The very first appearance of the word truth in Scripture interestingly occurs in Genesis 24, verse 27.
The eldest servant of Abraham had been assigned to travel with other servants bearing gifts to the country of Abraham’s relatives. They were to return with a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham had assured his servant that God would send His angel also, and the servant would indeed return with the wife. But the servant wanted to know what he was to do if she refused. If she refused, the servant was informed that he would be released from Abraham’s oath. In any case, Isaac was not to travel there.
The servant reached the region of Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, the modern Turkish city of Harran. First stopping at the well just outside the city to refresh himself, he made the ten camels that traveled with him to kneel down. There he prayed to God to show him the one, the wife God had appointed for his master Isaac.
Pay close attention to the details of his prayer and how quickly and specifically God responded:
“And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
“And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel [was] very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw [water], and drew for all his camels.
“And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels] weight of gold; And said, Whose daughter [art] thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room [in] thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I [am] the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.” Genesis 24:12-26 (KJV, hyperlinked with Strong’s Dictionary)
Now the verse 27: “And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Notice. He worshipped and praised the God of mercy and truth. Generations later, to Moses, God proclaimed Himself in Exodus 34:6. He said that He was proclaiming His own name. “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (KJV).
As a matter of fact, Jesus, who proclaimed that once you have seen Him, you have seen God, the Father, also called Himself Truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He said in John 14:6.
In a world where a pandemic of lies is commonplace, it is critical to have a love for truth. That is where safety and true wealth resides. Love for truth acts as a shield against the demonic spirit of unbelief, which spews lies and which ultimately will be revealed and destroyed, even if the lies have been distinguished by powerful miracles. The Bible calls them lying wonders.
The Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians explains the only way around such powerful deceptions is to have a love for the truth and to take pleasure in righteousness. Righteousness, or right doing from the heart, says the Apostle John is how we know that we are of the truth.
Rebekah showed heartfelt compassion for the weary travelers and their camels. She didn’t murmur. She didn’t complain. Rather, she hasted and ran to do the good deed. In this, she showed what ruled in her heart: genuine love and mercy and unselfishness. Where was the love? She showed it in her long suffering and in her kindness, the first and second elements of love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter. Neither did she behave unseemly or seek her own way. Rather, she showed complete selflessness. She also showed it in her endurance! Can you imagine how many times this young woman filled that pitcher and then emptied it into the trough to satisfy the thirst of ten camels?
Hmmm. I just thought of something. Ten camels. Like the Ten Commandments. Did these ten camels represent the Ten Commandments? Could this be a nod toward her being a commandment keeper? Already, I can think of Scripture that might support that! Maybe that is for a deeper study.
But for now, I can say this. John’s discourse on righteousness ends in affirming that the one who keeps God’s commandments show that they dwell in God (whom we now know is the God of mercy and truth) and that God also dwells in him (or her) by the Spirit. In John’s Gospel, he quotes Jesus, who introduces the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, the Divine Teacher of all things, and the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16,17; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7).
I cannot help but recall that David’s Psalm 19, reveals God’s Law as perfect, right and true. Their value is more desirable than fine gold and sweeter than the honeycomb. And in keeping them, there is great reward.
I cannot help but believe that the Holy Spirit of Truth, this divine Comforter, was in this case the representative of God that moved upon and through the hearts of all: particularly Rebekah, the servant of Abraham, and also in Isaac, who took in Rebekah and was comforted, at last. Could the Holy Spirit be the angel sent before Abraham’s servant to ensure his success?
“God speaks to us through His providential workings and through the influence of His Spirit upon the heart. In our circumstances and surroundings, in the changes daily taking place around us, we may find precious lessons if our hearts are but open to discern them.” SC 87.2
Then let us pray and ask God every day to bless us to not only love truth, that we might be saved, but to gird our loins with truth, that we may be divinely led and empowered to stand for God every day. Beyond that, we will be armored against the wiles of Satan and satanic delusion. But even more, we will be comforted with the indwelling of the Comforter, who rewards us with the contentment that comes from living a godly life, doing righteousness. For “godliness, with contentment is great gain.”