What Does Genesis 24:39 Mean?

When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. The second act of worship in the chapter, bowing to the ground before the Lord, marks the completion of the covenant dimension of the mission. The family has said "yes"; the servant's response is not immediate gift distribution but first worship. He cannot receive the family's consent without acknowledging the God who directed every step that produced it. The worship is the pivot between the consent and the transaction.

The gifts distributed after the family's consent are the material confirmation of the covenant alliance. Gold and silver for Rebekah, costly gifts for her brother and mother: the distribution is appropriate and generous, establishing the covenant partner's wealth within the family's experience. The servant's earlier recitation of Abraham's inventory, Sheep, cattle, silver, gold, is now embodied in the gold and silver jewelry placed on Rebekah's wrists and the costly gifts distributed to her household. The missionary has specifically testified to his master's blessing; he has made it tangible and local.

The meal received after the mission is presented and accepted is the final confirmation of the chapter's ordering: mission before comfort, covenant before personal need. The servant postponed the food until the purpose of his coming was declared and received. Only after the gift distribution that sealed the alliance does he eat. Paul's instruction in Philippians 4:11, "I have learned to be content in whatever state I am", is modeled by the servant who can fast from hospitality for the mission's sake and receive it fully when the mission is complete.