Seven Habits of Highly Effective Servants
Abraham the Believer: Part 16
Genesis 24:1-67
By Dave Redick

I speak today as a servant among servants who share a common bond of commitment to God through Christ. I speak among those who have come out of the world of "serve-us" and entered the world of service to God. I speak among those who can no longer be satisfied with the paltry rewards of this soon-to-burn world and have set their affections on the eternal rewards above.

As I considered the sermon title in my preparation to speak to you this morning, it occurred again to me how strange we must look to the world around us. Here we are on a day when most people are either sleeping in or pursuing their favorite recreation, and we’re singing praise to a God we cannot see or hear. On top of that, we’re preparing to listen to someone speak to us about serving others instead of ourselves. Strange indeed!

But it’s only strange to those who belong to the perishing world around us. I have confidence that it’s not strange to you. We have committed ourselves to the God of the universe and understand that our commitment calls for service.

Jesus explained service to His disciples this way in Mark 10:43-45:"Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

I speak today as a servant among servants who share a common bond of commitment to God through Christ. I speak among those who have come out of the world of "serve-us" and entered the world of service to God. I speak among those who can no longer be satisfied with the paltry rewards of this soon-to-burn world and have set their affections on the eternal rewards above.

I hope you are in a servant mindset this morning. I hope you realize that we are saved to serve.

There is a remarkable story of service in the 24^th chapter of Genesis. I invite you to turn there with me in your Bibles. In this passage, Abraham needs to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Due to his age, he cannot do it himself, so he calls upon his most trusted servant. As the story unfolds, I think you’ll see that the task at hand was not one that could be entrusted to just any old servant. It had to be – and it was – given to someone special – and, I might add, someone very effective.

Chapter 24 is the longest chapter in the book of Genesis, so we’ll need to move quickly through it. As we do, I want you to watch for what I’ve called "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Servants."

Let’s begin in verse 1.

Abraham was 140 years old. Though his life would continue for another 35 years, he sensed that things were winding down for him. His son Isaac was 40. Sarah, Abraham’s wife had been dead three years. If the promise of God was to be continued through Isaac, the younger man must soon take a wife. Yet she could not be just any woman. Just like for us today, if faith is to continue and be passed on to the next generation, a serious believer’s mate must be chosen from among other serious believers. Isaac’s wife must come from among those who knew the God of heaven. She must also know God herself. For Abraham, that meant only one thing. She must come from among his own relatives, back in Mesopotamia. If Isaac married a Canaanite woman, she might lead him astray into the sensual idolatry of Canaan, which would spell the end of God’s promise to bless the descendants of Abraham.

So Abraham called on his most trusted servant – a man who was "the oldest in his house" and who had so distinguished himself that he "had charge of all that he owned." Strangely perhaps, the man’s name isn’t stated in the passage. Some speculate that this might have been Eliezer of Damascus who was mentioned back in chapter 15 as Abraham’s heir before he had his own children, (1) but there is no way to know for sure.

Whatever the servant’s name, Abraham had judged him to be a dependable man, because into his hand he was about to place the fate of the entire covenant of God. Highly effective servants then, are:

1. Dependable

When you have a crucial job to do and you can’t do it yourself (Abraham was too old to make 500 mile trip to the home of his relatives) you choose someone you can count on - someone you can trust. You choose someone who has proven himself in the past.

A little boy walked down the beach, and as he did, he spied a matronly woman sitting under a beach umbrella on the sand. He walked up to her and asked, "Are you are Christian?"

"Yes."

"Do you read your Bible every day?"

She nodded her head, "Yes."

"Do you pray often?" the boy asked next.

Again, she answered, "Yes."

With that he asked his final question, "Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?"

This servant of Abraham’s was about to be called upon to hold more than his quarter. He would hold the fate of the promises Abraham had lived for over the past 65 years.

I wonder, fellow servants, if God could trust us with something that important? Then again, are we dependable in the smaller things? Dependability for large things is developed through faithfulness in little things. For instance, when a dependable servant says he or she will be there to do something, they make every effort to follow though. Do we do that?

Jesus has made it clear for us that those who are dependable are the ones who will "hold his quarters." In Matthew 25:21, he said, "you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things…"

How about it, fellow servants? Are you dependable?

