by David Chadwick
Eliezer is today’s hidden hero. If you haven’t heard of him, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Abraham. Husband of Sarah. Father of Isaac. Remember him? Well, Eliezer was Abraham’s faithful servant.
Abraham wanted his only son, Isaac, to find a wife from his own country. In true Abraham fashion, he decided to take matters into his own hands. This was a common theme for Abraham.
I have to believe Abraham was probably a man of action who loved to roll up his sleeves once he heard God tell him something and put his faith into action. But, in his flesh, his action-oriented nature got him in trouble. Remember when taking matters into his own hands led him to sleep with Hagar, which birthed Ishmael? There is a beautiful side and a shadow side to assertiveness.
But it was the good side of Abraham’s assertive nature that showed up in this story with Eliezer. His heart to find Isaac a wife led him to ask his faithful servant to search out and find the blessing God intended for his son to have. This time, Abraham’s action-oriented nature led to tremendous blessing!
In Genesis 24:10-22, Abraham sent an unnamed servant, who we will later see was most likely Eliezer, to find Isaac a wife. There, this servant spotted a woman named Rebekah at the community well. Rebekah’s kindness to Abraham’s servant was so incredible, both to him and his weary camels, that he was sure she was the one who God had chosen for Isaac.
The unnamed servant sealed the deal with Rebekah’s family to bring her back to Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah met, fell in love, and married. They went on to have two sons, Jacob and Esau.
Though unnamed in Genesis 24, surely this servant was Eliezer, Abraham’s faithful servant, first mentioned in Genesis 15:2. A true hidden hero! The head of Abraham’s household. Trusted and true. He humbly accepted his position as servant. No rancor or envy. No bitterness or jealousy. A simple heart to serve Abraham well.
Without Eliezer, Isaac and Rebekah would have never met. Without him, Jacob, through whom God’s covenant would be fulfilled to eventually bring Jesus into the world, would have never been born.
Every person who puts their trust in Jesus wants to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” from the Father one day. Eliezer modeled this kind of servanthood and I am certain Abraham was pleased with him.
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