‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.

‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.' Genesis 24:46

When Abraham’s servant arrived in the town of Nahor, a young woman named Rebekah 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 thirty gallons of water and there were ten camels. Do the maths. Rebekah is drawing three hundred 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. 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. To this day, her name is remembered and revered by people of faith. Rebekah did not know all that was at stake that day. She 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. Rebekah proved the truth of Scripture: ‘Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper’ (Proverbs 13:4 NLT). Where did we get the idea that it is wrong 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’ (Ephesians 6:8 NIV).