Reasoning perhaps, that a young lady might not be willing to follow him without first having a chance to see her perspective marriage partner in person, the servant wanted to know if it would be OK to take Isaac with him. It’s a good thing he asked!

The Son of Promise must stay in the Promised Land! If Abraham had learned anything in his life with God, he had learned that. Every time he ventured out of Canaan, he encountered trouble. Or, perhaps the reason for his firm refusal to let Isaac go was that he feared he would decide to stay with his relatives. Whatever the case, he let his will be known clearly. "Beware lest you take my son back there!"

Understand here, that the thing Abraham was asking would be very difficulty. So Abraham let his servant know that, though the request was difficult, God would provide.

Before we move on, notice a second characteristic of highly effective servants is that they are:

The word discriminate describes one who is careful to distinguish things. A discriminate buyer, for instance, is one who checks things out carefully before putting his money down. Such a one gets all the details. He makes careful and systematic investigation to know exactly what he is getting and what the terms are for getting it.

The servant asked Abraham for clarification. He didn’t just run off and start looking for a woman for Isaac to marry. He made sure he knew exactly what his master wanted. "Suppose the woman will not be willing…? What do I do then? Should I take Isaac with me?" He got as much information about his master’s will as he could. That is an important quality for a servant.

Some years ago I needed my car washed and there was a boy down the street who had told me that if ever I needed my car washed, I should call on him. So I did, and sure enough, he showed up, bucket in hand, eager to go to work. Boy, was he eager! In fact, he was so eager that he turned on the water and got right to it, even before he listened to my instructions. Now if I’m going to pay for a job I want it done right. So I cautioned him to be sure to go over it carefully, because I would wait for it to dry so I could inspect it before I paid him. Well, he was finished nearly before I got the words out and had his hand out for his money. I told him again that I would wait for the car to dry to be sure it was clean, then pay him. Well, the car dried and it wasn’t clean, so I made him do it again. (You can imagine how pleased he was about that!) Again, I cautioned him about doing it carefully, but this time he was so angry with me he didn’t listen again. He finished with his hand out for his money and I told him we would wait until the car was dry just like before. By this time he was grumbling about my not being fair with him and I was telling him to slow down and listen to me. When we finally parted, he had his money and I had my clean car, at least mostly clean. Needless to say, he didn’t ask to wash my car again and I didn’t ask him to do it. He was eager, but not very discriminate. He wasn’t interested in the details, like what it was that I wanted.

I have reflected on that incident a number of times as I thought about my own relationship with God. Much like the boy, I’ve always been willing and anxious to do God’s will, but have I always been as willing to wait until I have discerned exactly what it is He wants me to do?

Ephesians 5:17 says, "Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

A good servant is discriminate. He or she is very careful to clearly understand God’s will before eagerly launching out. He will consider what the Bible says. He will consult with other godly people. Only when he is as sure as possible will he launch out.

A third characteristic of highly effective servants is in the next verse.

The hand under the thigh thing was apparently a gesture of commitment for them, perhaps like a handshake to us. With it, this servant bound himself with an oath to do Abraham’s will, come what may, and as we read through the passage, we’ll see that from this point onward he was fully devoted to just that. Thus the third characteristic of this highly effective servant is that he was:

Leadership Magazine published the following words about devotion to a cause from Senator John McCain. You might remember McCain, a Vietnam vet, from the Republican Presidential primaries. John wrote:

"In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30-40 men to a room. We preferred this situation for the companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners. In addition to moving us to new quarters, our captors also let us receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public. In our cell was one Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a period of time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt, one of the blue pajama tops we all wore. Every night in our cell, Mike would put his shirt on the wall, and we would say the pledge of allegiance. I know that the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now, but I can tell you that at the time it was the most important aspect of our lives. This had been going on for some time until one of the guards came in as we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell. Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, I saw Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American flag." (2)

These men took their devotion to the flag that represented our country seriously. That is similar to the kind of devotion Jesus wants from His servants.

Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…"

Luke 9:62 says, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

These verses don’t mean that servants don’t have other concerns. Neither is sorting out the responsibilities of devotion is an easy task. It’s just that, after all is said and done, for servants of God, His concerns come first, ahead of all else.

Here is another characteristic of highly effective servants. This servant was:

Once he knew Abraham’s wishes, he didn’t dally about getting started. Neither did he dally along the way.

