stake that day.
Rebekah did not offer to draw three hundred gallons of water because she knew what the reward could be. It was simply an expression of her heart. Where did we get the idea that it is right to give expecting a return, or serve, expecting a reward? Certainly not from the Bible! Some of our rewards will come in this lifetime, others in the next one. But, “You know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.” Ephe 6:8 NIV
