After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking” (Genesis 24:19 NIV).
Did not Jesus talk about going the second mile (Ref. Matthew 5:41)? What did He mean by that? Will it profit us to observe it? Meditating on the verse above might throw some light on going the second mile.
This incident in the life of Rebekah talks about an inner attitude and also a practical and cheerful way of carrying that into action. This attitude does not first think about what you are going to get. It thinks about what you can give.
Jesus came to give His life for us. That was His highest priority. God gave Jesus to us. Likewise God desires that we have a giving attitude. It is a life attitude of thinking how you can do good to others without having a selfish thought of calculating what you are going to get in return.
Now Rebekah, when asked to give a little water, gave it to Abraham’s servant. When he was satisfied, she willingly offered to draw water for his camels too.
Little did she know that what she was doing was an answer to his prayer. Little did she know that this one act of drawing water for the camels was going to take her to Isaac and the blessing of the Lord.
So, always be in an attitude of giving and doing good when that much is not expected from you. Who knows? Maybe you then become the answer to someone’s prayer! Who knows? God might use that one act from your part to bring you a greater blessing in life!
Now think about the task she performed. She drew water for ten camels. And camels can drink and store a lot of water. Just wonder how many times she might have gone to the well and brought enough water for the camels!
After that when the man asked her whether there was room in her father’s house for them to spend the night she again gives a reply which reflects her attitude. She said that they had plenty of straw and fodder as well as room for them to spend the night. See, she cared enough to put his mind at ease about his entire team as well!
The lesson that Rebekah teaches is that there are immense possibilities and blessings thrown open to you when you practice going the second mile. The rewards might come immediately; or at other times might come later in life at an unexpected time and manner. But it will surely come!
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