Many people today profess their love for the Lord. They are very vocal about their willingness to do his will. But they never seem to get off the dime. They never get started. "One of these days we’ll do that! It’s a good thing and we’re surely going to get it done." But they just talk. That’s all. This servant got going.

As soon as we know what God wants us to do and how He wants us to do it, we need to get going!

Romans 12:8 says, [Let him who leads] "lead with diligence."

Romans 12:11 says that we must be "not lagging behind in diligence."

2 Peter 1:5 says that you and I should be "applying all diligence" in our faith.

The next characteristic of highly effective servants encompasses the next 17 verses. I’ll give it to you first, then point it out as we read. This servant was:

By developed, I mean he was mature. His understanding of human nature and the way his task intersected it reflected maturity not present in less seasoned servants. He knew from years of living with Abraham what kind of woman his servant would want for his son. Yet there was still a problem. How do you go about securing a wife for your master’s son in a land where you have never been, among people you don’t know and who don’t know you? You know your master doesn’t want just any woman for his son. She must be faithful and godly and willing to leave her relatives and go with you, even though she and her relatives have never laid eyes on you.

A less seasoned servant might perhaps have taken an ad out in the paper and advertised: "Wealthy sheik seeks wife for son. Son is 40 years old and heir of vast fortune. Only beautiful women need apply" – sort of an ancient "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" approach. But it isn’t likely you’ll find the right person that way.

No, this servant had a wise plan that depended upon God’s leading. After all, this was God’s business, so it was reasonable that God would assist. Wasn’t that what Abraham had assured him?

A girl who would take on the watering of ten large, thirsty camels would certainly have a quality not common among young woman! I know many young women who are too lazy to even do the dishes!

This is a veteran servant in action. He handled this task like the developed servant he was.

Growing older in the service of God does not necessarily mean we develop into wiser saints. Many cease developing after the early days of their growth as Christians. You get to maturity by continuing to develop, even into old age. Your development should never stop.

Here is another characteristic of highly effective servants. This servant was:

That’s a word we don’t use too often, but it’s a very good one that we should learn to use. Note that I didn’t say different. I said deferent. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word means, "Submitted to the opinion, wishes, or judgment of another." (3) This servant wasn’t willing to feed himself (though he must have been famished after a 500-mile trip on the back of a Camel!) until he stated his master’s business.

A good servant knows that he or she exists for the pleasure and will of the master first. His own needs are secondary. This was modeled in Jesus’ words: "Not my will, but thine be done." (4) We know the verse. Do we know it’s meaning? Jesus was deferent to His Father’s will.

Does the will of the Master come first in our lives, before we fill our own needs?

We’re going to continue reading, but first let me state the next characteristic of highly effective servants. It is seen in what remains of this chapter so you can watch for it in the verses as we read them. This servant was:

In the next verses, the servant recounts the happenings outside the city gate, which we have already seen. I’m going to skip over a few of them due to our time. They were recounted, I’m sure, to convince Rebekah’s family that God’s hand was in this.

Note his determination. He was on a mission. If this wasn’t the right girl, then he must move on. I think they sensed his determination.

You might recall in the beginning of this series we learned that Abraham’s father, Terah, was an idol worshipper. Notice here that the family now acknowledged the God of heaven. Abraham’s witness to them, though absent now for many years, had surely had a good effect.

Success! The servant’s determination, in cooperation with God’s will, paid off.

Notice again the servant’s determination.

If you can recall the last time you started on a long and difficult task and then finally you finished it successfully, you’ll identify with the servant in these verses. Yes, the words center on Isaac, as rightly they should. He was the heir. Just remember that behind the happy union there between Isaac and Rebekah, there is one proud servant, happy to see the joy of his master. That is the highest goal of an effective servant – to see the joy of his master when his serving is complete.

One day you and I will have the matchless privilege to stand in the presence of our Master. Hopefully, our lives will have furthered his cause and purpose and we, too will experience the same joy of a job well done. That day will come if we continue to develop these habits which are in every highly effective servant. Such servants are:

May God help us be the servants He wants us to be!

Footnotes: Use your "back" button to return to your place.

1. Genesis 15:2
2. John McCain. From the files of Leadership
3. American Heritage Electronic Dictionary
4. Luke 22:42

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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