In Genesis 24, where Abraham’s servant is seeking a wife for Isaac, one quality he sought was a girl who was willing not only to draw water for him but would give the camels a drink also (Tidings Pictures of Redemption #20 “Watering Camels”). There is an emphasis on camels in this incident. The word “camel” appears seven times, and is translated from the Hebrew gamal, which is a burden bearer and, according to Strong Concordance, means “to treat, benefit, wean.” When camels have received water they are able to travel great distances independent of others providing for them.
A Jewish Rabbi made an interesting connection between “camels” and “wean.” Water enables a camel to leave on a long journey through the wilderness and survive the trials of drought. When a child is weaned, it is no longer dependent upon its mother for nourishment. We are told in I Samuel 1 that, when Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him to minister in the house of the Lord. Hannah was confident that Samuel was ready to live in the household of Eli, the priest, and faithfully serve the Lord.
Becoming independent
Why was this so important in choosing a wife for Isaac? The servant was seeking a bride who would be willing not only to feed others, but would also encourage them to become independent and able to travel the wilderness journey, sustained by the water of life, and not to faint along the way. The bride of the promised seed surely represents the ecclesia, and it is the work of the ecclesia to equip its individual members to travel the journey. Other churches tend to keep their followers dependent on the leaders for spiritual guidance, but the desire of the bridegroom is that all members of his bride embark upon their journey with sufficient spiritual food from the water of the word to reach the desired end.
As members of the bride of Christ, we all have the responsibility to follow Rebekah’s example to feed others with the water of life. We are not trying to make them dependent upon us for spiritual guidance, but to gain the wisdom and experience necessary to assimilate the word of God to sustain them through the journey of life and reach the goal.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One