Genesis 24:20 Daily Devotional & Meaning – Rebekah Ran to Serve with a Willing Heart
- Benjamin Michael Mcgreevy
- May 16
- 5 min read
Daily Verses Everyday! Day 103
“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.”
Genesis 24:20 continues to show the remarkable servant-heartedness of Rebekah. The verse says, “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.” This is not slow obedience. This is not reluctant kindness. This is active, eager, costly service. Rebekah does not merely make a generous promise in verse 19; she fulfills it in verse 20. Her words become action. Her kindness becomes labor. Her willingness becomes visible.
The word “ran” is especially important. Rebekah did not drag herself back to the well as though she regretted offering to help. She did not serve with a bitter face or a complaining heart. She ran. That tells us something about her spirit. She served with eagerness. This reminds us of Colossians 3:23, which says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Rebekah may not have known all that God was doing in this moment, but her service had the appearance of a heart that worked “heartily.” She did not merely do the right thing; she did it with energy and willingness.
Her actions also reflect the spirit of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” The task before Rebekah was humble and physical. She was not standing before kings. She was not speaking in public. She was not performing some grand act of religious devotion. She was drawing water. Yet she did it with strength, diligence, and urgency. She saw work to be done, and she did it with her might. This teaches us that faithfulness is not only proven in great callings, but also in ordinary duties done with a willing heart.
This is even more impressive when we remember how much work watering the camels required. Abraham’s servant had come with ten camels. Rebekah had to fill her pitcher, carry the water, empty it into the trough, and return again to the well. She repeated this until all the camels were watered. This was not symbolic service. This was real labor. It cost her time, strength, and energy. Yet she did not quit halfway. The verse says she “drew for all his camels.” Her service was complete.
In this way, Rebekah gives us a picture of Proverbs 31:17, which says of the virtuous woman, “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” Rebekah’s kindness was not weak sentiment. It had strength behind it. She was willing to work. She was willing to use her arms, her time, and her endurance to bless someone else. Her generosity was not only spoken; it was carried in a pitcher, poured into a trough, and repeated until the task was finished.
Rebekah’s servant attitude also reminds us of Galatians 5:13: “By love serve one another.” She was not forced to serve Abraham’s servant. She was not required to water his camels. He had asked only for a drink for himself, but she freely offered more. That is what love does. Love does not always ask, “What is the least I must do?” Love asks, “How can I help? How can I bless? How can I meet the need before me?” Rebekah saw the servant’s need and then noticed the need of his camels also. Her service moved beyond obligation into generosity.
This is the kind of heart Scripture commends again and again. In Matthew 5:41, Jesus says, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” Rebekah was not compelled to go even one mile, yet her spirit matches the principle of the second mile. She went beyond what was asked. She did more than the minimum. She gave not only a drink to the man, but water for all his camels. Her service was above and beyond.
The same spirit appears in Philippians 2:3-4, where Paul writes, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Rebekah could have focused only on her own errand. She had come to the well for her own household’s needs. Yet she looked beyond herself. She noticed another person. She noticed his animals. She made their need her concern. That is humility in action.
Most importantly, Rebekah’s servant-heartedness points us forward to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Rebekah’s service at the well was small compared to Christ’s saving work, but it reflects a beautiful principle of the kingdom of God. Greatness in God’s eyes is not measured by how many people serve us, but by our willingness to serve others. Rebekah ran to the well; Christ came down from heaven. Rebekah drew water for camels; Christ gives living water to sinners. Rebekah served a stranger; Christ gave Himself for His enemies.
This verse also reminds us of John 13, where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. The Lord of glory took the place of a servant. He stooped to do humble work. Afterward, He told His disciples, “I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Rebekah’s act at the well is not the same as Christ washing feet, but it shares that same humble pattern: seeing a need, lowering oneself, and serving with willing hands.
There is also a lesson here from Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Rebekah did not know who this servant was. She did not know what God was arranging through this meeting. She did not know that her kindness would lead her into the covenant family of Abraham. She simply served the stranger in front of her. That is often how God works. We may not understand the full significance of an ordinary act of obedience, but God sees more than we do.
Genesis 24:20 therefore teaches us that true service is eager, humble, costly, and complete. Rebekah ran. She “hasted.” She emptied her pitcher. She returned to the well. She drew water for all the camels. She did not serve halfway. She did not serve lazily. She did not serve only when it was convenient. Her actions reveal a heart willing to labor for the good of another.
The believer should take this verse seriously. We should ask whether our service looks anything like Rebekah’s. Do we serve quickly or only after delay? Do we help willingly or with complaint? Do we go beyond what is required, or do we do only enough to say we helped? Do we finish what we start, or do we grow tired when service becomes inconvenient? Rebekah’s example challenges us to serve with haste, humility, and love.
In the end, Rebekah’s running at the well was not unnoticed by God. Her repeated trips with the pitcher were part of the Lord’s providential plan. What looked like ordinary labor became the setting where her character was revealed. She reminds us that humble service, done with a willing heart, is precious before the Lord. She did not merely offer help. She ran to serve. And in that running, we see a beautiful picture of love that is willing to give itself for the needs of another.
If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.
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